Feed Your Good Dog

Positive Thoughts | Positive Actions | Positive Results

Wednesday Wide Smile

Wednesday Wide Smile

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Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day. If you are looking for a way to say thanks to our military, we came across an appropriately named organization, The Thank You Foundation. Its mission is to to show appreciation and express gratitude for members of the U.S. Military both past and present.

The Foundation accomplishes its mission by offering programs and services for Veterans, Military Personnel, and their Families. It believes that words of gratitude need to be followed with action and a commitment to meet the varied needs of the community it serves and to help . . . try to meet the needs of those that have given so much for our freedom.

Here is one program The Thank You Foundation has to meet its mission:

The Thank You Foundation delivers the Kroger Neighborhood Rewards Program and makes it easy to help “Support the Troops” and our Veterans simply by shopping at Kroger.
  

HERE’S HOW

You may link to The Thank You Foundation here to obtain a Kroger Gift Card.

After you receive the card from The Thank You Foundation take it to any Kroger or any Kroger owned store and load it with a cash value of anything between $10 – $250.

Then use the card to make purchases just like a debit or credit card.

Each quarter Kroger will donate 4% of the total value of all cards distributed by The Thank You Foundation back to the foundation to be used by them to continue their “Mission of Appreciation” and to send care packages, honor Veterans, support military families and other programs offered by the foundation.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Wednesday Wide Smile

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Check out the following list from Real Simple.com of … well…real simple ways to Feed Your Good Dog for a Wednesday Wide Smile.

9 Things You Can Do to Be Happy in the Next 30 Minutes
Surprising ways to instantly improve your mood.
by Gretchen Rubin

Being happier doesn’t have to be a long-term ambition. You can start right now. In the next 30 minutes, tackle as many of the following suggestions as possible. Not only will these tasks themselves increase your happiness, but the mere fact that you’ve achieved some concrete goals will boost your mood.

1. Raise your activity level to pump up your energy. If you’re on the phone, stand up and pace. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Put more energy into your voice. Take a brisk 10-minute walk. Even better…

2. Take a walk outside. Research suggests that light stimulates brain chemicals that improve mood. For an extra boost, get your sunlight first thing in the morning.

3. Reach out. Send an e-mail to a friend you haven’t seen in a while, or reach out to someone new. Having close bonds with other people is one of the most important keys to happiness. When you act in a friendly way, not only will others feel more friendly toward you, but you’ll also strengthen your feelings of friendliness for other people.

4. Rid yourself of a nagging task. Deal with that insurance problem, purchase something you need, or make that long-postponed appointment with the dentist. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a rush of elation.

5. Create a more serene environment. Outer order contributes to inner peace, so spend some time organizing bills and tackling the piles in the kitchen. A large stack of little tasks can feel overwhelming, but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizable dent. Set the timer for 10 minutes and see what you can do.

6. Do a good deed. Introduce two people by e-mail, take a minute to pass along useful information, or deliver some gratifying praise. In fact, you can also…

7. Save someone’s life. Sign up to be an organ donor, and remember to tell your family about your decision. Do good, feel good―it really works!

8. Act happy. Fake it ’til you feel it. Research shows that even an artificially induced smile boosts your mood. And if you’re smiling, other people will perceive you as being friendlier and more approachable.

9. Learn something new. Think of a subject that you wish you knew more about and spend 15 minutes on the Internet reading about it, or go to a bookstore and buy a book about it. But be honest! Pick a topic that really interests you, not something you think you “should” or “need to” learn about.

Some people worry that wanting to be happier is a selfish goal, but in fact, research shows that happier people are more sociable, likable, healthy, and productive―and they’re more inclined to help other people. By working to boost your own happiness, you’re making other people happier, too.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Wednesday Wide Smile

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THE TWILIGHT WISH FOUNDATION BRINGS SMILES TO DESERVING SENIORS THROUGH INDIVIDUAL WISH GRANTING CONNECTING GENERATIONS.

Mother Teresa was once asked what is the loneliest place in the world. Her answer was “nursing homes in America.” The Twilight Wish Foundation is changing the way America views the aging process and redefining what is acceptable in our attitudes about aging.

It’s Mission: To honor and enrich the lives of deserving seniors through wish granting celebrations that connect generations; and it’s Vision: To make America a nicer place to age.

The Twilight Foundation believes it’s time to say “thank you” by bringing smiles and joy into quiet, humble lives. They celebrate the life of someone special by giving them an unexpected “thank you” in the form of a wish come true.

Twilight Wish also has an Intergenerational Caring Program that “connects generations” by getting many students and schools, clubs, organizations and companies involved by fund raising and directly granting wishes through our wish management.

Since their founding, the Twilight Wish Foundation has granted more than 1,275 wishes. Learn more about the Twilight Wish Foundation in the following Good Deeds On Demand video.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Wednesday Wide Smile

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Congratulatons to 11-Year-Old, MaryMargaret, Who Surpassed Original Goal and Donates 250 MP3 Players to Area Hospitals

MaryMargaret Music for Life Fundraiser

On November 20, 2009, the Feed Your Good Dog Council, posted a story about the efforts of then 10-year old MaryMargaret O’Neill who continued to work tirelessly to raise enough money to eventually buy 150 MP3 players for kids in the hospital. Her hope is that the therapeutic quality of the music provided by the MP3 players will help kids endure the many and sometimes painful test they go through during their stay in the hospital. “When they are bored or scared, they can listen to their favorite music and feel better” she said.

MaryMargaret calls her project “Music for Life”. She ran multiple fund raisers at local malls and other venues. She reached out through social media outlets to collect funds. She braved the freezing cold weather in January at an outdoor fundraiser at night. Even though there were few people there, one frigid man walked up and handed her a $50.00 bill. “I came here specifically to give you this,” he said. He had seen the notice in the paper that she would be there.

Recently, MaryMargaret surpassed her goal of 150 MP3 players and purchased 250. She preloaded them with music donated by her Facebook and Twitter friends. They are all ready to use. They come in a gift bag with a Kids Are Heroes flyer and a personal letter written by MaryMargaret. She plans on donating half of them to Children’s Medical Center in Washington D.C. and the other half to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

Stay tuned for more to come about the good MaryMargaret is sure to accomplish!

Sources:

KidsAreHeroes.com

Kids Are Heroes

and

Next Phase Music for Life

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Wednesday Wide Smile

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BIKES FOR THE WORLD REACHES NEW MILESTONE AND DONATES ITS 40,000TH BICYCLE TO HELP OTHERS OVERSEAS HELP THEMSELVES

On December 5, 2009, Bikes for the World, a DC area-based non-profit, shipped its 40,000th bike for donation to programs overseas that help people who need affordable transportation help themselves. The shipment containing this milestone bike went to the Panamanian Association of Goodwill Industries, a long-time Bikes for the World charity partner.

Keith Oberg placing 40,000th donated bike in shipping container

On the left, Bikes for the World Director, Keith Oberg, places the 40,000th donated bike in the container bound for Panama. The following weekend Bikes for the World loaded another container sent to Uganda which brought the total bikes donated in 2009 to over 9,000!

The bikes donated by Bikes for the World are sold by local partners, such as PAGI at low prices. These bikes not only provide local workers, tradesmen, and students with affordable transport but enable the receiving organization to train and employ people with disabilities, building job skills and providing employment to a population often marginalized in the job market.

In a short time span of five years, the mid-Atlantic network of Bikes for the World has quietly become the largest program of its type in the United States. During that period, the organization has mobilized more than 150 faith communities, schools, scout troops, civic clubs, and businesses and has collected and donated nearly 40,000 bikes valued at more than $1.5 million. It has also developed a reputation for shipping high-quality used bicycles to reputable non-profit partners in Africa and the Caribbean Basin.

Please check out Bikes for the World online, and if the spirit moves you, help them help improve the lives of others by donating your old bicycle, sponsoring a collection of good used bikes in your community to help their cause, or donate dollars.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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