give back

Tangerine Celebrates #OneYearBolder by Supporting #BrightWayForward Charities

May 14, 2015 by Kathryn 37 Comments

I’ve used Tangerine as my savings bank of choice for a few years now, but the company recently underwent a name change and today it celebrates #OneYearBolder as Tangerine! I have to admit, I like the new name a lot, but what was most important to me was that the great service and savings from the bank stayed the same…and it did!

But that service doesn’t just include providing great banking options to Canadians. It also includes supporting local communities through the Bright Way Forward program! This fabulous initiative supports local charities across Canada through sponsorships, financial donations and more!

So what types of programs does Bright Way Forward assist? These are just some of the amazing partnerships the organization has right now: [Read more…]

Teach Kids to Give Back with These 3 Easy Tips-Giveaway #CleanWater #PGMom

March 4, 2015 by Kathryn 139 Comments

If there’s one life lesson that I want to be sure to teach my boys, it’s that little actions can end up having a big impact on our communities and on the world. Last year, P&G and Walmart partnered to demonstrate that fact with the Clean Water campaign. For each participating P&G product purchased at Walmart, P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water provided one day of clean drinking water to those in impoverished countries. This year the campaign is once again in full swing with a goal to provide 25 million days of clean drinking water to those in need.

Obviously buying my favourite P&G products at Walmart is one of the easiest ways I can make a big difference in a small way, but there are plenty of other occasions when small actions can impact the community and the world. These are three methods I’ve found effective for helping my boys understand that fact.

Community Programs

Both of my boys are participating in the Scouts Canada program for the first time this year, and it has been a great way to get them involved in community initiatives in a fun way. When learning about needs vs. wants to earn a badge, the children decided to choose a charity to support and find a way to contribute. The Regina Food Bank was the charity of choice and to make the boys’ contribution especially meaningful, each was encouraged to bring their favourite non-perishable food to donate. I loved the idea of donating a favourite food because it’s also a way of teaching kids how lucky they are to have favourite foods at home when others don’t even have enough to eat. [Read more…]

Giving TOMS this Christmas Helps Give Essentials to Those in Need

December 22, 2014 by Kathryn 2 Comments

Between kids clamouring for presents, parents rushing around to special events and all the other hustle and bustle that the holidays bring, it can sometimes be easy to forget that so many people are wishing for nothing more than a hot meal or a warm coat for Christmas. But Christmas is, above all else, a season of giving…not just to friends and family but also to those in need. And that’s something that I make sure to incorporate into the holidays each year in some way.

My personal favourite cause to support is the city’s Food Bank. In a country of such abundance, the thought of children being raised without enough food is one that breaks my heart. And what many people don’t realize is that it’s not always the hunger itself that’s most damaging to a child. It’s the fear and insecurity of not knowing where the next meal is coming from that can haunt a child for years.

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Canadian Tire is Spreading Joy to Children’s Hospitals Across Canada-Giveaway

December 10, 2014 by Kathryn 223 Comments

Christmas is the season of giving, but it’s also the season of giving back and this year Canadian Tire has embraced that spirit in a very special way: by bringing holiday cheer to children that aren’t able to spend the season enjoying festive activities with friends and family. The company recently decorated nine children’s hospitals around the country to help add holiday joy to the lives of sick children everywhere and the results were spectacular.

From Newfoundland to British Columbia, children will be waking up to a winter wonderland instead of a dreary hospital environment this Christmas thanks to this fabulous program. I was so excited to see that the Pediatrics Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon was included on the list of hospitals undergoing a holiday transformation. I can just imagine how much joy the festive display will bring to the hospitalized children in our province!

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The New #TOMSforTarget Collection Supports Those in Need this Holiday Season

November 10, 2014 by Kathryn 7 Comments

There’s nothing that makes me happier than when two brands I love team up to create positive change in the world. And this week, that’s exactly what’s happening at Target Canada this week thanks to a fabulous new partnership with TOMS footwear! I’ve always loved TOMS’ dedication to providing a pair of shoes to a child in need for each pair sold but now with the release of the Target+TOMS collection, purchasing items from this exclusive line does even more to support those in need!

The collection features over 50 items of clothing and shoes for men, women and children as well as cute home décor pieces, and I fell in love with the trendy styles immediately. The adorable women’s hat in Oatmeal is one of my particular favourites. At just $16, it offers great style and warmth for a great price. And purchasing it provides a blanket to someone in need! I also love the children’s TOMS t-shirt, which provides one week of meals to a hungry person through a donation to Food Banks of Canada!

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Give Back in April with the P&G #CleanWater Challenge-Giveaway #PGMom

April 15, 2014 by Kathryn 134 Comments

It’s amazing how easy it is to take clean water for granted when it’s something that has always been a part of our lives. Growing up in North America has given me the understanding that when I turn on a tap, I can drink the water that comes out without any concern. But I did a lot of travelling in my youth and I know from exploring places like Cuba and South Africa that clean water is a luxury in many parts of the world, not a right.

In fact, approximately one billion people do not have clean drinking water, many of whom are children in the developing world. As a result, thousands of children die every day. The P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program helps provide clean drinking water to these people through a water purifying technology developed by P&G. One small P&G purification packet quickly turns 10 litres of dirty, potentially deadly water into clean, drinkable water. Nearly 7 billion litres of clean drinking water have been provided by humanitarian organizations across the globe using P&G packets, helping to save an estimated 39,000 lives in more than 75 countries.

This month, P&G is doing even more to ensure that clean water is available to those that need it by teaming up with Walmart Canada! Until April 30, P&G will donate one day of clean water through the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program for every P&G product sold in Walmart Canada stores or online at Walmart.ca! Just by shopping for the products you love and use anyways, you can help ensure that children in developing countries have fresh, clean drinking water. [Read more…]

IHOPE Canada Watches are a Useful Gift that Supports Canadian Causes

November 13, 2013 by Kathryn 6 Comments

If you want to give a gift that is useful, stylish and makes a difference, look no further than IHOPE Canada watches. These watches feature a fun interchangeable strap that lets you change the colour of your watch in an instant simply by popping out the face and putting it into a different strap. And a portion of the proceeds from each watch is donated to different Canadian causes represented by the different colours of the watches.

I recently received a green IHOPE watch to review and it is such a great watch for everyday wear. The watch features a unisex design with a medium-sized face. I have quite small hands and the watch looked a little large on my tiny wrist, but I found that I actually quite liked the bold look. The green band is a fun basic colour for casual outfits and looks great paired with jeans and a simple top. The green watch represents urgent relief efforts in Canada and each month the proceeds support a different Canadian cause in urgent need of support. [Read more…]

Helping Others is Delicious with the New Kellogg’s Rice Krispies #TreatsforToys Program

November 4, 2013 by Kathryn 10 Comments

Christmas is a time to celebrate, a time to make memories with loved ones and a time to think of others. This year, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies is giving families a way to do all three things with its new Treats for Toys program and I cannot wait to be a part of it! The concept is simple. Use the classic Rice Krispies Squares recipe and fun decorations to make a festive and edible toy. Choose from five fun Rice Krispies recipes on the website or get inventive and create your own masterpiece! Then upload a picture to ricekrispies.ca and Kellogg’s Canada will donate $20 to the Salvation Army to help provide toys to children in need at Christmas!

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