Purple Women Give Back

Top 10 Ways to Make a Difference in Your Village 

...besides the obvious one of not having children (tee, hee)!

1. Remain childfree (did your hear the Earth sigh?), and volunteer to help at the local Earth Day festivities on April 22, 2007.
2. Did you love your grandparents? Adopt another! Volunteer to help an elderly neighbor or friend do their shopping when you do your own, or offer to help them with their yard.
3. Become a Big Sister or volunteer with Girl Scouts, still going strong after 95 years. Young women need all types of women as role models. Always say "yes" when asked if you want to buy Girl Scout Cookies.
4. Host a foreign student for a school year. It will change your life, give you a global perspective.
5. Organize a block Garage Sale in the spring, actually meet your neighbors!
6. Become a hospice volunteer. Your local nonprofit hospice will hold an annual training class and they are always looking for more volunteers with our aging population. Even if you are not ready for this calling, you can take the class and learn how to better care for your own loved ones.
7. If you have your own furbabies, volunteer with a pet adoption agency or to work with strays brought in to your local veterinarian's office. They get a lot of them.
8. Donate to your local shelter for women and children. They often have a thrift shop that supports their mission. Throughout the year, think about what items you have that they may be able to use in the shelter and call them to ask first.
9. Set up regular tithing for a women's organization that you really admire. Write letters for them. Get involved!
10. Set up a Squidoo lens for yourself and donate all the proceeds to the charity or advocacy organization of your choosing.