In Pure Spirit

For open minds

Ways to Connect With Your Community and Help Others in Need

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There are so many ways you can give back, pay forward, and otherwise contribute to the overall well-being of your local and global community.

Even if you aren’t set up to be a major philanthropist and don’t have tons of time on your hands for volunteering, you can still contribute to the overall betterment of those you share the earth with.

people in an grassy field helping to pick up littler

In Pure Spirit presents some different options for helping others, depending on where you are in your life right now.

Help Others Financially
Whether giving directly to individuals or supporting charitable organizations, financial donations remain an important way to help others.

  • Donate to a reputable charity (do some reading to figure out which charitable organizations have the best ratings for making the most of their funds and being the most ethical and transparent).
  • Find a good sponsorship program and use it to support a child, making sure they have access to food, water, clothing, health care, and education.
  • Contribute financial support to a local group or nonprofit that provides services to the less advantaged in your community. Better yet, you can set up your own nonprofit to a cause that’s near and dear to your heart.

Volunteer Locally or Globally
Volunteer work can be a great way to get involved on a more personal level, connect with like-minded persons, and find out more about the needs of your community at home and around the world.

Help People on an Individual Level
Often you can make a difference by going out of your way to help people you know of who are in need or in a rough spot.

  • Keep an eye out for GoFundMe or JustGiving campaigns and other fundraisers to support individuals and families needing financial help to get them through difficulties, such as illness, job loss, or bereavement.
  • Find out whether there are any local programs for helping veterans. Veterans may be in need of food or transportation assistance, or simply a friendly face and someone to talk to.
  • Offer to help the elderly clean up their living space and declutter. These efforts may seem small, but they can reduce stress and increase mood, which are both important for older adults who may feel isolated. Your time there will also help them feel connected to others.
  • If there are immigrants in your community, see if you can help them settle in, find work, and make connections. One way immigrants can earn a living is to work as translators, so find out how much translators make, and see if you can help set them up as freelancers.

Get Involved Politically
As a public official, you can put your energy into supporting, promoting, and spearheading initiatives for community betterment.

  • If you’re up for it, consider a run for office – but make sure you give some serious thought to what this entails, and discuss it with family and loved ones first.
  • Even if you’re not ready to run for office, find a political cause and get involved. Perhaps you’re interested in climate change or LGBTQ rights. Find organizations in your area pushing for national change in your passion areas and volunteer.

Whether it’s helping one person or a whole community, it’s always worth your while to plug in and make a difference. And hopefully, you will inspire others to contribute their gifts and talents to help people around you.

In Pure Spirit

Are you looking for interesting reading that will inspire you to believe and think differently? Then check out In Pure Spirit. We offer a variety of readings to inspire your curiosity.

About the Author

Betty Vaughan understands that achieving work-life balance has never been harder. She has experienced first-hand how remote work blurs the line separating one’s work from the rest of their life. That’s why she created Nine To Thrive. Through the site, she hopes to help anyone struggling with a work-life imbalance find and sustain that needed balance so that they can live a life where they can fully thrive.

Photo Credit: Anna Shvets via Pexels

Do something: Cancer Research tackles Slacktivism #ActNowForResearch

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00034-slackYou’ll have seen it happen. “Like this status” if you want to spread a positive message or “Share this” message if you want to raise awareness of a terrible situation.

It’s true. Social media is a great way of raising awareness. You’ll also have seen the backlash. Do you think liking a message on Facebook will really improve the situation in Syria, support women’s rights in Republican states or gay tolerance in Russia?

Cancer Research UK are trying something new. It’s still social and it works with bloggers but it encourages people to actually do something.

The new Do Button is a plugin for WordPress. It’s designed to sit along your current social media share buttons.

That’s a challenge. Bloggers install their share buttons in many ways. At the time this post went live In Pure Spirit uses the popular Jetpack plugin to add buttons to the bottom of posts. If you look closely Cancer Research’s Do Button has appeared – even if it’s a bit out of alignment. Not there any more? You might be reading this post after launch date and Cancer Research may still be updating their code so that it is compatible with the current WordPress install. You can see how this is a big project; a WordPress plugin is a lifelong commitment from a brand.

do-button-largePressing the button doesn’t share the post. Instead it takes readers to Act Now For Research.com where they’ll get a fun and random example of something to do that will help.

Those “Do” suggestions also include the awareness building activities that make social media a force for good but might also suggest bringing spare clothes in as a donation into a Cancer Research UK shop or signing up to Race for Life.

In Pure Spirit

Will you be adding the Do Button to your blog? What could you do today to support charitable research?

The mystery of the highway shoes and Soles4Souls

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Rather intriguingly and to the annoyance of drivers on the normally busy Miami expressway; thousands of shoes have appeared from nowhere to block a lane and stop traffic.

In a truth can be stranger than fiction story the Florida Highway Patrol received the initial reports of a whole expressway lane being blocked by the discard shoes on Friday morning. A dump truck was employed to clear the half-mile stretch from where there has been neither accident report or spilt load report.

Charity Soles4Souls works to ensure perfectly good shoes are not simply dumped in landfills across America when there are so many people across the world in need of safe footwear.

The Soles4Souls team is on the way to Miami and is coordinating a relief effort to move the shoes to Haiti. The island nation is still hurting after a terrible hurricane season and the shoes are badly needed there.

Wayne Elsey, the founder of Soles4Souls, estimates that over 300 million people are in need of shoes.

“We hope people remember us as a simple recycle-and-reuse program,” Elsey said. “We can take any types of ‘gently worn’ shoes. There is no need to throw away usable shoes because we can find the person who will treasure your gift,”

In Pure Spirit

How do you think the shoes ended up on the expressway? Did a truck spill its load?

How important are niche charities like Soles4souls? Would you support one in favour of a larger and more generic good cause?

Causes: Alternative charities to think of this Christmas

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At this time of year people often think about giving. It is an important time of the year for charities around the world. Here’s a shortlist of some British registered charities you might not have heard of but might like to consider.

The Association of Systematic Kinesiology

Applied Kinesiology is a complementary healing technique which uses the body’s response to manual pressure on the muscles to diagnose and try and correct illnesses. The Association of Systematic Kinesiology is a registered charity which regulates and licences kinesiology practitioners.

Website: http://www.systematic-kinesiology.co.uk

Bodywise

Bodywise is a health centre in the heart of London. They offer Yoga, Pilates, Qi Gong and T’ai chi classes as well as holistic therapies and massage. Bodywise is inspired by Buddhist values and try their hardest to offer low-cost courses and classes.

Website: http://bodywisehealth.org/

The Active LightWorks Charity

The Active LightWorks Charity works with their local NHS trust to provide complementary therapy to those people who could not otherwise afford them.

Website: http://www.activelightworks.org/

European Shiatsu School

The ESS aims to help families, communities and their members achieve greater awareness and communication through touch. A goal is to reduce the reliance on traditional medical intervention while all the while maintaining the highest possible standard of Shiatsu.

Website: http://www.shiatsu.net/

Gentle Touch Healing

The Gentle Touch Healing centre is at the Rufus Centre in Flitwick. They operate solely on a donation basis and neither appointment nor payment is necessary to attend. They offer a fully holistic approach to healing.

Website: http://www.gentletouch.co.uk/

Reflexology Outreach International (ROI)

The goal of Reflexology Outreach International is to help reflexologists travel outside the UK to go to the assistance of people suffering from HIV/AIDS and other conditions.

Website: http://www.roi.org.uk/

Survival International

Survival International is very much an international charity. It may well be the only international charity with a focus on helping tribal communities and their people. In Pure Spirit readers may be particularly interested in Survival International blog.

Website: http://www.survival-international.org/

The Crystal Group

The Crystal Group is a Buddhist retreat in rural Herefordshire. The retreat, Maitreya House, is open for booking at low-cost rates and runs events throughout the year.

Website: http://www.crystalgroup.org.uk

The Chalice Well Trust

In the Vale of Avalon just between Glastonbury Tor and Chalice Hill is one of Britain’s ancient wells. The Chalice Well is surrounded by orchards and gardens. The venue has been a place of gathering and healing for over 2,000 years.

Website: http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/

Yoga in Daily Life Association

The Yoga in Daily Life (YIDL) association makes use of the Self-Inquiry Meditation technique which encourages a greater self-confidence and awareness. YIDL offers classes in yoga meditation, relaxation, stress relief, back care, pranayama and breath exercises.

Website: http://www.yogaindailylife.org.uk/

In Pure Spirit

Which good causes would you recommend?

Disclosure

This blog discusses ideas and causes. Urban myth, science and faith combine here. So do editorials and technology; In Pure Spirit uses affiliate marketing and some links might earn us money. You can read more about that here.

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