2009 Causes
December 2009: 20 Causes, 20 Days was born.
I fulfilled my goal of volunteering at 20 different causes over 20 days – in fact I was able to help 22 local causes!
Thanks to ABC News 10 for their coverage.
Visit each cause’s own blog page by clicking “Read all about it” in the Event column. Add your comments!
2009 Causes
| Date | Cause | Event | Keywords |
| 12/1/09 | Delivering Thanksgiving dinners to needy families via Two Moms Catering. | I delivered two full Thanksgiving meals to needy families in the Sacramento area. A small deed reaped huge rewards. Read all about it. | Volunteer, Thanksgiving, Dinners, Driving, Delivery, Families, Sacramento, Videos, Pictures, Blog |
| 12/2/09 | Volunteering to help serve Thanksgiving dinner at St. Patrick’s Church in Placerville. | While my volunteer task was that of a mere plate scraper, I learned a valuable lesson and may have helped improve a mother/son relationship. | Volunteer, Thanksgiving, Dinners, Relationships, Mothers, Pictures, Blog |
| 12/3/09 | Singing Karaoke for senior citizens at Eskaton Senior Independent Living in Carmichael. | Who would have known that singing karaoke for senior citizens is a much more enlightening experience than just a marginal rendition of Jingle Bells? | Volunteer, Karaoke, Singing, Elderly, Carmichael, Video, Picture, Blog |
| 12/4/09 | Volunteering with CARES for World AIDS Day | Raising awareness of HIV/AIDS through helping provide free testing at CSUS. Read all about it. | Volunteer, HIV, AIDS, CSUS, Picture, Blog |
| 12/5/09 | Volunteering with Every37.com. | Educating concert-goers about the dangers of a common mistake we’ve all made – Drinking and driving. | Volunteer, every37.com, drinking and driving, Justin Bieber, picture, blog |
| 12/6/09 | Volunteering with the River City Food Bank. | Doing a small part to help hungry Sacramento families have nutritious meals. Read all about it. | Volunteer, Food Bank, hungry families, pictures, blog |
| 12/7/09 | Volunteering with the Upper Room. | Feeding hungry folks in Placerville tugs at my heartstrings. | Volunteer, Placerville, serving hungry people, pictures, blog |
| 12/8/09 | Volunteering to help CARES curb the spread of STDs throughout the LGBT community. | Working way outside of my comfort zone proves to be an awesome experience, and helps raise awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention. | Volunteer, AIDS, HIV, CARES, LGBT, pictures, blog |
| 12/9/09 | Volunteering with Harvest Sacramento to help provide fruit from local trees to needy families. | Good exercise, great people, and an awesome cause! Helping Harvest Sacramento collect fruit in local communities that would go to waste. | Volunteer, Harvest Sacramento, food banks, fruit, communities, picture, blog |
| 12/10/09 | Volunteering with The Sacramento Children’s Receiving Home. | Spending an hour building a gingerbread house with some disadvantaged young men taught me a valuable lesson for a lifetime. | Volunteer, Children’s Receiving Home, gingerbread house, youth, pictures, blog |
| 12/11/09 | Helping families stay warm this winter with the Salvation Army‘s Coats for Kids Drive. | On a cold Sacramento morning, I warmed up by helping sort donated coats for needy families as part of the Coats for Kids Drive. | Volunteer, Sacramento, Salvation Army, Coats for Kids, News10, pictures, blog |
| 12/12/09 | Volunteering at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue | Spent some quality time with some awesome golden retrievers, and gained some therapeutic relief in the process. | Volunteer, Homeward Bound, Golden Retrievers, dogs, pictures, blog |
| 12/13/09 | Volunteering with the American Diabetes Association | On what would have been my Mom’s 59th birthday, I highlight the cause that fights diabetes. It’s personal. Read all about it. | Volunteer, diabetes, picture, blog |
| 12/14/09 | Volunteering with the Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center | Helped some great kids whose families used to be homeless celebrate their birthdays with slides, cupcakes, and lots of presents! | Volunteer, homeless, kids, birthday, pictures, blog |
| 12/15/09 | Volunteering at Land Park WPA Rock Garden with the City of Sacramento | I spent a couple hours pruning plants who fell victim to the recent freeze and found both a tranquility and a hidden Sacramento gem. | Volunteer, Sacramento, Land Park, nature, tranquility, pictures, blog |
| 12/16/09 | Volunteering with the Volunteer Center of Sacramento‘s Adopt-A-Family program. | I hit the phones to notify needy families that their Christmases would be the best ever this year. Quite a memorable and rewarding experience. | Volunteer, Sacramento, Adopt-A-Family, Christmas, pictures, blog |
| 12/17/09 | Volunteering with the Elk Grove Food Bank | Helping hundreds of needy Elk Grove families enjoy a complete Christmas warmed me up on a cold, rainy day. Read all about it. | Volunteer, Elk Grove, Food Bank, Families, Christmas, gifts, pictures, blog |
| 12/18/09 | Volunteering with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society | Delivering toys to kids in area hospitals on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma society made for a rewarding experience. | Volunteer, Sacramento, cancer, pictures, blog |
| 12/19/09 | Volunteering with Shriners Hospital for Children | Helping Shriners and local firefighters make the holiday season brighter for hospitalized kids is a truly amazing experience. Read all about it. | Volunteer, Sacramento, Shriners, kids, pictures, blog |
| 12/20/09 | Volunteering with the Sacramento Society for the Blind | Transcribing printed articles for the visually-impaired and seeing how blind people thrive in today’s world gives me a newfound perspective. | Volunteer, Sacramento, blind, perspective, pictures, blog |
| BONUS I | Playing Santa for the Hmong Youth and Parents United program | I got to play Santa for dozens of great Hmong boys and girls, but in the end I was the one receiving the gift. | Volunteer, Sacramento, Hmong, kids, Santa, pictures, blog |
| BONUS II | Volunteering with the Humane Society | I helped the Humane Society raise awareness about the horrific conditions in puppy mills and the chain stores that make money off them. | Volunteer, Roseville, puppies, dogs, puppy mills, picture, blog |