Expand Your Holiday Traditions

As the holidays approach each year, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the to-do list. From planning your feast, to buying gifts, decorating and running errands, we can sometimes forget there are folks out there for whom the holidays are just another day.

There are many organizations that collect gifts for children to brighten their holidays, and the response from donors is typically pretty good. No one wants to see a child have no gift at all for Christmas or Hanukkah. Unfortunately, there are adults out there who expect and often receive nothing to mark the holiday as special or to remind them that someone cares. In honor of this group, here are a few ideas you might consider adding to your holiday traditions:

• Donate small gift items to a senior center or program that coordinates in-home meal delivery for seniors. Things like socks, warm slippers, lotions or toiletries, lap blankets, scarves, or large print books or crossword puzzles.
• Check with your local homeless shelter to see what is on their needs list. They often need travel size toothpaste, disposable razors, tooth brushes, deodorant, new underwear and socks, or other personal care items.
• Plan a visit to a nursing home. There are many residents in long-term care facilities that don’t have family or other visitors. They would love a visit. If you are a Scouting leader, take your troop to sing carols and brighten many residents’ day.
• If you live near a Veterans Administration hospital, check with them to see if you can schedule a visit to a veteran who might be alone during the holidays. You can also ask about donating items like books, music, DVDs or personal care items.
• If you live near a military base, ask about inviting a solider or sailor to your home. Some of the facilities coordinate a program that matches single service members with local families willing to host them for a holiday meal. Don’t wait too late, though. In many cases, sign-up to host for Christmas dinner ends in early December.

There are many individuals in need out there, most of whom will not ever ask for help. If you are willing and able to meet the need, they will definitely appreciate your making their holiday a bit more special. If you have other ideas for giving, please let us know--we'd love to hear about them.

We Did It Together!

The second annual vitalink coats & blankets drive has officially wrapped up, and we're happy to say we collected more coats, blankets and financial donations than last year. The total number of cold weather items donated was 390 and we collected $725 in cash to benefit the Raleigh Rescue Mission. Way to go, team! Our partners were a big  part of the drive. A huge thank you to our 2011 partners:

• Leone Noble & Seate
• David Allen Company
• Embassy Suites
• Davis Plastic Surgery
• Catalyst Group, Inc.
• Greenscape Inc.
• News & Observer
• Chad M. Richards, State Farm

We hope you all tune in next year for the 2012 vitalink coats & blankets drive. Have a warm and happy holiday!

Our Partners are HOT!

Or maybe warm. At least, that’s the goal of the second annual vitalink® coats & blankets drive, where we and our partners will be collecting coats, blankets and cold weather gear to keep the Triangle homeless and poor warm this winter. The drive benefits Raleigh Rescue Mission.

We’d like thank our partners for their involvement and commitment to this great cause. They are:

• Leone Noble & Seate
• David Allen Company
• Embassy Suites
• Davis Plastic Surgery
• Catalyst Group, Inc.
• Greenscape Inc.
• News & Observer

Items we need include: winter coats, blankets, hats, gloves, grocery or discount gift cards (Sam’s, BJ’s, Wal-mart) and financial donations. If you would like to donate, we are accepting items at our office at 4900 Falls of Neuse Rd, Suite 115 in Raleigh from 8:30-5pm business days from November 1 through November 18. If you can’t get to our offices, our partners are also accepting donations at their locations. Click on the partner name to access their website and location information.

Questions? Please give us a call to learn more at 919.850.0605 or e-mail Mary Ann Grooms at maryann@vitalinkweb.com. Have a safe and warm winter!

Coats + Blankets 2011

As a small business owner, I have learned over the years how important it is to occasionally step away from my own concerns and remember that there are millions in need in the U.S. and across the world. As part of the vitalink® 15-year anniversary, we committed to doing 15 “points of service” – pro bono and volunteer activities – throughout the year.

One of these activities is the second annual vitalink coats + blankets drive! Last year, with seven of our business partners, we collected hundreds of coats and cold weather items and quite a bit of cash to benefit the Raleigh Rescue Mission (www.raleighrescue.org). The economy is still struggling and there are many individuals and families here in Raleigh (as elsewhere) that are homeless or very close to losing their homes. Many are unable to afford to heat their houses or apartments and cannot buy warm coats for their children. Every time I think about my problems, I recognize how lucky I truly am compared to some others who struggle every day with the basics.

I encourage you to find a charity or a cause and donate your money, your time, or both. It can put things in perspective and you’ll feel better about yourself. If you are in the Raleigh area and would like to give to the vitalink coats + blankets drive, send us an e-mail or give us a call at 919.850.0605. If you’re not in the area, search locally for a shelter or other good cause and give them a call. You’ll be glad you did.

Reasons to be Thankful

Thanks to all who have contributed so far to the Coats & Blankets drive this year. We got an anonymous donation this morning of six coats and I'm getting ready to pick up a bunch more! Our drive ends Monday, so you still have time to donate gently used coats, blankets, hats, scarves. Our offices are closed through Friday, but we'll be here on Monday morning! Happy Thanksgiving to all.

'Tis the Season for Giving

I am filled with the spirit of the holiday season today. Mary Ann and I loaded our first group of coats, fleece, and blankets in the trunk and front seat of her Jetta and she took them to the Raleigh Rescue Mission today.

Not only were we running out of room in our office, with donations filling the drop off box and conference room table, but the Raleigh Rescue Mission said they needed coats and blankets now. So Mary Ann jumped to help. Today she delivered vitalink's first donation of 11 blankets, 5 coats, and 6 fleece/hoodies. She also took the donation from Catalyst Group. Catalyst did an amazing job, donating 13 brand new winter coats, each had a hat and pair of gloves attached. Go Catalyst! Our first delivery of coats and blankets filled a big bin at the Raleigh Rescue Mission!

This is just the start of our coats and blankets drive, vitalink and our partners will be collecting until November 29th, so you still have time to help. I look forward to seeing what the rest of our partners have collected and to bringing more from coats and blankets from vitalink.

A special thanks to Mary Ann for seeing the need and coming up with the idea to do the Coats & Blankets drive, to Mike for developing the logo that conveys the heart behind the program (and for collecting coats & blankets from his church and closet and donating them in his hometown of Huntington, WV), to Kathy for writing all of our content and press releases (and for donations in her hometown of Charlotte, NC and Raleigh, NC), and to our partners who are helping raise more.

The people in the Triangle have warm hearts that will help warm the homeless this year. If this story warmed your heart, let us know by commenting below or sharing this (click on share buttons below for Facebook, Twitter, etc).