5 Things To Do on Black Friday to Practice Giving, Help Others and Support Good Ideas, Rather Than Simply Consuming.
While there is nothing wrong with making some smart purchases on Black Friday, it is a day that tends to bring out the worst in us. Here are some things you can do help balance out the negative parts of this crazy shopping day …
1. #BlackFridayBlackBag
My friend Flic Taylor has created an awesome Black Friday challenge – rather than buying new clothes, she is challenging us to donate a black bag full of clothes we don’t wear or need anymore. From her page, Love A Good Stripe:
“Let’s just slow our shopping paces down. Do we really need ALL those Black Friday deals? Do we really need ALL the shoes on the sale rack? Slow it down, have a think and why not donate something that you haven’t worn in a while? It feels good to donate and not just accumulate.”
Take a photo of your bag of donations, with the hashtag #BlackFridayBlackBag, and tag Love A Good Stripe to show Flic that we LOVE this idea!
2. Deliver Soup to an Elderly Neighbour
This is a great thing to do this time of year. You could make a nice batch of homemade soup, or pick up some soup from the grocery store. You will probably be invited in for a quick chat and will definitely make your neighbour’s day brighter!
3. Purchase Some Goats and Chickens
If you feel like spending some money to help others who do not have what we have, you can visit our friend Peggy Taillon’s charity, The Hera Mission of Canada. They support a wonderful village in Kenya, Asembo Bay, where she adopted her son from. Her son and my son are friends. We love supporting this charity because there is such a strong connection for our kids – they really understand how and why we are helping.
On their website, they have a list of items that you can buy for the village:
http://heramission.org/index.php/support
4. #OptOutside
Take the kids outside. Go for a hike. Spend time in the fresh air rather than in stores fighting with each other.
REI, an outdoor clothing and gear store in the US, is closing their stores on Black Friday and giving their employees a paid day off. They hope you will #OptOutside too!
I love this idea. I plan on taking all the kids to Gatineau Park since it is a PD Day! Let us know if you #OptOutside.
5. Support our World-Changing Kids 2018 Calendar
We have launched a super, exciting new calendar. This calendar lists important dates – social justice dates, religious celebrations, environmental dates, etc. Two weeks before each date, the calendar owner will receive by email a “Conversation Starter” that explains what the date is, who celebrates it, why it is important and an action the child can take to honour the date. It is a year long learning program that will help you teach your kids kindness, empathy, compassion, social justice, civic engagement, inclusion and peace building.
You will be helping a small company who is trying to change the world for the better, and you will be signing up for something that will help your kids learn all the great qualities that are needed in our future leaders and decision makers!
For more info check out our Indiegogo Campaign at:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/world-changing-kids-2018-calendar/x/17494129#/