Service is Good For the Heart

by Mom It Forward on February 7th, 2011 | No Comments »

This week's Season of Service challenge asks you to have a heart for others, which is fitting since the day of hearts, Valentine's Day, is fast approaching. Like Quaker, we encourage you to do things that are good for your heart, the hearts of your family, and of those around you. Here are 10 bite-size ideas:

10 Ways to Have a Heart

Organize a quick Valentines' Day scavenger hunt for your husband and kids, with clues on the back of a 4-5 piece children's puzzle and the prize being a big heart-shaped cookie or pizza.
Take a heart-healthy meal, such as those featured here, to an older parent or neighbor.
Make heart wands, similar to these star wands, to donate to your local hospital, to be given to young patients. Hot glue eraser hearts and maybe some curling ribbon to the tops of some unsharpened pencils.
Start a tomato plant indoors. (See here for instructions.) Tomatoes are bursting with benefits for your heart and other organs, as listed here.
Take the American Heart Association's My Life Check to get your own heart score and life plan.
Volunteer an hour a week, if you live in the Boston, MA area, for the Hearts and Noses Hospital Clown Troupe, which provides relief for sick children and their families.
Nominate a youth who "has a heart," as demonstrated by their acts of service, for the Heart of America's Christopher Reeve Award, or tweet about it.
Make some Valentines' Day cards and sell packs of them to friends, then donate the proceeds to your favorite nonprofit.
Donate your old digital camera to LOVE, Lens Of Vision Expression, a nonprofit which distributes them to marginalized children to help them escape the cycle of poverty by giving them a creative, photographic voice.
Show your love of animals by shopping at PetSmart and adding $1, $2, $5, or $10 to your credit card purchase to donate towards their pet adoption and emergency relief efforts.

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

What other ideas do you have for giving to others that involves hearts?
How has giving to others made a meaningful difference for you this week?
How have others given to you this week and what difference has that made in your life?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Season?

Make a meaningful difference this season by taking the Season of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here's how you can participate:

Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week's challenge.
Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week's challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
Enter to win each week's giveaway. Check out this week's prizes from Quaker by clicking here.
Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.