Gifts that Keep on Giving!

As you are shopping for gifts this holiday season, consider these great items which give back as you give!

1. Uggs are the perfect holiday gift, especially for ladies. So why not give a pair that gives back to an organization that fights to protect her pair!

Purchase here for $99.95

Purchase here for $149.95

2. The ever-popular jewelry designer, Dogeared, has come up with a new Stand Up To Cancer necklace. Premiered at the Stand Up To Cancer TV Broadcast, the necklace is now being sold in 3 colors: rose gold, gold and silver, priced from $72-62. Part of the proceeds will be donated to this wonderful organization which promotes cancer research and the movement to end all cancer, forever.

Purchase this gold version here for $72

 3. Don't have time to bake your own holiday cookies this year? Not only will Baking for Good will send cookies and brownies to your loved ones, but they will also donate 15% of the proceeds to a charity of your choice. Almost to sweet to swallow!

Order a dozen Snow Day Gingerbread cookies here for $36

4.The holidays are often a time for entertaining and flowing wine. For your next holiday party why not toast to charity? ONEHOPE Wine is a company which donates HALF of their proceeds to a variety of charities.

Purchase this 2009 Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir for $23.99 and ONEHOPE will donate $4.00 to Supporting Children's Hospitals and $2.40 to a charity of your choice.

Happy Holidays

Call me a Grinch, but prior to Thanksgiving I refuse to listen to holiday music, sip on coffee in a red Starbucks cup, or think about what presents I should get for family and friends. What was last year’s Black Friday is now Black Thursday. Who knows, soon enough holiday shopping may start as early as Halloween. Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays, but it seems like every year people start shopping earlier while at the same time losing sight of what this season is all about.

Early reports indicate that Americans spent $52.4 billion over the Thanksgiving four-day weekend and that each individual American will spend on average $700 this holiday season. Because Americans are showing the willingness to spend, I’ve decided to blog throughout December on various organizations that are worthy of your money and time. I think deep down we all know that the $20 we were planning on spending on an ugly Christmas sweater for cousin Jim, who we haven’t seen in four years, could be put to better use.

The first organization I would like to write about is one that I hold near and dear to my heart, Charity Water (a charity also previously highlighted on this blog). This non-profit was started five years ago by Scott Harrison who was a club promoter in New York City. Scott saw first hand how he and his friends wasted thousands of dollars on a weekly basis going out for drinks at night. He decided to ask his friends to give up one night of going out and instead pool their money together so that he could drill a well in Africa. Within a few days, Scott had enough money to drill a well that would provide clean water for thousands of people. Since this first well in 2006, Scott’s organization Charity Water has funded 4,282 water projects all over the world. This holiday season, Charity Water has come up with five ways you can help give clean water:

1) Start a holiday fundraising campaign

2) Donate to clean water projects

3) Give Charity Water presents that give back

4) Come to Charity Water end of the year ball

5) Pay it forward through their Water Forward movement

These 5 simple calls to action can make a significant impact in quality of life for countless families worldwide.