Day 304: Harvest Fest

Happy Halloween! This afternoon I was able to volunteer with an on campus program called Harvest Fest. Local children and their families came by campus to trick or treat from building to building. I was able to walk a group of kids around. They looked so adorable in their costumes. 

Day 303: You've Been Boo'd

Boo! Did I scare you? Well, maybe not, but hopefully I was able to surprise some neighbors today. I saw this idea on Pinterest a while back and wanted to try it. You leave a yummy treat at a neighbors' doorstep with a note. Essentially, those receiving being boo'd are asked to then boo someone else. 

                                

On the third floor of my apartment building, I have 3 neighbors. I bought 3 bags of candy corn and made notes for each of them. Next came the scary part. I left the goodies by the door, knocked and ran for my life. Luckily, I got away unnoticed. It is kind of like ding dong ditch, but sweeter. It seems like a trick, but ends with a treat. 

                                   

Have fun and be safe tomorrow! 

God bless,

Kailee

Day 302: Kappa Delta vs. Breast Cancer

I love this time of year because so many clubs and organizations are so willing to give back. Lately, while walking through campus, I have been approached about different charity opportunities.  Today the Kappa Delta Chi was selling pink strawberry cupcakes and cookies. Like all other sororities on campus, the girls were raising for their philanthropy. Kappa Delta Chi's philanthropic mission is breast cancer awareness and research.                

                                  

I donated a few dollars and took a a strawberry cupcake. It was delicious! 

God bless,

Kailee

Day 301: Breast Cancer Awareness Products

October may be coming to a close, but we are still far from finding a cure for cancer. I have done several acts to support breast cancer research, but I wanted to do more. I googled ways and products that give back to breast cancer. I came across the following sites and found that there are many companies that sell products to support the cause. I appreciated that each site shared just how much of the purchase was going to breast cancer research.

http://www.babble.com/latina/15-beauty-products-that-support-breast-cancer-awareness/clinique/
http://www.more.com/breast-cancer-awareness-products
http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2013/10/breast-cancer-awareness-gifts.html

After looking around, I found a clutch, lipstick and lip gloss combination from Estee Lauder that I liked. Twenty percent of the purchase will benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). This deal is only available while supplies last and is one of several items that Estee Lauder has on sale to benefit BRCF. For more available products, click here.

Continue the fight.

Love,

Kailee

Day 300: Thank You J

Last weekend, my sorority sisters and I took pictures around campus. Our photographer was a sister of one of my sorority sisters. She typically gets paid for her photography because she has an incredible eye for it. However, she did us a favor and did the shoot for us.

I wanted to do something to say thank you, even it were small. I bought her a Starbucks gift card with a thank you card and gave it to her sister tonight. I am so grateful to have had the chance to work with her. The picture below is just a preview from what is to come. 

Day 299: Halloween Spirit

Halloween is just around the corner. This means that the halloween stores are open and thriving. However, this year I noticed something different at one halloween store in particular. SpiritHalloween Store has stores open all across the country and highly priced costumes. To counter their expensive outfits, they are doing something to give back to the community. Each store is selling the bracelets seen below for $2. All proceeds from the bracelets will benefit children at a local hospital. So, if you are looking for a costume still, might I suggest SpiritHalloween, who is both supporting children and local business.

                                            

God bless,

Kailee

Day 298: Wounded Warriors Haunted House

This evening a fraternity on campus was hosting their annual haunted house for the Wounded Warrior Project. They completely transformed their house to a house of horrors and were accepting donations at the door. My roommates and I put on a brave face and went through the house. 

I have to say the boys did an incredible job and I actually went through twice. My roommates were terrified and I got a good laugh out of watching them experiencing it. My stomach actually was in pain because of how hard I was laughing. The house is open until 11 if you are in town, I highly suggest going! 

God bless, 

Kailee 

Day 297: Campfire USA Dinner

One of my sorority's national philanthropy is Campfire USA. This evening I was able to volunteer at our local chapter's fundraising dinner at Northern Quest Casino. It was a beautiful event and several other Gamma Phi Betas were able to attend as well. 

                              

As a volunteer, I was able to meet a lot of people at the event and involved with Campfire in Spokane. I greeted people when they came in, talked a lot about the organization and learned a lot. During dinner, I sat next to a woman who is the Director of Clubs. We had a wonderful conversation and I hope to work with her in the future. At the conclusion of the dinner, the emcees asked for donations in which I was able to pitch in what I could.

                             

Campfire USA is an incredible organization and I am excited to have learned so much more about it. For those of you who don't know much about Campfire, there mission is to help ignite the fire within today's youth. Learn more about the organization, by clicking here. 

God bless,

Kailee

Day 296: Krista Foundation

This weekend, I received a very humbling phone call from a women who works with the SAIL (student activities, involvement & leadership) office. She invited me to a breakfast put on by the Krista Foundation. I had never heard of the organization but she explained to me that it was all about living a life through service. After doing a little more research, I found this quote:

"The Krista Foundation provides mentoring support and Service and Leadership Development Grants for young adults in their twenties who are engaged in a sustained period of voluntary or vocational service as an expression of their Christian faith and values. Through our ecumenical and intergenerational community the Krista Foundation seeks to encourage a new generation of leaders to develop a lifelong ethic of service, civic engagement and global understanding."

The breakfast was this morning and an incredible one at that. I was able to attend the breakfast with a few other students from Eastern and two staff members. The point of the breakfast was to fundraise for future events and scholarships and to advocate the program to potential new members. At the end of the breakfast, there was an envelope on the table for donations. I was able to slip in a few dollars before leaving.

I also found that this is a foundation which originated here in Spokane after the tragic death of Krista Hunt Auslund.  Her parents created the foundation in honor of her. College students can serve as a "Krista colleague cohort" by taking part in a year of service. To become a Krista colleague, a university, church, or civic group leader must first nominate you. You can learn more about Krista and how you can get involved, by clicking here. I am going to look into it and highly encourage you to do the same! If you are not a student, maybe you could nominate someone who you think would be good for the program.

Thank you Sam Armstrong for the invitation! 

God bless,

Kailee

Day 295: It Can Wait

Yesterday was the Teenage Driving Safety Day and this is an important cause to me because I was in a texting and driving accident. Five years ago, I was in a collision with a girl who was texting while driving. I stopped behind the car in front of me and the girl in the car behind me hadn't slowed down and crashed into me at, at least 35 mph. Because my car was an older model, my air bag didn't deploy causing me to hit my head on my steering wheel. Ultimately, fracturing my orbital bone (eye socket) on the steering wheel.

Since that day my life has completely changed and I think it is important that teens are taking a stand. To join the movement, click this link and learn more about pledging for "It Can Wait." I took the pladge to drive without texting. Will you? No text, video or call is worth the risk.

God bless,

Kailee

Day 294: Signed A Petition

This afternoon while I was walking to class, a gentleman asked me to sign a petition. This particular petition was for our right, as Americans, to guns and the upcoming ballots that may take them away. Now no matter what you believe, I think it is important to voice your opinion. A petition is a great way to do so. At the same time, you are serving your peers and community by allowing your voice to be heard.

Day 293: Returned Money

While at Jimmy John's this afternoon, a women walked in and pull something out of her pocket. In the process, she lost a wad of money without her realizing. I obviously did see this happen and made sure I grabbed her attention before she walked away. She said thank you and sigh as if it were not the best of days. Seeing as I was experiencing not the best of days as well, I could imagine how appreciative I would be if someone were to return my money to me.

Day 292: Fill The Boot

This morning, I woke up early to be a part of the eastern homecoming parade. A gentleman dressed in a fire fighters uniform was carrying around a boot. The boot was for a national fundraiser known as fill the boot. Fire fighters ask for monetary donations to fill the boot for MDA. I donated a dollar to his boot! 

Day 291: Eagles Go Pink

Eastern has gone pink for breast cancer! All proceeds from these shirts will benefit breast cancer research. They sell them at the bookstore for $10. What a steal right? 

Day 290: 12th Man

Our Seahawks take home another win! The other day I was at Starbucks and noticed that they had gift cards with the Seahawks logo on it. I decided to put $5 on it and give it to the next person I saw wearing Seahawks gear on the next game day! Today happened to be that day. Surprisingly, it took me all day to find someone who wasn't in a massive hurry. Not ironically, it was a guy. He was a little taken back but laughed and said "thank you!" Go 12th man! 

Day 289: Canned Food Drive

One of the coolest things about homecoming week is that it isn't all about the fun, friends and alumni, but about the community as a whole. Almost every event this week has some way of giving back to sweet ole' Cheney. A lot of what the school tries to do is provide canned goods and food for people in need. As admission for the Mr & Ms. Eastern pageant, students were told to bring a can of food. In addition, the bookstore is collecting non-perishable food items.

                                

Unfortunately, some people don't like to give unless they receive something in return. Well, Eastern has made homecoming week into something similar to a spirit week in high school. For every event participated in, you will receive points. Whoever has the most points at the end of the week will be deemed the winner of homecoming. So, being as I love to give back and be involved, I had to donate some food. Again, I went the trusty dollar store and bought six cans of food. If you are interested in donating food, you can bring the canned goods to the bookstore from 1-2 PM. Help feed Cheney!

God bless & happy homecoming week,

Kailee

Day 288: Left My Leftovers

While I was walking through Spokane with a a box of pizza, I happened to walk by a homeless gentleman with a friend. Their sign stated that they were homeless and anything would help. I gave them my box of pizza and they were very grateful. 

Day 287: I Scream, You Scream, Ice Scream

This afternoon I participated in the extremely fun EWU homecoming event, Mr & Ms. Eastern. After having so much fun and receiving 1st runner up, it was time for a celebration. That usually means one thing...ice cream. A few girls and I hopped in the car and drove to Cold Stone Creamery.  I had a gift card I had been wanting to use for a long time, so I was excited. As I approached the counter to pay for my scrumptious marshmallow (yes, marshmallow) ice cream, the employee asked "are these together" pointing to the person behind me . I quickly answered no and realized that I 1) never come here and 2) still had over $5 on my gift card. I then said to her, "you know what I am going to pay for theirs." She gladly did so and informed me that I still had a whopping 67 cents left. I told her to just used it on the next customer. It was pretty cool to see and the customer behind me was very grateful.

God bless,

Kailee

Day 286: 10 Deed 10 Days

Much like yesterday, I was sitting at a restaurant when another opportunity to give back presented itself.  In Yakima there is a popular car dealership named Bill Harris Used Cars. They have challenged themselves and the community to do 10 good deeds over the course of 10 days. Some of their deeds include collecting food and cash donations for Rod's House, YWCA and Disabled American Veteran's. Below are the links to each of the listed organizations.
Bill Harris
Rod's House
YWCA 
DAV

                                       

At the restaurant, diners had the opportunity to round up their bill and the extra change would be donated. There was a large glass jar near the cash register where donors could drop some spare change. There was also a large cardboard box near the door where people had left their canned food donations. At the end of our dinner, we both rounded up the bill and donated a few dollars at the cash register. Remember a little can go a long way. Hopefully I will be able to find a total donated at the end of the ten days.

                                        

God bless,

Kailee

Day 285: Tip-A-Cop

Red Robin...Yum! That is where I went for dinner, but when I arrived I was greeted by two flashing police cars and police. At first I was startled, however, I then remembered that today was the annual Tip-A-Cop event. "Tip-A-Cop is an official fundraiser for the Law Enforcement Torch Run Campaign (LETR), the largest grassroots fundraising effort for Special Olympics."As we walk into the restaurant a law enforcement officer handed Austin and I an envelope and a letter explaining the event. At the end of your meal, if you were feeling generous then you could leave a tip for the cops. Austin and I left a few dollars and were happy to help out Special Olympics. You can learn more about the Torch Run, by clicking here.

                               

God bless,

Kailee

Day 284: No make up

Today was the final hurrah to inner beauty week. In celebration, they encouraged women to not wear make up to school. This is for all the women who were terrified like me to go make up-less. We are all beautiful, flaws and all!

Day 283: Make It Orange, Make It End

Yesterday people celebrated Unity Day by wearing orange. What is Unity Day, you may ask. It is a day created by the PACER organization to help end bullying. It is a day to come together to 'make it orange and make it end.' October, along with so many other things, is National Anti-Bullying Month. Although, Unity Day was yesterday I figured that it was never too late to help spread the word. Seeing as it is only half way through the month, I still encourage you to wear orange and make a difference. You can learn more about Unity Day and Pacer by reading this article. 

                                    

I found that this was fitting to do today too because tonight Stacy Nadeau spoke to several women at school. She shared her story about with working in the media and changing the way people viewed advertisement. For those of you who don't know, Dove launched a 'Real Beauty' campaign in 2005 with a billboard that featured six everyday women.  Stacy was one of those six brave women. She now speaks to women on college campuses about being happy in their own bodies, finding their true beauty and being confident in who they are. She even said, "When you truly accept yourself, no one can shake that." Not even bullies. We need more people like Stacy to help spread the word that everyone is beautiful just the way they are. 

Read my full interview with Stacy here.

God bless,

Kailee

Day 282: Gates Of Hope

While meandering around campus recently, I found a box that said "Gates Of Hope" on it. The box was set there in hopes that they were would receive school donation supplies. Why not, I asked myself. So, again I made a trip to Dollar Tree and picked up a few things as seen below. Gates of Hope is all about empowering people to better and do more. You can learn more about the organization by clicking here.

                                         

                                     

                                     

God bless,

Kailee

Day 281: Celebrate Your Inner Beauty

This week Eastern is starting something new, Inner Beauty Week. All week several ladies are running  events that are celebrating how beautiful women are inside and out. Today, girls gathered in the Pence Union Building to recognize how lovely they are by taking pictures with a sign with a saying similar to, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

                                         

In addition, the ladies in charge of the event asked that everyone who took a picture also do something nice for a women that has empowered them. For me, I have so many phenomenal women in my life that it was hard to choose just one. However, there is one women that I may have just met recently that is so supportive and is just a superstar. Her name is Michelle Helmerick and she was my advisor for my Habitat For Humanity trip in Maui. While our trip was incredible, we also ran into some unforeseeable trouble. Michelle was such a trooper and made every student on the trip feel safe, loved and important. i don't think that any other person could have handled the situation better than she did. I am so blessed to have her in my life, still encouraging me to dream bigger.

P.S. Thursday evening at 7pm Stacy Nadeau, a Dove model, will be speaking about her experience in Showalter 109. If you didn't know Dove runs a campaign with real women to promote inner beauty. Hope to see you there!

God bless,

Kailee

Day 280: Pray It Forward

As mentioned in a previous blog, the month of October stands for many different things. For example, October is breast cancer awareness month, dyslexia awarenenss month, national book month and national pray it forward month. We have all heard of the common term,"pay it forward,"but believe.com has created pray it forward for those in need of a prayer to request it. Then those who are ready to be a prayer warrior from all over the country will take read the requests and pray for others. Requests can be anything from health prayers or financial difficulties requests. My job now is to read them and keep them in my prayers.

Believe.com

"Prayer Requests has been a longstanding favorite feature on Believe.com, as users are always eager to lift up the needs of others and share the miraculous things God is doing in the lives of people. To meet a broader need, Believe.com has launched a new way to connect communities across the world through prayer."

Day 279: NFL Pink

Despite their good effort today, our boys in blue took home their first season loss. No matter the fact, I am still proud of them! I am even more proud of the NFL for taking a stand again breast cancer. If you hadn't seen, several teams are playing with some sort of pink apparel for the month of October. They play with anything from pink cleats to pink gloves and everything in between. The picture below is just an example. I think it is so cool that such a manly sport is stepping up and making a difference. 

In addition to the men playing in pink, the NFL is also selling team clothes and accessories with hints of pink on them. A portion of each purchase is then donated to the American Cancer Society. I have wanted a Seahawks shirt for some time now and when I was perusing the site, I fell in love with the shirt below. It's a workout performance shirt with just a touch of pink. So, much like the shirt, I was sold. You can shop all for all NFL Pink appareal by clicking here.

Here is a statement released by the NFL about their campaign, A Crucial Catch:

"The NFL, its clubs, players and the NFL Players Association are proud to support the fight against breast cancer. Our campaign, "A Crucial Catch", in partnership with the American Cancer Society, is focused on the importance of annual screenings, especially for women who are 40 and older. Throughout October, NFL games will feature players, coaches and referees wearing pink game apparel, on-field pink ribbon stencils, special game balls and pink coins - all to help raise awareness for this important campaign. All apparel worn at games by players and coaches, along with special game balls and pink coins will be auctioned off at NFL Auction, with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society's Community Health Advocates National Grants for Empowerment (CHANGE) program. The CHANGE program provides outreach and breast cancer screenings to women in underserved communities. The NFL markets being supported in the first year of the program are Atlanta, Baltimore, New England, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Washington, DC. In addition, this year will mark the 15th anniversary of Zeta Tau Alpha's ThinkPink Ribbon Distribution Fan Outreach Program, which has donated over 5 million pink ribbons to NFL fans at games around the nation. Click here to learn more."

God bless everyone,

Kailee 

Day 278: Walk To End Alzheimer's

This morning was a very special morning for me. Not only did I get to see my amazing parents, but we all got to participate in the Walk To End Alzheimer's. This cause is extremely important and close to my family because we lost my grandpa to this awful disease. The event took place in downtown Spokane and we could not have asked for a more beautiful morning to go for a walk. There were hundreds of people there. Each person there was given a flower windmill to put in their yard. There were 5 or so colors and each one represents something different. My mom picked out the purple flower which represented losing someone to Alzheimer's. I got an orange flower which stood for supporting the cause and hoping for a cure.

Alzheimer's it seems to be the disease that not too many know about, not even doctors. Doctors are still looking for answers and they need all of the support they can get. If you have never heard of Alzheimer's the facts and figures can be a bit startling.

• 5 millions Americans have Alzheimer's today.
• It is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States.
• 1 in 3 seniors will die because of the disease. 

You can learn so much more by going to the national Alzheimer's Association website.

God bless,

Kailee

Day 277: Sig Nu Fall Goods Drive

It is that time of year again! When the leaves begin to change, the air becomes a little more crisp and hearts open just a little. To me, it seems that when fall hits there are enumerate ways that one can give back. This is incredible and I strongly encourage everyone to keep their eyes peeled for opportunities to give back between now and the end of the year! I was at Starbucks today and noticed 4 posters on the bulletin board promoting an event that gives back to the community. Just last night, I saw a poster on my sorority's bulletin board promoting a fraternity's fall goods drive. The flyer is below.

It is a little hard to see, but the flyer was requesting fall clothing, shoes, hygiene products, non-perishable food and school supplies. Once I saw the flyer, I took a trip to the Dollar Tree (such a great place) and did a little shopping! I picked up a few items from each category. They are seen below. I found body wash, pencils, paper, colored pencils, gloves, two cans of soup and toothbrushes with toothpaste. 

If you ever come across a request like this, I dare you to take a step back and ask yourself if you can donate something. Always remember a dollar store is a great source for purchasing products because everything is a dollar!!

God bless,

Kailee

Day 276: Battling For Bridger & Bella

A friend of ours posted this page on Facebook a little earlier this afternoon. I strongly advise everyone to take a look and donate if at all possible. Two 4 year old cousins, Bridger and Bella, are currently fighting cancer. Bridger was diagnosed with Burkitts Lymphoma in July 2013 and Bella was diagnosed  in August 2013 with Leukemia. The family is now asking for donations and every little bit counts. To donate and read more about the two you can visit this page. Even if you can donate a $1, I am sure it will be appreciated. These kids are local kids and friends of a friend, so I scrounged up $10 of my own to help.

In addition, they are also having a pancake feed at Applebee's in Kennewick on October 12th from 8:00am-10:00am. Tickets are $10. The meal includes pancakes, sasuage, scrambled eggs, and coffee, milk or a soft drink. For tickets please contact Christian Moran at (509)727-3193 or cutiepiecoop@hotmail.com.

God bless,

Kailee

Day 275: Parker Toyota Ultimate Donation

Here is an act of kindness that everyone can do! Parker Toyota is currently running a donation campaign on Facebook and they want to hear from you. First, like Parker Toyota on Facebook. Then, visit this site to vote for 1 of the 20 companies to receive a large donation courtesy of the Toyota dealership. The first place winner will receive a donation of $6,000, 2nd place $5,000, 3rd place $4,000, 4th place $3,000 and 5th place $2,500. The organizations are all 501 (c)3 charities.

From the many organizations like Boys and Girls Club, Meals On Wheels and Union Gospel Mission, I chose to go with the Alzheimer's Association in honor of my late grandpa. If the Alzheimer's Association is not your first pick, then I still recommend voting for the organization that stands out to you. Although I would appreciate your vote for the Alzheimer's Association. The contest runs until October 13th, so vote, vote, vote!

God bless,

Kailee

Day 274: It's In The Bag

September is represents many things. One of those being Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. And although it is now October, (crazy) it is never too late to recognize a good cause. This afternoon, I was at Safeway and on display they had reusable grocery bags on sale for $3. However, these were no ordinary bags. They were light blue with blue ribbons on them and said, "It starts with a wish. It can end with a cure." These particular bags were supporting prostate cancer. For every bag sold, $2 will be donated to prostate cancer research.

                                      

Buying a bag is really like killing two birds with one stone. The bag is reusable for groceries and the proceeds helped a great cause. Knowing that, I had to buy a bag.

God bless & happy October,

Kailee