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 159: Bits Of Positivity

I first wanted to share as a reminder, that this blog is here to in no way glorify my own name, but instead inspire others by showing how simple it can be to make a difference. With that said, I LOVE when people suggest or ask if I can do something for a cause that they are passionate about.

A few days ago, a friend of mine messaged me on Facebook and asked if I could share this incredible page. The Facebook Page is called Little Bits of Positivity and is a "veterans & others mental health support group." This was a page started by a friend of the friend who contacted me. Since being created, it has flourished into a non-profit organization. The following is what Meghan had informed me:

"My friend from basic training started a positivity page on Facebook which turned into a non profit organization for anyone (specifically focusing on military/veterans) with mental health disorders. she just took donations to get it started, but it'd be great if you could check it out!"

I strongly encourage everyone to check out the page, like the page and stay up to date with their latest information. You can visit the page by clicking here. If you are feeling extra generous, you can donate a few dollars to fund Mia-Talia Lowe push to keep Little Bits of Positivity's voice heard! Even a few dollars, like I donated, will help! 

On a side note, I just want to say thank you so much to Meghan who serves in the United States Air Force. Thank you for what you are doing for this country and thank you for sharing this organization with us. 

(Meghan and me years ago!) 

God bless,

Kailee

Day 34: NFL Salute To Service

As we all know, saw or heard, it is Superbowl Sunday! I was hoping to do something relevant to the big event and couldn't find much to go off of. The NFL is a partner with Play60, which is a really cool foundation encouraging kids to play for 60 minutes a day. However, there wasn't much I could do to support them at the time.

I have actually been looking forward to this day. Football, the food, the friends and the commercials, what else could you need? Sadly, I wasn't very impressed with the commercials. There were a few that did stick out though. One was the Miracle Montana Stain. Another was the elders breaking out of assisted living to get some Taco Bell. There was a Jeep commercial with commentary by Oprah to discuss our support for the troops. And finally there was a PSA shown by the NFL and asking for viewer's support to Salute To Service. For example, by texting "WWP" to 50555, you can donate $10 to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Throughout the year, the NFL honors active military members and veterans and organizations such as USO, Pat Tillman and Wounded Warrior Project. If you visit the NFL-Salute page you can learn more and find out how you can donate as well. I decided to donate to Wounded Warrior Project for an array of different reasons. One of them being you can donate anywhere from $1 to $500! Whatever your heart desires.

Football is the All-America sport and can bring out the best- or worst- in us. We view the athletes as heroes who inspire us to be strong and push forward. However, the real heroes are those who are strong and are pushing forward to keep our nation safe and great. Ultimately, I absolutely love that the NFL supports the troops and helps us to remember the true heroes.

God Bless & congratulations to the Ravens!

Kailee