Random Acts of Zhu

"It's better to give than to receive." It may be cliche, but I couldn't agree more! And thanks to ZhuZhu Pets, I was able to do just that through an amazing charity program called "Random Acts of Zhu."



Dozens and dozens of ZhuZhu Pets, the number one toy of 2010, arrived at my door for me to donate to the charities of my choice (those are just a small portion in the photo above). My fiance and I took our daughters to our local police and fire departments to personally donate the toys and the remaining ones went to a local prison ministry. We donated more than 100 ZhuZhu Pets in total!

Here we are with the Leesburg Fire Department:



Think about how frightening a car accident, fire or other emergency can be for a child. Being able to give them a toy can be a valuable distraction, and that's why we chose the Leesburg Fire Department as one of the charities. (Many thanks to DJ and Jim for being so accommodating to us!)

Here we are with the Leesburg Police Department:



The Leesburg Police Department has several community outreach programs, including Recreation Outreach to Community Kids (R.O.C.K.) which is a free service that provides positive recreation and leisure activities to area youth through after school and summer programs.

We loved the sound of such a program, especially after learning that it's proven to reduce crime in our community so we requested that the ZhuZhu Pets be used for R.O.C.K. We also encouraged the use of the toys for any other needs that may arise in the department such as emergency/domestic calls. (Thank you to Officer Tidmore and the volunteers with the Law Enforcement Explorer Post 1041 for being so wonderful to us during our visit!)

The local prison ministry received the remaining ZhuZhu Pets after a request went out for toys for children of prisoners. We were so happy to be able to respond to the request and help in giving these children a happy Christmas!

ZhuZhu Pets was also kind enough to provide me with their new line of Kung Zhu Pets and accessories for review so stay tuned for a post about these fun toys soon!

And remember...your local charities need help year-round, so please do all you can to support them today and every day!

Pepsi Refresh Project

Imagine if you had the power to give up to $250,000 to a charity. Imagine if your own ideas for a better world had a chance to thrive and prosper. Imagine being able to make a difference with just a simple vote.

Pepsi is making such dreams a reality with their Pepsi Refresh Project, where YOU have the power to help move America forward.

The Pepsi Refresh Project, a groundbreaking effort to foster innovation in social good, will award more than $20 million this year to fund great ideas that refresh the world. Pepsi will fund projects that make a difference in six categories: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods and Education.

Where do you come in? Right now, you can cast your vote at www.refresheverything.com for the consumer-generated ideas that you believe will make a positive impact on your community. This is the first of eleven opportunities for the public to win grants from $5,000 up to $250,000 throughout the year. The first voting session ends on February 28 and the ideas that receive the top votes will be announced on Monday, March 1, 2010.

You can also submit your own idea to be considered in the next round of voting. Submissions can be sent in starting at 12:00:01 a.m. ET on March 1st, 2010.



On Monday, Pepsi Refresh Project spokespersons Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon, kicked off the Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge on the Today Show and joined college students to discuss great ideas in an interactive brainstorm that was viewed by thousands of others via a live stream on Facebook.

Here's a brief clip of Monday's event, as well as information on the Pepsi Refresh Project:

"The Pepsi Refresh Project puts the financial resources in the hands of those who are passionate about creating a better world. I am very pleased to be a part of this creative initiative to refresh our world," Demi Moore was quoted as saying in a press release.

Moore is campaigning in support of GEMS – Girls Educational & Mentoring Services. The grant would help GEMS reach out to women who have been victims of sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking. GEMS helps such women integrate back into society as healthy, safe, and productive individuals.

Recent Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award winner, Kevin Bacon, is campaigning for SixDegrees.org, which will give thousands of people a $20 Good Card — a gift card for charity — which they can use to support their favorite cause.

"I applaud Pepsi for its commitment to fostering social good and its tremendous work in encouraging people to submit their ideas on how to improve our nation. I am optimistic that great changes will be made throughout 2010 as a result of this," Bacon stated in a press release.



Visit the Pepsi Refresh Project Facebook page to cast your vote by February 28 in the Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge for Moore or Bacon’s idea. Pepsi will grant $250,000 to fund the idea that wins the most votes.

Be sure to visit the Pepsi Refresh Project as well to vote on your favorite idea there, and to submit your own for the next round of voting. You can also find info on the project by following Pepsi on Twitter and/or #pepsirefresh.

Text for the Cause

Did you know that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month? Electrolux has teamed with Kelly Ripa on a brand new campaign that has launched just today to help find a cure for this insidious disease.

"Text-a-Thon for a Cause" allows you to donate $5 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) by texting "KELLY" to 85944 from your mobile phone (standard text messaging rates apply). Alternately, you can log onto Kelly Confidential.

In addition to supporting ovarian cancer research, for each day you log on to Kelly Confidential, you'll be entered to win a luxury frontload washer and dryer from Electrolux in Turquoise Sky, the color of ovarian cancer awareness. (You can also enter to win the set from Mom Central.)

For the month of September, you can also help the cause by sending a virtual t-shirt to a friend. For every virtual T-shirt sent, Electrolux will donate $1 to the OCRF. You can also purchase a limited edition T-shirt designed by Kelly Ripa. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will go to OCRF.

I've lost two friends to ovarian cancer, so this cause is close to my heart. Hear what Kelly has to say about this important mission below:



Let's get those phones out and start texting for the cause!

Disclosure Notice: "I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Electrolux and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate."

It Starts with a Playground

And it also starts with you! Having a safe place for our children to play is so important and those spaces are harder and harder to find these days.



KaBOOM!, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding and creating play spaces within walking distance for every child, has started a nationwide campaign to help communities across America find and build those spaces. This campaign is so crucial for children who live in neighborhoods that lack playspaces, or are forced to use rundown or unsafe playgrounds.

KaBOOM! believes that play has a purpose and unstructured play in particular helps make children happier, fitter, smarter, more socially adept and creative. So how can you help make this a reality for kids everywhere?



KaBOOM!! needs YOU to help them map online 100,000 playspaces in 100 days. Here's what counts as a playspace: a playground, field, a skate park, roller hockey rink, lake, dog park, community center, basketball court or ice rink - any place where kids can engage in unstructured play for free or a nominal fee. A playspace listing on KaBOOM! consists of an address or cross street and a description, one photo and one rating.

KaBOOM! has made creating this playspace listing easy: either a quick fill-in on their website or even easier - a twitpic from your cellphone.

For every play space entered into the KaBOOM! database on behalf of the Mom Central team, $1 will be donated to Jumpstart, a non-profit that brings at-risk preschool children and caring adults together to improve literacy. So you're efforts will help in more ways than one!

In addition, having these playspaces marked with photos and ratings will be helpful to us parents if we are traveling to see relatives, vacation, etc. You can go online and find cool places to take your kids to play- near Grandma's, the hotel, or off the highway to break up a long drive. So really, everyone benefits from this wonderful campaign!

Make a Difference in a Child's Life Through the Fresh Air Fund

Does your family have room in your home, and in your hearts, to help make a difference in a child's life? The Fresh Air Fund, an amazing organization that provides inner-city children with free, "fresh air" summer vacations, is in need of host families for this summer. Host families are volunteers who open their hearts and home to a child from the city to give a fresh air experience that disadvantaged children never forget.

Here's a description of the program from the group's website:

"Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun – and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities.

Whether its a two-week trip to the country to visit a volunteer host family, or a fun-filled and educational stay at one of our camps, our programs make for unforgettable memories – and open a world of new friendships and fresh possibilities."

Take a minute to watch this short video, which briefly explains the difference The Fresh Air Fund makes in these children's lives:



For more information on hosting a child, click here. You can also help by donating to the Fresh Air Fund here.