Have you ever wondered if the gift you were giving for the holidays was a good one? If it was the right size, the right color, or hoped that the person would like the gift and not return it making your time and efforts a waste?

It’s another holiday season-time to bring out the trees, lights, hot chocolate, and firewood, but not without the stresses of what to get and who to give it to; and wondering if your pocket change will actually be enough to serve everyone on that list.

This holiday time that should reflect the joy of giving and sharing with others is often equated to the spending or buying of extravagant presents. Instead of focusing on the fad gifts of the year, we should resort back to the simple measures.

You hear people saying almost all the time that life is too short, or that time flies too fast, so why not make the most of it? People often say they don’t have time to volunteer, but how can you put a time limit on helping others in need? These days most of us spend our days running around trying to meet deadlines, juggle school and work, and have fun with friends. By the end of the day, we find ourselves doing the same thing over and over for weeks at a time with no period of rest.

Volunteering at hospitals, nursing homes, community events, or going to a neighbor’s house to extend a helping hand are some of the best examples of sharing your time. When help is needed, no one can refuse a smiling face and a willing heart. Doing extra chores around the house before you are told to do so, will not only win over your parent’s respect, but will also increase your self-worth. Having the time to tutor someone in a subject you know well can help you uncover hidden talents along with new bonds.

Time is an important commodity to have, so why not share it with others? Giving the gift of time, you’d agree, is probably the best present you can give to those around you, and to those in need of a helping hand. Through it all, you wouldn’t have even opened your pocket to spend a single penny, but instead opened your heart and let the true meaning of joy, happiness, and this holiday season pour out.

-Ekene Onochie

Don't forget our little four leggers. There are rescue groups for all breeds and there are the local shelters as well. We list one group at petfinder.com but you can find them everywhere. Our newspaper mascot is a Boston Terrier so we try to help them out > Happy Holidays

> -Karen Toupard, President

> Boston Terrier Rescue of Greater Houston, Inc.

> 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation

Boston

Terrier Rescue of Greater Houston, Inc.



“Volunteering makes me realize just how fortunate I am and makes me truly grateful for all the little things in life.”

-Linzi Halquist, 12th

“Volunteering is an extremely wonderful feeling. It puts you in a better mood and creates a happier atmosphere for whatever holiday you’re celebrating.”

-Fahim Baqui, 12th

“Hearing people thank you for something that means so much to them, yet was such a simple deed to perform, gives you a {better/another} reason to keep going back and help out.”

-MyNhi Nguyen, 12th

CREATE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES

Neighborhood Clean-Up Day: Find a part of your community that needs a little cleaning and every month or so, pick up trash, clean off graffiti, mow lawns, and rake leaves.

Community Performances: Have a band or an entertaining dance team? You and a group of friends can schedule performances at children’s hospitals, senior centers, and local events.

Toy Drives: Ask people to bring new toys to a specific location where the toys can be collected and given to a local children’s center, homeless shelter, or foster/adoption kids agency.

Start Something New: Create an annual walk-a-thon, car wash, or bake sale and donate the money raised to a charity of your choice.

For more information on volunteer opportunities local and global, please visit these websites:

o www.volunteerhouston.org

o www.cl.uh.edu/volunteerbayarea/

o www.pbs.org/kcet/globaltribe/change/btc_resources.html

o www.usafreedomcorps.gov

o www.networkforgood.org

o www.seniorcorps.org

o www.volunteermatch.org

o www.redcross.org/donate/volunteer

o www.volunteersolutions.org

o www.idealist.org

Take inspiration from our friends the Eldons....

GlobalTribe is a new PBS series that combines the spirit of travel with a meaningful exploration of the global issues that affect us all. On our journeys to remote corners of the world, we seek to understand in human terms the universal struggles of our planet: from healing racial wounds to saving the environment to improving the lives of the poorest among us. Our quest is also to find solutions and to meet the unsung heroes in every country who offer us hope and a path to a better tomorrow. We all know what the problems are. Now we need to find solutions. More than that, we must "be the change we wish to see," as Gandhi once said. It's up to each one of us to take a stand and to care about one another as we begin to reinvent the world…Amy Eldon

Doctors Without Borders

www.msf.org

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 80 countries.

Habitat for Humanity

www.habitat.org

Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, nondenominational Christian housing organization. Since 1976, Habitat has built more than 125,000 houses in more than 80 countries, including some 45,000 houses across the United States.

Network for Good

www.networkforgood.org

Network for Good is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the Web to help people get more involved in their communities - from volunteering and donating money, to speaking out on issues you care about.

Oxfam International

www.oxfam.org

Oxfam International is a confederation of 12 organizations working together in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice.

Peace Corps

www.peacecorps.org

Peace Corps strives to help developing countries meet their need for trained men and women, promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served, and promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans.

Teach for America

www.teachforamerica.org

Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates of all academic majors who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to expand opportunity for children.

VolunteerMatch

www.volunteermatch.org

Recipient of two 2001 Webby Awards for "Activism" and "Services", VolunteerMatch is a nonprofit, online service that helps interested volunteers get involved with community service organizations throughout the United States.