racking up points to help the elderly

I had never seen this particularly way to redeem the points earned for playing games.

AARP.org has mahjongg, which I have enjoyed for many years after first being exposed to it in the Navy.

I'd gone to the site to watch a movie I'd missed and then stayed for a while to increase my points, as I haven't done that this month.

Answering surveys and watching instructional videos is fun, too!

Before I knew it, I'd hit 7500 points earned - and found that to be the maximum they allow per day.

Okay, time to leave, I'd thought.

Then this screen had popped up.

Chevrolet had a promotion that would let me turn 4000 points into a five-dollar contribution to help others, via the AARP Foundation.

Sure, I would do that!

I had over 28,000 points at the time.

How much would they let me exchange for that worthy cause?

Well, just the one-time donation of 4000 points.

Done!

How quick and easy was that?

So, everyone out there in the ether who also racks up points on the AARP website, please consider being part of this fundraiser. 

Thanks!

in honor of Mama for her bday85

Kiva has been after me for almost a month to re-lend, re-lend!

(smile)

My intention had been to do so last Saturday.

That would have been Mama's 85th birthday, had she not stopped aging at 63.

So, I've been celebrating her birthday without her for the past 22 years.

(sigh)

Today, I finally relented and went in search of someone she would have supported.

I found Anila almost instantly.

It was almost as if I had been taken by the hand and led straight to her.

Even better, she is the ONLY borrower on Kiva with her name.

Seriously.

The name is what first drew me to her, but it was her face and style that made me stay.

She looked so much like my mother had when I was a teen.

 

After making the loan, I alerted my fellow Nerdfighters to join me in supporting her.

This is the very first time I've ever done that.

I've been a member of that team since 2012.

Here, I make the same plea as I did on Kiva to my teammates.

 

"Faustina Dec 14, 2022 - 7:14 pm PST
Joined Aug 22, 2012
Anila of Albania is trying to open a fruit and vegetable stand to help support her family. 

She caught my eye for two reasons.

1) She bears a strong resemblance to my Mother, who died in 2001

2) She is a cook with healthy products.
I hope you will join me in supporting her goal.
www.kiva.org/lend/2476174
Thanks!"

 

For those who might want to let Kiva know that I was the one who made the referral, please use the link below.

 

Kiva referral link

 

I wish her much success in establishing her fruit and vegetable stand to help support her two children.

because tinkerbell asked

Well she did!

Of course, it was Helen Downing standing in for her, but I still recognized the fairy.

That was the same October day Rabbi Haas came in his Darth Vader gear and had a Light saber battle with Reverend Billy dressed as Luke Skywalker.

Good times!

Still, I didn't respond to Tink's request until the postcard arrived.

"I have found that among its other benefits giving liberates the soul of the giver."

So very true!

That's why I have chosen to give Asbury Memorial Church the same monies as I did this year: $10, weekly.

I know that ten dollars a week may not sound like a lot, but over the course of a year, that sum is almost twice what I give as a Hope Builder to Habitat For Humanity.

Both charities are dear to me and count towards the 10% of my income that goes out into the world for benefiting communities near and far.

(smile!)

the roof, the roof, the roof needs replaced!

I know too well how that can be, as the roof on my house was replaced at the start of the pandemic in this country.

So when Wesley Oak put the news out about this fundraiser, I was excited to help!

"RAISE THE ROOF"

LOW COUNTRY BOIL

 

YES SIRREE.. WE ARE RAISING THE JOY COTTAGE ROOF ONE SHRIMP AT A TIME! COME OUT FOR A DELICIOUS DINNER OF SHRIMP, POTATO, CORN, AND SAUSAGE. NOT TO MENTION, THERE WILL BE DESSERTS TO ENJOY!

THE DONATION FOR A DINNER IS $10 PER PLATE

 

Oh, yeah!

I could get on that train!

Here's the thing, though: I kept forgetting to buy tickets for it when I was at church, and I didn't remember to call during the day.

Oh no!

But I went anyway...

hoping, hoping, hoping...

and they gladly let me 'trade' $40 for four plates of food!

Hooray!

Glad I could help, y'all!

(smile!)

watching movies to help kids!

Seriously!

I could scarce believe it myself when I was approached with the idea.

But there the offer was, and from the cable TV company of all things.

Seriously!

Here's the hook used.

 

"Enjoy a $1 movie this weekend, and Xfinity Rewards will match the purchase and donate to BUILD.org, up to $100,000."

 

I know, there's a catch, right?

It's going to cost me a dollar to rent a movie.

But, that's any movie I want, up to $5.99 rental, to enjoy for two days or three days, depending on the movie.

Oh, and there's one more catch.

I have to select the movie by midnight on Sunday.

Yeah, that won't be an issue.

Oh, plus there's another caveat: the offer must be claimed every weekend.

It doesn't automatically enroll me for subsequent weekends.

Yeah, that won't be an issue, either.

The fundraiser for BUILD.org will run every weekend this month and next.

That's a total of nine - 9!!! - movies for a buck, for me.

I don't know if "match the purchase" means Comcast is donating the dollar or if they're donating the usual rental fee for the movies I choose.

If the latter is the case, then the group that helps underprivileged teens learn how to be entrepreneurs will be receiving $3.99 for each of the two movies I've rented.

If the former is the deal, then they'll still be getting $1 per movie.

Either way, it's money they did not have before.

That's a winner in my book!

Thanks, Comcast, for making me a deal I couldn't refuse!

(smile!)

does this mean I get a wyvern?

A little over a decade ago, for the 25th anniversary of being a brother, I became a member of the Order of Altotus with my chemistry fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma.

That also granted me the status of Professional Brother for Life.

Periodically I've responded with money for various special events with them, but I have not been charged dues in all that time.

Now, post-pandemic, the semantics have changed.

"Can you help make Alpha Chi Sigma available to every qualified candidate?"

They even presented me the following numbers to plead their case.

962: Number of Initiates this year

1,942: Number of current collegiates

58: Number of current chapters

45: Number of New member Assistance Fund grants awarded in 2021

15: Number of professional Groups

77,875: Number of total initiates

125: Number of professional volunteers

200: Average Number of Conclave attendees in recent years

665: Number of donors last year

$99,612 Number of dollars given last year

120: Years of Alpha Chi Sigma providing brotherhood to those in chemistry

 

All they asked of me was to become an Active Professional.

 

All they asked of me was a fifty-dollar pledge, to help keep membership fees within reach for college students and recent graduates.

 

In return, I'll keep receiving The HEXAGON (our magazine), voting privileges, and the opportunity to serve in various positions.

 

So, did I help out?

 

Of course!

 

Maybe I'll even attend the next Conclave, if my health holds.

 

And I'll look forward to continuing to read Mitch Leving's historical bits in that magazine.

 

(smile!)

well, if they're gonna triple my donation...

I don't know why today is so special, but it must be.

Kiva.com is TRIPLING loan amounts made on this last Friday of September.

Maybe it has something to do with the end of a quarter?

I really can only conjecture at this point.

I stumbled upon the fundraiser completely by accident.

As I was reading some of my posts on another blog, one had a link to an article that I'd written about a recent Kiva loan I made to El Salvador.

When I followed the link to the lending website, I was greeted with a banner across the top:

"3X loan matching today"

I had bookmarked it, to jog my memory later.

Well, later is now.

(smile!)

In keeping with my goal to lend to new countries, I selected the Rosa Marita Group in Paraguay.

Here's a little more about them.

"The group called Rosa Mistica was formed joining friends and neighbors in the city of Curuguaty. They are looking for a way to improve their quality of living and that of their loved ones. It is a united group where everyone has set a goal of being able to grow and doing this get ahead.
Nilda Ignacia is one of them. She is married and the mother of three children. She comments that she and her husband strive to get ahead with their children and make them good people who don't lack for what they need.
She earns a living selling natural remedies. She mentions that her work is modest but it allows her to contribute to the household income.
She is requesting this loan to buy natural remedies to sell and in doing so continue with her sales as she has been doing.
In this group: Martha Beatriz, Carmen Rosio, Porfiria, Nilda Ignacia, Dilma, Licia, Marta Emilia, Maria Teresa, Clotilde, Paola, Liz Fabiola, Angelina, Perla"

(smile!)

 

I'm not sure, but this loan may have given me a new "pie" slice in the "type of product or service" category, as well as new country of lending.

Very nice!

I do hope some of the other Nerdfighters will join me for this loan!

Even if they don't, I'm thrilled to know my $25 was tripled to help these women in their goal of helping their community.

What a good deed for ending this month!

(smile!)