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#DareYou to Make Canada a Better Place

When we donate our time, talents, and money, we help make Canada a better and kinder place to live in. Research has shown that one of the main reasons people give is simply because they were asked to. Well, tis the season of giving, and this holiday season I’m daring you to give. Imagine what we could accomplish if every Canadian giver challenged just one other person to donate or volunteer their time with them.Dare2Give LogoThis year I’m participating in Dare2Give, the latest in the My Giving Moment Campaign inspired by the Governor General of Canada. This campaign is an opportunity for all Canadian givers to increase their giving impact by daring others to donate or volunteer with them and help make Canada a more compassionate country. By taking part in this challenge and daring someone you know to give with you, you’ll also get the chance to win for your favourite charity, including the grand prize of a TV public service announcement spot from Shaw Media. The last day to enter is December 14, 2014, so start daring!

This holiday season, I’m donating to my local youth shelter. They provide outreach, shelter, meals, counselling, and support to young people trying to escape homelessness, abuse, and drug addiction. Having worked with street youth for many years, I know first hand how important this work is and how much good these places do.

donate

Many of us donate canned goods to our local food banks, especially around the holiday season, but after some recent discussion on my Facebook page, this year I’ll be giving cash instead. Food banks can use that money to buy exactly what they need, usually at a steep discount, making my dollar stretch even further.

food bank

I Dare You to Give!

I’m taking up the challenge and daring my friends and family to give with me. I dare my friends, Maria and Heather, to match my donation to their charities of choice, and then to dare someone else to give with them too.

I dare my brother to complete the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada mentoring orientation and discover a volunteering opportunity that fits his schedule.

I want to teach my children the values of giving and empathy, so I dare my four-year-old daughter to pick three of her gently used toys and donate them to our local women and children’s shelter.

Dare2Give

Now it’s up to you. I dare you to donate with me. I dare you to make a difference. Dare your friends, family, and colleagues, then visit the Dare2Give website or see below to enter how many dares you’ve made for a chance to win for your favourite charity. Go ahead, I dare you!


Disclosure: Although this post has been generously sponsored by Rideau Hall Foundation, the opinions and language are my own, and in no way do they reflect Rideau Hall Foundation.

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33 Comments

  • That’s such an awesome idea! The ice bucket challenge thing got so much attention and donations made to the ALS research, but a lot of other organizations were forgotten. This is an awesome way to get people to donate to those causes that are close to their heart.

  • I love this campaign especially that a lot of charities will benefit instead of just one! As there are many worthy charities and protects that need help all year long not just at christmas!

  • That’s so awesome you are doing this! I think it’s so important to give back, and during the Holidays it seems like more people are willing to donate, good, or their time. It’s so important ! Thank you!

  • What a great idea to get more Canadian’s giving. We already have several places we regularly give to. We also have tried hard to model this for our children.

  • Great idea. I often want to give more, but, usually cant find the right time to get into it. This year, a new friend who volunteers at a soup kitchen every Xmas asked me to join her. It’s something I have always wanted to do, but, never looked around at HOW I can go about doing it. This year, I will just join her when she goes. She made it easy for me!

  • I sponsor a lad in Central America through Chalice and also help a Christian Girl working in one of our Universities.
    My husband and I donate money to our local food bank and also donate to the food bank sponsored by our Church..
    We donate to a children’s hospital and other causes.
    At my time of life, I do not ask people to donate. I try to set a good example for my family who are adults now with adult children.
    I do admire what you are doing. I know many people who are doing their best to help others in need or distress.

  • This is a great idea! I hope the campaign is a huge success! My son volunteers with our local food bank and there are times that the cupboards there are nearly bare!

  • Instilling this idea into our children is one of the best gifts you can give them. Show them by example– they need to see you as the parent in action– the ways we can donate as a family.. volunteering, fundraising, donating funds & goods. This campaign is a great idea!

  • We donate whenever we can! I bought a bunch of calendars which supports Breast cancer research, we have donated perishables to my sons school and also donated to Salvation Army. It feels to amazing to give back especially after the floods of 2013 when the Salvation Army and the Red Cross were there for us

  • I love this campaign! We donate regularly – food to the food bank, clothes, shoes and toiletries to the shelters, toys/crafts to the hospital as well as to the toy bank at Christmas, and cash to a variety of charities, BUT we have never thought of getting a challenge going. It is a good way to keep the positive momentum going!

  • Awesome! I’ve been doing lots of volunteering of late. I want to be a good example to my 5 year old. I recently helped plant an edible tree forest/garden for homeless and gleaned a ton of veggies from local farms to share throughout my community with friends, neighbours, family and schools. It is easy to give the gift of ourselves.

  • I recently dared my girlfriend to come with me to a Ladies Night Out in support of our local women’s homeless shelter.
    She jumped on board and we were able to brings lots of needed toiletries for the women.
    I love to do this kind of stuff, fun for me but great for the community.

  • For as long as I can remember – my family has been doing things without being dared. It’s sad that for people to give of themselves they have to be dared now – it really should just be part of our internal make-up.

  • I think this is great, especially for the lesser known charities or causes that are special to your heart for one reason or another. Usually I am quiet about my charitable donations, but I have friends that know when they have something that they are thinking of donating or selling, I will know a place that will take it (books to the library for resale, cribs to Baby-Go-Round for an in-need family, household goods to Bea’s Kloset in Tri-Cities for families in need). Some may say that ‘daring’ ppl shouldn’t be necessary, I would say, think of it more as an encouragement to participate in something you may not have known about before, or thought of before.

  • I am glad to see that you are donating. I already donate to the American Cancer Society as they helped me when I was going through treatment for cancer. There are so many great charities out there to donate to.