Who said that giving back had anything to do with large amount of money ? You can be the light in someone’s life and bring cheer, hope and optimism with small amounts or in kind as well. Read on to see how you can make a difference the Light Up way.
Light Up aspires to contribute by donating and utilising 2% of annual profits towards education and empowering the girl child.
SMALL MONTHLY DONATIONS
Several companies have CSR wings which operate a “Donate as You Earn” where you can donate as little as 1 percent of your salary to a charity of your choice.
Choose an area which inspires your willingness to contribute, whether it be an old age home or orphanage or towards animal welfare. Start with a small monthly contribution which is auto debited from your salary and increase as and when you feel more comfortable doing so.
A RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS
Make it a rule to carry out at least one random act of kindness on a weekly basis. Whether it is helping an elderly couple carry provisions to their car or feeding homeless people or teaching your household help English basics, the aim is to light up someone’s life without expecting anything in return.
It is often said that random acts of kindness are set to create a ripple effect – leading each recipient of a kind act to pay it forward, making the world a much better to live in !
DONATE IN KIND
Many of us have a tendency to accumulate and hoard things which we don’t need and which, if taken away, wont make the minutest difference to our lives. But if those very articles or possessions, are donated, they can make a world of a difference to the people who receive them.
By giving away clothes you don’t wear to a homeless shelter or an orphanage or giving away books you don’t read, you could change someone’s life in a significant manner.
Take lightly used old toys and stuffed animals to children’s centres, and you will be amazed by how ecstatic underprivileged children would be to receive them.
Donating hair to charities like Hope for Hair or The Cherian Donation which specialize in collecting hair to create wigs for patients with cancer is also a great way of giving back without spending a dime.
HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT
Choose to car-pool or walk where you can to reduce your carbon footprint on the universe. Taking simple steps like picking up trash where you can see it, keeping the back alley behind your house clean and tidy and growing plants in public spaces can make a huge difference.
Adopt rainwater harvesting and encourage your neighbours to do so as well. Fresh clean and potable water is in short supply and whatever you can do in this direction will be considered a concrete way of giving back to the environment.
USE YOUR SPECIAL SKILLS
Giving back and bringing a smile to someone’s face does not necessarily mean financial aid and assistance. We all have special skills and talents which if we tap on, can make a huge difference to someone’s way of living.
If you are great at singing, conduct a sing-a-along session at an old age home. If you have a fondness for painting or art and craft, then bringing cheer into underprivileged children’s lives through creative activity sessions.
BECOME A MENTOR
There are several mentorship programs that connect professionals with children and youth from lower income groups and these community based mentorship programs are meant to be transformational in nature.
You could use your education and work experience to be nothing short of a life coach. You could guide, educate and inspire them through a mentor-mentee relationship. Some of these programs require as little commitment as 1-2 hours per week. You could check out mentorship communities such as The Lighthouse Project or Mentor Me India which are known to impact and change a child’s future through their mentorship programs.
