Blog Lafayette

It’s not too late to donate much needed supplies to the local Head Start program.  We can drop off our donations at Industrial Federal Credit Union branches through July 30th. At least one of their branches is open late every day.

I found the complete list here.  I have more of the things on their list around my house than I thought I would. They need the obvious glue sticks and markers, but also facial tissues, children’s music CD’s, disposable diapers sizes 3-6, sidewalk chalk, craft items, ziploc bags and much more. Please check out the list and help if you can.

As we all watch the news coverage of the aftermath of the historic 8.9 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan we are left with a couple of questions. What now? And, what can I do to help? There will be many relief efforts to choose from over the next few days and weeks. The list will grow as more people get organized. Most of the efforts will be legitimate and some will be scams. The key for each of us who would like to do something to help is to figure out which are worthy of our money and efforts.

There a few things that you can do. In a eHow.com article on “How to Check if a Charity is Legitimate” there are some great general tips you can follow to check a charity. Three good suggestions are:

1. Check charities that solicit nationally on the National Charity Reports Index.
2. Go to Guidestar online and do a free search for the charity.
3. Visit your Better Business Bureau website for information on regional charities. The Lafayette site is http://lafayette.bbb.org/

Charities are not necesarily relief programs but the idea of how to check up on them is the same so this article should be of help.

Another article that I came across this morning looks like a great source of information on how to help Japan in particular. The article, “Use Caution When Donating To Japanese Earthquake Relief, And Some (Legit) Ways To Give” gives information on some relief organizations that are in a position to offer real help. The article mentions both the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. The Red Cross is mobilizing relief efforts in most local areas of the United States. The website for the National Chapter of The American Red Cross is http://www.redcross.org/, or to contact our local Tippecanoe County Chapter of the Red Cross go to http://lafayetteredcross.org/. If you choose to investigate options from The Salvation Army, you can go to their website at http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf or you can donate directly by calling (800) SAL-ARMY, or texting the word “Quake” or “Japan” to 80888 to donate $10.

One last idea that I am glad to be a part of personally is something that my wife is involved in. She is a full time merchant on eBay, with a store called Seasoned With Time. For the rest of the month she will be making all of her new auctions charity listings with at least 10% going to The GlobalGiving Project. She talks about this in her latest blog post, Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund – GlobalGiving Project. We are thankful that eBay makes it easy for merchants to make contributions to various charities and relief organizations. For more information about Global Giving go to http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/?rf=twtr.

Giving help to people in need has never been easier.

CBL Computers and Repair has decided to get into the giving spirit in a big way starting in the month of December. They have announced a new way to help kids in the Lafayette area called Computers 4 Kids. Computers 4 Kids is an effort by CBL Computers and Repair to initially provide at least four to five new computers, each complete with a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and a printer, to a children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in the Lafayette Indiana area.

According to Craig Martin of CBL Computers and Repair, “each computer will be preloaded with all the necessary software/hardware needed to operate the PC.” Craig went on to say that, “Unfortunately at this time we will not be able to offer any type of FREE Internet connection but we are continuing to look for a way to make this happen as well. Along with all the hardware and software, CBL Computers & Repair will provide each computer with a 2 year “Complete Peace of Mind” Residential Maintenance Contract. Not only will the children/families not have to worry about paying for costly hardware repairs but they will also be receiving free remote bi-monthly “Tune-Ups” and a yearly “Windows Renew”". To see more information on the CBL Computers and Repair website, follow this link, http://cblcomputersandrepair.com/BigBrotherBigSistersComputerGiveaway

In addition to the initial 4 to 5 computers, CBL Computers and Repair has expressed a desire to continue the program if it is successful, until every local child involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters has a computer of their own.

CBL Computers and Repair will be donating a portion of their “Windows Renew” income along with donations from another great local business, Designing Length Salon, and any others that may come in, to purchase the new systems. They will also be taking donations of gently used Computer systems that are under 5 years old. If in the event that they are not able to buy all the new systems, they will be giving away the donated systems to the children. Craig said that, “You can set up an appointment with CBL Computers & Repair from our website at, www.cblcomputersandrepair.com, click on the schedule an appointment tab at the top of the page, if you’d like to donate a lightly used computer, less than 5 yrs old, give us a call at 765-490-2978, and we can arrange a pickup or delivery. You can also stop by Cold Stone Creamery or Designing length salon to show your support.”

As to why Craig and CBL Computers and Repair is doing this, Craig said, “I feel that it is the responsibility of every local business to give back as much as they can to the local community. I’ve always wanted to donate to charity but never really had the means. So if CBL Computers & Repair can use a little of the money that we pay for advertising and give it to a charity, that’s what we are going to do. I chose Big Brother Big Sister because after having a child of my own and feeling the satisfaction that I get from just watching her be happy and knowing that she’s always going to have what she needs, It pains me to see that there are children out there that are missing out on so much in life through no fault of their own. I have made a promise to myself that CBL Computers & Repair is going to do as much as we can to see that we help as many children as possible overcome their unfortunate situations.”

If you haven’t heard of recycling then you must be a hermit living on a mountain top in Tibet. You are reading this, so I assume you are not a in that group. Here is a question for you. Where do you take your stuff when you are no longer using it? By “stuff” I mean clothing, books, magazines, toys, dishes, furniture, and anything else you own that is still usable.

Here in the Lafayette area we have several great places to take our gently used stuff so that someone else can reap additional benefits from it. There are four stores in town that I know of that will be glad to have the donation of your things. There are three Goodwill locations, and there is the Trinity Missions Thrift Shop.

The Trinity Mission Thrift shop is located on 1224 Union Street in Lafayette. They are very happy to receive donations from the public. They use the proceeds from the sale of the donated items to fund their mens and womens counciling programs that are helping men and women in Tippecanoe and Montgomery counties. Their programs help combat the effects of drug and alcohol addictions in the people who come to live and seek treatment with them through biblical counciling and good old fashioned love. They have been helping people regain lives free from addiction for several years now. For more information about Trinity Mission, click the following link. www.trinitymission.net

The Goodwill stores are located on the South side of Lafayette near Concord and Veteran Memorial Parkway, on Highway 26 near Target , and on Highway 53 near the police station in West Lafayette. Goodwill provide jobs and job training for people throughout the United States. To find out more detail about Goodwill click on the following link. www.goodwill.org

If you haven’t really thought about what happens to your stuff when you donate it, then here is your chance. Any one of these organizations will make your gift really count for the life of someone. Isn’t that really what it should all be about?

Trinity Mission Outlet
1224 Union St
Lafayette, IN 47904
phone 765-742-1060

Goodwill
3229 Daugherty Drive
Lafayette, IN. 47909
phone 765-474-3135

Goodwill
11 Shenandoah Drive
Lafayette, IN. 47905
phone 765-449-0407

Goodwill
907 Sagamore Parkway West
West Lafayette, IN 47906
phone 765-464-3100