Make A Difference Project

In the spirit of the holidays, we wanted to share with you some amazing stories highlighting the kindness of others during this time of year.

Secret Santa

Via CBS News

Sometimes, the people with the least give the most of what they have. A kindhearted businessman, who we’ll refer to as ‘Secret Santa’ set out to prove this as true earlier this week in Phoenix, Arizona. ‘Secret Santa’ approached a homeless man, Moses Elder, and gave him $3,000 to hand out throughout the day to people as he saw fit. As strangers scurried by Moses without taking a glance, the gentle people who dropped some loose change in his cup were in for a surprise. Hundred dollar bill after hundred dollar bill, Moses watched as their faces lit up, some almost brought to tears. In the end ‘Secret Santa’ gifted Moses as well, but he says the experience was the best gift he could’ve received.

A Christmas Miracle

Via Fox 5 DC

David and Vanessa Surles of Capitol Heights, Maryland, were heartbroken when they found that their Christmas decorations had been stolen last week. While at Home Depot purchasing new decorations, they received a notification through their Ring Doorbell Camera that a couple of Prince George’s County police officers were at their home. The officers leaned in and told the couple to put their decorations down, they had brought plenty with them. By the time they returned home, the Surles were greeted with several blowup Christmas decorations of Santa, snowmen, penguins and other characters across their lawn. The officers wish to remain anonymous, as they did this out of the goodness of their hearts.

Love Thy Neighbor

Via CNN

When Ken, an elderly man from Barry, Wales, passed away he left behind a few gifts for his neighbor. Owen Williams was greeted at his door by Ken’s daughter shortly after his passing. She handed him a plastic sack and Owen was a bit confused. As he hoisted the bag on the counter and began to empty its contents, the daughter explained how her father had been purchasing Christmas gifts for Owen’s 2-year-old daughter for the next 14 years! Kindness truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

Wishing you all the happiest of holidays with your loved ones, and if you have the chance to help those less fortunate, do not hesitate to make the difference.

As a whole, we tend to get stressed out around the holidays. This is a great time to take a moment and be thankful for the things we have, as so many others may not be so lucky. If you’re looking for a way to help out in your community, here are a few opportunities.

Dearborn Academy Arts and Crafts Holiday Shop

Thursday, December 20^th 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

Dearborn Academy

575 Washington Street, Newton

Dearborn Academy’s young artisans offer a few pieces of their best work — from unique hand-crafted jewelry to sculpture — for sale to the general public. This year’s Winter Arts and Crafts Sale will feature fine wood, metal and jewelry-making pieces of various sizes and prices. Your purchase will support the growth of their special education services tostudents from across the Commonwealth. For more information, click here.

Calling All Crows’ 11th Annual Benefit Weekend Service Project

Saturday, December 22^nd 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM

Paradise Rock Club

967 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

Join Chadwick Stokes and Calling All Crows for their 11th Annual Benefit Weekend Pre-Show Service Project! They will re-visit some of their favorite campaigns from the last 10 years and have a series of service and activism stations, all in support of women and girls here in Boston and around the world. For more information, click here.

Holiday Happy Hour + Toy & Toiletry Drive

Thursday, December 20^th 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Fort Hill Bar and Grill 

2805 Washington St, Boston

Mix and mingle with professional women from around the city as Queens Company, a network for women of color actively seeking to advancetheir lifestyles, collects toys and toiletries to support low-income familiesof color. The night will be filled with board games, music, networking, andmore – all for a good cause! For more information, click here.

The Barking Crab presents Jingle & Mingle

Wednesday, December 19^th 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM

The Barking Crab

88 Sleeper St, Boston

The Barking Crab presents the second annual Jingle & Mingle event! Try out their ice luge, check out some seasonal ice sculptures, snap a picture with Santa and enjoyeven more fun holiday surprises! All proceeds will benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester through the Rodman Ride for Kids and be eligible for up to a 3% match! For more information, click here.

HNBA Region I & LCLD Happy Hour Toy Drive

Thursday, December 20^th 4:00 PM – 7:00

MG+M

125 High Street, Boston

Join the Hispanic National Bar Association – Region I for their Happy Hour and Toy Drive and bring a new, unwrapped toy or game. Your donation will benefit Inquilinos Boricuas En Accion, a non-profit community development organization that provides residency and supportive programming to low-income families in Boston.For more information, click here.

The season of giving is upon us! Everybody gives in different ways, and no matter how big or small the gesture, each is just as important as the next.  Let’s take a moment to appreciate our top three feel-good stories of the week.

Christmas Came Early

Via People

Not only is Tyler Perry successful, brilliant and talented; he also has a heart of gold. Tyler took it upon himself to go to two Atlanta Walmarts and pay off every layaway balance and did so anonymously. Obviously, the truth came to light and he posted to social media telling everybody “God bless you, go get your stuff, Merry Christmas!” Tyler Perry paid off the Christmas debts of about 1,500 people totaling over $400,000. What a selfless and beautiful holiday blessing.

A Mothers’ Three Angels 

Via wfmynews 2

Everything was going wrong when Becca Kinsley of Dallas, Texas, was flying alone with her 2 and 5-year-old sons. Right as she was about to break down, three women came to her rescue. Becca was standing in the security line when her son, Wyatt, began screaming and her other son James was exhausted. Out of nowhere, one mom steps out from the security line and tells Becca to jump in front of her. During this time, Wyatt fell asleep and as she was trying to carry everyone’s luggage, another mom jumped in and offered to carry her bags.  She not only carried everything to help get them through security, but she also walked them to the gate to make sure they made it onto their flight. Once on the plane, a woman sitting across the aisle offered to hold her screaming two-year-old so that she could get settled. Her son ended up falling asleep and the woman soothed him for the entire flight. Faith in humanity restored! 

Protect AND Serve

Via Fox News

The Roeland Park Police Department received a call regarding a juvenile in custody at Wal-Mart for shoplifting. When two police officers arrived, they learned that the boy was trying to steal some work boots so that he could get a job. Instead of punishing him, they decided to help. The two officers decided to buy the boots for the young man and told him to find a job, finish school and stay out of trouble. This act of kindness left the boy in tears. Sometimes just giving somebody a chance can make all the difference.

No matter how big or small the gesture, good deeds never go unnoticed. We hope that these stories of generosity inspire you to give back, especially during the holiday season when people need it the most.

How you make others feel about themselves, can say a lot about you. Be the person you’ve always wanted to be and get involved in these opportunities to give back this week.

Hometown Authors Holiday Book Sale

Monday, December 10^th 6 – 8 PM

Hotel Commonwealth

500 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

Join local authors for a festive night! Stock up on personalized copies of your favorite titles for the gift giving season while giving back to your local community. Brookline Booksmith will generously donate 20% of book sales to Raising A Reader & Boston Book Festival. For more information, click here.

2018 Chief Maloney Night of Heroes

Tuesday, December 11^th 7 – 9 PM 

Ashworth by the Sea

295 Ocean Boulevard, Hampton NH

Join Chief Michael Maloney Memorial Fund for the 2018 Night of Heroes. The Night of Heroes event honors the local public safety members for going above and beyond their call of duty. For more information, click here.

St. Francis House Holiday Open House

Wednesday, December 12^th 5:30 – 7:00 pm

St. Francis House

39 Boylston Street, Boston

Join St. Francis House for their annual Holiday Open House to learn about the great work they do and help spread holiday cheer! On this creative night you can have fun creating cards, wrapping gifts, and buying beautiful art from St. Francis House artists. Guests of St. Francis House from their Expressive Art Therapy Program will offer a variety of mediums of art for sale, 100% of this money goes to the St. Francis House artists. To learn more, click here.

Shop for a Cause

Wednesday, December 12^th 5-8pm

The Street @ Chestnut Hill

33 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill

The Street is hosting a Shop for a Cause night to support several local organizations, including The B-Fund, CJP – Women’s Philanthropy and the Newton Schools Foundation, with a percentage of sales from the evening donated back. Please check in at Simon Pearce at 33 Boylston St. (between Juice Press and Splendid) for a shopping pass and special treat before you begin shopping. For more information, click here.

Timothy’s Toy Box Benefit Concert

Friday, December 14^th 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

St. Andrews Episcopal Church

3 Maple Street, Framingham

To celebrate the season of giving, Centre Music House presents the Timothy’s Toy Box Benefit Concert to help raise money and awareness for Timothy’s Toy Box. Timothy’s Toy Box is a Framingham-based non-profit organization with a mission of giving toys to children during the holiday season who wouldn’t otherwise receive them. These toys are provided to children in hospitals, homeless shelters, schools, and churches. For more information, click here.

Heroes come in many different forms. Some heroes run into burning buildings, others are heroic in their honesty, and some heroes come in the form of a team. Enjoy our top three feel-good stories of the week and see for yourself what it means to be a hero.

An Honest Man

Via Washington Post

Kevin Booth, a homeless and hungry man, walked to his local food bank in Sumner, Washington hoping to find something to eat. As he was walking in, he noticed a brown paper bag outside the front door. He opened the bag in hopes of finding bread left over from the night before, but instead, he found $17,000 in cash. He patiently waited for the food bank to open and returned the money to a volunteer. After waiting the required 90 days for somebody to claim the money, it was awarded to the food bank. Last week, they held a ceremony and presented Booth with a citizen’s citation for his honesty. Not only did he gain recognition, but the food bank has also decided to reward Booth with gift cards over time (instead of a lump sum, to protect him as he occasionally hangs out with the wrong crowd). A man without a dollar to his name refused to take a dollar that wasn’t his.

A New Car for Kea

Via WBRZ

Kea Senegal is a dishwasher at Ruffino’s on the River in Lafayette, Louisiana. As a husband and father of two children, Senegal had saved up for months to buy a car for his family. Last week the car he had worked so hard for was stolen and his coworkers refused to sit back and do nothing about it. General Manager, Chris Muffoletto gathered his employees and asked if they would be willing to pitch in to help buy Senegal a replacement car. Without hesitation, everybody agreed and within three days they had raised $2,500 to buy him a new vehicle. A local dealership heard the story and matched the team’s donation. It’s amazing what people can do when they open their hearts and come together.

A Gift from God

Via Fox News

When a house caught fire in Weatherford, Texas, two of the six children inside ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911. The neighbor not only woke up to make the call, he immediately ran over to the house himself and helped with the rescue. Using his Ipad as a flashlight he searched the smoke-filled rooms to help save the lives of this family of eight and buy time for the firefighters. The entire family made it out of the fire, including the neighbor.

People can do some pretty amazing things when it comes to helping others. We hope these stories inspire you to be the best version of yourself and feel-good all weekend long.

The gift of giving is priceless. During the holiday season, we become more inspired to give back. If you’re looking to get involved in your local community, check out these charities.

 

Holiday Auction and Toy Drive Kick-Off to Benefit Christmas in the City at Seaport Hotel

Thursday, December 6th from 6 – 9 PM

The Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center

200 Seaport Boulevard, Boston

Christmas in the City, an organization run entirely by volunteers,  is holding its 30th Annual Holiday Party. This year’s live auction will feature a lot of laughs, a rush of holiday positivity, and one-of-a-kind Christmas wreaths decorated by local celebrities. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

 

21st Annual Feed the Hungry Gala

Friday, December 7th from 6 – 10 PM

Granite Links Golf Club

100 Quarry Hills Drive, Quincy

Interfaith Social Services will be hosting its 21st Annual Feed the Hungry Gala, a premier social event in the South Shore and Greater Boston. Proceeds will help Interfaith continue its ongoing mission to provide food, mental health counseling and emergency assistance to our neighbors in need. For more information, click here.

 

Cookie Decorating Workshop at Davio’s Lynnfield

Saturday, December 8th at 11 AM

Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

1250 Market Street, Lynnfield

This Holiday Season, Davio’s Lynnfield is getting creative with confections during their annual Cookie Decorating Workshop this Saturday. To spread the seasonal joy, each child is asked to bring new hats and mittens for the Community Action Programs InterCity (CAPIC), whose mission is to address the needs, problems, and concerns of those in poverty. For more information, click here.

 

15th Annual Army Navy Football Luncheon

Saturday, December 8th from 2 – 7 PM

Scoreboard Sports Bar & Grill

15 Middlesex Canal Park Drive, Woburn

Support children of deployed and fallen troops at the 15TH Annual Army Navy Football Luncheon! This event will support Operation Santa- Massachusetts, a program partnered by the Ahern Family Charitable Foundation and the Military Friends Foundation. For more information, click here.

 

Jingle Bell Run 2018

Sunday, December 9th  from 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Boston Common

Park Street, Boston

The Arthritis Foundation’s original Jingle Bell Run is a fun way to get festive while racing to raise funds and awareness to cure America’s leading cause of disability. For more information, click here.