Most people spend the majority of the holiday season worrying. I worry about what to get my boyfriend, which of my friends I have to splurge on this season, and what to get my little sister who has everything.

However, there are many people every year who don’t have the luxury to worry about buying gifts for their own friends and family. These same people have trouble affording their homes, feeding their families, and providing necessities for their children. So instead of worrying about whether or not to get your boyfriend that ultra-expensive wallet, why not take some of that extra money you have lying around this season and donate to someone who really needs it? Or, if you don’t have your own money to spend, why not use some your Christmas Break to volunteer your time?

Here are five charities that are definitely worth your money and your hours.

1. Project Night Night has a mission to make homeless children know that someone in the world cares about them. The charity donates bags containing blankets, books, and stuffed animals to children without a place to live. By giving children comfort items, Project Night Night hopes to lessen the trauma that is associated with not having stability in one’s life. If you would like to donate or get involved in the charity, visit www.projectnightnight.org

2. First Book is a charity that provides new books to low-income children to help them learn how to read. Its founder learned that almost 80% of preschool and after-school programs that are catered to low-income students do not have age appropriate books, and these children easily fall behind in school and never completely learn how to read or love literature. First Book has already sent over 70 million books to children in need, and you can donate to them on their website at www.firstbook.org. Read More »

I landed in Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar, a very ignorant young woman. I knew nothing about the country, so you can imagine my surprise to learn that the men wore skirts, the women have yellow powdered circles on their cheeks, and that the country has NO ATM’s at all — and that I only had $350 in my pocket to last me for three weeks. Somehow, I survived on $10 a day and, three weeks later, I left Yangon a changed person, with a bigger heart and a desire to see this country’s people rise from their currently powerless situation.

I visited Myanmar one year ago, just before the military coup… and now this: a cyclone? This beautiful country with generous (and helpless) people is suffering from one of the worst natural disasters this decade and all their government wants to do is close their borders and refuse aid? I just don’t get it. Read More »

You know when you hear about something and all you can think is, “WHAT???” Yup. That’s all I could think when I heard about Porn for the Blind. I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in. Yes, Porn for the Blind.

The website is a non-profit organization that has volunteers contribute audio descriptions of sample movie clips from adult video sites. The thing is, though, these audio recordings are incredibly un-sexy. It’s not like some woman with a breathy voice is describing the porn scenes and moaning into the microphone. Generally, it’s a nerdy sounding guy describing the porn very matter-of-factly. “There is a bra draped over the chair.” “The man begins to vaginally penetrate the woman.”

Sexy? I’ll let you come to your own conclusions. Read More »