Grab Bag Friday: Happy Halloween!!

I hope you have lots of fun and sugar waiting for you today!

If you missed last week's post about Trick or Treat for UNICEF, there's still time to make your UNICEF box for tonight's festivities!

The Poop has a funny post about what to do when your child won't put on their Halloween lederhosen. (Some of the comments are more hilarious than the post.)

Seven Impossible Things analyzes Edgar Allen Poe's weaker efforts. (There are more Halloween poems at the Poetry Friday Roundup.)

And this trick-or-treat video cracks me up every time:

Grab Bag Friday: Trick or Treat for UNICEF

It's almost Halloween! Can you believe it? And that means it's time for me to gush about one of my favorite Halloween traditions.

Over the past 58 years, Trick or Treat for UNICEF has raised over $140 million dollars for lifesaving nutrition, clean water, education, protection and emergency response for children all over the world.

Think about that.

Kids knocking on doors and asking for a little loose change along with their Halloween candy have raised $140 million. That's amazing.

Here's how you and your kids can get involved:

1. Go to the Trick or Treat for UNICEF site and order the little orange boxes, or make your own with their downloadable container wrapper.
2. Bring your box trick or treating and ask folks to donate their loose change.
   
3. Send the money to UNICEF.

Could it be any simpler?

It's a great way for kids to get involved in helping others. Halloween is such a fun night when they get to dress up and go around and ask for and receive this amazing wealth of candy. It gives them a real sense of pride and accomplishment to know that they are also responsible for bringing water or food or medicine to a kid who needs it.

This year, UNICEF is rolling out various online and mobile Trick or Treat for UNICEF programs. For instance, the program is now my "featured cause" on my Facebook page. I guess it's trick or treating for the new millennium?

Alternative Gifts: Gifts that Give Back

This is a very short list of places where you can buy gifts that help someone else. There are many more. If you have a particular favorite, please feel free to post it here. Happy shopping!

Nothing But Nets: $10 of every hat & t-shirt purchase will send a mosquito net to Africa to help fight malaria.

UNICEF: Proceeds from sweet gifts like "My Little Monkey" support "child survival, protection, and development worldwide through education, advocacy, and fund raising." I'm a big fan of the I Never Forget a Face! Matching Game ($13.00).

DonorsChoose.org: This is like a grown-up, education-oriented version of MarkMakers. Teachers from underfunded public schools submit proposals for things they need (everything from a rug for a reading corner and wet erase markers to projectors and entire science labs). You can buy gift certificates for your friends, and they can choose which project(s) they want to fund. Proposals are searchable by total cost, the school's level of poverty, subject matter, and state. You may choose to fund all or part of a project.

Good Magazine: 100% of every subscription purchased goes to one of 12 organizations (like Room to Read, NRDC, and Teach for America)...you choose where your money goes.

Fair Trade goods: Fair Trade helps provide fair pay and regular work to artisans from around the world. Beyond that, buying Fair Trade is a great way to find unique, handcrafted gifts for your friends and family.

There are so many ways to find gifts that give back in personal, innovative ways. Check local arts organizations in your area. My friend Kate's modern dance collective Live Animals, for instance, just sent out an email to their subscribers offering a gift pack of homemade chocolate turtles (made lovingly by the grandmother of one of the dancers!) for a $25 donation. I will definitely be picking up a box or two of those for some chocolate lovers I know!

Grab Bag Friday: Bits & Pieces

Just a few fine things for Friday:

Trick or Treat for UNICEF: The tradition of children collecting coins for UNICEF on Halloween began back in 1950 and is still going strong. You can pick up free UNICEF boxes at Hallmark stores or your local church, or you can make your own. Please visit UNICEF's website for instructions on how to send in the money, and great stories about the difference even a small amount can make.

This is a great way for kids to get involved in helping others...and to learn that helping others can be both fun and rewarding!

It's Official: The Robert Plant & Alison Krauss official site is now up. Sadly, it doesn't list tour dates yet. And you can apparently listen to the album on the site, but I couldn't get the streaming to work on my computer. Maybe you'll have better luck. If missed my initial response to the new album, Raising Sand, you can find it here.

Let it Snow! Tomorrow, I'll be posting a feature on artist Abigail Marble and her snowflake for Robert's Snow. Please check in for this special "Weekend Edition" of Please Come Flying. Abigail's art is filled with wonder and she was kind enough to answer some questions about inspiration, process, and her connection with Robert's Snow.

• You can still see the gallery showings of the snowflakes
• You can read this week's features by checking my sidebar to the right
• You can catch up on all the past features at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Alternative Giving: UNICEF

If you're looking for a place to find gifts that aren't just your run-of-the mill store-bought items, and that make an impact on the world, you can't go wrong with UNICEF. In their online catalog, you can find gorgeous artisan-inspired tea-lights, jewelry, journals, and cool educational games and puzzles for kids. The proceeds support UNICEF's efforts to advocate for children all over the world. Happy shopping!

UNICEF believes that every child deserves a childhood, a time of hope and opportunity, a time to learn and grow and play. For 60 years, UNICEF has been the world’s leading advocate for children – working for child survival and development in more than 150 countries. UNICEF has brought vital medicine, clean water, education, nutritious food and emergency relief to children around the world, saving millions of young lives.

Learn more about UNICEF
Shop online at UNICEF