This year on Club Penguin Island, we’re donating our coins to Coins For Change: an annual program where if we donate enough virtual coins, Disney will make a donation to a real-world charity. As you might know, we reached this year’s target of 1 MILLION coins in less than 6 hours – that’s amazing!
But there’s only one problem… Coins For Change is supposed to last for the entire month. This means millions of coins donated after the target don’t contribute towards the big donation of $50,000 USD to Toys For Tots. I also know that lots of penguins care about other causes too, like Building Safe Places, Protecting the Earth and Providing Medical Help. Hmm… do they sound familiar?
While this year’s Coins For Change will support families in the United States, there’s many more places in the world, in the countries we live in and in our local communities which need help and support this holiday season. So, I’m asking on the Club Penguin Island community for a special favour…
Let’s extend the impact of this year’s Coins For Change together!
We’re a global community and there’s international, national and local charities needing support. I think it would be amazing if we could work together to support these causes and do something amazing. To help, here’s a few ideas of ways you can make a difference in your local community.
#1: Donate non-perishable in-date food to a local foodbank
Food. We all need it – but for some people, it’s a big struggle to afford it. For people with low-income, starvation is a reality and a crisis on our doorsteps. Foodbanks, like those run by The Trussell Trust in the United Kingdom, help to put a stop to that by putting together food parcels, like you can see above, to really help those who are struggling. Foodbanks also provide support, other important items and indicate if there’s other charities out there to help.
You can learn more about how foodbanks work on The Trussel Trust website
I feel this is a really important local cause which we can all help with. Even in developed countries, poverty still exists, and we need to tackle it. Luckily, getting involved and making a difference with this cause locally is really easy. It takes only a web search to find a foodbank near you and which items they need. You might not even have to visit a foodbank, as many local supermarkets, schools or religious buildings operate collection points. Your donation could make all the difference in a food parcel to someone in need.
#2: Get involved with local fundraising
Did someone say bake sale? You’ve heard about them, you’ve probably seen one at school or out-and-about. If there’s one going on near you, get involved – or even create one of your own in your local community! You can raise lots of money for lots of different causes through a bake sale, and it’s one of the simplest ways of learning lots of new skills such as money management, kitchen skills and volunteering – all for a good cause.
Your school might also be doing lots of fundraising initiatives, I know mine is! We’re all raising funds for a national charity which provides medical help for young people – and there’s lots of groups doing lots of things. Getting involved with fundraising at school is easier, provides a bit more organisation and of course includes teamwork. My class are doing a raffle (or tombola… I’m not sure… is there a difference?) of sweets to help raise funds. This all makes a difference!
#3: Volunteer your time to help locally
For older penguins, there might be a river or park near you covered with litter which could do with a clear-up. You could find a local litter pick-up going on in your community which you could get involved in (but if you’d rather not, that’s okay – this is only a suggestion). If you’re going to organise one of your own, it’s not as simple as grab a bag and wander into a river – you need to have the proper equipment, permission and more. So, maybe join in with one that’s already going on.
This, of course, isn’t the only form of volunteering you can do and it doesn’t strictly have to protect the Earth either. Charities need local volunteers and you can help out. Younger penguins: keep fundraising and donating. No matter what you do, it’s all making a difference! But a word of advice from me: jackhammers, Multi-tools, mops and Scrooge canes aren’t suitable tools to clean a river.
What about national and international impacts?
There are charities all around the world which support many different causes in many different countries – some charities even work in multiple countries.
You can help them with a simple donation online, or by holding a fundraising event
I’m sure you’re already aware of many charities which work in the areas Club Penguin have supported in the past and more, maybe you’ve heard about a charity at school or in the news. You can donate to them, or other charities which you care about the work of. You might even discover a different one which you haven’t heard of before, but still do amazing things for people and our planet.
Now it’s up to you, penguin family!
Do your bit in making a difference this holiday season. It can be big, it can be small, what matters is it helps to change the world in a positive way. I’m going to ask my family to help me donate food to a foodbank and money to other charities online, and I’ll be fundraising in school too. A wise iceberg once told us this…
Let me know about what you’re doing, or have already done, to help charities and local causes this holiday season in the comments below! Together, we can put a meaning to those millions of coins donated to Coins For Change. Good luck and, as always…
Thank you to my wonderful Island friends pistache25, 2014luca, Natalie17 and LunaNova for helping me with pictures in this post! Waddle on!