Personally, of the times I’ve volunteered throughout college and given some items in for the benefit of others, there was a great reasoning behind every one of them. Aside from just looking to fulfill and give back, a family experience had always been a prime reason why volunteering was so important, especially with the homeless and underprivileged.

There can sometimes be no greater force in the process of volunteering than a personal or family experience. When something like this happens at a relatively young age, which it did for me, it can add perspective to the care free life of a teenager. In my family, it was a cousin who had encountered mistakes, allowing me to see that sometimes forces aren’t in your favor and that every bit of help can be crucial for those in need.

It’s also good to remember that there doesn’t need to be a personal experience to go on and have a great effect. The internet allows many of us to take in stories of homelessness and realize what help can add to some situations. A great example of this is with the recent CBS story done in the area, which went in depth with children and families who are without Orlando apartments and homes. Seeing some of these stories can put giving wheels into motion.

In 2011, we count our blessings that there are so many organizations that are dedicated to giving, with the homeless and underprivileged, as well as numerous others who have hindered opportunity. In the end, it’s crucial to remember the stories which bring the desire to give, as well as the stories that can be developed through volunteering.

-Guest Blogger Meghan Preston

As evident by television programs such as “Hoarders,” many people seem to have separation anxiety or just simply don’t think to donate some of their own possessions. Most of us gather different pieces of appliances, furniture and household items over time. As we age and move over the course of the years, we often acquire new pieces of furniture to keep up with what is either trending or looks good in an individual dwelling. So many pieces of furniture and unused appliances continue to stack up in storage spaces throughout the country. A simple afternoon to sort through some unused items at home could provide an underprivileged family with some useful items in an Orlando apartment or home.

Many people know the location of different clothing banks in their local communities and hometowns, however locating furniture and clothing bank that recycles is a little rarer. The Mustard Seed of Central Florida, recycles on site as well as, deconstructs and breaks down mattresses and box springs for proper disposal and recycling. Luckily, there are some great options for furniture and appliance donations in cities such as Orlando. Also, many of these donation options offer pickups for large items, usually for a small monetary donation.

Some of the more useful items in furniture donation include living room items such as sofas and couches, as well as tables and chairs. Perhaps the most crucial donation item, at least in furniture is a good bed. Having a good bed and place to sleep at home is one of the primary goals of helping the underprivileged.

The Mustard Seed can also stand to receive appliances that have either been replaced or simply aren’t used as much around the house. Appliances that are in working condition, such as a good microwave or toaster. Also, the underprivileged can serve to benefit from receiving household items such as linens, dinnerware and décor as well.

Some of the great items that are often overlooked in the giving process are entertainment items such as books and toys. While some children are fortunate enough to receive new items every once and a while, many others are forced to play with some of the same toys and are unable to get new reading material. Giving some of these items to the Mustard Seed could help bring some more joy to children in areas such as Central Florida.

In all, donations stem far beyond just clothes. In the end, it’s always good to go through some of the stuff you don’t use often to get an idea if it can either be donated or recycled. By doing so, you can either help create some more space for yourself at home, contribute to recycling and caring for the earth, or put some valuable items into the hands of the underprivileged.

–Guest Blogger, Meghan Preston

The idea behind this week’s blog is to inform all of you of some items you would never think to recycle but can. Let’s make a fun game out of this, I will describe items and you can guess what it is. All the answers are at the end, so try to not cheat.

Item number 1: This item allows you access to things you do not trust to be left alone. This item always seems to be hard to find when it is raining or when you are in a hurry. There is usually one of these in your house that you do not know where it is supposed to work for.

Item number 2: This item is small and round. If you loss this item, you maybe searching for it in frustration while your friends laugh at you. This item is used for leisure and by professionals.

Item number 3: This item means you are the best, it is shiny. This item has cause friendships to be formed and broken, fights and hugs, honor and jealously. At any age we want this item.

Item number 4: For this item, grass is always greener on the other side. Stress can cause this item to disappear and change color. Millions of dollars a year go into making this item perfect.

Item number 5: This item keeps us warm and has gone through many changes through the years in both style and color. This item can cause you to wiggle, stride, and barely breathe.

Item number 6: When we use this item, we tend to go all out. This item may not cost that much but will cost much more money when used. If you leave this item up longer then normal, you may look tacky.

Item number 7: This item always gets tangled up. We always seem to have millions of this item when we do not need it, but when we do, there never seems to be enough. This item is used to make a messy room clean.

Item number 8: This item used to be used all the time, but now many young people do not know how to use it. This item knows everyone.

Item number 9: This item can make people instantly hot. People travel great distances with this item in search of something perfect. Watch out cause this item can cause you to look like something else.

Item number 10: This item is found in places all over your house and you do not know how it got there. This item is loved when used but thought of as gross afterwards.

Did you guess what they all are?

1.Keys

2.Golf Balls

3.Trophies

4.Hair

5.Blue Jeans

6.Christmas Lights

7.Metal Hangers

8.Phone Books

9.Surfboard

10.Cotton Swabs

Check with your local area recycling plant to find out further details about how to recycle these items and what they are used for when recycled. With this knowledge you can proudly say you know more then most people about recycling.

This dependence on electric devices sounds exhausting, but most of us are unable to even go a day without using some sort of electric device. I constantly have my phone within reach, in case of an “emergency”, but truthfully I am 20, I do not have anyone who need to ask me questions after work hours, I do not have kids, I do not own a house, I do not have a spouse, the chances of me having an “emergency” are very slim. The real truth of why most of us cannot handle being separated from our electronics is the thrill of them. We can go from being bored to having a thousand things to entertain you with one device.

Now I do not want to get into the debate about how the new generations are doing poorly because they need electronics at all time, but I simply want to establish that people now need these devices and that is going to cause change. I am one of the Event and Marketing interns here at The Mustard Seed, and although I have done some print marketing most of the marketing I do now is online. It is amazing how specific marketing is sent to target audiences. My boyfriend and I recently broke up and immediately I had ads on Facebook for dating sites and before the break up Facebook was giving me ads for wedding related stuff. It was shocking how quickly Facebook realized I needed to be placed in a different demographic, it was even before I had told everyone about the break up. I wanted to tell Facebook that it had only been a few hours, I am not ready to starting dating again, and I seriously doubt I will meet that gorgeous guy you are advertising for your site. If some of you have not seen how quickly Facebook will market their ads towards you likes, change or add an interest on your page and immediately you will start getting ads relating to that interest.

So we know this addition to electronic is not going to go away ever unless some new exciting thing comes out that will replace having electronics around all the time, so what do we do? We might as well roll with the flow and use it to our advantage. Learn how to get the most use out of them, social media can be a great way to keep up with companies you like, to do research, and keep up with old bosses who can give you a great reference. Here at The Mustard Seed, we are trying to gear more of our information towards our audience, if you would like to help us do this, please take our survey at http://ow.ly/5Jm3c . If you have a business, you can use social media like we do to get your message out to the public more, and now people we have never met can see our message. Being addicted to electronic devices may have so down falls, but it is like a magic carpet, we can now see and learn about things that before we would not have access to unless we were there. People can now see live streams of an event as it is happening, allowing us to feel like we are a part of that moment, great distances no longer stop people.

And for those of you whose friends and family refuse to accept this new additions, well just pretend that they will be able to not become one of those people who are not addicted. My dad says when he retires, he wants to spend a month without his cell phone, and well this freaked me out. I asked him what if I need to get a hold of him; his response was “well you can get a hold of someone else who will be able to get a hold of me”. I giggled inside when he told me this because I knew it would probably only last a few days. It is a great idea and probably would make him less stressed but everyone else will probably be so annoyed because they cannot get a hold of him or that they have to constantly relay messages back to him, that it will not be possible to last a whole month.

So my closing thoughts on the subject, if something is there that will help you advance in a healthy legal way, use it but try to not become addicted because you usually waste a lot of time using electronics when you should be doing something else. I wish all of use luck when the new fad comes out, and hopefully we can adapt to it and not refuse to use the new innovation because we do not understand it or how it is helpful.

A person does not have to be a soldier to have courage. A child has courage when he stands up to a bully. A person has courage when they do not join a gang and instead study so they can have a better life later on. A newly divorced mother has courage when she goes back into the workforce to support her kids.

Sometimes we are too quick to judge people as weak and do not realize how hard they are struggling to stand strong. Nobody knows all the daily battles a person faces. If you continue to point fingers instead of taking that courage to change the situation then change will never happen.

I wish we all had the courage of dogs. We have seen many headlines of man’s best friend saving his family from life threatening situations like fires or medical problems. The dog acts instead of running away or hoping someone else will handle the situation. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone had even the smallest amount of courage that a dog has. But we do not have the courage that dogs do because having courage is hard because the fear that arises when we try to step into the unknown.

Everyday we have people who come into The Mustard Seed because they conquered fear with courage, and people judge them instead of seeing their strength. The truth of the matter is, they are changing the world by changing themselves, and the people judging them are stagnant.

Lets all make a new goal for ourselves, lets face fear everyday and instead of taking the easy way out, stand up for what is right. This is going to be difficult because it is always easier to do wrong then to do right but when we die, we do not want to wish we had done things differently.

I want to leave all of you today with a quote by Mary Anne Radmacher “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow,” take everday as an opportunity to help yourself and others.

I recently read an article “The Optimism Bias” from Time Magazine that discussed the brain’s function in memory learning and the effects of optimism. The author defines the optimism bias as “the belief that the future will be better than the past and present.” While some may grow wary or develop a more pessimistic outlook, this article argues that optimism may be hardwired into our brains to help human beings evolve. We would not show progress if humans could not be optimistic because we would never take risks. We would be stuck in the caveman era afraid of the future and never pushing forward. Evolution is aided by optimism, a possibility at imagining a better future.

While optimism may be hardwired into our brains, in my opinion hope and optimism are closely linked. Without hope, traditionally defined as believing that what we want is attainable, people would never try. It is important to keep hope alive alongside optimism, and here at The Mustard Seed, our walls are filled from top to bottom, left to right, diagonal to diagonal with hope. Hope for a green, sustainable future. Hope for fully furnished homes. Hope for you. Hope for me. Hope for us.

This hope is sustained with donations, so please remember to donate your unused mattresses and old furniture. Christina’s Corner #2: Donate! You will renew hope and receive a tax deduction. Besides, we are all biased towards optimism, right?

Referenced article available here: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2074067,00.html