**This post was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.**
Over the holidays, many people have the urge to do something in their community. Although there is a need to help year round, during the holiday season people are just more mindful to give back. After all, the feeling of giving is much better than receiving.
When my kids were younger, I always tried to find ways for them to give back. We were involved in various things throughout the year. At a very young age, my kids realized that they had the power to make a positive difference in someones live. My son was only four years old when we went to a local high school to help wrap hundreds of presents for disadvantaged children. Although his wrapping skills weren’t great at the time, he learned that his “small” actions can help give a child a present (maybe the only present) on Christmas.
Charitable giving comes in all shapes and sizes. One year, we collected over 600 pairs of jeans for kids in foster care.
During summer, we shared a day filled with hope and laughter with at-risk children from local shelters.
We held bake sales to raise money for acutely ill children.
During their high school years, my daughters founded an organization that provided prom dresses, shoes, and accessories for girls who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford to go to prom. They collected over 1,000 dresses and sent hundreds of girls to prom. I was so proud of their efforts and commitment.
There are many ways to give back, especially during the holidays.
I recently learned about an app from Johnson & Johnson, where ONE PHOTO can make a difference. The Donate a Photo app, is a free app that allows you to give back to causes, by simply uploading a photo. And, if you take a lot of photos like me, you can donate one photo a day, every day! For every photo you donate, Johnson & Johnson gives a $1 to the charity you choose*. Since the Donate a Photo launch in 2013, 1.75 million photos have been donated and 179,750 people have contributed.
I installed the app and immediately found a cause I wanted to support. A cause close to home.
The recent devastating fires raging through East Tennessee killed 14 people and displaced more than 14,000 residents. Several communities have been affected, leaving many homeless and without jobs. There are no quick fixes to this terrible devastation, but we need to support the affected communities and the nonprofits on the ground helping victims and addressing their needs.
This was the first photo I posted. Donate a Photo can add emergency relief causes virtually overnight, so that people can start contributing right away. Each photo you share helps deliver life-saving services and resources to a community in crisis.
Donate a Photo has many causes that need our support. Save the Children, a longstanding global partner, is one of the important causes that can be supported. Johnson & Johnson products have been offered through Save the Children’s emergency programs to help support basic health and hygiene needs for families. You can also purchase a gift from the Save the Children “Gifts of Joy” holiday catalogue. For example, blankets for babies who have become unexpectedly vulnerable by disasters, emergencies and conflict.
This holiday season I’d highly encourage everyone to upload a photo! Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 to the cause of your choosing. Try it out. You’ve nothing to lose but a lot to gain for the cause of your choosing.
One more thing, Donate a Photo makes it easy to share to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to help spread the word and inspire others to donate, too.
Learn more at donateaphoto.com/en_US or download the app at the app store.
*Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and you can donate a photo to one cause, once a day. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends. If the goal isn’t reached, the cause will still get a minimum donation.
The post Take A Photo, Make An Impact appeared first on Mom in Music City.