Constance Casey
-
Blog /// Clothing Donations Done Right
September 3, 2010 by Constance Casey for Slate.com
Dear My Goodness, I have a bunch of old clothes I'd like to get rid of, but I'm wary of just dumping them off in one of those yellow bins by the side of the road. I'm not terribly confident that those clothes will end up in the hands of people who need them. I'd donate them to the Salvation Army, but they resell the clothing. Are there any charities that give clothing directly to those in need? -
Blog /// Saving Historic Houses
September 3, 2010 by Constance Casey for Slate.com
Dear My Goodness, I am a history buff and enjoy visiting small historic sites, but I've noticed that they often have trouble supporting and maintaining themselves. While larger monuments seem to earn enough revenue for upkeep, historic places such as preserved writers' and artists' houses are constantly at risk of going under. Is there anything I can do to seek out and aid these kinds of at-risk historical markers?Tags: slate.com, preservation, art, literature, history
-
Blog /// My Goodness: No Pets Allowed
August 19, 2010 by Constance Casey for Slate.com
Dear My Goodness, My 12-year-old son really loves animals, but we can't adopt one because of apartment rules and family allergies. Where can I take him to foster his interest and also help the local stray animal population?Tags: volunteering, summer camp, conservation, dogs, cats, horses, elephants, slate.com
-
Blog /// My Goodness: Volunteer Spice
August 9, 2010 by Constance Casey for Slate.com
Dear My Goodness, I've always tried to find fun ways to volunteer in my community. I've served food in soup kitchens during the holidays and tutored kids after school for a while. But I always end up bored with the same repetitive charity work. I'd like to do something off the beaten path that serves those around me but is different and might teach me new skills—maybe something in the arts. What are some innovative ideas for getting out of this volunteer rut?Tags: volunteering, charity, arts, cancer, gardening, farming, slate.com
-
Blog /// My Goodness: Don’t Label Me
August 2, 2010 by Constance Casey for Slate.com
Dear My Goodness, I've donated in the past to various charities, and I must be on a shared mailing list, because I constantly receive mail asking for donations from organizations I've never heard of. Some of these letters include a sheet of labels printed with my return address. Since I am not interested in some of these groups' causes, I toss the letter and donation envelope but use the return labels for my mail. My boyfriend pokes fun at me because of this. He'd rather have me not use the labels and just throw them away. The labels have the name or symbol of the organization on them, so I worry that I'm perpetuating a lie since the recipient may assume I support the charity. What should I do?Tags: slate.com, charity, mail, fundraising
-
Blog /// My Goodness | Trying to Volunteer
July 15, 2010 by Constance Casey for Slate.com
Dear My Goodness, I'm a twentysomething legal assistant who was very involved in charity organizations in college. I'd like to volunteer one evening a week, but I'm getting discouraged because some version of the following keeps happening. The organization gets back to me and asks whether I'll send my available dates and times to set up an interview. I do so immediately but don't hear back from them for weeks. Then someone from the charity e-mails with "thanks for your patience." We set up a time for a phone interview, and they don't call.Tags: slate.com, volunteering, charity, goodwill
