I once heard Sister Julie Beck say that we will never have enough time and energy to do all the good things our heart desires to do. Amen. It’s a curse of the nurturing way of womanhood; we want to help in so many ways, and our to-do lists become so long, but we just can’t do it all.
I’ve been thinking of the words to this hymn:
There are chances for work all around just now,
Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
’Tis noble of man to work and to give;
Love’s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.
I wanted to pass along a few opportunities for service or help that I’ve been made aware of recently. I can help a little with some, but not with all myself, so I’m sharing them with you. Maybe something will stand out to you as a way you can help, and with a team of us contributing just a little, we can add up to make a difference.
–> There is a scholarship available for single mothers to study at LDS Business College. Apparently, the funds are running low and they really want to be able to help struggling single mothers to have access to an education. I think it’s a great cause. I tried really hard to make the widget work, but it was not meant to be. However, good ol’ blog pal DeNae is hosting up some incentives for making a contribution to this fund, so feel free to hop over there and contribute through that route. Please do. This video shares one success story of the fund.
–> Also, for any of you nursing mothers who may not have much time or money to donate to good causes, consider checking out Helping Hands Bank (for breast milk), where you can share your … um, abundance. It’s another easy way to make a big difference.
–> Maybe you’re already familiar with The Vineyard, but it’s a place, sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where you can donate your time and talents to building the kingdom in simple ways, like photography or language translation, or editing or technology. It also has a list of church-sponsored charities and ways that you can contribute. Definitely worth checking out.
–> One reader wanted me to pass along her and her husband’s recent attempts to produce good media that can be used in Family Home Evening lessons or for children’s entertainment and learning. Here’s a link to find out more about that.
A blessing of duty and love.
Diapers and Divinity 
I’m adding a second recommendation for the LDSBC scholarship fund! We met our first initial goal to raise enough for one scholarship this morning at 9:48! At this rate we can raise enough for three more before the end of November. Even just $5 helps.
DeNae is awesomely terrific in real life. It was great meeting her at the scholarship blogger meeting.
The bank you mentioned is connected with Prolacta Bioscience (a for profit company).
Most of the banks out there are connected with Prolacta, which doesn’t actually distribute milk to babies – they make a human milk fortifier that they sell. So if you give your breast milk to a Prolacta bank, a baby won’t be getting your milk, they will be sold a human milk fortifier made from your milk.
If you are looking for a bank that actually collects and distributes breaks milk – like a blood bank – HMBANA (a non-profit organization) is a bank that collects human breast milk, processes it, checks to make sure it is safe (no bacteria, etc) and then distributes it to hospitals or to individuals (via a prescription) – so your breast milk goes straight to another baby, and they drink the actual milk. (they do charge a processing fee, but most insurance companies, including medicaid, will cover it)
Just thought I would point out the differences between the two so those wanting to donate breast milk can make an informed decision 🙂
My husband does language translations for The Vineyard. He just started, but he is enjoying it a lot. When I get a nice camera (Christmas?) I will probably start taking pictures for the Church. It would be a fun way to practice.
Thanks for sharing these great links.
I volunteered at a The Starfish Foster home in China and spent part of the time helping with pre and post-op care for cleft lip and palate surgeries. A BYU alum is the head of the organization. She takes in special needs babies from the Chinese orphanges and arranges medical care/surgery. This is truly life-saving for the babies. She not only arranges care for babies at her foster home (there are about 50 there now) she also arranges for medical teams to come to China and do surgeries for babies in other foster homes and orphanages. I can’t wait to go back! Here is the link http://www.thestarfishfosterhome.org/index.aspx
A few more, both in the Salt Lake area: I’m a licensed mental health therapist, and attended a meeting today where they talked about needing certified peer specialists. These would be individuals self-identified as current or former consumers of mental health services. Once certified by attending training, peer specialists would actually be paid, but it’s giving back in a huge way that no one else can, and as you provide support, you reach out and your own support system grows. Peer specialists would be using your understanding and experience to provide support to other people struggling with mental illness. If you are interested you can contact robyn.emery@optum.com or julie.hardle@optum.com
Also, if you’ve seen our blog, you know our lives have been visited by grief. The Bradley Center is a new grief support organization for children and families. They are located in West Valley and facilitate support and groups for children who have experienced loss. Volunteers interested in helping facilitate support groups will be provided training. Contact them here if you are interested: http://www.bradleycentergrief.org/volunteers/
Sorry. One more. (This is National Adoption month so it’s been on my brain…I guess my heart desires to do a lot more than I’ll ever, ever be able to do.) Anyone in any state can be a CASA volunteer. You basically volunteer to be a buddy to a child in foster care. In many cases, I’ve seen CASA volunteers be the most consistent thing in a child’s life, especially if they get moved from home to home. Just google CASA volunteers and you’ll be able to find information about being trained to volunteer in your state.
Thanks Stephanie for posting the promo code for MormonMarket.com. Your post reminded me that with every order, we donate $1 to the church missionary fund. The owner is a convert and has an amazing story of his [future] wife who set an example for him and helped him come to know his Savior in a way he never knew possible. He loves the gospel, the missionaries and is grateful for the example set by LDS women. Thank you for your support!
-Mormon Market