#Colgate4Kids and Champions for Kids-Bright Smiles and Bright Futures

I am sooo excited and honored to be a part of a campaign sponsored by #Colgate4kids and Champions For Kids-Bright Smiles and Bright Futures!  

It’s easy to get sucked into this fast pace of  life and really not see some of the heartbreaking circumstances around us…  Not long ago,  in our little local Newspaper, there was an article about the homeless children in our town.  WHAT?!  Homeless children in our little town?  You are kidding?!  You need to know that I live in a fairly small rural town..a Lake Community..which is considered quite affluent.  (not me though) LOL 

The article said that our Community Center serves about 100 homeless children a month!  Heartbreaking!

It really got me thinking..

In my County alone there are 800 homeless women and children.  This is a staggering amount, considering this is just ONE county in the state of Washington.  I am unsure as to the exact number of just children that are homeless.. but it is huge. 

I can’t really wrap my mind around it.  When you are homeless it’s all about survival…as a child, just how do you survive when you are homeless?  Maybe you have a parent that can protect you..but then maybe you don’t.  Unfortunately many homeless children are forced into an illegal means of survival.

I remember running away from my very alcoholic and abusive home when I was 12.  I slept in the bushes for one night..It was the longest and most terrifying night I can remember.  I finally went home in the very early morning..I was so hungry and cold.  Can you imagine living like that day in and day out..I cannot.  And yet 800 women and children right near ME do!

It’s overwhelming sometimes to wonder “What can I do?” 

Well Colgate and Champions for Kids is doing something and so can you!  During the month of March the Champions for Kids SIMPLE Service Project is Colgate “Bright Smiles, Bright Futures!  We all need to have the hope of a bright future and taking care of ourselves and feeling like we are “worth it” is part of having hope.

So together with Colgate and Champions for Kids we set out to do our SIMPLE Service Project for the Union Gospel Mission for women and children in our area.

My heart began to sink as I drove to my nearest Wal-Mart store..it was pouring down rain and I began to think about the homeless..the children..in the rain. 

Entering Wal-Mart I was greeted with these beautiful flowers!  I felt uplifted!  Then I thought..isn’t that the way life is..one minute we are down about a serious situation and the next we are distracted and forget the heartache that is before us, ready to just forget about it and move on.  I mean that’s ok..sometimes.  We can’t be depressed about every heartache every minute of the day or we could really get emotionally sick…

Yet it is important for us to feel the pain of others so that it will move us to action…don’t you think?

I began to pray and think of the excitement and bright smiles that this SIMPLE Service Project would bring to the children. This project would show that someone really does care!  It would show these homeless children that they really DO have a bright future!

We all need hope!

Whoosh there are a lot of kids toothbrushes to choose from!  So fun!

I decided to get Colgate’s SpongeBob Square Pants toothbrushes and toothpaste for the boys and Dora the Explorer for the girls.  SpongeBob must be popular because they only had one toothpaste left so I got some other fun Colgate toothpaste too.  Both toothbrush’s came in a 2 pack which was a better price..but since I was going to be giving these as individual gifts I decided on the 1 pack.

Of course I HAD to get some of my other shopping done too!  Can’t waste a trip to the store..gas and time!  That’s one of the reasons that I like to shop at Wal-Mart..one stop shopping..Hmmm I think my Wal-Mart needs a gas station..then I’d be set!  HA!

After I got home I unloaded all of our supplies…and the groceries and recruited a couple of my teens to help me make these awesome little baskets of love!

When we were all done we carried the baskets right out to the car so that we could deliver them to the Women and Children’s Shelter.  I don’t have pics of our delivery because the Shelter has very strict photo policies…as it should be..we don’t know the personal circumstances of these women and children and they need to be protected at all cost.

The whole process to do our Colgate “Bright Smiles, Bright Futures”  SIMPLE Service Project..probably took a total of 2 hours..including delivery of the baskets!  I encourage you to consider doing a “Bright Smiles, Bright Future” SIMPLE Service Project in your area..you could donate to a school or a favorite charity..even to your church…because every child deserves a happy healthy smile. 

Thank you Colgate and Champions for Kids for letting my family be part of  sharing “Bright Smiles and Bright Futures” with the children in my community..that need our support!

If you would like to know more about #Colgate4kids and Champions for Kids I encourage you to visit http://championsforkids.org/colgate and to follow them at:

• @Chamipions4kids
• @ColgateSmile
• facebook.com/Colgate
• facebook.com/Championsforkids

See how they are changing lives in other towns!

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® Colgate and Champions for Kids  #cbias #SocialFabric.  All opinions are my own.

I would LOVE to hear from you!  Let me know what kinds of Service Projects you could do or have done…