Turn Twitter into a Real-Time Job Board: A Word from Joshua Waldman

The following post is from our friend and sponsor, Joshua Waldman.  Joshua is the author of the new book, Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies.

Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies features in-depth coverage of topics such as: creating effective online profiles and resumes to sell your strengths; maintaining your online reputation (and ensuring that employers who Google you like what they find) and understanding electronic etiquette; using the power of personal branding and building your brand online; avoiding common pitfalls, such as jumping into filling out a social media profile without a strategy; getting to know Twitter, the only real-time job board with literally thousands of jobs posted daily; using social media sites to uncover opportunities in the “hidden job market” ahead of the competition.

The Following Is an Excerpt from the Book Job Searching With Social Media For Dummies:

Twitter is more than just a way to find out about the latest celebrity breakup; it can also be a great tool for finding job openings in your area. Simply follow these steps:

1. Visit www.search.twitter.com.
2. Click on the Advanced Search link below the search box.
3. Enter “Hiring” or “Jobs” in the first field in the Words section.
4. Enter your zip code in the Places section and choose your radius in miles.
5. You can further refine your search by adding industry keywords in the search form.
6. Click on the Search button at the bottom of the page.
7. Click on the Feed for This Query link in the right column to add this feed to your RSS reader.

If you don’t have an RSS reader, you can go to www.feedmyinbox.com, create an account, and simply add the RSS feed link to receive e-mail updates instead.

Watch the book trailer at Job Searching With Social Media For Dummies.

CL invites YOU to Join the Beauty by Confidence Campaign

Dear CL reader,

You radiate beauty from your charismatic nature. You are confident in your abilities to succeed. You are a dynamic combination of pure and true, beautiful confidence.

You are cordially invited to be a part of the College Lifestyles Beauty by Confidence campaign. This an official invitation to take pride and joy in your true self.

College Lifestyles recently launched one of its newest campaigns, Beauty by Confidence. The mission of this campaign is to spread the message to women that confidence and moral integrity are beautiful. BBC celebrates the individual woman and embraces the unique qualities that each person exemplifies.

Who: All women, all shapes and sizes, all races and ethnicities, all religions, all individuals.

What: The one and only Beauty by Confidence campaign. Join in the movement to help the spread the message of self celebration!

When: Anytime, night or day. Live with beautiful confidence and inspire others by exhibiting the virtues through your lifestyle.

Where: Anywhere, the grocery store, class, a party, you get the point! Take your BBC attitude with you everywhere you go.

Why: To become a healthy and happy woman. To spread a positive message to others that will instigate happiness. To remind women that with confidence comes real beauty.

How:

• Stand in the mirror and say one positive statement about yourself every morning.

• Send an e-mail, text, tweet or note to another woman complimenting her on a BBC trait she exemplifies. Make it a positive message about self-love and its importance.

• Keep a BBC journal. Write down inspiring thoughts, quotes and reflections. Reflect on this journal often as a reminder of your beautiful confidence.

• Create a BBC collage. Cover a board with pictures of happy moments with friends and family, smile-worthy quotes and serene images.

• Remind yourself of your goals every day. These goals serve as the core of your character.

• Nurture your body and mind. Eat nutritious foods and move your body. Expand your mind. Open minds are beautiful.

• Connect with friends, family and strangers. Take it upon yourself to enlighten another life with your beautiful confidence.

• Love yourself. There is only one of you in this limitless universe. Stay true to you. Hold on to your ideals. You are special.

Watch the BBC video and see why CL interns live with Beauty by Confidence. College Lifestyles hopes you will join the BBC campaign and accept the invitation to self-love and true beauty.

You radiate beautiful confidence. Show the world!

Yours truly,

College Lifestyles

Maggie Young is a junior at the University of Kansas majoring in journalism. She created the BBC campaign in hopes of showing women that true beauty stems from confidence.

CL! Exclusive! Interview with Jessica Quirk Creator of “What I Wore” Blog

You wake up in the morning throw on a cute outfit and as you’re walking down the street you start getting compliments and then you want to make sure everyone on campus notices your cute outfit.

If you haven’t heard of Jessica Quirk she is the amazing creator of the “What I Wore” blog that showcases her amazing daily outfits (photos courtesy of her husband Adam). She posts her outfit creations on a daily basis and not only are they trendy and cute but they also mix a lot of couture items with vintage items to give them a fun twist!

 

What girl doesn’t want the whole world to see the amazing outfit she created?!

“I’m thrilled with where the blog has taken me, but no, I didn’t start it with these opportunities in mind. I sincerely just love getting dressed every day,” said Quirk.

Her blog has taken social media by storm and has now become a popular selling novel dubbed the “Cookbook for your Closet.”

Quirk’s Cinderella moment came when the PR girls from Kate Spade sent her the perfect, crème, satin heels accented with a ruffle for her wedding day in September of 2010.

“At this point, I don’t accept many of the gift offers I receive, simply because I don’t have the closet space,” said Quirk, “I’m so grateful to be able to work with so many talented designers be it through collaboration or attending their fashion shows.

While many of us look at celebrities like Lauren Conrad or Kim Kardashian for style inspiration, Jessica takes her own spin by looking at fictional characters and decades to create her ultra trendy outfits.

“I look more to fictional characters from decades past for inspiration.  I love the late seventies and the styling in Annie Hall and Love Story.  I also have a thing for the 50′s housewife, especially Betty Draper.”

 

Her style is not only unique and trendy but also classy to model a CL’s closet after. Jessica Quirk leaves us Classy Coeds with some words to live by:

“Really use the resources you have available to you.  Many other students donate or sell their gently used clothing and that’s a great place to shop when you’re on a budget.  I don’t think I found my real style until a few years after I graduated and had disposable income to use for that purpose.”

Every CL girl should check out Jessica Quirk’s book What I Wore: Four Seasons, One Closet, Endless Recipes for Personal Style.

CL’s Guide to Keeping Things Positive!

As much as we wish college is nothing but hanging with sisters, making crafts and lounging on a favorite couch, college is also about hitting the books . . . hard. Piling homework, work and sorority meetings and social functions can really stress a CL girl out! Even though a girl may be stressed but it’s still good to show some love to your fellow sisters, friends and family!

Designating a sister to keep things positive is a great way to keep everyone’s moods upbeat! Before or after chapter she could show something funny from YouTube to boost everyone’s moral. Every girl loves a sweet treat and candy is a good way to any girl’s heart, bringing in candy or cupcakes puts everyone in a sweet mood and ready for business.

Sometimes in our crazy hectic schedules we sometimes forget to tell people thank you for all they do or remind them how much we care. Using CL’s TSM (Text Sweet Messages) Campaign is a great way to remind every sister how much they mean to each other. TSM is all about taking an amount of time from each day and texting positive messages.

Going along with positive texts is positive emails. When sorority girls are bombarded by emails everyday from classmates, professors, and anything to do with Greek Life it tends to become a hassle. Anytime a sister sends an email, maybe put a positive message at the end to make everyone smile or try to put a positive spin on things!

Everyone has bad days and it’s good to have something to remind a girl how much her sister’s care about her. Making a simple booklet from bright paper and having fellow sisters write positive messages is a great way to keeps sisters close and keep attitudes on positive on the days when a girl gets hit with something negative.

These are just easy steps any girl can take to let her sisters know she cares and to keep everyone’s day positive! Everyone has rough days and it’s good to know you have a sister to lean on when things get tough!

USA Women’s Soccer Team Continues To Make America Proud

The emotional roller coaster was almost too much to take. Joy, confusion, anger, disappointment, and insane excitement are just some of the feelings USA fans experienced watching the FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinals game against Brazil on Sunday. But probably the strongest emotion fans felt was pride, for the USA players never gave up, and went on to win the game in a “this only happens in movies” style. For those who missed it, here’s a game summary:

1. Brazil scored an own goal, giving the USA the lead in the second minute of the game
2. USA defender Rachel Buehler was given a red card (in the box) after a controversial call in the 66th minute of the game, leaving the USA with only 10 players
3. Brazilian player Daiane took the penalty kick, which USA goalkeeper Hope Solo stopped
4. The referee called back the kick, claiming Solo stepped off the line before she was allowed
5. Brazilian all star Marta took the second kick PK, scoring and securing the tie
6. The game goes into overtime, two halves of 15 minutes each
7. Marta scored in the beginning minutes of the first overtime half
8. In the 122nd minute Megan Rapinoe crossed a ball to Abby Wambach who headed the ball into the net, tying the game and advancing the game to a shootout
9. Both teams make the first 3 penalty kicks, until Solo stops Daiane’s shot
10. USA players Rapinoe and Ali Krieger both made their shots, winning the game

To make the entire game even more poetic, exactly 12 years ago to the day USA beat Japan in penalty kick shootouts, winning their second World Cup title and making Brandi Chastain’s sports bra famous.

This Wednesday USA will play France in the semifinals, in what is sure to be a game watched all over America. The game against Brazil earned the highest preliminary television rating for a Women’s World Cup game since the 1999 tournament.

So co-eds, I urge you to watch the match on Wednesday, because not only will it be the water cooler topic of Thursday (and don’t you want to impress your internship boss?), but it will be fun, and an amazing opportunity to watch strong American women make the USA proud once again.

Jessica Salerno is a junior at Ohio University majoring in journalism. She loves playing soccer, going shopping, and pop culture!

CL’s Guide to Buying your Big the Best Graduation Gift

Finding the perfect gift for anyone is tough but finding the perfect goodbye gift for your big can be even tougher. What haven’t you already bought her and what crafts haven’t you made for her. The best thing to emphasize is all the memories you both shared so it’s something she can look back on.

The best thing to encompass all of your memories is to make your big a graduation scrapbook. Compiling pages of all the favorite memories and memorabilia is something that a Big can keep around forever. Reminiscing on old memories can bring bigs and littles even closer. 

Even when Bigs are passing down their sorority t-shirts, flowers, and décor it’s good to give them their last family shirt. A family shirt is a great gift because they unique to what a family is all about and it shows the different generations that a big has started. It’s also something that they can wear when they come to visit or during Homecoming weekend.

A great gift that will keep a big grounded in the real world is a journal filled with all of your sorority’s information and what makes your sorority unique. Sometimes in the hectic crazy world a girl can lose herself and it’s good to have a friendly reminder of the woman she grew to be.

 

Piggy banks are the best way to save up a girl’s pennies so why not give a Big a piggy bank to save up her pennies to come visit again! It’s a cute reminder that even though a Big is graduating that she’ll be missed not only by her chapter, but especially her Little.

A practical gift is a nice briefcase or bag that can hold a resume or portfolio. It’ll be great for interviews and when she lands that amazing job she’s been working hard for! Buy a professional one but still has details that go with her personality like a bow or a splash of floral print.

Represent Your Sorority During Summer the CL Way

Wear Letters: Wearing your sorority’s letters is the easiest way you can represent your sorority when you’re not as school. There are so many ways to wear letters too. Greek apparel websites offer everything from bags, tank tops, shorts, and dresses and there are tons of patterns to choose from!

Volunteer in Letters: Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you should stop volunteering. It is important to give what you can to your community and to help people who can’t help themselves. Wearing letters to volunteering opportunities can really get your sorority’s name out there and represent them in a good light.

Give to your philanthropy and help raise money for your service projects: Organizations that your sorority aids do not take a break during the summer, and neither should you. There are plenty of ways to get involved in events in your philanthropy during the summer. There are easy ways to raise money such as car washes, lemonade stands, and other different fundraisers. It is also likely that you can get different businesses to sponsor/donate products to the cause.

Get Together with your Sisters: Getting together as a sorority is a great way to represent your sorority because it is a reminder of what your sorority is about. It is a great way to bond, reminisce, and make new memories while not in school. Your affiliation with your sorority and your sisters should not end when school does.

Recruit!: Whether a person goes to your school or not, you can help your sorority expand during the summer. Recruitment is not just a one week thing. Make sure when your in letters you always behave in classy manor. Make sure people know who your sorority is and what your sisterhood is all about!

Anna Romance is a junior at Duquesne University studying International Relations and Internal Marketing Communications. She loves traveling, friends, family, Alpha Sigma Tau, Starbucks and snowboarding!

Getting to Know Shelly…

May is one of our favorite months here at College Lifestyles.  It is the month where we get to specially honor our fabulous CEO, Shelly Marie Redmond, as May was dubbed “her month” by interns in 2010.  Being a Registered Dietitian/Author/Speaker, the Executive Director of College Lifestyles, a member of the American Dietetic Association, and a wife/Mommie, this classy lady is always on the go.  A native of Houma, Louisiana, she currently resides in Shreveport, Louisiana with her husband Greg and eight week old daughter, Mireille. Shelly attended both Nicholls State University and Louisiana Tech University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition, her Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, and completed her Dietetic Internship.  There she was also involved with Student Programming and Residence Hall Association.  She was a member of the sorority Alpha Sigma Tau, where she now currently serves as the organization’s National Vice President.  Shelly has also written a book, Eat Well and Be Fabulous, that is a must read for any classy woman.

Her inspiration to form College Lifestyles developed in 2003 when she began working with interns from Louisiana Tech University.  She highly enjoyed working with students, so began to travel to educate students on etiquette, nutrition and sorority life, in addition to working with her interns.  While she enjoyed this to a high degree, she did not like leaving the students to fend for themselves once she had completed her visit.  She had a desire to “develop resources for students to visit” once she left their schools.  Shelly says, “In researching college ‘sites’ and ‘resources,’ I realized none had the ‘classy’ theme I discussed when working with students.”  Shelly decided to create the website she envisioned herself, and College Lifestyles was formed in 2008.

Ten years down the road, where does Shelly envision College Lifestyles?  In her words, “a full fledge on-line magazine and resource for college students from freshman year to graduate school.”  Shelly believes goals make the difference, and therefore is willing to adapt and change the College Lifestyles website to accommodate students for the years to come.

Fun Facts about Shelly:

Nick name(s): Shell, whatever my daughter coos at me(!)

One word to describe me: Classy

My favorite color is: Yellow

My friends say I am: Stylish, Patient, Driven and, well, Classy (!)

My dream job is: College Lifestyles Editor in Chief (expand the site even further!)

My dream car is: I am more of an SUV person – Escalade

My favorite television shows are: This is the FIRST year I am addicted to American Idol.  What Not to Wear.  Oprah.

My favorite movie is: I recently saw The King’s Speech and I LOVED it.  Legally Blonde and Wedding Singer.

I enjoy: Writing, reading, and pilates.  Lately, I enjoy playing with the newest addition in my life – my daughter!

Early bird or night owl?: Well, now I am an early bird with Mireille

On my I-Pod is: Depeche Mode, Glee songs, Ferry Corsten (techno)

Pets: 2 pets, cats – Gizmo and Theodore Roosevelt

My fashion style is: Ladylike.  I own 1 pair of jeans, the rest is skirts and dresses.

My favorite quote is: ‘Great things come in Small Packages’

My favorite class in college is/was: Speech

My favorite candy is: Twizzlers and Junior Mints

My favorite book(s) is/are: I am a marketing book junkie.  I love the book Made to Stick.  Freakin Fabulous by Clinton Kelly, the Sweet Potato Queen Collection

Magazines I enjoy reading are: Lucky, InStyle, Marie Claire, Martha Stewart On my desk, you will find: computer, marketing books, pens/pencils, pictures of hubby/Mireille, supplies (tape, stapler) – a typical desk

In my refrigerator, you will find: Greek yogurt, milk, formula, soy milk, juice, apples, oranges, jelly, cream cheese (do we see how I love dairy!), olives, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, leftovers

I can’t live without: iPhone, laptop, College Lifestyles, College Lifestyles Interns

My dream vacation is: Moscow, Russia

Places I’ve traveled/ countries I’ve visited: I been pretty much all over the US, except Alaska.  My husband is from Ohio – and went to school in FL – so we have the pleasure of traveling to visit family/friends.  My honeymoon was in Argentina – I highly recommend! I love it when: Someone opens the door for me and when Mireille smiles and coos

I dislike OR I dislike it when: People rain on my parade

I am slightly obsessed with: Social Media, American Idol, Stephen Moyer from True Blood

I work the best at (location): My desk and Barnes and Noble

On rainy days, you can find me: Inside – reading a magazine or book.

On sunny days, you can find me: Taking Mireille on a stroller walk

A great date is: with my husband having a great meal!  Our lives are very fast pace so a nice meal is a great date

Coffee vs Tea: Coffee

Coke vs Pepsi: Diet Coke

Flip flops vs Stilettos: Stilettos

MAC vs PC: MAC

Must have iPhone apps are: White Noise (for Mireille and for when I travel so I can sleep), Facebook, Tweetdeck, Texting, Tetrus, Words with Friends, Foursquare

Something interesting many folks don’t know about me: Hum, besides being a Pilates junkie; I am quite short – only 5’1″

Favorite childhood memory: My family didn’t have much money, so my aunt took my brother and I to Disney World.  I was on cloud nine!

Favorite college memory: Too many!  Probably the fact my BFF Susan was my BFF the ENTIRE 4 years of our bachelor’s degree!  The simple things – midnight trips to Wal Mart, window shopping, ‘stalking!’  The best part – Susan and I are still BFFs!

Favorite adulthood memory: Mireille

Favorite sorority/sisterhood memory: It happened after graduation!  Being elected to serve as National Vice President!

I love being the CEO of College Lifestyles because: I LOVE working with students and interns!  The best part is seeing how they use the experience of writing and PR and taking the experience to the next level!  I feel so good when I see others succeed!

What I love MOST about College Lifestyles: The fact CL has stayed true to our ‘classy’ brand.  College Lifestyles has never left our humble beginnings nor deviated from our mission.  Plus, I love working with such fabulous young women!  Mireille has such wonderful women to look up to!

Speaking of Miss Mireille…

Shelly’s daughter, Mirelle Claire Redmond, was born on March 16^th (She is 8 weeks old, today!).  Mireille enjoys taking pictures, cooing, smiling, and bathtime, and is better known by some as “Meems” and/or “Blueberry.”  She likes the color pink and her fashion style is ladylike, as she enjoys wearing headbands with flowers.  She enjoys when her Mommie dresses her up, sings to her, and soothes her to sleep.  She also enjoys physical activities, such as tummy time, with her Daddy.  Mireille looks forward to being a future College Lifestyles lady because she wants to a classy lady, just like her sweet Mommie.  We love you, Mireille!

Shelly’s Interns Think the World of Her!

As interns at College Lifestyles, we are blessed to call Shelly our CEO.  Shelly desires to see us succeed, both as interns for College Lifestyles and in our personal lives as well.  What some of Shelly’s interns have to say about her:

“Shelly has such a beautiful heart.  She has taught me so much, taking me under her wing as one of her interns.  The amount of patience Shelly shows with each of us is phenomenal, as well as the amount of understanding she demonstrates.  I am blessed by the wisdom she has shared with me, and am grateful to have been a part of the College Lifestyles family for the last year.” -Abby Bryant

“Shelly is not only a wonderful person, but she is also a great director for College Lifestyles! Her passion shows in every aspect of her work and life. Even though she just had a baby, she is still keeping up with all of her wonderful interns to make sure we stay on the same page. Her upbeat, positive attitude always puts a smile on my face and makes me want to go above and beyond. Shelly is an amazing person who truly deserves all the great things in life! Thank you, Shelly, for making this internship experience one that I will never forget. ” -Becky Alberico

“She is super dedicated to what she does and also such a genuine person and CEO. From the moment I spoke to her on the phone for my interview, I knew she was truly invested in CL and really cared about her interns. I love working for CL and am so grateful to be a part of something so classy, so great–so Shelly!” -Erica Avesian

“Shelly is super sweet and such a great role model. She emits positive energy, she’s understanding and is genuinely caring!” -Grace Gavilanes

“I love Shelly because she’s like the house mom for our second sorority as CL interns. She is such an inspiration and such a wonderful person. She’s so good at being able to bounce ideas off of, and she has such faith in each and every one of us to run with our ideas. I couldn’t ask for a better person to learn from because she’s so incredibly passionate about what she does, and whether she realizes it or not, she instills that same passion in her interns. We love you “Mama” Shelly!” -Jacqui Brown

“I love Shelly for how sweet, caring and hardworking she is. Nothing slows her down, and it is truly amazing to see someone accomplish so much and do it with such genuine character and devotion, all while maintaining a family. I love working at College Lifestyles for how much creativity and room to grow it has given me, as well as having a wonderfully supportive network of interns and an awesome CEO. I know this is corny because it gets said all the time, but Shelly is an inspiration to all of us.” -Jessica Salerno

“I love Shelly because she really makes us girls feel comfortable working for her. Though it is a job (and an awesome one at that!) I feel like I can talk to Shelly about anything and that she is our biggest cheerleader! Being an intern at College Lifestyles was an amazing experience and I am more excited than I can put into words for the ladies who will follow in our footsteps and have the chance to work for and with Shelly, because she truly is an amazing woman!” -Jordan Ellis

“I love that Shelly is always very supportive, helpful, and positive. She’s been a positive presence in my life since my phone interview before I even became an intern, and I’m a better person for knowing her! I’m going to miss being CL intern so much because I love the other interns and Shelly and the little family she’s created.” -Kat McClain

“Shelly is not only an amazing boss who pushes me to be a more creative and engaging writer, she’s a wonderful woman who genuinely cares about all of us at CL. I’m so thankful to have been given this opportunity to work with a team of truly amazing young women!” -Lauren Zeinstra

“I love working with Shelly because she is such a positive leader! Even though we have never met face to face, I feel like she is a mentor I can count on for life. She’s the best!” -Leslie Campbell

“Shelly is a very special person and a positive inspiration in my life. I look up to her professionally, but most importantly I admire her strong character. She is loved by many and for very good reasons. I feel incredibly lucky that I came across College Lifestyles because it provided me with opportunities to grow as a writer and a person. Shelly has created a tremendous website and organization and I am proud to be a part of it. She is a wonderful person with a lot of talent and joy to share with the world!” -Maggie Young

“I love working for CL with Shelly because as interns we don’t just work FOR her, we work with her! She always asks for input on ideas she has or asks us for new ideas. It’s nice to have that kind of interaction as an intern! She truly values our opinions, and makes us feel special!” -Patrice Basso

Happy “Miss Shelly Marie” Month!!!

WE LOVE YOU, SHELLY!

Abby Bryant is an intern with College Lifestyles™.  She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Georgia College & State University®, where she was also the president of her sorority, Sigma Alpha Omega®.   She considers herself blessed to have been an intern with College Lifestyles for the last year, and will miss her “College Lifestyles family” so much.  She would especially like to thank Shelly for being the amazing person that she is.  Abby wishes all the best to College Lifestyles and its fabulous readers and would like to remind everyone that there are three things a girl should be: classy, fabulous, and a CL lady!  Much love to you all!  And Happy Miss Shelly Marie Month!

Classy Causes: Facts on Fair Trade

Lately, I’ve been having a string of bad luck. Just every little thing that could go wrong did. I was sick, exhausted, stressed, and verging on seriously depressed. Like so many other classy co-eds, I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself and am often pretty stressed out. All my recent bad luck made me a little insecure and so I took some time to think about what I really think is important in life. Even as a child, I wanted to make a difference in the world. Now, as a college student, I occasionally feel so useless because I can’t afford to donate to charitable causes very often, so I’ve been seeking out more practical ways to help out and supporting fair trade is one I recently heard about at a lecture and want to share with all of you.

What is it?:

• Fair trade is NOT a charity. It is about using a more equitable exchange system to create sustainable change for producers.
• Fair trade organizations create partnerships with their suppliers and help support the communities they come from.

What do fair trade organizations do?:

• Create opportunities for economically and socially marginalized producers
• Develop transparent and accountable relationships
• Build capacity
• Promote fair trade
• Pay promptly and fairly
• Support safe and empowering working conditions
• Ensure the rights of children
• Cultivate environmental stewardship
• Respect cultural integrity

How does fair trade make a difference in the world?:

• Tangible benefits include the building of schools, construction of wells for clean, easily accesible drinking water, sending children of producers to school, and income generated from fair trade sales helps pull communities out of poverty.
• Intangible benefits include revival of cultural techniques, increased biodiversity, increased value of women in their communities, and positive community development in developing countries.

How can I help?:

• Buy fair trade products. Tons of different products are available, from clothes and home goods to coffee and chocolate.
• Ask your local merchants to carry fair trade product lines.
• Tell other people about the fair trade mission.
• Work or volunteer for a fair trade organization.

For more information, you can visit www.fairtradefederation.org (where I got the majority of these facts). I’d also like to thank Jessica Canfield, the Executive Director of Mustard Seed Fair Trade, for introducing me to the cause.

Kat McClain is a College Lifestyles intern who enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her amazing Alpha Chi Omega sisters, volunteering, and learning about new causes. She is currently trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life and desperately counting down the days until Spring Break.

Where Can I Give Back? Japan Edition

In the last week and a half, Japan has been rocked with catastrophe.  This makes me, as a co-ed who doesn’t have much to give financially, feel guilty for not being willing to give back so readily.  But I did my research, and discovered that giving back even small amounts to help those in needs adds up to an incredible amount of charity.

The organizations listed are reputable organizations that are trustworthy with your money, and 100% of proceeds will go directly to relief efforts rather than just a portion of the them.  Classy co-eds understand that selflessness is an incredible virtue, and giving up a night at the movies or a night out to dinner is nothing considering what good that money can do instead.

Here are the organizations and links to their web pages:

World Vision is an organization dedicated to providing for those of any country in desperate need.  You can make a large donation or choose how much you give and all proceeds go directly to relief efforts.

Mercy Corps encourages you to be the change you wish to see in the world.  Any donation through mercy corps is one you can feel secure about

Donations to Unicef particularly help the children in Japan affected by the quake and subsequent disasters.  For a quick $10 donation to Unicef, you can text JAPAN to 864233.

American Red Cross is one of the most well known organizations to give charitable donations to in the U.S.  Your donation is always safe with them.

If the tables were reversed and it were our country experiencing this tragedy, which it very well could be someday, we would want the same type of charity from other countries as well.  Plus, giving back just feels good!

**Note**  These organizations are all verified and safe, but if you choose to donate to Japan or any other relief fund via another organization, ALWAYS check the org.’s credentials and make sure your money is safe.  Unfortunately, there are many scammers out there looking to take money from the naive.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out CL Intern Abby’s post on the “Do Something Now” organization and how that can also help relieve the situation in Japan

So what do U think?  Will U be the change you wish to see?

CL Intern Kelsey B. is about to graduate from college and is realizing what is most important in the world.  Despite the mass amount of bills that will hit her beginning May 1, she realizes that giving back whatever she can to people who need food more than she needs a nice new cell phone is always more important.

« Previous Page — Next Page »