The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

It's official!  Krantz Dental Care of Mandarin (Jacksonville) has done it again! Doubling their intake from last year, Krantz Dental Care of Mandarin , collected a new record of 1,400 pounds of Halloween candy for our troops serving overseas.   “ It’s a win-win situation ,” says Dr. Alan Krantz.  “ We get to promote a healthy Halloween for children, while at the same time, are able to let our troops know we are thinking of them.  Some of the children even wrote notes to be included with the candy—it was extremely touching to read their messages.” All last week, children brought in their candy to Krantz Dental Care and received $1 for every pound.  In addition, Krantz Dental Care donated an additional $1 to Feed a Needy Neighbor , a Jacksonville program that helps local families.  Local schools got involved this year with Durbin Creek Elementary, Pine Forest Elementary and Creekside High School collecting 650, 62 and 85 pounds, res...

Did you take part in Black Friday? Many people set their alarm clocks for those 4:00am sales. Everyone is looking for a bargain. In a year that has been less than financially friendly to many families, these early morning sales can help them make a difference in giving their child that special gift they asked for. During this time of year, it is also time to think about so many gifts that won't cost you money, however will be priceless in their value. Here are some ideas: Your time. It is that simple, your children crave your attention and would love to have more time with you. Can you make a promise to take more time out of your schedule and give it to your child? Learn about " Family Time Out " all year round. Volunteer with your family. There is nothing more fulfilling than giving back to those with less. Contact your local Goodwill , Red Cross or Salvation Army . Find out where the homeless shelters or soup kitchens are in your area - take a day to donate your t...

Pay it forward and feel good! Did you miss part one ? Click here. Part 2: 6. Tell us how VolunteerSpot can help others .We do all the busy work behind coordinating volunteers and save more time for meaningful work. Our simple online tool eliminates the need for clipboard sign up sheets, reply-all email, Excel spreadsheets and phone tag. For example, it takes more than 200 parent volunteers to put on a school carnival http://www.volunteerspot.com/ebooks/Carnivals/ That’s a lot of coordination! we make it easy for each class’s parents to sign up to staff a booth or concessions stand saving carnival organizers a week of work! This video gives a quick tour of our sign up tool: http://www.volunteerspot.com/video/ 7. The holiday season is around the corner, do you find it gets busier or do you feel that many people are simply too busy to volunteer? I believe that the holidays bring out the best in everyone. There is an influx of new volunteers at community kitchens and charities that ga...

It is always better to give than it is to receive. We hear that a lot and for good reason. It is true! This is such an important topic, there will be two parts to this article. VolunteerSpot is a fantastic organization designed to help you give back to your community. There are no more excuses! During this holiday season, take the time to learn more about your neighborhood and what their needs are. The founder of VolunteerSpot , Karen Bantuveris, recently took time to answer questions about her mission and hopefully will give you inspiration to take steps to help others this holiday season and all year round! Part 1: 1. Why and when did you start VolunteerSpot? I'm a working mom and when my daughter entered school I knew I wanted to be active in the classroom and with her Scout troop, etc. I wanted to quickly and easily schedule my volunteer commitments with the rest of my business calendar, but my inbox kept filling up with back and forth emails over how many cupcakes to bring to...