Wanna know why? First: because I too am single. Wah, wah, wah. It’s not the end of the world. I promise. Even after 4 hours of DVR’ed Grey’s Anatomy, it’s still not the end of the world. Second: because there are so many things in your life to be thankful for. Third: there are so many people who could use your help, NOT YOUR TEARS, right now.

So you’re single this Valentine’s Day. Cry me a river, then grab a pen (or keyboard) and do something good for a change. If you don’t have that super hunky guy (like the one pictured above that yours truly drools over in a not so normal way) to write a silly love letter professing your love to, write a different kind of letter this “holiday.”

Think of a family or a friend (or co-worker, or neighbor) that could use an uplifting note this Valentine’s Day and then send it. Think about how uplifting a note from a co-worker that read, “great presentation today, you killed it!” would mean to you.

Or a note from your neighbor, “love the new rose garden you just planted. it brightens the neighborhood right up. thanks for that!”

Or even as silly as it sounds, a note because of FB. “I saw how upset you were about your grandpa and wanted to send you a little note today to let you know I was thinking of you.” – all of those could do wonders for people.

OR, love this idea so much you want to take a GIANT step forward? SIMPLE. Visit our resource page where we list Houston non-profit and charity resources by category. Find one that strikes a chord with you (maybe it’s animal related, military related, children related, or something else) and send them an email, a Tweet, or a note on their FB wall telling them how much you appreciate what they are doing for the Houston community. Tell them you would like to VOLUNTEER at their next event. Tell them thanks and post it in your FB status.

Seriously, I know first-hand how much Valentine’s Day can suck, but it doesn’t have to. Consider the above little idea a simple way to turn that frown upside down. We know…Velveeta cheesy, but c’mon – give it a try, won’t ya? These charities and non-profits work so hard to do good in our very own backyard, sometimes they need help. And encouragement. Give it to ‘em.

The blue-collar businessman himself, working hard!

Not long ago we posted a call for “newsworthy” and “blogworthy” stuff on our FB page. We got a couple good emails, but by far our favorite was from a very proud mom, Karen.

Karen’s son, Ronald is an 11 year old at Arizona Fleming Elementary (part of Fort Bend ISD) in the Sugar Land area. Pretty much on his own accord, Ronald realized he wanted to give back to his community (most notably his school) while starting a business for himself. Did we mention he’s 11?

Whether as a weekend chore gone mad or just something to keep his piggy bank heavy, Ronald really took to lawn care so a few months ago he decided to start Bucks for Books – a local lawn care business for his community.

On their own, his rates are pretty outstanding. He charges $12 for the front and back yard (picking up branches, mowing the lawn, bagging the leaves, etc.) and $8 for front yard only. And, Ronald (on behalf of Bucks for Books) will donate $2 for every completed job to his school. He already has a savings account waiting to deposit all those hefty earnings!

To get his do-gooder business off the ground (no pun intended), Ronald is doing some intense guerrilla marketing (with the help of his beaming mom, Karen) by going door-to-door and cold-calling his neighbors, creating some snazzy marketing flyers, and even reaching out to us, Charity Chicks Houston! The man means business. Did we mention he’s 11?

Ronald, the founder of Bucks for Books taking a well-deserved break!

Ronald is currently looking for new business clients in his area (he can’t drive…remember, he’s only 11?) which is in the Dover Subdivision (Houston area, 77083). If you don’t live near his subdivision, there are still a ton of ways you can help:

- you can be a donor to help him get his business running. he is looking for “investors” and particularly those that want to “match” his donations. (interested parties should email his mother, Karen at education_sugarland@yahoo.com)

- do you have supplies you can donate to Ronald for his great efforts? (email his mother at the above email address if so)

- you can reach out to your friends or co-workers who may live in the Dover Subdivision area and are looking for great lawn care service while helping out a great local cause.

- leave a comment here encouraging him to keep going!

- you can encourage your kids (or any young folks in your life) to follow in the footsteps of Ronald. what an inspirational story, yes?

- if you’re a member of the media or know one, we think this is a GREAT story for our Houston area, hint, hint, hint.

Ronald’s favorite quote is none other than the infamous Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have a dream!” If you have a minute or a dollar, please help Ronald make his dream come true!

And if you don’t think an 11-year old can run a legitimate business, Ronald includes the following blurbs in his profile/resume that was sent to us:

Company Philosophy

I believe that I can support my school and also help people within the community with their lawn care.

Company Goals

Short-term goal: To create a successful business while helping my neighbors with their lawn.

Long-term goal: To create revenue of $5000.00 for myself and to contribute donations of $1000.00 or more to Arizona Fleming Elementary School.

Did we mention he’s 11?!

Where to donate your old t-shirts you ask?

It’s nice to be nice, right? Well, duh. That’s a silly question.

The other day we finally got around to checking our email (sorry chicks) and a new member sent us a quick note thanking us for what we do and included a little link she liked. It was all about donating old t-shirts. We love that idea. I mean, how many t-shirts does one chick need? Seriously, is there any statistical answer to that? I’d venture to say we all have too many t-shirts…

We don’t often get jealous of other resources on the Internet, but this one was amazing! We only wish we had put something this comprehensive together with all this information on where to donate old t-shirts, prom dresses, coats, and so much more.

Check out ooshirts and their list of where to donate your old things. You have other ideas not listed in their post? Leave us a comment with your thoughts – maybe we’ll come up with additions to their list!

And Sarah, thanks for the note

Thanks to John Eagle Honda, cars really CAN be gifts!

The holidays are filled with ads showing spouses buying random cars and surprising their other half. I always look at those commercials with a lot of skepticism- what kind of marriage does one party have access to so much money they just spring a car on their loved ones? Isn’t that like saying, “Merry Christmas honey, I got you a car payment!”

Well thanks to the “Gift for Good” campaign that John Eagle Honda ran this past December, we have reinstated our belief that cars can in fact be gifts. Just a different kind of gift than commercials lead you to believe…

The Houston-based dealership ran a campaign during the month of December that promised to donate $100 for every car sold in the month to Easter Seals Greater Houston, the local non-profit provider of services for individuals with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities and other special needs.

John Eagle Honda sold a whopping 280 cars during the month of December and if your math is as good as ours, that’s a generous donation of $28,000 to one of our favorite (and local) non-profits right here in Houston. Wowzas! $28,000!

“Easter Seals would not be able to continue offering and expanding services without funding from generous corporate sponsors like John Eagle Honda,” said Elise Hough, CEO of Easter Seals Greater Houston.

Wanna see the video of the check presentation? We love these kids, we love this organization and we love this dealership. Way to go John Eagle Honda. Just more proof that when businesses partner together with non-profits, everyone wins.

For more information about Easter Seals Greater Houston, visit www.ucphouston.org.

Because we said so.

And honestly, why wouldn’t you be nice? We hear about bullying and mean people every time we turn around. In your kid’s schools, your co-worker in the neighboring cubicle, Lindsay Lohan on Mean Girls. Mean people rule the world. Well not anymore! At least not this week.

As we were reading the January issue of Real Simple, we learned about their “Be Nice On the Internet” week-long campaign they are hosting which started today. It got us thinking… now the Internet is even a hazardous haven for mean people to continue being just that… mean. And we don’t like it.

We are just as guilty as the next of having lots of little mean bones in our bodies. Throwing up that favored middle finger in the midst of rush hour. Rolling your eyes at the barista because she gave you skim milk instead of soy. Sigh. Life isn’t as tough as we make it out to be. At least it doesn’t have to be. Especially not on the Internet for crying out loud.

So here’s what we ask – take a minute and take the biggest, deepest breath you’ve ever taken. Seriously, we’ll wait. Then after you’ve taken this deep breath, head over to the Real Simple website where they have all kinds of information on HOW and WHY to be nice on the Internet (no matter how much time you spend there, smarty pants). Think about it – you may have been ready to leave us a mean ole comment on this blog post, but instead of doing that, head here.

After you’ve filled that world wide web of yours with super-duper nice things, leave us a note and tell us what you did. Who knows, you may just give someone else an idea on how to continue this world wide niceness offline. Even if just for a day. Chicks can dream, right?

Odds are, one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to be nicer, right? Well, here’s a Real Simple way to do just that. Pun absolutely intended.