Win $599 for Redesigning Begslist.org

Begslist.org is holding a design contest on 99Designs.com and is accepting submissions for the new look and feel for the Begslist website.

The contest ends soon so get your design submissions now!

http://99designs.com/web-design/contests/web-design-popular-charity-site-begslist-org-143861

The winning Begslist design prize is $599 US Dollars.

Enter now!! 

Update 6/20/2012: 2 more days for accepting entries

Begslist Testimonials

We are striving to make our website Begslist.org a better website. New features such as a new look,verification for both beggars and donors, and a more user friendly website are on its way! We also would like your feedback. We are making a TESTIMONIALS page and for any of you out there that have received donations, kind advice and/or had a good experience on Begslist.org...we would like to hear from you. To protect your privacy, we only require your first name and first initial of your last name. To be included on our TESTIMONIALS page, please send your feedback to help4u@begslist.org. Thank you in Advance! Rex C. Founder of Begslist.org

Running for Hope

Hi Everyone

I am attempting one last push to raise funds for Hope Children’s Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House. My Fiancé’s brother, Adam, spent quite a bit of time at the hospital and I have never seen a better staff. I am trying to raise money so they can help more children like they did for Adam.

I will be running a 5K for this organization this Sunday, June 3rd, hopefully I don’t keel over. But If I do, this is for a hospital, so there should be plenty of doctors and nurses around…

Here is a link to where you can donate: (and if I have already sent this to you I am sorry for the redundancy)

http://www.active.com/donate/runningforhope2012/JHayes318

If you could please pass this around as well, that would really help

Thanks so much
John

Tim Tebow Announces the Tebow CURE Hospital of the Philippines

Tim Tebow Announces the Tebow CURE Hospital of the Philippines from Tim Tebow on Vimeo.

NFL Quarterback, Tim Tebow, announces the Tebow CURE Hospital of the Philippines, the first project of the partnership between the Tim Tebow Foundation and CURE International. Learn more at cure.org/tebow or timtebowfoundation.org 

Jobless over the holidays? Tell Us Your Story

Ah, the holidays! A time for reindeer, mistletoe and over-eating. But the season isn't all comfort and joy. Gifts for family and friends, entertaining, travel--the costs pile up quickly, for all of us. And if you're one of the more than 13 million Americans who are unemployed-- especially if you're among the roughly 5.7 million who have been out of work for six months or more--even an ordinary Christmas celebration could blow your budget. We would like readers who had been jobless for a while to tell us about their experiences. We receive a flood of affecting, thought-provoking responses, which turned up on our website, www.begslist.org. Now we want to hear about how being unemployed is affecting your holiday celebrations this year. Among the things we want to know: • How are you cutting back or economizing for your holiday? Are you spending less on gifts? Staying home instead of traveling? • If you have children, how are they reacting to the situation? Do they understand? • Do the holidays come as a welcome period of rest and relaxation, or do they feel like just one more cause of stress? • What are some free or low-cost ways to celebrate that you've found and want to share? • Are there any upsides? Have you found that you've focused less on consumerism, and more on family and friends? • What are your resolutions for 2012? Be sure to tell us some basic details about yourself: your age, where you're from, how long you've been out of work, where you were working previously. And include any other information that gives us a sense of your situation and how you're getting by. Post a comment to this blog to share your experiences.

Secret Santa picks up 3 layaway bills

Kindness 'Restored faith in people'

PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - Christmas came early for three people in West Michigan when a stranger picked up the tab on some presents.

It happened Monday night at the Big Kmart on the 4000 block of Plainfield Avenue in Plainfield Township. A woman, described only as "being in her 30s," walked up to the layaway desk, pushing a shopping cart full of toys she planned to donate.  

"This lady came up randomly and said, 'Can I, you know, pay off some people's layaway?'" said Dannell Goddard. Goddard works at Kmart in the layaway department. She told 24 Hour News 8 that when she first heard the request, she was a bit confused.  

"I was like, 'Well, are you trying to pick them up? 'Cause you can't pick them up if you don't have an ID," Goddard said. "And [the mystery woman] replied, 'Nope, I just want to help people.'"

The woman looked through several of the about 800 layaway contract tickets at the store. She randomly picked and paid the bill on three of them. She paid about $500 between all three of them and left a $10 balance on each of the accounts.

The woman's only requirement was that there were toys in the layaway orders.  

"It was really crazy the way she did it. She was so excited and so happy to do it," said Goddard. "She had a great heart, and I told her that I felt like she had a great heart, and she said she doesn't want to take appreciation for it. She just felt that she was blessed and she wanted to bless others."

One of the recipients of that kindness was Mary Chapin. She told 24 Hour News 8 the act of kindness "restored her faith in people."  

Chapin had put about $200 worth of toys on layaway for her son, David, Monday afternoon. She said she hoped she'd be able to pay off the balance by the week before Christmas.  

Then she got a call from Kmart that changed all that.  

"They said that someone had paid $180 on my layaway and there was only $10 left," said Chapin. "I thought it was a joke."  

Chapin wanted to say thank you, but the only clue to the woman's identity was a message on her receipt that read, "Happy Holiday from a friend."  

"I thank her. It's the best gift that I ever received, and it's the gift of believing in people," said Chapin. "And believing that there's good out there, 'cause you don't always see that."  

The entire layaway order was for 12-year-old David who has autism. Chapin told 24 Hour News 8 she was so excited she gave her son one of those toys, a brand new LEGO set.    

Chapin has her own name for her family's Secret Santa. She calls the woman "an angel" for her family. She said that angel gave her family a far bigger gift than the toys themselves.  

"Even though we're all in the same boat, nobody's thinking about anyone else, it's every man for himself," said Chapin. To have somebody come along behind, and just do something that's totally unnecessary but so appreciated, it just really made a difference."
--
The day after the story aired on 24 Hour News 8, another secret Santa went to the Plainfield Kmart and offered to pay off 13 more layaway bills -- to the tune of about $2,000.
It was the largest layaway payoff in the history of the store.

This Holiday Season (November through December), the Founder of Begslist pledges to donate 50% of all online donations received directly though our Begslist Donate Page to the following charities: American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and Disabled American Veterans.

My Story

I know what it is like to go through hard times, so I thought i would tell everyone my story. Let everyone know that i know what there going through and im here for them.