Crop for a Cause

My mother-in-law has Multiple Sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system, which makes it difficult for her to use her hands for intricate projects like scrapbooking. So, I’ve taken it on as my personal project to get all of her old black-and-white photos into a heritage album, where they’ll be safe and properly documented.

By volunteering to create an album for a family member or neighbor who is not able to create one herself, you can share your passion for scrapbooking and help others at the same time.

There are also other ways you can crop for a good cause. Here are a few:

• The Picture ME Foundation is a nonprofit organization that helps disabled and seriously ill children through therapeutic scrapbooking. Volunteers provide scrapbook and journaling instruction at pediatric hospitals, camps and other care facilities. The foundation seeks monetary donations, as well as donations of scrapbook supplies, and needs volunteers to act as instructors.


• Cards for Caring is a volunteer organization that makes greeting cards for the elderly and chronically ill, in order to provide them with some cheer. Many groups, including Splitcoaststampers, also collect and distribute handmade cards for U.S. military troops.


• Occasionally, scrapbook and stamping manufacturers or retailers will donate proceeds from product sales to a cause. For example, when you purchase the Sweet & Sassy stamp set from Stampin’ Up! for $16.95, $2 is donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Creative Memories’ 2005 Time for Triumph Campaign, to be held this fall, will benefit the national Alzheimer’s Association. Keep a look out for opportunities like these.


• Charity crops provide an opportunity to spend a day cropping with your friends, while raising money for causes ranging from heart disease and cancer to animal shelters and community organizations. Crop4aCause.org lists events in the Pennsylvania/Maryland/New Jersey area. Do a Google search for “charity crop + your city name” to find an event in your area, or organize a crop of your own to support a charity of your choice.


• Many charities hold silent auctions at their annual galas or benefit events. Attendees bid on the auction items and proceeds go to the cause. I recently donated an altered paint can and gift certificate for my custom scrapbook service to a local chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. You could donate a pre-made album, a box of handmade greeting cards, or a basket of scrapbooking supplies, just to name a few ideas.

For more ideas, check out the list of charity events here.

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