The easiest way to #honor those who served this Veterans Day is to #clean out and #declutter a drawer, #closet, room or #storage space; find still-useful clothing and household items that you no longer need or want; and #donate them to ClothingDonations.org. A driver will arrive at your home on the scheduled day and whisk away that extra #junk, leaving you with a tax-deductible receipt and all the extra #space you rediscovered. It won’t take long to gather several bags or boxes for #pickup, so you can still make the Veterans Day #parade, memorial or banquet after you purge. #VeteransDay
Tag: supporting veterans
Observe Veterans Day With a Good Movie
Want to honor the nation’s #veterans with a little entertainment and education? Have a veteran-themed movie night. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences suggests 10 iconic films that depict the #military experience that are widely available through streaming services, including The Grand Illusion, The Best Years of Our Lives, Platoon, The Thin Red Line and Born on the Fourth of July. Forbes adds Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now and Patton to the list, noting that “supporting veterans can take many shapes, including charitable #donations, hiring veterans at your business and supporting sober foreign policy.” #VeteransDay
Veterans and the Vote
#Veterans are familiar with the struggle for #freedom and #democracy, having fought to protect the nation’s ideals at home and overseas. Once released from active duty, one of their most basic and important civic duties is to exercise the right to #vote.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are more than 16 million veterans in the United States today. Numbers are expected to decline in the near future, as the nation’s smaller #military engages in fewer and more limited conflicts. About 6% of the population has had military service as of 2022.
In the presidential election, both parties have veterans on the ticket for the first time in 20 years. Prior service doesn’t predict policy, so fellow veterans are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the candidates’ records on veterans issues before voting.
It’s a significant voting bloc that’s motivated by a range of issues. Veterans respond to “kitchen-table issues such as healthcare, education and the economy,” says The Hill, “but they are also concerned with, and directly affected by, national security and foreign policy matters.”
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs encourages veterans to vote and can point veterans and active-duty service members to voter registration resources, even those overseas. “VA is working to ensure all veterans can enjoy the rights that they earned and fought for,” VA says.
Vet the Vote is a national campaign to recruit veterans and military family members to become poll workers who can support safe, secure elections in a divisive political climate. In volunteering, veterans “show that it’s still possible for Americans to work together in patriotic service.”
If you would like to vote in honor of a veteran, many states have programs that allow registered voters name a veteran to ceremonially dedicate their vote — for whomever — to a specific veteran. File a form naming your honoree, and you’ll get a certificate, bumper sticker or lapel pin.
While its nonprofit status prohibits endorsement of specific candidates, Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) continues to advocate on behalf of veterans, and encourages every veteran from every era to exercise their right to vote by Nov. 5. #Vote!
Get the Jump on Back-to-School Season
For kids and the college-bound, the lazy days of summer will soon come to an end. School starts as early as mid-August in many parts of the United States, so it’s goodbye to campouts and cookouts and swimming pools and pickup games, and back to the books.
Parents will want to take advantage of the many sales. Retailers are promoting back-to-school #deals earlier to tap the average $875 parents will spend this year to get each child outfitted in new clothes, computers and backpacks.
College students need even more to set them up for success: $1,365, according to the National Retail Federation, because they also need basic housewares such as sheets and minifridges. Whatever the student’s age, Good Housekeeping offers a guide to the things they might need.
You’ll want to get your students looking the part, from outfitting them in the latest styles (baggy jeans and leopard prints are back) to getting them a fresh haircut. (Great Clips is offering 24,000 free haircuts and a glossary of Gen Z slang to get parents up to speed.)
“It’s tough to keep up with the latest slang kids are using, but it is important because you can’t help your child succeed if you don’t really know what they want,” says former NSYNC singer Joey Fatone, who stars in a promo with his teenage daughter.
Parents who want to cut the #clutter will also want to prepare for the inevitable onslaught of student projects. Now’s a great time of year to work with your kids to #clean out #closets and make room for new #clothes, #organize a desk and #file last year’s school work.
Set aside any #clothing that still has some useful life in it and contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a #free #donation #pickup. Other parents appreciate the deals they can find at the #thrift stores supplied by those generous #donations, and #veterans benefit from the resale proceeds.
So (attempting Z slang here) don’t do back-to-school mid — gas up your kids for the new year. If your beige flag is organization, it’s a good time for you to cook. But start right away — letting kids start school unprepared is delulu!
School May Be in Session, But Summer Isn’t Over
This week, schools throughout the country are welcoming students back for another year. A few kids may not be ready to let the carefree, lazy days of the seasonal break go, of course, and may complain loudly that “summer’s over.”
#Summer is far from over, though, especially for anyone who isn’t in school. The start of school may be a harbinger of cooler climes to come, but there’s still a month to go before the vernal equinox — and plenty of warm weather left to enjoy.
Now’s the time to kick that summer fun into high gear! Have you gotten in any of your favorite outdoor activities, such as camping, fishing, boating, kayaking or swimming? Have you taken the opportunity to picnic in a park or cook out?
Maybe you’re more indoorsy — or a temporary heat “dome” is encouraging you to stay inside. Beat the heat at an indoor matinee. Or take on a household project such as #decluttering your wardrobe or #redecorating a room, Apartment Therapy suggests.
There’s still time to schedule an end-of-summer trip, too. September and October are beautiful months to visit many northern climates and see the leaves change color, and it’s still hot enough in the south and the tropics to swim and sunbathe.
If you opt to #organize and #declutter, there’s still time to schedule and stage a #garage sale. Set aside your castoff clothing and household goods and tag them. Pick a weekend and post signage directing shoppers to your door; you’ll have extra pocket money in no time.
If that sounds like too much work for your precious summer days, you can always schedule a free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org to effortlessly relieve yourself of that #extra #stuff while supporting valuable #veterans programs.
Whatever you choose, there’s a lot of summer left to do it. Even the Labor Day holiday isn’t the limit — and if you have kids, they’ll be at school, leaving you much of the day to concentrate on personal and professional needs. Start planning what’s left of summer now!