You and Your Health

Last-minute Shopping

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Making a Difference, You and Your Health

Last-minute shopping is upon us. Is holiday giving leading to a little too much decking in the halls, and not enough holly jolly? Consider changing things up this Christmas season!

Christmas gift exchange

'Ready to exchange the tension last minute gift shopping for the magic of Christmas? What if you could gift your loved one, and benefit others at the same time?

Some of our recipients are so easy to gift. We know what they love; they'll love what they get. Some are tricky! It seems that, no matter the thought put into the choosing, the gift is never quite right.

For those last-minute shopping stressors, there's a creatively loving solution: gift a charity in their name.

This becomes a double-gift: something in hand for your loved one; something in hand for your chosen charity.

There are many ways to do this. Gifts-in-kind is one way. Check out the examples of these inspiring young people and how they've used their birthdays to benefit charity:

Beyond Gifts-in-kind

If donating items to the animal shelter, or collecting (hundreds of pairs!) shoes for give away seems daunting, consider monetary giving.

Many of our receiving charities have Christmas giving programs set up. It's quick and simple to gift a charity in the name of a loved one.

Here are a few charities that can shift the season from tense to tinsel:

The Salvation Army is a good place to start. Your gift in a loved one's name will feed, house, and otherwise assist a person in need. Or, check out your local shelters (or those near where your friends and family live). Give where you live!

Your nearby animal shelter, or a broader work (like the World Wildlife Foundation) will use your double gift to aid critters at risk.

Has an infirmity or disease recently impacted your family? A gift to the charity that best serves in that area of need will be gratefully welcomed. If you're having trouble choosing a charity to give to, visit our charities page. We'll show the name and mission statement of the charity that best matches your gift recipient!

Giving in 2020

If you have your Christmas shopping all wrapped up, we're at the ready to receive vehicle donations in the new year. Donate your vehicle on behalf of your charity of choice, and receive a valuable tax receipt in return!

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Tesla Cybertruck

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, You and Your Health

Tesla Cybertruck controversy

The Tesla Cybertruck is here, and it's creating stir!

Popular Mechanics' Take

The Tesla Cybertruck, says Popular Mechanics, is a little bit Blade Runner. It's also definitely a conversation starter, and certainly not bullet proof. Eric Adams notes,

"The design overall is a bit awkward and ungainly, particularly around the wheel wells and some of the proportions, but I get what they’re going for—something futuristic, surprising, and thoroughly avant-garde.

In that sense the truck is a smashing success. Its front light bar and roof bar are brilliant, its high waistline slices crisply down the side and projects outward, adding an extra dimension to the exterior, and its profile slopes down to the front, adding a bit of Mad Max-ian urgency and speed to the car’s vibe. Its triangular cab is more at home off-world than in the Home Depot parking lot, but it does cap off a thoroughly executed, highly conceived design. They went for it with this truck.

Ultimately, it may not appeal to a lot of conventional truck-driving folk, but it could also create a whole new class of enthusiasts for the segment, the brand, and electrification itself."

Yours for $39, 900

At $40,000, the Cybertruck is not unreasonable for those in the market for a pick-up. Tesla offers single, dual, and tri-motor options. For $7000.00 extra you can enjoy the self-driving option.

Curious about how the new Tesla compares to your Ford? Motor Trend compares it with the F150-Raptor (the world's best selling truck). Check out Nick Yekikian's match-up, Tesla Cybertruck vs. Ford F-150 Raptor: Off-Road Champ Meets Off-World Newcomer.

Out with the old

'Thinking of donating your old truck? Granted, a self-driving Tesla may be out of reach as a replacement! But, perhaps a good ol' Dodge Ram is within reach. Consider donating your old vehicle sale proceeds to your charity of choice.

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Canadian Mental Health Association

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Making a Difference, You and Your Health

CMHA ready to receive donations

The Canadian Mental Health Association is all set to receive your car, truck, van, SUV, or motorcycle donations.

About the CMHA

"Founded in 1918, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is the most established community mental health charity in Canada. It is also the most extensive. CMHA is a presence in more than 330 communities. They provide programs and resources that help to prevent mental health problems and illnesses. CMHA supports recovery and resilience. They enable all Canadians to flourish and thrive."

They offer services and supports to over 1.3 million Canadians. This is no small effort! It is through the combined efforts of more than 5,000 staff and 11,000 volunteers. They work from 1 national office. There are 11 divisions in all provinces and one territory, and 75 community-based branches.

100 years at the forefront

CMHA's mental health fast facts

Who is affected?

Mental illness affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague.

Furthermore, in any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem/illness.

Mental illness affects people of all ages, education, income levels, and cultures.

Approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives. In addition, 1% of Canadians will experience bipolar disorder (or “manic depression”).

How common is it?

By age 40, about 50% of Canadians will have or have had a mental illness.

Schizophrenia affects 1% of the Canadian population.

Anxiety disorders affect 5% of the household population, causing mild to severe issues.

Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15-24 year olds and 16% among 25-44 year olds. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in both men and women from teens to middle age. The mortality rate due to suicide among men is four times the rate among women.

What causes it?

A complex interplay of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors cause these illnesses.

Alarmingly, 49% of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never seen a doctor about it. This is due to the stigma or discrimination attached to mental illnesses presenting a serious barrier.

The economic cost

The 1998 economic cost of mental illnesses in Canada was estimated to be $7.9 billion. This is a tremendous weight on the health care system. Breaking that down, CMHA notes $4.7 billion in cost of care. Furthermore, $3.2 billion were spent on disability and early death.

Additionally, $6.3 billion was spent on uninsured mental health services and time off work for untreated depression and distress.

How does it impact youth?

10-20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder. This is the single most disabling group of disorders worldwide.

Today, approximately 5% of male youth and 12% of female youth (age 12 to 19) have experienced a major depressive episode.

Moreover, the total number of 12-19 year olds in Canada at risk for developing depression is a staggering 3.2 million.

Once depression is recognized, help can make a difference for 80% of people who are affected. This allows them to get back to their regular activities.

Mental illness is a threat to the lives of children. Canada’s youth suicide rate is the third highest in the industrialized world.

Suicide is among the leading causes of death in 15-24 year old Canadians, second only to accidents. 4,000 people die prematurely each year by suicide.

Schizophrenia is a great disabler as it strikes most often in the 16 to 30 year age group. It affects one person in 100.

Mental disorders in youth are the second highest hospital care expenditure in Canada.

Only 1 out of 5 children who need mental health services gets them.

Ready to give?

Your care for this cause counts. Visit your area CMHA website. Explore their donation options. Or, get curious about how you might volunteer! Hands-on support is often welcome.

Better yet, do you have unused or unwanted car, truck, SUV? What about a van, or a motorcycle? Donate it! It is a quick, simple, and generous way to offer support! The tow is free. The CMHA will receive the net proceeds from your donated car, and you will get a tax receipt. It is a win for all!

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Brene Brown – Empathy

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Making a Difference, You and Your Health

Seasons, stressors, community

Brene Brown touches into something we deeply understand. Particularly at this time of year. 'Tis the season for a lot of holly jolly - and a good deal of facing into the loss of loved ones, loneliness, and "What do I really want?" uncertainty. If we're not already practicing it, this is a good time to start being an empathetic presence in one another's lives.

Brown and other mental health professionals and researchers are expanding their work into study around how we might thrive. Resilience work and positive psychology (more than just thinking positively) have found their way into practice, and that's good news for all of us.

Building our empathy muscle

A friend recently gave me the book, "There's no Good Card for This." For a gently playful smack upside the head on how-to empathy, this is a good resource. It provides the basics on caring for loved ones when things go side ways. Bonus? There's guidance on how to care for Self while compassionately supporting others.

If a book feels like a stretch, WikiHow has some excellent pointers on reaching out, and caring for self, too. In part one of their Wiki article, "Connecting with others through empathy," they offer six helpful and creative tools for moving from compassionate thought to loving action.

I particularly love part two, though: Building up your empathy. There they offer 7 ways to effectively and sustainably work this muscle. They suggest practicing curiosity, volunteering, and challenging your own prejudice. The challenge? Think outside of the box you've comfortably settled into. See the world from the perspective of your loved one, the stranger on the bus, your friend who's struggling. They go on to name things like meditation and actually attempting to walk a mile in another person's "shoes" (life experience).

We're in this together

Give Brene Brown a listen. Read Crowe/McDowell's book on empathy, or give that Wiki article a glance. Set yourself up to show yourself, and the people you care about, a little empathy this holiday season.

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Funny | Some Laughs to Ward Off the Early Chill

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, You and Your Health

Funny is a good go-to on chill days in our Canadian autumn. For some, the winter blahs are no laughing matter. Seeking out the silly, the light-hearted, and the goofy can be good medicine all through a long winter.

Funny Fan of the Night

Bull riding isn't a sport we'd typically fall asleep at. But one hard-working dive master couldn't keep his eyes open.

"Lookit how it goes to us!"

McIntyre on raising kids

Keeping it light

A little bit of funny can go a long way when the daily news is grinding you down. Duty and making ends meet can get wearing. So, find a laugh or two each day to indulge.

Charlie Chaplin said, "A day without laughter is wasted." Are there ways that you can add levity to your life? To the lives of others around you?

I'm not a social media gal, but I have friends who regularly send me a quick text with a meme, link, or comic that brings a laugh. They're small effort can reap big reward in my frame of mind. Are there sites and sources that you go to for a giggle? Share them and spread the smile.

'Need a little help finding something new to laugh at?

Check out The Awkward Yeti and their "Heart and Brain" comic strips.

Curious about some of the science of why we laugh at all? BBC offers a glimpse into why we giggle.

Whatever your style of humor, may you find something to tickle your funny bone today!

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Autumn Colors

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, You and Your Health

Autumn colors abound. We've just celebrated the first day of our 2019 Canadian Fall. Warm air, brilliant hues, and good strong winds to lean into.

Autumn colors

TripSavvy Top 10 Fall color spots

Autumn colors, coast to coast, are highlighted in TripSavvy's article by Jane McLean, Best Places to See Fall Colors in Canada. Explore our country and what it has to offer in the prairies, by the ocean, and in the mountains. Our forests are breathtaking at this time of year!

Putting on the Autumn kilometers

I have the happy luck of living near the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. Tonight's walk took me out to tromp in the foothills.
In a short 45 minute trek along the winding, hilly paths of Glenbow Ranch, my friend and I were witness to a dozen blue birds, ambling deer, and the distant howl of coyotes. Bear tracks were everywhere, so carefully spaced by a determined lord of the foothills. Our elevation gave us a perfect line of sight on a farmer's combining precision (such straight lines!). And my friend's dog, Chippy, gleefully sniffed all the sniffs in the prairie grasses lining the paths.

The colors in the park run red, yellow, orange, and countless greens. Berries and seeds grace varied plant life -- they, too, exploding in whites, greens, reds, and oranges. The sun set as we climbed our last kilometer. The grace of hills shrouded in one another's shadows, while some of their faces basked a few extra minutes in the evening light, was palpable.

Breathe deep. Enjoy the vibrancy and artistry of Mother Nature as autumn winds us toward winter's cozy at-home-ness.

Canadian Music Therapy Fund

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Making a Difference, You and Your Health

Canadian Music Therapy Fund |Charity of the Month

The Canadian Music Therapy Fund (CMTF) wishes to create access to music therapy for all Canadians who need it.

They bring music therapy to rural, urban and remote communities. Their work brings music programs to people on the autism spectrum, and to those living with Alzheimer’s disease. Further, they engage those challenged by anxiety and depression. CMTF also reaches people rehabilitating speech or motor skills, as well as those needing pre- and post-natal care. And they don't stop there. Living with a brain injury? They can help!

Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund
Canadian Music Therapy Fund

CMTF does this by awarding grants, scholarships and fellowships to innovative certified music therapists. As a result, these therapist are then empowered! They use their talents and skill to make music therapy accessible close to home.

Work that matters

The Science is in: music therapy works. That said, music therapy is not a widely recognized form of therapy. Private insurance and government programs do not typically fund such care. This means that if you can't pay for it, you cannot access it.

Music therapy helps us to move and communicate. It helps us to cope, and to better understand ourselves. It can even inspire us to reach our full potential. CMTF wants to make music therapy available to anyone who needs it.

Together, they are transforming lives. With your support, access to music therapy for all Canadians is possible!

Help the CMTF hit the high notes

Donate your car through our program today and choose our charity of the month as your donation recipient!

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Speeding Tickets

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, You and Your Health

Speeding tickets don't land in our mail box very often. But when they do, they hurt.

Notice of offence

Given the number of vehicles rolling out of our driveway on a given day, we do okay around here. Four of the adults living in our home drive for work and school and leisure. Our little Scion XB just flipped the odometer to a visually satisfying, 111,111 kms. So, we're on the road a lot. And some days our pedal pushers can get a little heavy. But we don't pull a lot of tickets.

I'm just about to online pay the $233.00 I owe our beautiful city for my most recent traffic violation. I was driving over 80 kms/hr in a 60 km zone. I deserve a strong consequence. Of course, I want to defend myself just a little. My son looked at the ticket, noted the location, and was immediately sympathetic, "Oh, Mom. That's such a bad spot! The speed drops like crazy from one side of the intersection to the other!"

A little empathy and validation are nice. But I still deserve the ticket. I've driven that patch of road before, and I should have remembered it was a steep slow down.

Playing it safe

I love driving fast. But speed limits are posted for good reason. Safety matters. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and Transport Canada’s website include the following statistics from the CCMTA: Speed and Intersection Safety Management, Annual Monitoring Report 2009:

1. 27% of fatalities and 19% of serious injuries involve speeding

2. 40% of speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes were 16 to 24 years of age

3. Most drivers killed in speed-related crashes were the ones speeding

4. 80% of young adult passengers who were killed in a speeding crash were in the vehicle with a speeding driver of similar age

5. Single-vehicle crashes accounted for more than 50% of speeding deaths and serious injuries

6. 1 in 3 speeding drivers involved in a fatal crash had been drinking

7. Research indicates that a 1% reduction in speed results in reducing the likelihood of a fatal collision by 5%. (OECD, 2008)

Takin' it easy

So, it's time for me to pay better attention to speed markers. And it's helpful to consider that we're all traffic. Everybody is trying to get where they're going. Everybody has important things to do. And me? I'm as much traffic as everyone around me is.

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The Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Making a Difference, You and Your Health

We're excited to announce that the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation has received their first donation through Donate a Car. Moreover, they are all set with our program and ready to receive your vehicle donation, too.

Continue reading "The Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation" →

Farming Smarter

Posted by Sandra on in Blog, Knowing the Industry, Making a Difference, You and Your Health
Farming Smarter

Farming Smarter here to
sustain our land, water, and soil. They are here for farmers -- for the benefit of everyone.

Farming Smarter is growing stewardship

Farming Smarter fosters sustainable farming practices. For example, wherever they can, they will partner, research, and inform. They support cost effective projects that are good for the land, air, water and crops.

Currently working in Southern Alberta, their Innovative projects include:

  • High value specialty crops
  • Precision planting canola
  • Cover crops across Prairie Canada
  • Alternative flee beetle management without neonicotinoids. What is a flee beetle? And why do they matter? Here's what the FS site has to say:
    Flea beetles are one of the major canola pests in Alberta. Currently neonicotinoid-based seed treatments are used to protect canola seedlings from flea beetle damage. PMRA's direction to phase out the use of neonicotinoids has caused concern for growers. Without these seed treatments different controls must be considered by growers. These may be alternate seed treatment, increased seeding rates, or foliar insecticides. These activities may have negative environmental consequences. Furthermore, they may be less helpful than current strategies and they will incur higher costs.

Curious? Check out their summer events:

Farming Smarter invites you to a summer of field school and "plot hops." You may also want to explore their farm days and learning options.

Interested in other projects they have researched? Visit their site and explore:

Why donate to this charity?

Many people don’t realize that F.S. is a registered Canadian charity. They are a non-profit funded by grants, sponsorship, and donations.  Above all, money given to them stays in southern Alberta and funds locally directed farm focused research.
Your donation to this work could help them do your most critical agricultural research.

In short, if this resonates with your own values and concerns, we can help! Donate your car, truck, SUV, van, or motorcycle. The net proceeds will go to the cause you love. And you will clear the driveway, too!

It is quick, easy, and friendly! You are one click away...

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