Breathe deep and smell the cedar and petrichor...
I regularly assemble a large leaf bag in the garage so I can donate pants, socks, shirts, boots, older electronics, household items, canned goods, and anything else I don't need anymore or I am not utilizng.
I believe in each one of these organizations and the strengths that they provide to our world. I do not necessarily agree with all of their stances but enough to spare some of my paycheck.
I contribute annually to the following organizations:
I also contribute to Protect Florida Springs through my vehicle personalized plate: Protect Florida Springs
At one point, I had a personalized plate to support the Boy Scouts of America but their recent decisions left me feeling disappointed. I did, however, have a personalized plate on my vehicles to support them even when it was tough to afford, as I felt like I needed to somehow give back to the organization that was one of the largest contributors to the man that I am today, outside of my Momma of course!
I grew up in the scouting program starting with the Cub Scouts, then Webelos, and then the Boy Scouts. I was lucky to join Troop 262 out of Lynch Elementary in St. Petersburg, Florida. We were a very large troop of around 60 boys making up 6 or 8 patrols. I formed and was in The Falcon patrol. We also had quite a few troop dads. Since my parents were divorced when I was 10, I went through my formative years having many Dads as my Dad and I grew to love them like they were my own.
Because of the strong bonds I formed during these years, I am still friends with many of my scouting friends. Even today, we still "meet" on Monday nights, which was our troop night, to play cards and socialize. I managed to earn my Eagle Scout badge and rank past it to earn my Silver Palm right before I turned 18. My troop was very special besides its large size; we also raised enough money every year selling Christmas Trees that we were able to not only go camping once a month but every summer we went to a High Adventure base and a Summer Camp!
As a result of these frequent outings, I have canoed every major tributary in Florida, the Dells in Wisconsin, rivers in upper Maine as well as quite a bit of the Quetico Provincial Park in Canada. I have also hiked the Appalachian mountains and 250 miles of the lower Rockies. I have so many good memories from that period of my life and better still, I have lifelong friends!