DoOneNiceThing.com Features Carolyn Blashek

After September 11, 2001, Carolyn Blashek felt a passionate desire to support the fight against terrorism. She began volunteering at the USO military lounge at Los Angeles Airport, and her experiences with soldiers there affected her deeply. She wanted to do more and founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to thanking American servicemen and women - Operation Gratitude (www.OpGratitude.com).  

Run completely by volunteers, Operation Gratitude sends care packages and letters of support to troops deployed overseas. Packages, which go to individual soldiers, include candy, DVDs and CDs and personal care products plus a warm, personal message.

Started at Carolyn's suburban dining room table just a few years ago, Operation Gratitude recently its 111,000th care package and letter of support to a service member.  The organization will be sending out 40,000 more packages in May. If you would like to help Carolyn and Operation Gratitude, please visit their website - www.OpGratitude.com.

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WARNING: DOING ONE NICE THING CAN BE HABIT-FORMING. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Are Mondays tough? Sure! But you can feel better by doing one nice thing for someone to start the new week.

In fact, you might feel so good that you'll feel the urge to do more nice things - and who knows where that will lead! 

DoOneNiceThing.com challenges people to do at least one nice thing every Monday. Each week the site offers an easy nice thing suggestion and shine the spotlight on an exceptionally kind person. You are invited to submit your own nice thing ideas and names of kind people. To get the site's nice news delivered to you, sign up for the weekly email at www.DoOneNiceThing.com. 

A uniter, not a divider, DoOneNiceThing.com embraces people of all denominations and backgrounds.  It encourages people to extend the holiday spirit throughout the rest of the year and believes that small acts can create big results. Its "nice-oholics" are all over the world. 

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This Week's Nice Thing: Anything can happen.  

Earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, fires...Thinking about disasters is stressful, isn't it? So stressful that most people "shut down" and don't prepare at all. This list can help: 

1. You can do a little, and it will help a lot. 

2. Put these 7 items in a bag (or backpack or suitcase), and you'll be minimally prepared:

1. food

2. water

3. flashlight + batteries

4. radio + batteries

5. change of clothes

6. first aid kit

7. cash

3. Do a nice thing for your family, friends and co-workers. Forward this article, or print it out and give it to them. 

Then relax! You might not be prepared for every obstacle - we never are. But you'll be much better prepared than before. Also you'll have the satisfaction that you helped others prepare. For more info go to http://www.DoOneNiceThing.com. 

Operation Feel Better (http://www.DoOneNiceThing.com)

Make a get well card for a child in the hospital. Our next batch of cards is going to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. Our online card gallery is now OPEN. Check it out! 

Send your cards to: 

Operation Feel Better 

Do One Nice Thing 

149 S. Barrington Ave. #279 

Los Angeles, CA 90049-3310 

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About DoOneNiceThing.com 

Its members have: 

- Donated hundreds of free mammograms for women who can't afford them. 

- Cheered nursing home residents with hand-made drawings. 

- Given backpacks to foster children who now have something to carry their clothes in as they move from home to home. 

- Sent numerous supportive valentines, treats and emails to American soldiers. 

- Donated hundreds of books to libraries, children's hospitals and schools,  including to schools affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

- Given thousands of cans of food, frozen turkeys and other food items to food banks for Thanksgiving.

- Brought dolls, games and other gifts

to Starbucks cafes for their holiday "Joy Drive" for seriously ill children.

- Made hundreds of heart-felt get well cards for hospitalized children.

What's your nice thing? Tell the site at www.DoOneNiceThing.com and they will post it.

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Copyright © 2006 Do One Nice Thing™. All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the written

permission of the authors.