Do good, feel good: Donate your children's used toys to kids in Iraq

Ten extra pounds?
Messy house?
Kids with too many toys? Amen to that.
Counting your blessings can be hard when all you see is the downside.

The cure: Perspective through do-gooding. Edmay Mayers, a member of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was stationed in Iraq and while there she volunteered to makes sure that children who are innocently caught up in this war receive stuffed toys to help brighten their day. And she (and the kids) need your help. Remember, happy children help to make happy adults (which can lead to a healthy lifestyle). So as you start to pack up your children's old toys to make room for what Santa might leave under the tree, think about donating to children in Iraq. Specifically they are looking for stuffed animals (who doesn't love a stuffed toy?).

You can google Edmay to find out more, or simply go to this amazing article I found posted last year on Operation Iraqi Freedom's Official Website. And, even though Edmay is no longer stationed in Iraq you can still send your toys. Her comrades have taken over the role, and are accepting toy donations.

Giving has its own special rewards: It is the pathway to finding and increasing our feelings of self-confidence and worth. And in the end, it helps us put a lot of things into perspective.