During the holidays people rush to crowded malls and mass retailers for gifts that often end up being pretty generic and uninspiring. But there are some great gifts available that fill the heart and soul in addition to filling those empty Christmas stockings.
The key is shopping at a place that supports the causes you believe in and that have special and really fun gift options. Suddenly the holiday season will become merrier for everyone involved.
While some mega-monster corporations have their paid staff give help to charities, they operate with multi-million dollar budgets to publicize and market their good works. By contrast, small businesses that help do so without the fanfare or the big money.
If you (or the person you are shopping for) love animals, here is some jolly holiday news.
- Sacramento-area animal shelters and rescue groups have identified small businesses that voluntarily go the extra mile to help them, and there are plenty of options for gift seekers.
This series of articles will profile some of the businesses that put their money where their heart is; part 1 begins with Ned Buratovich, owner of the busy one-man shop imagiNed Web Design.
Buratovich is also the creator of the fun and inspirational 100-year “One of These Days” calendar poster.
One of Buratovich's dearest childhood pals was his short-haired fox terrier named Lucky. When long-time friend Suna Kneisley needed assistance for her Sacramento nonprofit group C.A.T.S. (Cats about Town Society), Buratovich immediately jumped in and offered his talents for free.
Kneisley describes Buratovich as one of the most “boundlessly creative, dynamic and whimsical” people she knows, and is grateful for the large amount of time he has volunteered to create and maintain websites for animal rescue.
She encourages people to visit the sites he does for C.A.T.S. and for the nonprofit Spay It Forward to see just a few examples of his talents.
So what does his passion for the under-dog (or cat) have to do with holiday shopping? The 100 year calendar makes a perfect present and is available online – with no long lines, crowded parking lots or desperate shoppers - for only $15.00. And this gift is a lot more than a blank canvas with numbers on it.
Buratovich describes it as “a long-term project planner, a dream vacation scheduler, the ultimate bucket-list calendar, a lifetime timeline, an anniversary keeper and birthday reminder, a historical push-pin map, a chronological chart AND a work of conceptual art”.
The calendar is an entertaining way to help people appreciate every day of their lives, and comes with a 14-page user’s guide booklet.
Best of all, the calendar is a great present in more ways than one. In addition to being something special they can keep forever, the giver and receiver are partnering with someone who donates his time and talents to help needy animals.
Beats a box of reindeer-decorated socks from a mega-corporation any day.
- LifetimeCalendars.com (or its “evil twin” ProcrastinatorsCalendar.com)
- Both are the same item, created by Ned Buratovich, but “pitched with different spins.”
If you found this story informative or enjoyable, click on the "subscribe" button above. You will receive free email alerts (and no spam!) when additional articles by Val Heimerich are published. Ms. Heimerich welcomes your comments, questions and suggestions; feel free to post a comment on this article or email her at hartcats@live.com.
Comments