2nd annual Sharing is Caring Choo Choo!!! Review OP for more ways to earn points! This train is running GReaT!!

[chitownmelli]

2nd Annual Sharing is Caring Choo Choo

Last year this train was such a success that Kristy and I decided that we wanted to make it a yearly tradition. For those of you who are not familiar with this train, the main idea is that we roll along the tracks like any other train, and in addition, for the duration of the train, people donate items, time, money to charitable causes and receive points for doing so. It is a contest of sorts because there is a winner at the end, whoever racks up the most points – and truly, everyone is a winner. The feeling of giving and sharing is quite a reward, which you will find out if you claim a ticket for this ride.

Last year, we had 34 riders who racked up a total of 6898 points! Since most items donated or shared were worth one point, you can see how many people our train touched while it was running. We are so proud of last year’s riders – the results were considerably higher than what we were expecting! This train kept us very busy last year, with “pledges” coming in at all hours of the day and night for the train, and we look forward to that happening again!


To Qualify for this ride:

You must be a member of the trading group with an itrader rating of 5 or higher with no negatives.

Doing the donation part of this train is required if you sign up to ride.

You must be able to be part of the ride for the entire 4 weeks. If you are going on vacation or anything, please sign up with us next year as that would put a kink in the round robin mail times.

You must be willing to send out quality envies.

You must agree that at the end of the train you will send out up to 2 RAOK envies to whoever the winners of the contest are. (one to each winner)

You may only ride 3 trains at a time at HCW, if you are already on 3, we hope you will catch our next train!


THE TRAIN PORTION OF THIS RIDE:

We have as many seats available as we need so that everyone who is interested in riding can climb aboard. Sign ups will be from today until October 22nd. We will send out one mailing list with everyone’s info on it, and the riding order will be posted as soon as possible.

For the train portion this year, we will be doing a round robin. Everyone will start an envie with no fewer than 25 coupons / items in it and mail to the next person in line. The envies will just keep going, you should mail out again within 24 – 48 hours of receiving an envie, so everyone can receive as many envies as possible.

Mailing will start on October 26th and will end on November 25th. Whichever envie you have at the end is yours to keep.

You must post when you receive and again when you mail out.

Any rider who repeatedly stalls the train will be removed so that the ride is fun for the other riders.


ENVIE GUIDELINES:

Each envie will have no fewer than 25 coupons or items in it. (items = BTFE, stickers, actuals, stamps etc)

Coupons will expire no sooner than 2 weeks after the mail date

Riders should use the persons wish list as a starting point when filling the envie and then try and choose coupons and items to fill the rest of the envie that you think would compliment the person’s wishes. Thoughtful envies are good envies and what goes around comes around!

Please write your user name and the train name and envie name (we will assign Thanksgiving themed envie names to each rider) somewhere on the envie

Envies should be passed along within 24- 48 hours of receiving it and you should be posting when you receive and mail out.

Sending more than 25 coupons and items is fine, please check your postage

If your envie is not received within 2 weeks of when you mailed, you will be asked to mail again.

No baby, pet, meds or otherwise oddball products on this train unless it is specifically on your match up’s list.

Up to two duplicates of non wish list coupons per envie – for EXACT matches (item and value would both need to match to be an exact match) multiples are encouraged.

You are also encouraged to communicate with your buddy to see what other things you might have that they would need.


THE DONATION / CONTEST PART OF THE RIDE

First of all, yes there is a prize for being the winner. We will actually have 2 winners this year. Kristy and I will be playing along and will be eligible to win since winning is not determined by a vote this time. The person with the most points at the end of the train (officially ends November 25th and those of you who will be serving community service by serving Thanksgiving meal at a shelter or soup kitchen may claim points for that, please do so before the end of the contest)

What you do is to simply donate items, time, money, whatever to a charitable cause or person in need and then you come and post to the thread about what you have done. You may post as many things as you like. Kristy and I will be logging that all into our database to keep track of the points, so please post each donation only once – we will mark the thread “updated” via a post after the last one that we logged so you will know that your points have been counted. The same goes for mailing and receiving. This will be a very long thread, by the way – which is why we mark things done so there is no confusion.

Here are some ideas, and the points you can receive for them:

1 item to a food pantry, food drive, church, neighbor, friend or family member in need = 1 point

1 clothing, toy, book, HBA item donated to a shelter, goodwill type facility, or person in need directly = 1 point

1 hour doing community service or volunteer work of any kind (example, working at a soup kitchen at any time during the month, working at a shelter, donating blood, etc) = 5 points.

A turkey donated to a food drive, food pantry, or person in need = 5 points

Whole Thanksgiving dinner donated to an organization who hands them out, or donated by yourself = 25 points. Filling out the little cards that come in the newspaper a few weeks before thanksgiving, to give a dinner for $2 or whatever do not count, we want you actively donating the food items.

Ideas for what to include when delivering a Thanksgiving meal to a neighbor: Turkey, Potatoes, canned veggies, boxed or bagged stuffing, canned cranberry sauce, pie. (just suggestions, let your heart decide what you bring them)

Any money that you donate to charity during the week train ride that goes to an organization that will help during Thanksgiving will count. THIS DOES include those little cards that come in the newspaper for helping buy meals. = 1 point per dollar.

Last year people were giving out HBA baskets to neighbors. We will allow those again. Everyone really went above and beyond with those and stuffed them with tons of wonderful things. Each basket will be worth 25 points. (people were packing them nice and full and wrapping them up pretty, that’s why they are worth so many points)

Pet stuff for pet shelters = 1 point per item.

We just got this one as an idea: Set up a food, hba, clothing drive at work, or wherever you have permission to: Points will be awarded as follows:

25 points for initially setting it up, 1 point for each item that YOU donate to your drive, and remember to log your time spent working on the drive so you can get your 5 points per volunteer hour!!

***new*** Send a RAOK to anyone on the board! If you send a coupon RAOK (please start with their wishlist for a quality coupon) and post who you mailed to, we will award you with 5 points. If you ask them to check in with me or Kristy when it arrives, and they do - we will award you another 5 points!!!

If anyone else has ideas for things we could add to the list that doesn’t fall into one of these categories, or have any questions about what is acceptable, please just PM us.


HOW TO SIGN UP

Post to the thread to hold your seat. In your post, so that we know that you have read the entire thread, please include a word – any word at all that reminds you of Thanksgiving, or giving to someone else. Let’s see how many original words we can come up with. Feel free to share why you chose your word if you wish.

PM me right away with your mailing info and wish list link if it is not in your siggy. We will not be going and looking for them as this train is time consuming the way it is. A note on wishlists, when you hit the update button in the database, it makes a new link – so if you change / update your WL through the database while the train is going on you will have to PM us the updated link so your buddy can get to your list.

Ready …… set ……. CHOO CHOO

(and of coarse, Happy Choo Choo for those who were waiting for it lol!)

RIDER LIST
You will always mail to the person under you!!

*dominicsmommy
*sunshinesmom
*chitownmelli Granny envie, blessings envie
*austingirl comfort envie, grateful envie, free turkeys at ACME envie, stuffed envie
*lamezquita0308 people envie, family envie,
*rdot mom's stuffing envie
*jolly321
*coupongirl69
*born2boop
*Lvoskan togetherness envie, vacation envie
*Ticone4
*turtlegirl115
*ejboobear thankful envie, sweet potato casserole envie, football envie
*ryansmommie
*Elhana Rohliky envie
*rbunnymom cranberry jello envie, love envie, pumpkin pie envie, deep fried turkey envie, blessed envie
*nancy_p
*njsmomma turkey dad, stories
hillaryef has voluntarily stepped off of the train
*newatthis
*pwetypweas
*kookiecrisp Black Friday ads envie
*frugalstafar smile envie
*joannemturner football weekend envie,

[pwetypweas]

Sharing and Caring

Many thanks go out for your empathy,
By putting yourselves in our place,
People will help, but must be asked,
We do not expect sympathy,
Special people instinctively know,
The needs of us in distress,
Pity breeds negative thinking,
Positive thoughts are best.
We need support of family and friends,
For someday you may be as I,
So share and care as best you can,
If you cannot we understand,
You've touched my life with tenderness,
God sent you, so thee I bless.
While walking down life's pathway,
Do as the volunteers do,
Give a little time,
A small piece of you.

Audrey Duncan Major

[pwetypweas]

[chitownmelli]

LOL guys! you are too funny. We're gonna call it closed. No new sign ups today. You should be receiving your rider lists soon, and Kristy is working out the riding order. Get ready to choo choo!

I have strict orders from Kristy to rest now after all the sign ups and record keeping lol! ;)

[dominicsmommy]

OK, the train route is up and the addie list has been sent.
Please let me know asap if you did not get an addie list and I will send another one.
Mailing early is fine but please post when you get your envie out. Also please mail out by 10-26!!
Thanks,
Kristy

It's time to Choo Choo as Melli says!!

[chitownmelli]

Since we have made everything all final and stuff, you can all start making donations tomorrow and posting them. Please be specific about how many items of what type (food, hba, baskets, turkeys, hours volunteered etc) so we can log your points appropriately.

And by the way, I thought it would be great to have some kind of a goal --- let's see, since we took "pledges" for one week last year and got around 7000 points ----- how would you all like to try and break ohhhhh, let's say 25,000 points? I bet we can do it, we are going for 4 weeks!!!! Your prize will be a big pat on the back from me, Kristy and your fellow team mates, and the thanks you receive from those who you have helped ;)

Ready, set.....

HAPPY CHOO CHOO!!!!

[rdot]

Football Envie is on the tracks to jolly321

[turtlegirl115]

I am so excited about this train!

[sunshinesmom]

I am taking a box of stuff to our church preschool in just a few minutes. It has 12 boxes of character band aids, 18 glue sticks, 10 boxes of crayons, 2 reams of copy paper, 6 pairs of children's scissors, 2 hand sanitizers and 4 cans of lysol! 54 items total.

Is that how we are supposed to report?

[dominicsmommy]

The "Free turkeys at Acme" envie is going out today to sunshinesmom!!
Hope you likey:)
Kristy