My Nonprofit Reviews

Several years, during one of those endless beauty salon sessions, it occurred to me: I was spending more on my hair each year than I was donating to charity. It was an appalling thought and a wake-up call. That year, I made sure to send at least what I spent in that salon over the year to several of my favorite charities.

Now I've let my hair go gray--which I should have done a long time ago--but I continue to give at least at the 'annual high-maintenance hair-care level' to the non-profits I love. One of the closest to my heart is Arts & Minds, http://www.artsandminds.org/, run on a shoestring by art historian and educator, Carolyn Halpin-Healy. It's a great cause, and it addresses a pressing need.

Carolyn's organization partners with museums to provide meaningful art-centered activities that create positive cognitive experiences, enhance communication, and reduce isolation for those with dementia and their caregivers.

The programs run by Arts & Minds are powerful experiences for the cognitively impaired, their family members, and their professional caregivers. Participants testify that these programs strengthen social, emotional, and spiritual bonds by engaging with art. The outcomes of this program are so inspiring!

So try it: what do you spend each year on your hair?

Surely you can match that this year in your giving also.