*** This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – scroll down to see who won!***
Perhaps you’ve heard of a little store called Ikea? And perhaps you’ll be interested in a $350 gift card from them for this week’s giveaway? Yeah we couldn’t believe it either when they emailed us. Hooray is right, Ikea catalog. Well said.
And not only are they generously offering up this week’s sweet prize, Ikea’s also presenting “The Life Improvement Project” where they’ll award one philanthropic individual $100,000 to take a one year sabbatical to help others (start a non-profit, volunteer for a year, etc). Plus they’re hosting free seminars in their stores about improving your life through your living space.
But back to how you can get your mitts on that $350 gift card:
- PRIZE: A $350 gift card to Ikea!
- TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “IKEA Me!” and…
- BONUS QUESTION: … tell us what you’d do if you could spend one year helping others. Would you open an after school program? Volunteer at a homeless shelter? Rescue animals?
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, October 27th at 8pm EST
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
- PRIZE SHIPS: The United States
- USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday as an update to this post. That’s right, come right back here Thursday morning for the announcement of our winner. Good luck…
******************************
You guys are quite impressive with your nearly 11,000 entries. So impressive in fact that Ikea decided to change their plans and give away not just one, not just two, but THREE $350 gift cards. That’s over $1000 in gift cards! Thanks Ikea!
So let’s see who the lucky three winners are according to random.org:
- Alyssa Allen (who’s Life Improvement Project would include moving her fam somewhere in the world to help the poverty crisis)
- NEPD (who’d give her wedding florist services away free of charge)
- Jill (who’d give a year working with the Wildlife Conservation Society)
Note: We weren’t paid or perk’d for hosting this giveaway, we just take them on to reward our lovely readers! See our Giveaway FAQs page for more info. Pics from Ikea.
Terri says
IKEA ME! I would love to start a pregnancy center.
Janny A. says
IKEA ME PLEASE!!!
I would like to start good libraries for children in third world countries.
Jamie says
IKEA me! I would take a year off to work with children that have been abused. Offering them love and support.
Kerry says
IKEA Me
I woud love to do something to help the environment.
Cat@BudgetBlonde says
IKEA ME!
Sarah H. says
IKEA me!
If ever I had a year-long sabbatical to volunteer, I would spend it working with the American Diabetes Association.
Amanda says
IKEA ME! As a photographer and an animal lover, I would volunteer my time photographing shelter animals to help ensure they find a loving, forever home. If they are unable to be adopted, I would add them to my family, which means I would HAVE to move to a farm for all of them to be able to run and play. What an amazing year that would be!
Melissa N says
IKEA ME!
Cali says
IKEA Me! I’d take the year to get an outreach program off the ground. Last summer I started Urban Youth Yoga and was able to teach yoga in some of the worst city schools in Harrisburg, PA. (Yoga = mindfulness, communication, and respect. Three things that many children living in low income communities might not have modeled for them.) Now I’m living in Arizona and would love to start Urban Youth Yoga in Phoenix, except I don’t have the time or the resources. 1 year and 100,000 dollars would surely bring this awesome outreach to the communities in Phoenix–and hopefully inspire the kids to effect change in their own neighborhoods, schools, playgrounds, and homes!
Katie says
IKEA ME!
I think I’d want to work with school lunch programs. There’s too many kids that go to school hungry and cafeteria food isn’t as nutritious as it should be.
Kristen says
IKEA me!
As a teacher, I would love to do something great to help schools.
Charlotte says
IKEA ME!
Currently about 1/3 of my way through a volunteer year with AmeriCorps, I’m seriously considering drawing up a project proposal for the Life Improvement Project. I’d spend my year on multiple small-scale projects within one neighborhood, lending my hand where I could to address education, food security, health, and crime prevention.
Jaya Saigal says
IKEA ME!
If I could spent a year volunteering I would spend my time working in an animal shelter.
Emily J. says
IKEA ME!
Karolina says
IKEA me!!!
I would love to get involved with an animal shelter, I wish I could adopt every stray on the planet but we don’t have the room! I think that our three rescue dogs would love it as well :)
Diana says
IKEA ME!! Gosh, I love IKEA!!
I would want to travel to a less privileged area of the world and help by doing pretty much anything – building better shelters, schooling the children, digging wells – you name it!
Brook says
I’ve never been to Ikea. Please, IKEA ME!!
Clare says
IKEA Me!
I would probably work on screening and early detection efforts for breast cancer. This has been my father’s life work as a physician but he’s retiring this year so I’d like to continue to spread his message of getting screened early and often for breast cancer!
Mari K. says
IKEA ME!!!
I would spend my year helping infant cancer victims and their families.
Jill says
IKEA ME!
teach english overseas!
Abby G. says
IKEA ME!
I would open an animal shelter — my husband and I have determined that when we retire, we’d love to either work at or open our own animal shelter.
Christine says
IKEA ME!
If i had a year to help others, I would like to help veterans returning from overseas. They don’t get the help or respect they deserve.
suzanne says
Ikea me, please :)
If I had a whole year to help others, I would return to West Africa and work with women. While I was in the Peace Corps in Mauritania I found the women were running households, raising kids, and keeping everything together. With a bit more knowledge and education on their bodies and rights, they can dramatically improve their children’s and own lives.
Gena says
IKEA ME! I would work to eliminate hunger in my hometown. Working with shelters, soup kitchens, and any other organization that provides food for the poor. I would also try to motivate those that donate and those that purchase for the kitchens to purchase healthy, sustainable food.
Shari says
IKEA ME!!!!
I would love to rescue animals…particularly chihuahuas!
Tabitha L. says
IKEA ME!!
I currently volunteer for the American Cancer Society… for there “Look Good, Feel Better” program. I help women undergoing Cancer treatments, feel better by teaching them how to apply make-up, take care of their skin, and we also go over wigs… most of them feel so much like them selves again when they leave and I feel very rewarded by helping them. I would love to help fund this even more.
Amy Holtcamp says
IKEA ME! I’m honestly not sure what I would do with the extra time. I would love to find a way for low income communities to get access to healthy food, teach kids how to cook, etc.
Jessica says
Ikea Me!
I would spend a year doing some of what I already do with Camp Fire USA but with an increased emphasis on low income/ rurual areas in south King County, where my council located and to reach out to the Orca Council who is my neighbor(I live near the border!)to the south-east of me!
http://www.campfireusa.org
Kim at Yellow Brick Home says
IKEA ME!
Volunteer at the animal shelter, definitely.
Chrysta says
IKEA ME!
There are so many things you could do with that money. I would use that money to help people devastated by natural disasters.
rachel says
IKEA ME!
I’ve always wanted to help out with medical missions trips!
Rachel says
IKEA me!
I work for an amazing nonprofit, bringing art to young patients and families dealing with serious illnesses and disabilities, and I love my job – so I really can’t say I would take off for a year and do something else!
But, OK – in another life, I might travel to help people in other parts of the world who don’t have it as good as we do in the US: build schools, teach agriculture, provide wells… my own little Peace Corps ;)
Jessica Bishop says
IKEA Me!
I would spend a year volunteering to help the families affected by the Nashville floods and/or working with local animal rescue groups to help abandoned pets find forever homes.
Kate says
IKEA ME!
I’ve wanted to travel to Africa and volunteer in the elephant orphanages for years!
Beth says
“IKEA ME!!!”
I would love to open up a no-kill animal shelter to help neglected, homeless, and abused animals.
Jenny says
IKEA Me!!!
My husband and I have pet ferrets and a passion for animals and helping others. I would love to volunteer with ferret rescue and re-homing someday. They’re such misunderstood little animals, and it would warm my heart to provide them the love and care they all deserve.
Hayley says
IKEA Me!
If I had a year off and $100,000, I would explore ways to help victims of sex trafficking. I’d travel to areas where it’s most prevalent to do some research, and then decide how best I could help bring an end to it.
Sarah Jay says
IKEA Me!
Julie B says
IKEA Me! I would love to help rescue animals, work with Habitat for Humanity, donate to various charities…Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, World Vision, Feed the Children, etc. So many to choose from!
Kristin says
IKEA ME!
Rachel says
Ikea me!!!!
I would volunteer more at the hospital (currently go once a week) and help rescue dogs. I am a sucker for animals, especially dogs!
Sarah T says
Ikea Me! I would create a non-profit for infertility awareness
Jenni says
IKEA me!
If I had a year off to do volunteer work, I would try to do a little bit of everything… I’d like to work with animals, kids, and in women’s shelters, definitely.
Danalin says
IKEA me!
I would spend that year establishing food programs to feed the hungry all over our country. I think that hunger in the United States is often overlooked; it’s not just a homeless or even low-income problem. There are middle-class families who sometimes struggle to put food on the table.
Jenn dePaula says
IKEA ME! Please :)
I would spend a year volunteering at various grade schools in the Nashville area. Reading to kids, tutoring, helping teachers, etc.
Jessica says
IKEA Me!
pretty puhleaseee! we LOVE ikea!! my husband and i always have said if we had the money we’d like to go around doing random things for people, buy someones groceries, pay for someones gas, pay for someones meal. I think this would be amazing.
Becky says
IKEA ME!!!!!
I would like to help with an after school program for working parents. I think parents need help with a before school starts program. This weekend I heard how elementary students are ditching school. I was shocked to hear this.
Melissa says
IKEA me!!
I’d love to spend a year helping homeless women with children.
Kathryn says
IKEA ME!
I would spend time helping pregnant women and new moms with the medical care they need and also educating them on pregnancy and caring for newborns!
lindsay says
IKEA ME!
I’d start a free after school tutoring program for kids that are struggling in school.