*** 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…
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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.
Chris says
IKEA Me! :D
Sarah L says
IKEA ME!!! There is an amazing non-profit that friends of ours started called One Day’s Wages that aims to alleviate extreme global poverty around the world. I would love to spend my year on staff with them! They are amazing people and I could learn so much from them.
Melissa says
IKEA ME!!!
I have a friend who works with orphans in Africa, in fact she’s adopted two, and she is always searching for volunteers and funding to bring aid to these poor kids… I would love to be able to really help her out!
CT says
IKEA me!!
Karol says
IKEA ME!
Lauren says
IKEA ME!!!
If I could spend one year helping someone else, I would definitely open up a rescue for dogs. I ave always wanted to work in conjunction with a local Humane Society and take in their overflow, especially of the older dogs that no one seems to want. Those dogs deserve to enjoy life to the fullest still and it always breaks my heart that they are usually the first to be put down. I have two dogs of my own, one that I rescued from a hoarding situation and I just love them to death. Dogs are innocent animals and they deserve much love and care!
P.S. Sherry and John, I love your house makeover and I can’t wait to be elbow and knee deep in my own house makeover!!
Kimberli Trotman says
IKEA ME!!
And if I could take a year to help people….I would devote the year to helping the elderly. I feel that too many of our elderly are just forgotten about so I would use the time to do what I could to help them.
Mel Wilson says
IKEA Me!
Kara says
IKEA ME!!!
I’d put the money towards the kids who go to the school where I teach. There’s so much they need and so many experiences they’ve yet to have….all of which I could give them with money like that!:)
rachel dewing says
IKEA ME!
If I had a year off to volunteer. I’d spend my time developing fun programs for he local childrens hospice! We’d “go around the world” designating a differnt country for each week and learning about the people and culture! Nothing can make u so grateful or proud as seeing kids just being in kids in a rough situation.
Laura says
“IKEA me!!! (Please!)
My boyfriend and I recently bought our first home sweet home. I stumbled across your blog when searching about DIY tips. I am so happy that google led me to you :) Thanks for all the help! We would love the IKEA gift card to help make our house more of a home.
BONUS QUESTION:
I am a nurse in a Neonatal ICU and have the privilege of working with families in what is not the most ideal situation. It is beautiful to see what families will do for their children. Parents may not always take the best care of themselves, but they want to make a better life for their kids. I love taking an experience that is often scary and overwhelming and helping to make it positive by empowering the families through education, compassionate and conscientious nursing care, and community support. Other times, families do not have their child’s best interest at heart, which makes me want to help even more.
If I had a year to not worry about making money and be able to give ALL of myself to the community, I would definitely work with children. From the moment they are born, kids are inspiring. They make me want to be a better person and motive changes that will create a better world for them. I am not a mom, but the desire to help children is beyond that. For me, it is an innate human emotion to uplift and support children, especially those born into poverty. I would love the opportunity to devote my time to creating a more positive environment for children in poverty by working with a program, such as Save the Children. This program’s approach of creating a strong foundation for a successful future is directly aligned with how I would like to serve the community. They promote good nutrition, literacy programs, evidence-based medical care, child protection, etc, all with the goal of ensuring that the condition you are born into, if unfavorable, does not have to define you. It would be an honor to combine my nursing experience and desire to work more closely with families in poverty over the next year.
Nikki Knez says
Ikea me! :)
katey says
Ikea me!
I’d love to spend a year loving on orphans who don’t have a mommy to lavish them with love. I often think of those children when I am rocking my own.
Lori says
IKEA ME!
one of my all-time favorite stores
If I could take the year off, I would love to volunteer at a retirement home like the one where my grandmother lives!
Genevieve says
Ikea Me! If I could spend a year helping others, I would start a social enterprise (a sustainable company that would cause a social benefit or change). I would love to do something that would lessen the difficulties of the homeless, the mentally ill, or those with substance abuse problems. I am also aware of many issues needing help in the developing world. As to more specifics… I’d have to spend the first part of the year figuring out how to best effect change!!!
Ashley Terronez says
IKEA me!
If I could take a year off to help someone it would be to travel from family to family in aide of the autistic children. SO many families have a child with a spectrum disorder, but meet dead-ends when they try to get help. School districts are very rarely able to provide these children with the proper education, but don’t want to pay for them to be sent someone else, say, Heartspring where I work (a residential school). Also parents need training and assistance readily available on how to teach this child to have the most successful/ independent life possible. I would travel around and offer guidance, support, and assistance to families that have no one to help them
Ashley Terronez
Jill says
OMG OMG!!! I can’t believe I won! Thank you John and Sherry! I have no idea what I want to buy, I could pretty much close my eyes and point my finger in IKEA and I would probably need, want, love and cherish that item!
The bigger question is, do I take the fancy-dancy ferry to the Brooklyn IKEA from Manhattan, or the more convenient, but less exciting bus to the Jersey IKEA? Oh, the dilemma!!
Thanks again Petersik family!
Jill
http://www.kinyama.blogspot.com
Michelle says
Just would like to say that it sucks that this prize is only for the states when we have ikea in Canada!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Sorry Michelle! The prize eligibility is always up to the person providing it, so perhaps this is a case of our contacts being different than the Canadian ones?
-John
NEPD says
WAHOOO! THIS IS AWESOME! We just had a little baby last week a little early, and we still need some nursery stuff! THANKS IKEA AND YHL
Alyssa Allen says
I cannot believe I won! This is thrilling, because we are just about to decorate our son’s “big boy” room, and I am hoping for some new curtains for the living room! Thanks, John and Sherry — and IKEA, of course! I love the blog.