*** 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.
Jamie O says
IKEA ME! Please :) And I would love to work with animals and find them loving forever homes!
Katie says
IKEA Me!
I would spend a year opening a school for trafficked girls in Cambodia or Bangkok or elsewhere per “Half The Sky” by Nick Kristof.
Tami says
Ikea me!
I would love to spend a year working with kids and trying to arts back into the schools with after school programs!!
Kate says
IKEA ME!!!!
Amber says
IKEA ME!
I would deffff volunteer tutoring at afterschool programs or being a mentor to the intercity kids.
anna k. says
Ikea me!
Husband and I travel overseas twice a year to work in orphanages… we would love to be given the opportunity to work with orphans for a full year– we’d probably end up staying (we’ve been planning this since before we got married).
lauren says
IKEA ME!
If I could take a year off I’d volunteer with underserved teenagers. Whether it’s teens with learning disabilites, addictions, pregnancy, etc.
Liz Feola says
Ikea Me!
I would love to take a year and volunteer at all of the non-profit organizations in my community!
Jamie says
IKEA ME!!
I would love to work with animals!
Kate says
IKEA ME!
I would love to spend a year getting a community garden up and running
Jenny says
Ikea Me! I’d spend a year teaching English in China.
Michelle says
IKEA me!! No doubt – animal rescue. Thank you!
Nicole says
“IKEA me!”.
I would spend a year working to get healthy meals and organic vegetable gardens implemented in the public school system.
Deb says
IKEA ME!
I’d help people learn to read and I’d try to save as many dogs as possible from the local shelters. I’d also like to wrok with my local veteran’s group.
Michelle says
IKEA ME!
This will be so useful for furnishing my first apartment after graduation in June!
I would absolutely work to rescue dogs and help them get adopted. I just find it so tragic when animals are abused or neglected because they can’t speak on their behalf.
Nicole Sheehan says
IKEA Me!
This is amazing! I’d donate time and funds to Penelope House, a shelter for abused women in Mobile, AL
Suna Cho says
IKEA ME!!
if I have a chance to take a year off, I’d teach foreign languages to people in need.
Maggie says
Ikea me! I’d volunteer at The Little Light House in Tulsa, Ok, which serves special needs pre-schoolers at no charge to their families. They run solely on donations and receive no govt or United Way funding.
Debby says
IKEA Me !! Please Please Please !!
Ana says
IKEA me!
If I won $100K, I’d volunteer somewhere in Latin America and help educate children and their parents to give them an alternative to coming north. When I was in Mexico this summer, I saw that many people have a willingness to try new things but the country is very poor so they have extremely limited opportunities.
jess clark says
ikea me!!
i would move to africa to work with my uncle doing microbanking there. he already lives there and does that so i would love to join him!
emily says
ikea me! i would definitely invest in kids, our future. especially reading programs.
Cathryn says
IKEA ME!
I would take the year to volunteer my interior design services to our local Habitat for Humanity chapter. Design doesn’t have to be expensive, just smart. I love to help make lives easier and more comfortable for those in need.
Megan H says
Ikea Me!
I would love to spend a year working with Habitat for Humanity…
JulieKG says
IKEA ME!! I would spend the year working with at-risk inner city teens — to figure out their goals and hopes for the future, encouraging them, and and show them how to make goals and achieve them.
Erin says
IKEA Me!
I would like to work to make healthcare services (especially mental health services) available to those who cannot afford it. There are so many people whose lives could be greatly improved with access to basic mental health care services.
Cristy says
IKEA MEEE!
I would definitely help kids. Anything with kids. Maybe just give kids without good home situations a safe good place to be, tutoring, sports and activities to have something good to look forward to. Anything like that. I’d love it!!
Amy says
Ikea Me!!
If I could have a year off I would work with our city’s head start education program. They so need all the help they can get.
Brandi Johnson says
IKEA me and I would spend a year helping children of parents with drug problems, specifically methamphetamine problems. Both of my parents struggled for 2 decades with drug abuse and it’s been a passion of mine to help children that come from families that have to deal with this. I went through this myself and I would love to be a resource and place of comfort for children that have to deal with this on a daily basis.
Jessica J. says
IKEA Me!
Not sure what I’d do with one day. If I consistenly had days available (and could make the commitment), I’d volunteer in a school setting. I love working with kids.
Christa says
IKEA me!
If I could, I’d begin compost and gardening programs at elementary schools in my area.
sheila onzere says
IKEA me!
What would I do with the money? A long time friend is coming to visit me all the way from Kenya. My husband and I have been wanting to make our tiny guest room/ office more presentable but I was ill last year, was in the process of getting a green card and this year my husband doesnt have an assistantship (we are both in grad school). So we have zero money to spare. I would buy a Meldal day bed/matress, that really cool white and black stripped rug from ikea.
What would I do for a year if I had 100,000 dollars. I strongly believe that the structure of the food distribution system in Africa will be a key determinant in ensuring urban food security for the urban poor in rapidly urbanizing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. I also believe that small scale intermediaries, especially women traders and vendors are pivotal in this process. If I had that kind of money I would spend the year working with women traders in east africa to get them access to market information, to help them form cooperatives and to create better linkages between these traders and women farmers.
Sort of a long entry but I am passionate about it!
Brea Testa says
IKEA Me! If I could volunteer for one year, I would join the Whale Wars (Animal Planet) crew on their quest to save whales from Japanese fishermen.
Kate says
IKEA ME!
I would like to spend some time with animal rehabilitation groups.
Erin says
Ikea Me! I would work with kids with special needs. They want what all of us want… acceptance. Kids have such a special place in my heart and I would love to help others understand them so inclusion becomes part of our daily life.
Candace says
IKEA ME!
I’d love to work at an orphanage in africa… there are so many hungry, sick babies that need to be held and loved!
Lynsee says
IKEA me! If I had a year to help others, I would help homeless people in my area.
Karyn says
IKEA me!! What would I do??…Hmmm…I already help people by working at a low-income health clinic, and for WAY less than $100,000/year! If I could, I’d stay in my job and put some of that money into new programs to serve our patients.
Oh, and Denver is FINALLY getting an IKEA in about a year. I already have a wish list and would love to put this gift card to good use!
Lyndsay says
IKEA Me!!!!
If I could help others I would open a no kill animal shelter. I would adopt dogs from other shelters that were running out of room and give them a second chance at my shelter.
debbie crosby says
ikea me!
i would volunteer at animal shelters. i love animals and would love more time to help them!
Elena Sullivan says
IKEA me!!!
If I had a year to spend helping others I would go to work for The Community Coaching Center right here in San Diego. It is a social skills program for children with autism and they do an amazing job of teaching children with autism to function within the larger community while also teaching community members how to better include those with developmental disabilities.
Anne Martin says
Ikea Me!
I would volunteer at a theater program for street children in Kenya called Shangalia.
Kristi says
IKEA ME!
Wow – huge question. Since it has never been an option, or even a remote option I have never truly thought about that one. Guess I will have to now….
Julie D says
IKEA Me!
I’ve always wanted to start a program in schools where kids could learn how to train dogs at the local shelter. We have a large pitbull fighting problem around where I live and a lot of these dogs end up living outside chained to houses their entire lives or end up in the shelters. I think it would be useful to show kids how to take care of their dogs and train them to do tricks. It would be confidence building for the kids and the dogs.
Danielle says
Ikea me!!!
I would like to set up free prenatal/postnatal care for women without insurance.
jessica kent says
ikea me!
my hubby and i dream about heading overseas somewhere to work in an orphanage! oneday…
Amy S. says
IKEA Me!
I would use that opportunity to help provide clean water to people in third world countries–we take clean water for granted, but many people are not as lucky as we are.
Mary G says
IKEA Me!
I would aim to help those young children who have trouble reading and writing and can’t get the same help at school.
Kim Mazza says
IKEA ME !!!
If I had the opportunity to volunteer, I would like to help out my neighbors more. Some are elderly and need help with their lawns and grocery shopping. Some are young parents and need assistance watching their children for a few hours or helping with projects around their homes.
Ashley Welch says
Ikea me!
I would love to start a pre-school for students who do not have the opportunity to go to pre-school!