*** 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.
Brooke says
Ikea me! I’d volunteer full time at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. It’s such an amzing organization!
katie crosby says
Ikea me!
I would do a lot of volunteer work for my church
Amy S says
IKEA ME! I would spend a year working for a nonprofit that raises money for cancer research.
Jen says
Ikea me!
I’d split my time and money between Cancer Lifeline a cancer program in the pacific northwest and programs for foster children waiting to be adopted.
Jenae says
IKEA ME!!!
amy e says
IKEA Me!
If I could take a year off, I would volunteer to help at-risk teens and their families.
Trisha says
IKEA ME! I work in a dentist office so the easy thing for me to do would be to be able to do some volunteer service in that area. What I would love to do though is help less fortunate children. Maybe with a community summer program….:)
Martha says
IKEA Me!
I would do something with kids!
madeleine says
IKEA me!
I would absolutely spend a year educating underprivileged families on healthy eating– how to do it, how to afford it, and all the wonderful life-long benefits.
Candace says
IKEA Me!!!!
I would volunteer at the Alheimer’s Project.
Kerry says
IKEA ME!
I would spend the year working on developing extracurricular theatre/drama classes for kids, especially those kids whose families cannot afford such classes. Theatre builds communication/teamwork/confidence/public speaking skills, and much more!
Colleen Kinerk says
Ikea me! I am an older lawyer. I would spend the year providing free legal representation to victims of domestic abuse.
Georgianna says
Ikea me! I would like to open my home up as a foster home. I wish I had more resources to ease the pain of kids who’ve been abandoned by their families.
Lindsey says
IKEA Me!
My goal for next year to help people that I want to start doing is helping people prepare their homes for when they are going to have surgery! I helped my aunt this week by cleaning her house, making meals for her and prepping her home for a harvest fall party. She really appreciated my help and is relaxing comfortably in her clean home!!
Marcie says
Ikea me!! I would love to do some sort of animal rescue. The large number of strays and over crowded shelters in my area are a huge, and incredibly sad, problem.
adam clark says
IKEA ME!!
I would love to take time off to teach. I speak spanish and would help teach english to people who need to learn the language.
ronda w says
IKEA me! please.
Lindsey says
IKEA Me!
I would open a no-kill animal shelter.
Linda says
IKEA Me!
a whole year to work abroad as a women’s health worker…
Jenna C. says
IKEA me!
I would love to spend a year helping communities develop urban gardening- what a great way to beautify a space while helping people make healthier choices!
Christie Fletcher says
IKEA Me!
Martin says
Ikea Me! I would volunteer with Challenger Division sports leagues. These are leagues designed specifically for autistic children. They range from baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. They are truly a blessing to kids and families that suffer from Autism
Lexie Lambert says
IKEA ME!
For a year, I would like to volunteer for Compassion Without Borders: saving animals in Mexico.
Brittni Austin says
IKEA ME!
I would spend the whole year doing whatever it takes to empower people who are helpless to be able to do something better with their lives.
Lacey says
IKEA ME! I was just telling a friend over the weekend about how I’ve always wanted to provide a good home for foster children. With a year off and and extra $100K, just think of how many foster children I could help!
Arian says
IKEA Me! I would work with victimes of domestic violence and their children, helping them get their lives back in together.
Elaine K says
Ikea Me!! I would want to go back to Swaziland to volunteer at an AIDS orphanage. I lived there for 2 years as a child and it breaks my heart to think of all the orphans there.
Shaniz Brapham says
Ikea Me!!
I would volunteer mentoring and rehabilitating teens leaving juvenile detention centers.
Leslie says
IKEA Me! If i could spend a year helping others, and i had all the money i needed for it, I would start a program to get braces for under privileged youth and young adults.
Cristy U. says
Ikea me! If I could take a year, I would do a few different things. I would start by traveling to other less-fortunate countries to help out at their schools. I would love to offer my services as a teacher for free. I would also like to use some of the money to provide supplies for students there. Next, I would do something similar here in the United States. I would find a school with an excellent faculty and students who are just in need of some money and programs to get them where they need to be.
erin pearce says
ikea me!
i’d help more with autism fundraising to help provide funding for families who need help paying for autism therapy. i have a 3 year old little boy with autism and i know first hand that the cost of intensive therapy for autism is outrageous (usually $40,000+) and its especially hard when insurance companys are finding ways to get out of paying for it… so were on a 1 year waitlist with TONS of other families even though the key is EARLY intervention! sorry to go on a tangent!
Matt says
IKEA Me!
I would love to help rebuild New Orleans.
Emily M says
IKEA ME!
I would be spending the year rescuing dogs from kill shelters. Those Sarah McLaughlin commercials break my heart!
Sally W. says
IKEA me!
If I could take a year off, I’d work for an animal rescue or cruelty prevention organization, or I’d start my own.
[email protected] says
Ikea me! I would spend a year volunteering to do makeup and hair at my local homeless and battered women’s shelter so that women could feel and look their best for job interviews!
JGeb says
IKEA ME!
Not very creative, but my heart belongs to animals, so if I could take the year off I would work in animal shelters and promote no-kill and rescue organizations. So many animals need loving homes!
Cassie says
Ikea me! I would either go to Africa with my family to build wells and clean water sources or to Cambodia to volunteer with People for Care and Learning.
Karin says
Ikea Me! I have a chair I’m dying to order!
If I took a year off I would find a space to teach cooking classes and also hold classes at inner city community centers. So many of the health problems our country faces could be remedied by people learning how to cook real food rather than spending their food dollars on overly processed foods. Also, impoverished people and those living on government programs would greatly benefit from learning how to cook wholesome low-cost meals for their families.
Amy P. says
Ikea me… We live in Colorado.. and Ikea is being built as we speak… So far I have only been able to dream about IKEA… look at their catalog… Cut this and that out and dream… But not any longer.. As soon as IKEA opens it will be a reality… My home will go from drab to fab… Whoop.. whoop…. And until then.. You will hear me saying… “Open.. open..open..”
I would love…love…love… to start a non-profit that would be called “Simply (B)”… A place where you walk in the door and you simply be you… You see photos on the wall.. Photos that speak to you and tell a story without a word being spoken…A non-profit that would teach all ages photography.. To me.. Photography is “powerful!” It tells your story and other stories around you… It shows were you have been and where you’re possibly going… Who you are and what matters to you… The thing I love most about photography is every ones photograph is different just like we are all different… Photography can be so empowering and I don’t think there is enough options for everyone to learn how to use photography in their life and how to leave their mark with photography. From the simplest cameras to the high tech ones.. I just want to teach others and help others with photography in the everyday scene in their life….
Cat says
IKEA ME!!!
I volunteer regularly with my local Junior League and sorority alumnae group. However, if I could do anything, I would rescue cats and spay/neuter feral cats and kittens. Of course it would be in a dream house that was totally cat-friendly, and my husband would magically think this was a good idea. One can dream!
Nicola says
Ikea Me!
I would spend the time volunteering for non profits with causes I admire.
Tracy says
IKEA Me! I would collect gently used blankets, clothing and supplies from friends and family and distribute to the homeless. I am so fortunate to sleep in a warm and toasty home.
MaryAZ says
IKEA me! If I could, I would start an after school art program.
Amy B says
IKEA Me!
I think I would choose to be a foster parent for newborns that need a home and love in the interim before being adopted with an organization like Bethany Christian Services.
Kerry says
IKEA ME!
Right now I work as a home physical therapist with geriatric patients. I think sometimes that our elderly are a very overlooked part of our society. If I had a year off and $100000 I would donate that time and money to providing events to elderly individuals. I think it is important to provide a good quality of life to the after 65 group, and remind them there is still life to live.
Allison says
Ikea Me!!!
I would totally help kids in elementary-high school get food for the weekend! I’m a teacher and so many of my students eat lunch on Friday and don’t eat again until breakfast on Monday! It’s so sad! Kids deserve and need to eat over the weekend to be successful in anything they attempt!
Alana says
IKEA ME!
I would love to help teach kids or play sports in an afterschool- like program.
Mary N. says
IKEA ME!
If I could take a year off, I would work with troubled youth at a non-profit agency. I would love to do recreational therapy with them – out in nature hiking, kayaking and learning good life skills!
lisa says
Ikea Me!
If I had a year? I would work to increase health care availability to young teens….reproductive services, educaation and compliance. Too many of our younger people are undereducated and poorly cared for.
Erika says
IKEA ME.
I would probably do somthing like habitat for humanity or work for bringing back arts education to kids.