*** 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.
ashley says
IKEA me!
I’d help ArtBeast-a nonprofit art studio in my town that supports after-school art programs and homeless women and children
Veronika Zappelli says
Ikea Me!
I would volunteer at an orphanage in Haiti.
Elaine says
IKEA Me!
I’d like to work in health care in rural parts of the US.
kjpugs says
IKEA me!
I would spend all year helping rescue and care for pugs in need with Kentuckiana Pug Rescue! No question about it!
Leslie P. says
IKEA ME! I would spend the year working with underprivileged children and their families to develop & carry through life plans to succeed in the future. This would include free professional counseling & other resources the family is in need of.
Julia says
IKEA ME! If I had a one year sabbatical I’d stay right where we’re at (a pretty poor area of the SW) and offer college assistance/finance classes with all materials, free of charge. That information would serve so many people around here…
Keith Emerson says
IKEA ME!
I’m in the military so I can’t take a year off, but if it was possible, I would like to be a mentor/big brother
Michelle says
Ikea ME! I would open a “sensory friendly” movie theater for children with autism and other developmental disorders.
Farah says
IKEA ME!!! I would work in an orphanage in the Horn of Africa.
cara says
Ikea Me Pleeeeaaaaaseeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!
Emily says
Ikea me!
I want to start community/study gardens on campus of every public school in my town. Great outdoor lab for classes, and food to familes who need it.
Becky says
IKEA ME!
I would love to go on a missions trip to another country and share the love of Jesus.
Christine says
IKEA ME
As a foster parent for the last 16 years I realize there needs to be more support and mentoring of teenage mothers. I would love to spend a year teaching them the mothering skills that many of them have never experienced. There is also a great need for them to learn how to shop on a budget and cook well balanced economical meals for their children.
kristen says
IKEA ME!
i would love to start a non profit to help people adopt that can’t afford to.
Luke says
Ikea me! I would go to Africa for a year and help build homes/shelters.
Annalea says
IKEA ME!
I don’t know if this would count for the life-improvement project, but I would use the funds to completely develop a small farm to help feed our community. Those plans are in the works right now, but it will take quite a few years for us to actually bring it about and begin to help providing more local food to those who live nearby. That would go a long ways for soil amendments, outbuildings, a solar greenhouse, etc . . .
Jessica says
Ikea ME! Broke Graduate students need fabulosity in their lives as well! If I had the 100 grand – I would volunteer with girls at risk, helping them find the skills and self-esteem they need to succeed.
kim says
IKEA me!
I would want to figure out a way to improve the public school system in low income areas. I am dismayed at the differences in schools within the same district.
Stephanie says
IKEA me! I would try to increase awareness in my own community about helping others and help create projects that everyone could do with their busy schedules.
Judice says
IKEA me! I would definitely do something to help kids. Maybe an after school program or some kind of reading program.
Ana Hogan says
IKEA me! I would open a ranch for troubled teens girls and a ranch for teenaged boys. There are so many kids out there who just fall right through the cracks and run away from home or get mixed up with the wrong people, throwing their whole lives away. Income wouldn’t matter. Obviously there would be a limit to how many kids where there per session, but no one would be turned away because their parents didn’t have enough money.
Betsy says
IKEA ME!!
Wow, overwhelming in a wonderful way to think about what to do with a year to serve others. I’d love to start / work with a program to help underprivileged kids to prepare for and get into college.
Natalie Ramello says
IKEA ME!!!
I would take a year and open up a free health clinic in a place like New Orleans where there is huge need for free health services.
Andrea says
Ikea me! Seriously, since I just spent $1300 there Saturday, I could totally use some help in finishing off my shopping list!
If I had the money, I’d open a public licensed kitchen and teach the “lost arts” of canning and freezing foods. I think a lot of people could benefit from learning how to preserve foods and cut down on their dependence on others for their food. Kind of a unique spin on the food pantry idea, in a way.
Kim says
IKEA Me!!!! If I could spend a year helping others I would work with the NeverThrist organization from The Church at Brook Hills- they work with Africa, Sudan, and India to help bring them clean drinking water. They come in and set up wells as well as share the love of Christ with them. In these countries people (including babies…heartbreaking!) die everyday from diarrhea and other health problems due to their dirty water. Most of these people live on less than $2 a day! I would love to love on these people and help improve their quality of life!
Rebecca M says
IKEA ME!
There are so many things I would like to do if I had a year to help others. I would like to spend the time in Africa, India or Mexico (or a combo of all three). I would organize the construction of orphanages that could become self sufficient from a garden and chicken coop. The plants and chickens would provide food for the children and be sold in order to keep the orphanages running and allow the children to be educated. My church has actually worked in Kenya doing similar projects. You can see more about this at http://www.northvillage.org/home. Look under Crossing Missions.
Bianca says
IKEA Me! This comes at a perfect time as we are looking at buying PAX wardrobes for us!
With me free time I would love to open my own animal shelter. As it is we have fostered several puppies as well as gotten our last 2 dogs at shelters. Since we don’t have the time to launch a start up business right now we will instead look forward to our next fostering opportunity.
Tracey W says
IKEA ME!!
I would help a local animal shelter that is trying to locate land to purchase to build a permanent shelter.
Ida says
Ikea me!! I’m currently working full time and going to night school as a nontraditional (older) premed student. I hope to work with those that can’t help themselves. Right now it’s between helping the elderly navigate their health issues, or children with cancer. If I were to have a year off, I would try working with both groups to determine which is the best fit for me support. I love the idea of starting a non-profit to help them as well.
Mallory B. says
IKEA me!!!
I would work with inner-city ministries in my hometown – Memphis.
Maria says
IKEA ME!!!
I am a teacher and would like to go to another country and do the same. I feel like working with young kids where I am is also important weather or not I am getting payed.
Beth says
Ikea Me!
I teach writing and composition at a local college, and if I could take a year off I’d go downtown and put my skills to use teaching English to newly-arrived refugees. Our city accepts refugees from war-torn areas; I’m glad that we can give them a safer haven but they need so much more than a place to live.
Lauren says
IKEA me!! I’d love to help teen moms who don’t have the support they need.
Kimm says
IKEA me!
Right now I give as much as I can to animal rescue organizations, so if I had a year off I would definitely continue to do so. And having the time and the money would definitely go a long way towards helping quite a few animals in need.
Sheena says
Ikea Me!
I think I’d like to spend the year in South Africa and working at impoverished schools there.
Liz says
IKEA ME!
I would spend the time helping orphans/foster kids somewhere. Probably would take in kids who need foster homes.
Abbey says
IKEA ME!
I would work in a third world orphanage.
NileshK says
IKEA me!
I would tutor kids in needy communities. My passion is Math and Science and I hope to share this with the kids.
Sarah Elizabeth says
IKEA me!!! I would like work with a no-kill shelter to help rescue animals that are to be euthanized. I wish I could adopt them all; it breaks my heart to know that os many perfectly healthy and loveable animals are put to death :(
Cassie says
Ikea me!
I’d like to run a program that gave children and young people experiencing homelessness or poverty access to some of the leisure experiences other young people take for granted (e.g. movies, concerts, shopping, football games) which would give their carers a little bit of time to themselves too :)
Diane says
Ikea me!!!!! Oh how I heart that store and new slipcovers would be lovely!!!! I think I would help my students enjoy the beauty of nature and take them on trips nearby. To he mountains to ski. Or snowshoe. They live so close but have no idea of the beauty that is in their backyard.
Robin says
IKEA ME!!!
Erin Skinner says
IKEA ME! I’d take the year to volunteer full-time at one of our community legal centres.
Stephanie Glover says
Ikea Me!
I would like to run a clinic that provided free healthcare to inner city children. I would want the clinic and provisions to be like that of any private pediatrician that other kids go to so that they get the same experience no matter their background.
Krystal Przybylski says
–>>(( IKEA ME!!! Pretty Please! ))<<– I am a HUGE animal lover who is the proud parent of 4 adopted fur children. I would be so humbled to be able to use the $100,000 to help establish and fund a greatly needed position (in my large metropolitan city) for someone to fulfil the role of an animal rights officer (similiar to the ASPCA animal cops). Quite often, the funding is not there although the need is great. I would like to help give a voice to those who cannot speak and hopefully help rescue and save the lives of animals.
Allison says
IKEA ME!
I would spend the year helping children.
Kate says
IKEA me! I would spend a year helping animals find their forever home – nothing sweeter than a family with a well-loved dog!
Grace says
IKEA ME!!
I would help build in New Orleans from the Katrina incident because although it was a while back, they are still desperately hurting and many have forgotten about their needs!
Rachel says
IKEA ME!!!
I would work with our local Junior Achievement Center to help teach kids budgeting, entrepunuership, and work place cooperation. My company has done a couple of volunteer days at the center’s “Biz-Town” and it was great seeing how much fun the kids had and how much they learned.
Lacey says
IKEA ME!!!
There are so many things I’d want to do to help people! My list could go on all day!