*** 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.
Jennifer says
IKEA ME!
I have spent the last couple of years helping at risk youth.
Elisa says
IKEA ME! I would help children, maybe foster kids or kids that need adopted.
Kara says
Ikea Me!
I’d like to maybe be a court appointed advocate for children.It seems like something that deserves my full time and attention.
elizabeth says
IKEA ME, pls!
I would spend a year working with children who have been impacted by domestic violence.
Valerie says
Ikea Me!
I would love to take a year off to volunteer at a women’s shelter.
Aurora says
IKEA ME!
I would love to volunteer somewhere here in the states. Like help build homes in New Orleans.
Kristen F. says
IKEA ME!!
I would build a house a week with Habitat for Humanity for a whole year. I’ve been dreaming about that for so long!
Rachel Perry says
IKEA ME!
I would go and live in Cincinnati for a year and work with the Norwood Vineyard. In the 15 years that church has been in existence in a low income neighborhood prostitution has gone down, gang violence, drug use. It’s pretty amazing.
Jenn(ifer) says
I would volunteer for my former student exchange organisition (YFU)to find more people willing to open their homes to a High School student from a different country for a year…
Han says
IKEA me! I would love to spend a year educating patients about obesity and nutrition :)
Niksoap says
IKEA Me!
I’d expand my local NPO which assists less fortunate women entering the workforce with acquiring appropriate workplace attire.
Elizabeth Harper says
I would use it to teach writing workshops to men and women in prison.
becca says
IKEA Me!
I would help The Doula Project, an organization I interned for this summer, start up a project on the West Coast. They help provide low income pregnant women with volunteers who provide support, pain management, and relaxation techniques across the spectrum of pregnancy.
Hope says
IKEA ME!!!!
I’d volunteer doing art therapy for kids!
Erin says
IKEA ME! Mostly I think I would volunteer with our Humane Society here to help stop dog fighting.
Marilyn says
IKEA me!!!!!!!!! Someone has to win. It might as well be me! Right?
Amie says
IKEA ME!
I currently already do almost all volunteer work! I coach middle school aged cheerleaders (32 of them!) The best part is witnessing the impact I’m having on shaping the person they are becoming. I will continue to do it win or not, but it would be nice to have something for my time!
Carli D. says
IKEA me!!! I would volunteer for a domestic violence shelter.
Kate says
IKEA Me!
I would spend the year in Africa advocating for the education of women and girls.
Mary says
ikea me!!
I would go out of the country with an organization like Doctors without Borders. I love my job as a nurse and would love to give to those less fortunate.
Mollie says
IKEA Me!
If I could spend one year of my life helping others, I would build, support, and promote a Kit Fox sanctuary. Since they’re indigenous to my hometown, seeing a small, tinier-than-a-cat momma fox and her pups running across four lane highways has always been a major heartache of mine.
Stephanie says
IKEA ME!
I’d head back to Doulos Discovery – a school in the Dominican Republic where I spent a while on summer staff. The DR has an extremely low percentage of its population that has any sort of education, an even lower one in mountain villages like Jarabacoa where Doulos is located. Half of the students are on scholarship and get an education that gets them out of the poverty cycle that the poor public school system keeps them in.
I miss the country so much and the sweetest of the Dominicans I fell in love with those summers in college. Oh, if I could go back on staff for a full year… (and never end up coming back:) And I need to see the cafeteria I helped build with my bare hands! (I never thought I’d spend my afternoons peeling logs with a machete, but this carpenter’s daughter was right there!)
http://www.doulosdiscovery.org/index.htm
Jo says
IKEA ME
I would help remote villages in the Himalayan region with basic healthcare and education…which is what my husband does now.
Lynne says
Ikea Me!
I would love to do something with pregnant teens.
aimee says
Ikea me- I would spend the year helping to spay or neuter dogs and cats.
Caitlin says
IKEA ME!
I’d go back to Tanzania to do medical and public health work with women and children.
Katie says
IKEA ME!…
If I had Ikea sponsoring my philanthropic efforts…oh, boy! I would probably spend my time and the money towards working with children who have been abused. Opening up a facility where play therapy could happen, art therapy could take place, utilizing the healing power of music therapy and instilling the hope that working with animals brings to kids. I work in a Children’s hospital, and see some of this magic in little bits everyday, but for kids who thankfully never see a hospital, but suffer from abuse, physical or sexual..I think a safe haven where therapy and emotional rehabilitation could take place would be awesome!
steph says
IKEA ME! I would volunteer for the wounded warrior project and military organizations supporting the military family
Evelyn C. says
Ikea Me!
If I had the oportunity to devote my time on a cause it would be to help inner city students fight the odds because it’s tough growing up without any inspiration.
Cerina says
IKEA ME! I would love to volunteer for a small, no kill animal shelter that could really use the help!
rhiannon says
IKEA ME!
I would definitely rescue animals!
Mary says
IKEA Me!
If I could spend a year helping others I would help build houses with Habitat for Humanity.
Amy says
“IKEA Me!”
McKinze says
Ikea Me! As someone currently volunteering abroad (don’t worry, if I win it can be sent to my parents!), I would honestly be doing what I am doing now – helping local people develop sustainable, local solutions to their problems. It’s really hard work but I think the best way to bring about long-term change.
Thanks for such a great giveaway!
Aubrey says
Ikea Me! I would use it to build the infrastructure for affordable, sustainable food in a community that needed it.
Amber says
IKEA ME!!!!
I would start up a shelter that works with homeless programs/shelters in the area and take in pets of these homeless individuals/families until they can get back on their feet.
Tiffany Webb says
Ikea me!!
wow… over 7,000 comments already!
I would volunteer in a 3rd world country helping with medical missions. It’s a dream I will do one day :)
A.@ Umbrella Island says
Ikea me!
I have a bit out of topic question. Sherry, how do you store your bags? I keep only the ones I use, but still, when it comes to store them I go crazy… well, not really :P but it bothers me to see the drawer where I store them not nicely tide.
Eileen says
IKEA ME!
I’d help rebuild New Orleans
Emily says
IKEA Me! Women’s advocacy programs.
Clarissa Powell says
IKEA me! I would volunteer for Habitat for Humanity because there was a point in time where that was my family’s best option… I’ll love to pay it forward.
Lisa Gamb says
IKEA Me!
If the skies were the limit, I would spend a year with Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Carter and Habitat for Humanity.
Rose says
IKEA me !!
sara says
IKEA me. I’d take our family of four(kiddo’s aged 5 and 2) to africa to help feed and love sick children.
annabelvita says
IKEA Me!
I’d spend the time with adults with learning difficulties, preferably in this amazing hospital in France.
ann says
IKEA me! I wuld love to start a support group for cancer pts.
Thanks.
Ronnie Wilson says
IKEA me.
LizzieBeth says
IKEA ME!
L Pope says
Ikea me!!!
I would spend my year working with kids and try to get them interested in math and science.
IKEA me! says
I would volunteer at a place like Camp Hope in Missouri which was founded by a man after his son, a Marine, was killed in Iraq. Both my husband and I are Army veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Camp Hope has been founded as a place where wounded veterans can gather, relax, and enjoy the outdoors. It was only founded a few years ago, and although they have hosted many events and trips already they are still building their facilities as they go.