*** 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…
******************************
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.
Brittany Orth says
IKEA ME!
I would help build houses for families in need. Something like Habitat for Humanity…
Amelia says
IKEA ME!
I would love to volunteer at a women’s shelter or helping victims of domestic abuse or rape.
Sarah J. says
IKEA me please.
i really don’t know what i would do for a year. i’m already a SAHM and very involved in my church, so i would have to give it some serious thought.
megan says
IKEA Me!!
I’d spend a year helping out at a local agency that assists young women who are dealing with unplanned pregnancies.
Dakota says
IKEA ME!! I’d volunteer with Art with Heart.
Sarah Novlan says
IKEA ME PLEASE!!
I’d love to work at a resource center for women who are single moms carrying their pregnancies to full term. Teaching parenting classes, helping them with resources— that would be aweseom!
BreAnn says
Ikea Me!
Heather says
Ikea me!
I’d like to teach adults how to read.
Jennifer Snyder says
Please, IKEA me!!!
I actually just quit my job to create a web start-up geared towards growing/supporting the creative communities out there. It hasn’t launched yet and it won’t be a money maker any time soon, so you could call it volunteering I suppose!
emily @ thirtyeight20 says
IKEA ME! Wow what an awesome giveaway.
If I had a year… I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately, because I’m living it, in a way. I could no longer stand my relatively well-paying but unfulfilling corporate job, so I quit earlier this year to take an unpaid volunteer position at an international health development nonprofit. I had no idea what the future held, and it was kinda scary in the midst of our major renovation. (Would we EVER finish without my income coming in???) But I knew it was the right thing for me, my husband and maybe even the world in some way. Even though it meant some sacrifices financially.
After a few months it turned into a paid consultant position! Though it’s a temporary position and I don’t know if it will turn into anything beyond that, that’s okay. The work I’m doing is saving lives and helping people — who cares if it takes us a couple more years to finish our house, or if we can’t afford all the niceties that we did before? My life is more fulfilled now than ever.
So I think it was the best decision I’ve made in a long time. I don’t want just a year to help others — I want a whole life of it! I would encourage anyone to just follow their heart and stop letting “stuff” and money get in the way of a more meaningful life.
Chris says
IKEA ME!
I’ve thought for awhile it would be great to start up a non-profit that brings good land-use planning and urban design to poor and rural communities that don’t have the institutions in place to facilitate it. It sounds pretty boring, but good urban planning is the start of livable, walkable, safe, and healthy communities.
Kathy says
IKEA Me! That’s a good question — I think I would volunteer for Habitat for Humanity or something like that.
Shannon says
Ikea Me!!! If I had one year to help others I would spend it building homes with Habitat for Humanity.
Nicole says
IKEA ME!!
I would spend a year in Africa helping provide access to sustainable clean water sources, as 80% of problems experienced by those suffering from diseases are associated with lack of access to clean water.
That is my dream!!!
Michelle says
Ikea meeeeeee!!!!
My bf and I have the dream to start a pit bull/pit mix rescue and sanctuary, and rescue these great dogs from being euthanized!
Beylah says
IKEA ME! I’m already involved in the non-profit world and try to volunteer in my community… so I hope helping others is something that I always am involved with in my life. But if I could spend a year doing ANYTHING I would probably use that opportunity to work overseas working in health education in Africa.
And on a side note… I just got a new apartment so an IKEA giftcard would be AMAZING! :)
Gina says
IKEA Me!
I would help out at the local animal shelter.
Jennifer says
IKEA Me!
I would volunteer to set up and work in city community gardens in the Richmond area that help provide fresh food to low income people with limited access to healthy meals.
Francine says
IKEA ME!
If I had one year to help others I would help support my community recreation department to implement more cultural programs for kids.
Delia says
IKEA ME! If I had a year off I would start a non-profit to help at risk latino kids in the community. I’d help with creating a program to keep those kids off the street, help them in school and prepare them for college.
Jessica D. says
IKEA Me! I think I would love to teach free seminars on financial well-being and becoming free of debt!
Kristine says
IKEA Me!
I would love to set up a community garden and work with elementary school kids to have them learn first hand from seed to table.
Elizabeth says
IKEA Me!
BONUS QUESTION: I would volunteer my time in New Orleans to help rebuild whatever I could. That city is magical, and will always be!
Elizabeth says
IKEA Me!
BONUS QUESTION: I would volunteer my time at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary!
Kim Smith says
IKEA Me!
I would start an organic garden project for the school district here in Las Vegas. When kids think ketchup & french fries are vegetables it’s time to teach them what real food is & where it comes from.
Katie says
Ikea ME!
I would love to spend a year helping with the Make a Wish foundation. I think it would be so great to watch children have their wishes fulfilled!
Julie says
Ikea me!
I would spend a year working down at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary here in Utah. I love animals and would love to spend some time assisting with rescues.
Liz says
IKEA ME!
BONUS QUESTION: I would volunteer my time in Haiti to help with the relief efforts of the Cholera breakout. In 2010, it’s incredible to think that people still can’t get clean drinking water!
Becky S. says
IKEA ME!
I’d go back to Africa to see if the school I helped build 20 years ago needs more work, or, since I really wouldn’t want to leave my family for that long, I might do volunteer work with NICU families since my daughter was a preemie.
Carrie says
IKEA Me!
Bonus: I would love to work with local food shelters to try to ease the very sad problem of child hunger in our country.
Kendra says
IKEA ME! I would use the money to revitalize parts my hometown and hopefully work on bringing some life back into the town I love.
Katie D. says
IKEA Me!
I would love to join the Peace Corps.
Jamie Pa says
IKEA Me!
I would love to do anything that is helping animals and setting up gardens in my city for low-income families, giving them access to fresh, healthy food!
sharon says
IKEA ME!
I’d to love to set up an all-in-one center for teen moms – day care for the kids, parenting classes for the moms, skills classes/career counseling for the moms, and on-site medical care for the babies and their moms.
I also like the community garden/cooking class idea.
Jessica says
IKEA ME!!!! hooray!
Amy says
IKEA Me!
I’d spend my year volunteering with the causes my church supports, including a homeless shelter, cooking & serving meals at a shelter, tutoring local schoolchildren, assisting elderly members with house & yard work and a partnership in Kenya. Right now I don’t really have the time to commit to regularly volunteering for any of these so I support them in other ways such as buying groceries for the food pantry or donating money but I really miss the hands on aspect.
Jessica Renee says
IKEA ME! I would start a home for pregnant teens! :)
Britni Burke says
IKEA ME PLEASE!!
If I could volunteer anywhere for a year it would be the Ronald McDonald House, I currently volunteer there a couple times a month but would love the opportunity to do that full time. Nothing is more rewarding then helping out children and their families when they are in need.
Brenda says
IKEA Me!
I would love to travel around the country helping to fix up public schools that are in dire need of repair a la the new show School Pride.
Theresa says
IKEA Me!!!
Jessica Hanson says
IKEA me!
Bonus Question: With the Ikea money, I would spend the year working with an orphanage in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
ari says
IKEA ME! I’d work with animals. Pit Bulls, specifically.
Corrie says
IKEA ME!
I would volunteer at an equine therapy center.
Adrianne says
IKEA MEEEEEEE!
Leah O says
IKEA Me!
I would go on a mission trip with my church! That would be amazing and so rewarding!
Brooke says
IKEA ME… I would love to work to improve public school in low-income areas.
Jeanne says
Totally IKEA Me!
With 4 kids – I have one tip – Volunteer. It’s free, it opens up areas of the city/people you may not have found on your own. New experiences for you and the kids.. teaches them that life is pretty great. If I had a year..I’d find SO many opportunities. A new thing each month. By the end of the year- 12 great stories and many people helped.
Kim says
IKEA Me!
I would volunteer my time helping to rebuild areas impacted by natural disasters.
Shaina says
IKEA ME!!
A good friend (and ex-coworker) and I are in the process of starting our own non-profit. We’re looking to start a mentoring program for first-generation-to-college students in Maryland, offering mentoring programs through community partnerships and financial literacy classes. We’re planning on applying for Ikea’s “Life Improvement Project” (to win $100,000 for our project would be a dream come true) but in the meantime, I’d love to win this $350 IKEA gift card. LOVE IKEA!!!!
Jennifer Nash says
IKEA Me!!!!
What a dream to take a sabbatical for one year to do something good! So many options out there! I would love to go around doing “random acts of kindness” from donating my time to a women’s battered shelter to sending an anonymous gift to someone in need.