*** 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.
Elizabeth says
IKEA ME!
I would love to work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and contribute to making kids wishes come true!
Alison F. says
IKEA ME!!! What a great contest for Ikea to run! I would love to have the time to volunteer at a bunch of different non-profits. Habitat for Humanity would be first on my list!
Heidi says
IKEA ME!!!!
I would spend a year working with either the American Cancer Society, Amanda the Panda which helps children who have lost a parent, or for the Susan G. Koman foundation to improve research monies available for breast cancer.
Laura says
IKEA ME!
There are a few volunteer opportunities:
– assist seniors and others navigate SS and Medicare maze through state run SHIBA program
– assist domestic violence victims get finances in order
– help low income students with reading via SMART program
Gina says
IKEA Me! If I could take a year off I would love to work with children possibly in an after school setting in an at risk neighborhood where you could help them focus on self worth, looking beyond their own environment to see the world as a bigger picture. There would also be room for mentoring and tutoring.
Candice Matthews says
IKEA ME!!!!!!!!!!!
I’d work at an animal shelter
Meredith Smith says
Ikea me! (again! forgot the bonus question…wups!)
I would spend a year traveling to high schools in need of guidance counselors. High schoolers need an unbaised opinion and I would like ot be there for those students. I would also act a resource during their college search. So many students don’t realize what they could do with a college education and how many different ways there are to be able to afford college.
Heather says
IKEA ME!
I would love to not only help rescue animals, but ultimately open an animal shelter!
Ivy says
ikea me!!! please!
Abigail says
IKEA me! I’d love to go back to designing brands and resources for nonprofits working in pediatric cancer.
Alanna says
IKEA ME!
I would spend a year volunteering at hospitals where young people are sick. My best friend has brain and lung cancer and the aides who stay with her overnight or just stop by to hang out for a few minutes make her smile and make her family feel like its okay to leave the hospital without feeling guilty. It seems like a very rewarding thing to do!
Bree says
IKEA ME!!!!!
I would love to do something with Kids n’ Kamp! A non-profit organization for kids with cancer!
jill fitzgerald says
IKEA me!!
I think I just bought a house (waiting on the offer to be accepted) so this would realllly be appreciated right now!
If I had a year off, I would invest the money in a non-profit group to protect kids from bullies and rebuild thier self esteem. No one likes a bully.
Abby says
IKEA me, puh-lease! What I would do to have $350 to the store of never-ending possibilities :)
And, if I could spend a year doing philanthropic activity, it would most definitely be with inner-city school kids.
Thanks for the great giveaway!!!!!!!!
Amy B says
IKEA Me!!
If I could spend a year helping others? I would help as many different “others” as I could! A few weeks with kids, a few weeks with animals, the elderly, the homeless… the list would go on & on!!
Angela E says
IKEA Me! I would love to do something to help out families of children fighting cancer.
Camille says
IKEA ME!! (Please?)
I would love to help the youth programs around my area.
paula says
IKEA ME – I would volunteer with the March of Dimes to raise awareness and fundraise for infant stroke, something dear to my heart since my son with born after surviving a stroke last year.
Nancy H says
IKEA ME! I would like to work with the elderly. At least give some sort of break to full time care givers.
Amy (Minimally Invasive) says
IKEA ME!
I’d probably volunteer with Greyhound Friends of NJ. We adopted our two rescues through them and couldn’t be happier with the support we’ve received over years. It’d be nice to give something back.
Heather79 says
IKEA ME!
I’d spend a year getting back into my favorite field– literacy!
Karen says
IKEA ME!!! I would spend it volunteering at shelter with children and also rescue animals. I am such an animal lover and if I could open up one business, I would open up a NO KILL animal shelter. I would take all the animals out of kill shelters and take care of them.
allison d. says
IKEA Me!
I’d love to spend a year working/volunteering in an orphanage somewhere…
Kim says
IKEA ME!! volunteer all my time to a theraputic riding center.
Carey G. says
Ikea me!
I’ve had a soft heart for our local pregnancy resource center for a while now, so if I had a free year to volunteer it would definitely be there.
harolina says
IKEA ME! IKEA ME! IKEA ME!!!
I would volunteer at an animal shelter.
Audrey says
IKEA ME!
I absolutely love Ikea! I hope I win. I’m in the process of redoing the living room and this would help so much.
I would spend my year working on a homeschool program with some of the local kids.
Lisa O says
IKEA ME!!!
I would go to Africa & help provide healthcare to women & children
Rachel says
IKEA ME!!!!
Off the top of my head, I think I would spend a year helping the Ronald McDonald House as they were a wonderful help to my family and I when I was a sick kiddo.
Sara says
Ikea me! Please?
I would love to help the families affected by domestic violence get back on their feet again.
Becky says
IKEA ME!!!!!!
I have always had a heart for mentoring and would love to get involved with Big Brother/Big Sister.
Abby says
IKEA ME!
I would work with the local women’s shelter and help educate and support women who have been victim’s of domestic abuse.
ZY says
IKEA Me! I would spend a year doing volunteer work with different organizations.
Becky J. says
IKEA ME!
I work for a non-profit organization, so I would probably continue working for them (with out a salary, of course.)
brigette says
IKEA ME!
I think the hardest thing would be choosing where to help…Part of me wants to help everyone, animal shelters, orphanages, rape victims, the list could go on forever.
Nikki says
IKEA ME! I would use the money to help March of Dimes research.
Marcia S. says
IKEA ME!
I’d volunteer in local schools.
KarenC says
IKEA ME! Please… I’ve never been Ikead! LOL
If I could help someone… it would be a local organization that provides shelter and assistance to women and children who are the victims of domestic violence.
malibou says
IKEA Me! I was planning a trip to IKEA for next Tuesday to buy me some Expedit!
I would start a program for kids in the foster care system that turn 18 and are turned out. Those kids need job skills, clothes, places to live etc. Can you imagine your own kid turned out to be completely on their own at 18. They are just not ready or equipped to deal with all that life is at that age.
Emily Davis says
IKEA me!!
I would love to volunteer both at my son’s school and with a nearby afterschool program for at-risk youth.
Alissa D says
Ikea Me!!
I would probably volunteer at a children’s hospital. My just-turned-one-year-old has a heart defect and other significant health problems and didn’t come home from the hospital until he was 2 months old. As a parent it is a difficult thing to be in that situation and it was so helpful to have volunteers come sit with him or hold him for and hour or so to give me a much needed break. I would love to give other parents that same support.
Kristine says
IKEA me!
I would love to work with an Animal Shelter / puppy mill rescue program for a year.
Megan says
IKEA me… I would spend one year working at an orphanage.
Jaymie says
IKEA ME!!!
I would give anything to spend a whole year working to assist the homeless in Indianapolis. There really isn’t a concentrated effort not only to give the homeless shelter and food in our area, but to get these individuals essential job training and everyday skills that could KEEP them off the street!
The Landises says
Ikea us!
We’d love to do something using our civil engineering / electrical engineering backgrounds, like “engineers without borders” that works on building projects in needy parts of the world.
janelle myers says
IKEA Me!
I would love to spend a year educating people as to the importance of taking care of themselves as athletes.
Cassi says
IKEA ME!!
I’d start a child-led learning school.
Amber says
Ikea Me! I would love to start a Habitat for Humanity in my community.
Katie @ Domestiphobia.net says
IKEA Me!
I just arrived home after spending 2 months living in Costa Rica. If I had $100,000 to spend on charitable work, I would definitely research the most prominent needs in that country and go back for a year to set up an organization that would address that need – even if it was just buying soccer shoes for all the kids I saw who played barefoot.
Lora says
IKEA Me! I would start The Giving Garden. A garden devoted to growing food to donate to local food banks and soup kitchens. Also, selling the produce to support the food banks, kitchens and volunteers that would work there. I would like to be able to have kids from our church work there and earn money toward camps or mission trips. Someone helped me attend these when I was younger and I’ve always known that I want to help kids make it to camp and mission trips as well. But The Giving Garden is a vision and dream that I have that I want to make happen! I’m educating myself right now so I can learn how to do it, but I am hoping this becomes my “career”. I am so excited about it!