*** 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.
marsha says
IKEA ME!!!
I would VOLUNTEER in every way I could find! Just show others that they matter~ ALOT!
Melissa S. says
IKEA ME!
My friend has a dream of starting a child life program in Kenya. If I could take a whole year off I’d like to go with her to Kenya to help start her program.
Rosie says
Ikea me!!!
I would use the year off to volunteer with a charity called Loaves and Fishes that I’ve been working with for over 10 years now. We feed underprivileged families as well as collecting christmas gifts and back to school supplies for local kids.
Carolyn Perkins says
IKEA me!
I love all things beauty. If I could volunteer, I would love to do something in the field of cosmetics/beauty/hair for underprivileged people or those who are unable to have the opportunity of feeling “all made up.”
BRITTANY HAMMAN says
IKEA ME!
Eli says
Ikea me!
Lana says
IKEA me!
I would probably do work in hospice centers. Helping families through such a tough time would be immensely gratifying.
Jane says
IKEA me!!!!
Taylo says
Ikea Me!
I am a teacher already, so I would help inner-city school children with their educational struggles!
bdaiss says
IKEA Me! (No really, please? Because I was about to spend twice that much on a much needed dining room set.)
With a year to do whatever I’d want, I’d hope I could help our humane society here get back on their feet. They’ve had a very rough 5 years or so and are on the verge of going under. I’d love to see them not just get back on their feet, but be able to change over to a no-kill shelter.
(There are a ton of great groups I’d love to work with, but for now I’d stick close to home. My baby just turned 1. And my “big” boy 4. I don’t want to be apart from them any more than possible.)
Malissa says
Ikea me!
I would use the money to purchase temporary housing units for the displaced people in Haiti. What we consider a garden shed is, in many cases, better than what these people previously had as a home.
Claire says
IKEA me! I’ve got a little girl on the way, so being able to get some IKEA gear would be awesome!
AK says
Ikea me! I would totally find a way to work with kids: Boys & Girls Club, tutoring, etc.
Laura says
IKEA Me! ;o)
I would keep doing what I’m doing now…. watching teacher’s kids at my in home daycare. It’s a rewarding job, helps the teachers, and allows me to be home for my own school age kids. With extra money I would extend my daycare and hire a helper so we could provide more for these kiddos.
Katie says
IKEA Me!
I would do more of what I already do part-time: teach art classes for people living with disabilities.
sheila b says
IKEA ME! I would volunteer to help out with young children and babies in foster care and make sure they are treated well and have the support that they need.
Linsey says
IKEA me! I would spend one year fighting human trafficking and providing medical care to trafficked women!
Tori M. says
IKEA ME!
I think I would work with parents in low income neighborhoods to get them invovled in their kid’s education. Being a teacher that is the biggest problem I see, lack of parents being invovled or caring about things.
Kelly says
IKEA Me!!
johanna says
IKEA ME!
There is a health clinic in my town, for pregnant women, to offer assistance and information. I’d love to volunteer there.
mollie says
IKEA ME!!
I would continue doing what I’m doing, but FULL TIME! Helping people earn their high school diploma, and developing mentor relationships with community people who can assist them with job preparation, training, interviewing, etc. Thanks for the great giveaway!
Laura says
IKEA me!
I’d love to help get a program for military kids spread throughout the country and our overseas bases. Something to help them through all the moves, deployments, etc.
(Can you tell we’re military?) :)
Teresa Buck says
Ikea me!!!
I would volunteer at a school my friends founded in Tanzania!
Taylor Kizziah says
Ikea me
I would help missions projects like AIM in Georgia!
Joy says
Sweet IKEA me!!!! I would love to work for a charity that helps people adopt orphans. I have so many friends who have adopted and its amazing! I know of Loving Shepperd Ministries that works with orphans in Haiti. Would love to be apart of that!!!
Elena says
IKEA ME!
Would help underprivileged children!
jessica brown says
Ikea Me!
I would send my husband and some of his medical friends to a place that needed a free clinic set up.
Cheyenne H. says
IKEA me! Somehow I would spend a year serving orphans and families in the adoption process!
Molly says
IKEA ME!
I would work with girls on the run…I love the idea of helping girls self esteem while teaching about healthy living.
Annalisa says
Ikea me!!
If I could take a year off, I would work with illiterate adults. I own a bookstore and I feel very fortunate that I am able to not only communicate in all aspects of my daily life but I’m also able to enjoy reading. I would like to spend more time teaching others to read.
Kelli says
Ikea Me!!!
I’ve always had this vision of opening an animal rescue, hopefully in the future I’ll have the space and time to do so.
Kelsey @ Yellow is the Color says
IKEA me!
If I could spend a year helping others, I would probably volunteer or help out in any way I could at St. Jude’s. I’ve been in situations before where I needed to pay a hefty fee for medical care that I just couldn’t afford, and I love that St. Jude’s provides it all for free.
sar says
IKEA ME!
L.Overstreet says
IKEA Me!!!
If I could take a year off I would work to bring IKEA to Wyoming (where I currently live) and to persuade them to make more items available to order online. Just kidding, although my friends here would argue that such a task would be quite philanthropic of me! :)
I am a grad student in a social work program, so I am constantly confronting things in society that I want to work to change in order to make this world a better place for all. All that to say, I have a rolodex in my brain full of ideas I want to implement, which makes narrowing it down difficult. At this point, I think I would develop a way to matching OEF/OIF veterans with trained rescue/shelter dogs.
pebbles says
IKEA ME!!
if i could take a year off helping others, i would probably do it with an organization that aims towards eradicating hunger and homelessness in this country. in a country as empowered and advanced as we are, we shouldn’t have people who are still wondering when their next meal will be or if they’ll find a roof to sleep under tonight.
Liz says
Ikea me!
One year helping others? I’d help people get organized! Closets, offices, attics, basements… It would be so fun and rewarding to help people free themselves of their physical and emotional clutter.
Malissa says
Ikea me :)
My grandparets ran a foster home for 20+ years and parented 100+ children in doing so, so in their memory I would start another foster home, buying a house that is large enough to house many children at once, while at the same time fixing it up to meet their physical, emotional and psychological needs.
Kala says
IKEA ME!!!!
I would start a volunteer center in my city to help get the word out about the benefits of volunteering and to match caring people with non-profits in need of help!
Chelsea says
Ikea Me!
If I could take a year off, I would spend it working with disadvantaged pregnant women and helping them to improve their lives so they can provide for their children.
Molly says
IKEA ME!
I would go to a third world country, and educate/encourage/help little kids.
Ashley says
IKEA me!!!
I would help get kids who normally couldn’t afford to play youth sports be able to.
Mary Elizabeth Bice says
IKEA ME!!!
I would love to do something with building houses for the homeless. I want to do something I can point to and feel proud and know that I made someone happy.
Krista says
IKEA ME!!
Mrs. Money says
IKEA Me! I’d love to spend a year providing free childcare to mothers who otherwise couldn’t afford it. :)
Frances Bentley says
Ooooh, please please please IKEA ME!
I was an art major in college so I’ve have thought of how fun it would be do do murals and other art displays throughout areas of the city that wouldn’t normally get those types of treatments.
Emily says
IKEA ME!!!!!
If I had a year to dedicate to any cause, I would spend it volunteering at a local animal shelter, taking care of the pets & trying to find them new, loving homes!
Marci Peru says
IKEA ME!
If I could take a year off, I’d help develop an education or tutoring program for underpriveleged children who needed help with schoolwork.
Chaney says
IKEA me!
I would spend a year in Kenya volunteering at a school in a Nairobi slum that I worked with one summer in college. I miss those kids!
Smitha says
IKEA ME!
Michelle says
IKEA ME!
If I could take one year off to help others, I would help launch mentoring programs to mentor low income children of single parents.