*** 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.
Robin says
IKEA ME!
I would want to participate in a literacy program for kids.
Kristin says
IKEA Me! You’ve really made me think — there are so many times you say to yourself “if I only had the time…” I would like to work with assisting homeless teenagers — I think it’s a real problem especially in these economic times that often goes overlooked. There are so many opportunities to make change — in so many different ways!
ESBlondie says
“IKEA Me!”
Help with Animal Rescue for sure!!
jarman says
IKEA ME!!
I would definitely get involved full time in an arts based outreach with inner city youth. Art is so important and often under-budgeted. We all need to express ourselves.
Melora says
IKEA Me!
Karen says
IKEA ME!
I’d probably work with an animal rescue group, particularly in areas where natural events have left them much more at risk.
Jeanette says
IKEA ME! I would spend a year representing family law clients pro bono (maybe focusing on representing victims of domestic violence)
Shelly P. says
Ikea Me!
I want to do a medical mission. Since I am a nurse, I would love to go to another country and help with setting up clinics.
Becky Deterding says
IKEA me!
Kaitlin says
IKEA ME! I would spend the year working at a facility like this one: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/18/maryland.prison.horses/index.html?hpt=C1 that works with both offenders in prison and ex-racehorses destined for slaughter houses.
It is a win-win situation: prisoners learn valuable skills that can carry over into their personal relationships and lives and the horses are re-trained and saved from slaughter.
Molly says
IKEA me!!
I would volunteer at a local organization here in my community called “Triple Threat.” It’s a great non-profit that reaches out to at risk youth by offering after school sports, arts and academics programs. Since a lot of these programs have been cut due to the recession, it’s a very important thing to have in our area.
Katie says
IKEA ME!
I think it would enroll in the Peace Corps (although I know that technically requires a two-year commitment). Or Teach for America!
Amber says
Ikea ME!!
I would help with the charity Women for Women. They help women who are struggling finacially by offering budget and finance advice / assistance!
Liz says
“IKEA Me!” Oh please “IKEA Me!”
I would want to spend my time with children that have been abandoned and/or abused.
chad says
“IKEA Me!”
I would invest in a NFP grief counseling center to help people cope with loss.
Rachel W says
IKEA ME!
I would spend the year researching/visiting GREEN schools/public buildings all over the world & then come back home with ideas to make our public buildings more self-sustaining.
Mary Bienko says
Ikea Me! A year off and 100k would provide a great opportunity to fight for healthier lunches in schools.
Rachel L. says
IKEA me!!! I’m going there on 11/6 with a bunch of friends and we’re driving 2 hours each way because we all love the place that much. (Of course, my love will grow that much deeper if I have this prize to take with me.) Thank you, IKEA!!
SG says
IKEA ME!
I would use the money to work with teens who are aging out of the foster care system to better help them cope with being on their own with little to no support network.
Nancy Morrison says
IKEA ME!!!
I would love to start a program geared to helping obtain grants and scholarships for parents who have been out of the workforce while taking care of children. There are so many people out there that had to stop going to school because of their family and after a few years, the kids are growing up and the parents have no way of obtaining the skills necessary for good jobs.
Stacy says
IKEA Me.
I spent a year as an AmeriCorps member serving underserved youth with an afterschool enrichment program… I’d love to do that again!
Kristen says
IKEA Me!! Wow this is a great giveaway but what I’m really intrigued at is the 100,000 to volunteer or start up an organization. I’m really not saying this because I want it to make our chances better cuz obviously it won’t, but my husband and I were talking this afternoon about how we would love to start up something to help children and there families. Ever since I was in middlel I have been drawn to help kids(I did toys for toys and donated toys and as much as I could even when I was 10 to kids in need). We are even looking into adopting sinlings(since many sinlings who get adopted dont stay with their brothers as aisters which breaks my heart knowing that. So that would be what my husband and I would do. Something to help kids and their families enjoy the normal life that lots of us take for granite.
Jenifer says
IKEA Me!
I would really like to help with something involving children and education.
Sarah says
IKEA ME!
I would probably set up an animal shelter.
Erin says
IKEA me! I have my eye on a tv stand that coincidentally is approximately $350!
I would spend a year creating a program to encourage towns to build service to others into EVERY aspect of their town life. I love the notion of getting kids to think about others from the very beginning and I am hypothesizing that building in that empathy could go a long way toward helping with bullying. I am putting it together in my head currently for my own town…
Genevieve says
IKEA me!
I don’t know even what I would do with a year off to focus on helping other people. So many ideas! Work with a literacy program, help take care of animals at a local shelter, train police officers on how to work with victims of domestic violence, volunteer with young children — the list goes on!
Marissa says
IKEA ME!!!
I would volunteer for a micro-lending group like Kiva.
Sheree says
IKEA me!
I would spend the year using all that time for YoungLife and WyldLife. I already volunteer during my free time (when I am not working 40+ hours a week) but it always seems like I wish I had more time to give to this amazing organization devoted to high school and middle school kids.
Tamara says
IKEA Me! ( please :-) )
Amy says
Ikea Me1!
I’d probably want to work with Cancer patients/families, but I’m not sure what I’d do exactly.
erin says
IKEA ME!!
Ashley says
Ikea me! :)
I would love to volunteer to help out at Yatooma’s Foundation for the Kids. They help with pretty much everything a family needs after a child loses a parent.
Sarah Germann says
IKEA me!
I’d love to teach people how to garden and start their own food and flower gardens!
Emily says
IKEA ME!
I’d work on feeding hungry people with a food bank.
brigwork says
IKEA Me! I work for a non-profit that is doing great things in my commuity. I’d stay right where I’m at.
Karen P. says
IKEA Me!
I would volunteer at my local public schools.
Ashley says
IKEA Me!!
I would love to work on finishing up houses for an organization like Habitat for Humanity. I enjoy painting and planting, so if I could help finish out homes for families to live in that would be great!
Marie says
Ikea me!!
I would love to help people at a food bank or soup kitchen.
Maya says
IKEA ME!
I’d volunteer with the Prem Rawat Foundation and help with all the amazing projects that they do.
Gina at Temporary Nest says
IKEA ME, please! I would definitely want to work with habitat for humanity. I’ve always had a curiosity for carpentry and what a better way to learn than to build homes for families in need!!
Amanda Deerr says
IKEA me!!
I would love to work with kids in different daycare programs and provide them with field trip/learning experiences that they wouldn’t otherwise get.
Mandy says
IKEA ME!
If I had a year to help others, I would travel around the country handing out puppies and birth control to people who needed them.
Jenn S. says
IKEA Me!!!!
I would take a year working with Habitat for Humanity.
Katie F says
IKEA ME!
Shaina says
IKEA ME!!!
If I could spend the year helping others, I would probably teach children who are less fortunate than others. I am a pretty big grammar buff so I would probably try to teach reading, writing, and grammar. There are so many kids out there that could excel amazingly if given the education and opportunity.
Alicia C. says
IKEA ME! This would be so awesome! I have always had a passion for volunteering but now with a 50+ hour a week job, there has been no time for much else. I would really have to think about what I would want to do with it. I could see some form of stray animal rescue, or an inner city cafe for kids/teens who arent getting enough to eat at home. That would be so cool! Or doing something overseas to help the women of the world who do 80% of growing the worlds food but own less than 1% of the land.
Stef says
Ikea me! I would probably try to do something to get kids reading and to get books into the hands of kids who don’t have access to them.
Amanda says
IKEA me!
I would spend my time helping animals – something I do during my spare time anyway, though having more spare time would mean saving more animals!
Meredith says
IKEA me!
I’d work with habitat for humanity building and improving homes for those in need.
Angela S. says
Ikea Me!