Interview - Toss 21

At House to Home Organizing, we often see the same items in our clients homes. The same disposable items. We encourage our clients to seek out quality (possibly local) items that will be used more than once. We spoke with Andrew from Durham, CT's Toss 21 Cornhole game system to learn about something new. 

For the busy person, what is Toss 21?

Toss21 is a fully engaging digital gaming system. This means that you physically play a game but at the same time can control the content and atmosphere of the gaming platform. This means you get to watch live TV, connect and play live with friends and family in different parts of the country, change lighting and display settings. You can play a game in total darkness and experience a fully immersible experience that has yet to be done - (glow bags, led board and TV display).

What is your origin story, how did Toss 21 get started?

Toss21 was started when I had first-hand experience of people struggling to keep score, remember the score and not be able to play the game successfully at night (lack of sunlight). So, I thought why not make all those issues a thing of the past and give people a way to hang out and socialize by combining led lighting, a digital display, internet connection and sensors to score into a single unit. All the problems that were expressed and that I encountered were now taken care of. 

Does the game work outside?

The Toss21 gaming system works outdoors and indoors. It has the ability to be powered by battery, battery with solar panel  or into an electrical outlet. This allows the system to be portable and usable pretty much anywhere. The system is also weather resistant. This means that spilled drinks or quick rain/snow showers are of no threat to the board or its functionality.

What are the age requirements?

Age requirements are from 3 years old to 100 years old. And I have already had players of both those ages. The system is child proof, adult proof and even environment proof. The system is built to withstand a grown adult stepping on it, which means that kids jumping and sliding down the board cause no issue.

For those who are not tech savvy can they still play?

If someone can turn on a TV and use a remote they are good to go. The system is made for ease of use. Its about playing and socializing first, so we made the platform extremely user friendly. This doesn’t mean that you can’t go crazy and really utilize all of the features, we had the abilities and desires of tech savvy people in mind as well.

Interview - HELPSY

At House to Home Organizing we are always looking for new resources to help our clients declutter and take back control of their space. We spoke to Rachel at Helpsy about clothing recycling.

For the busy person, what is Helpsy?

HELPSY is the easiest and most convenient way for you to recycle your clothes, shoes and accessories. We have over 1700 collection containers in the Northeast US and are starting at home pickup programs in our footprint.  

What is the organization's origin story, how did it start?

We started about a year ago and are trying to do things differently. Our name comes from the fact that we recently we merged with a company by the name of HELPSY that was formerly an online retailer for sustainable fashion. We want to educate the public about the environmental importance of recycling clothes, along with working with the fashion industry to get used clothes back into the fashion cycle. 

Why is it important to recycle clothing?

85% of our clothes are currently going to landfills when 95% of them can be reused, recycled and upcycled. 10% of landfills are textiles! There are certain frames of mind surrounding clothing end use that we want to change — for instance anything with holes or that's damaged can be given another life, whether they are converted to rags, carpet padding or insulation.

What does it mean to be a host?

You agree to let us keep one of our collection containers on or inside your property. We service it regularly to keep it clean. You do your part to keep clothes out of the trash and it can be a revenue stream for your business or institution.   

Can you share some success stories? 

We were able to give nearly 13,800 winter jackets to New York Cares this winter for home insecure individuals living in the city. We bought the jackets back from our sorting partners. This is a new way of working within our own industry, creates jobs, and supports our industry partners. It is a more effective and efficient than traditional clothing drives. We hope to do more of this large scale buy-back work to help those who need it.

Interview - Filling in the Blanks

House to Home Organizing always encourages our clients focus less on stuff and more on experiences. There are many great organizations in our community to volunteer your time. We spoke with Hannah with Filling in the Blanks to find out more about how to help.

For the busy person, what is Filling in the Blanks?

Filling in the Blanks provides weekend meals to children in need who are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program. This program is available throughout the year, including the summer months. For just $5.25 a weekend, each child is provided with a bag of non-perishable, easy to prepare food items and a fresh piece of fruit.

What is the organization's origin story?

In 2013 Co-Founders Tina Kramer and Shawnee Knight began feeding needy children on the weekend under the nationally known organization Blessings in a Backpack. Shawnee Knight is a passionate chef, community activist, board member, wife and mother. Classically trained at the French Culinary Institute of NYC, starting this work and eventually co-founding FITB allowed her to marry her love of food, community and charity. Tina is a member of the Stamford Food Collaborative, a United Way program, whose mission is to improve access to food, quality of food and sustainability of food for all members of Stamford. She is also a member of the Stamford Public Schools Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, which focuses on ways to improve the educational well being of the district’s students. What began with the Connecticut chapter of Blessings in a Backpack 5 years ago has grown into an organization based on a strong sense of social responsibility to nurture the community’s needy children and inspire others to do the same. In 2014 Filling in the Blanks officially filed for their 501-c3 to be its own independent non-profit, who's mission would be to feed children in their own backyard. Filling in the blanks began with 50 students in one school in Stamford CT and has grown to now serve 825 students weekly across Lower Fairfield County and New York.

What areas of Connecticut do you serve and how does a family that is food insecure get assistance?

FITB currently serves Stamford, Greenwich and Norwalk CT as well as Bedford Hills New York.

FITB reach out to new schools and programs based on their percentage of students on the free and reduced lunch program. From here its at the discretion of school social workers and psychiatrists to determine which students/families are eligible for the program. FITB does not turn away students, we serve schools with numbers as low at 10 students and as high as 115 students weekly.

Can you share a success story (or more if you would like)?

The letter below is a testimonial from our backpack program which is done each holiday season. FITB provides each kid on the program with a brand new backpack filled with toys, clothes, books, food and more.

If someone wants to get involved, what is the best way to get started?
Check our website for volunteer opportunities and upcoming events or email our executive coordinator to see how you can get involved!

Website: fillingintheblanks.org/volunteer

Email: hannahpaddock@fillingintheblanks.org

Interview - Random Hacks of Kindness Junior

As Professional Organizers we are always encouraging our clients to focus on experiences instead of stuff. Part of that process also includes great places to donate time or money. We spoke with Patrice from Random Hacks of Kindness about this cool organization.

For the busy person, what is Random Hacks of Kindness Junior, Inc?

Random Hacks of Kindness Junior runs one day programs for girls and boys in 4-8th grade. The programs (aka "hackathons") are called Kids Coding for A Cause. At the hackathons the students are placed in groups with a computer science mentor and a representative from a local nonprofit. The objective is for the mentor to lead the students through the design and coding process of a prototype smartphone app for the nonprofit.

This is not your traditional hackathon where the objective is a finished product. The core mission of our program is to expose the students to kindness and social good through the lens of technology. We are more interested in the creation of technology, specifically the ideation and design process as it applies to a local community nonprofit. No prior coding experience is required.

How did the organization get started?

I taught a computer science teacher at a school in Newtown, CT for 6 years. During my 6th year, I became interested in expanding the students understanding of the impact that technology has on their lives, and the potential it can have to make a difference in the lives of someone else. I went to my first hacakthon and realized that this would be a great way to give them first-hand experience in creating technology for some one else. I modified the model to match the needs of my students by introducing mentors to help them through the day and required the participation of nonprofits so that my students would interact directly with some in need. I held my first hackathon at Fraser Woods Montessori School in May 2013.  I then went on to create the nonprofit Random Hacks of Kindness Junior in 2014.  We held our first hackathon at Trinity College in April 2015.  Since then we have held over 30 hackathons, reaching over 1000 students, 300 mentors and 300 nonprofits.

What geographic area and ages do you cover?

We run hackathons all over CT and beyond.  The hackathons are for 4-8th graders. We also invite high school students and college students to participate as computer science mentors. We provide mentor training as needed.

Besides monetary donations, how can people help?

We could use help getting the word out about our programs.  So we encourage people to follow us on Facebook or twitter.  We welcome help with mentor and nonprofit recruitment. We also could use skill based volunteers in the areas of marketing and grant writing.

Can you discuss some of the successful events you have had in the past?

We recently held our 4th annual girls only hackathon at Westover School in Middlebury, CT. Here is information from that program.

We will be holding a co-ed hackathon on Saturday, June 2, 2018 with FactSet Research Systems at their corporate office in Norwalk, CT.