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.

Profile: The Happiness Project

Linda examines Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project and the book's organizing ideas. 

Gretchen Rubin, a former attorney turned author lives in New York City with her husband and two young daughters. Although not unhappy, one day she decided she wanted to be happier. She wanted to appreciate her life more, not lose her temper and be less insecure and melancholy to name a few. After soul searching  and research, she came up with the “Happiness Project.”

To start, she created her “Twelve Commandments” which are principles she lives by, and her “Secrets of Adulthood,” which are lessons she has learned while becoming an adult. Then she developed  a month by month plan of things to tackle and work on. For example, January was to boost her energy by exercising better, going to sleep earlier, de-cluttering and organize, tackle a nagging task and act more energetic.  February was to quit nagging, don’t expect praise, fight right, no dumping, and give proof of love. Every month consisted of insightful areas for her to work on and to help her take control of her surroundings in order to be happier. You will have to read the book to find out what she tackles in March through December. What stood out to us at House to Home Organizing was the correlation between happiness and reducing clutter.

Toss, restore and organize is the heading of a section in January.  Along with most Americans, she understands household disorder zaps most people’s energy. It can be exhausting to get home from work or your daily activities and start organizing. Gretchen writes that “ one study suggested that eliminating clutter would cut down on the amount of housework in the average home by 40 percent.” After evaluating her apartment she came up with what was the cause of her clutter:

-Nostalgic clutter (we call them keepsakes)

-Bargain clutter/freebie clutter (items found on sale or gifts)

-Conservation clutter (all the items you are saving because they MAY be useful someday)

-Crutch clutter (things that are used but in bad shape like old clothing with holes)

-Aspirational clutter (items that you aspire to use, but somehow never do)

-Buyer’s remorse clutter (bad purchases on items never used, Yes, we all have that in our closets and kitchen)

So Gretchen goes on a purge. With donate bags and trash bags she goes to work starting in her closet. “Once I finished the closet, I went back through it once again. When I finished, I had four bags full of clothes, and I could see huge patches of the back of my closet. I no longer felt drained: instead, I felt exhilarated.” She finds that having fewer clothing choices makes her happier and that too many choices can be discouraging.

One of the common issues we see in people’s homes is that they can’t find an item so they re-buy it over and over. In Gretchen’s case it was her thermometer. Simple solution that we advise is to always put things back where they belong. This way you will always find what you are looking for and will prevent you from over buying. She also enforces the “one minute rule.” She does not postpone any task that could be done in less than one minute. For example, putting away your umbrella, filing papers and putting newspapers in the recycling bin are a few areas she mentions. Along with the one minute rule Gretchen now takes 10 minutes to do the “evening tidy-up. “ “Tidying up at night made our mornings much more serene and pleasant and, in an added benefit, helped prepare me for sleep. Putting things in order is very calming, and doing something physical makes me aware of being tired,” says the author.

July is entitled “Buy Some Happiness.” Gretchen decides to indulge in modest splurges. She invests in strength straining workouts at a gym and hosts a party for her sister who is getting married. Being a writer she invests in some really excellent pens. She donates to charity, and buys some quality file boxes to store family photographs. Gretchen also has a blog. When she posts about modest splurges this is one of the responses.  “I hate to say it but I hired a personal organizer to deal with our basement. There was an ad on the bulletin board in the grocery store. My wife had been after me since we moved to deal with the junk down there, which was three years ago. I have never been so happy to write a check in my life. It wasn’t even that expensive especially because we ended up selling some stuff we had in storage in the basement.” At House to Home Organizing, we understand that hiring a professional organizer may be a splurge. However, people lead very busy lives and when they arrive home they are very often too tired to deal with the clutter. Hiring a professional can take stress and anxiety out of the picture. As we have discussed, reducing clutter can help lead to happiness.

In conclusion, Gretchen’s husband suggests that the happiness project is about her gaining more control over her life. Gretchen does agree. “Having a feeling of autonomy, of being able to choose what happens in your life or how you spend your time is crucial. Getting control of my life was definitely an aspect of my happiness project, and a greater feeling of control gave me a major boost in happiness.” After a year Gretchen realizes she “can change her life without changing her life,”  and ultimately she is really happier.

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The “Perfect” Playroom

Kathleen shares her thoughts on the “Perfect” Playroom.

Real Image from a Professional Organizer's playroom

Perfect and playroom are two words, in my mind, that should never be grouped together and if they are than you may not be using the room correctly. I would love to have a picture perfect playroom like you see in magazines, but they do not exist if you have actual real-life human children playing in them. I believe playrooms should be used and even messy. However, it is the ease as which items can be put away that should command your focus. Everything should have a home and if there are multiple people who do the putting away- there should be labels. Toys should not be hidden or most likely they will stay hidden and then forgotten. Toys should be easily accessible and in turn easily put away. Shallow shelves, clear containers without lids when possible. I also love me a good theme, have a dress-up area, arts & craft area, and an  area for dramatic play.

I set my playroom or play area up so if the situation arises, usually this means someone decides to stop by unexpectedly, I can literally “toss” items away and off the floor in an instant. 

As an organizer and a mother of two small children, the most common statement I hear is “your home must be so organized”. My answer? I’m a mom, it’s as organized as I can get it and for as long as they let it stay that way. On any given day our playroom looks like a toddler tornado just hit it. As much as I love having it look”pretty”, I also love (yes I know - the horror of a pro organizer stating this) seeing such a disaster. It tells me my kids are being kids and having a blast playing with all those clutter inducing toys that my family and friends purchased for them. It makes me smile. What might make it different than other homes though is I also smile knowing there are proper homes for all the toys and there is a system in place that I or anyone taking care of my kids and/or home can rely on. I organize for my children but more importantly for me - so I can find things, easily put things away, and also teach my kids how to put things away properly. Will they always do it - no. It is often a struggle and of course frustrating.  Kids learn through example and surprisingly they do love being able to find their toys with ease. 

Make clean up a game - time them or race them. Show them that putting their toys away can be easy- they will catch on quickly. My children know exactly where their toys live.  Do they put all their toys away, all the time - of course not, but they try (in their own way). At 3 and 6, I feel like I win half the battles.  Stay strong care givers and let your children play! 

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If you need help setting up your “perfect playroom”- contact H2H anytime. 

You can also check out our Amazon store for more great toy storage ideas as well.

Interview - Homes For Our Troops

Not only is Homes For Our Troops a great organization but they understand the importance of using a home's space wisely, for instance, they make sure kitchens are designed with pull-down cabinets. We spoke with Teresa about their mission and how you can help.

For the busy person what is Homes for our Troops?

Homes For Our Troops is a national nonprofit that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes to severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives.

What is the origin story for your organization?

Homes For Our Troops was started by a Massachusetts contractor in 2004 who built a home for an injured Veteran in Massachusetts. Since that time, HFOT has built over 250 homes in 42 states.

Who qualifies for a home and if so, how does the process start?

To qualify for a home, Veterans have to meet a few basic criteria including being injured in the theater post 9/11; retired or in the process of medical retirement from military service; qualify for the VA’s Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant Program. Learn more about our selection process here: hfotusa.org/help.

If someone wants to help, what can they do in addition to giving money?

There is plenty of ways to help! We hold events for each project across the country where the community is invited to attend and welcome the Veteran home. You can find out if there’s a build in your area by checking our interactive map at hfotusa.org/map. If there are no builds near you, holding a fundraiser is a great way to support our mission. We’re even happy with people spreading the word about our organization through social media and word of mouth. Learn more about how to get involved here: hfotusa.org/get-involved/support_our_mission.

What are some of the projects that stand out or gave you extra inspiration?

Everyone of our Veterans has an inspiring story. Read about some here: hfotusa.org/rebuilding-lives.