Now that Thanksgiving week is here and the winter holidays are quickly approaching, make participating in a charitable activity one of your goals before year end. The needs in Boca and South Palm Beach County are great. If everyone does one activity, the cumulative effect will be tremendous.

On Thanksgiving day, my family will be delivering meals to elderly, homebound individuals through a program organized by the Kosher Food Pantry. Meals on Wheels, which is run through the Area Agency on Aging, also provides meals to homebound people and can be reached at 561 684-5885. Soup kitchens always need additional helpers around holidays and you can call them directly to check their schedule.

Volunteer opportunities abound and can be found through reading the paper, calling agencies directly or searching the web. Having teenage children, one of my favorite references is the website called Volunteens http://www,volunteens.com which lists opportunites for kids to volunteer in Broward and Palm Beach County. Please send me information about your favorite charitable organization and I will include it in future blogs.

Tal Ben-Shahar, a former Harvard professor and author of the book Happier, believes that people who express gratitude are happier individuals. He notes that we too often take our lives for granted. One of my goals is to use this holiday season as a chance to appreciate the wonderful things in life. I know that giving to others will in the end truly benefit me.

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