The I Make a Difference Project

We created the I Make a Difference project to acknowledge and spread the word that the Starfish Foundation helps people with their emotional healing.

Every gesture that shows caring for another, especially when it is unexpected, opens a heart. Each gesture is acknowledged by the giving of a bracelet.

If You’ve Received a Bracelet, thank you for making a difference in the world! The person who gave you their bracelet did so in order to acknowledge your act of paying it forward. Checkout our I Make a Difference Blog; you just may find the story about your kindness posted there! If not, feel free to add your story.

Once You Have a Bracelet you’re on a mission, if you choose to accept it (and it’s anything but impossible!):

1. Wear your bracelet!
   
2. As you walk through your life, look for others who make a positive difference in our world. When you observe someone healing, sharing, or caring for others—even if it seems to be a small action—acknowledge them by giving them your bracelet. While the object of most games is to end the game with the most “things,” the object in this game is to give and increase the flow of compassion!
   
3. Next, go to the Blog, and leave a “reply” that tells the story of this person’s gesture of throwing a starfish back to the sea of love:
   
   1. Mention their first name and last initial.
      
   2. Describe what you saw them do.
      
   3. How did it Make a Difference?
      
   4. How did you feel?
      
   5. Thank them!
      

Just because you’ve given your bracelet away doesn’t mean you can't still wear one – read on!

Don’t Have a Bracelet, Yet Want to Give One?

There is no need to wait for a bracelet before giving one – this is a new program, and there aren’t that many out in the world yet! You can purchase bracelets at any time and expand the project. Donate to the Starfish Foundation and receive I Make a Difference� bracelets: 1 for $2 donation, 6 for $12 donation, or 15 for $25 donation:

1. Make a donation to the Starfish Foundation.
   
2. In the Designation (Option) field, enter the number of bracelets and your complete mailing address. We will know by the amount of your donation how many bracelets to send to you. If you want fewer than your amount would indicate, please indicate the [number in that blank]. Example: [6] bracelets, John Public, 123 Main St, Milwaukee, WI 53211.
   
3. Later, under Privacy Preferences, please choose “my full contact information.”
   

These steps ensure that we will be able to mail your bracelets to you.

Our goal for the project is to create a world with a sea of starfish wearing purple bracelets and passing them on!

Glad to have you on board as a caring heart returning others to the healing sea of love.

Patricia Clason, Founder
The Starfish Foundation

Shop at Pick 'n' Save

And use their Advantage Card, go to to the service desk and ask to have your Advantage Card registered to the “We Care” number of 205800. Every time you shop thereafter, Pick ‘n’ Save will contribute to the Starfish Foundation – and it costs you nothing!

Shop with GoodShop online

GoodShop is run by the same folks who do GoodSearch. If you go to the page, you will see all the stores that participate – chances are, if you make ANY purchases online, that vendor will be listed! Simply register the Starfish Foundation using the instructions above, go to the GoodShop page, click on the vendor, and shop! By clicking through the site, that vendor gives a portion of their profits to GoodSearch, who in turn gives a portion to us. Learn more by reading the GoodShop section of their FAQ page.

Use GoodSearch for your internet searches.

If you’re reading this page, it’s quite likely you do internet searches–you probably use a search engine like Google, Yahoo!, etc. GoodSearch is a search engine that donates half of its income to charity – that’s about a penny on every search. While a penny doesn’t seem like very much, with enough people doing enough searches, the numbers can be significant! Learn more about GoodSearch.

To Designate Starfish Foundation as your Charity with GoodSearch:

1. Go to www.goodsearch.com/About.aspx.
   
2. In the “Who do you GoodSearch For?” blank, enter “Starfish Foundation” – as shown below.
   
   
3. Click the “Verify” button.
4. When the page refresshes, you will be shown two (or more) organizations that have “Starfish Foundation” as part of their name. Select “Starfish Foundation (Milwaukee, WI).
5. Now use GoodSearch to do your searches on the net! There are a couple of ways to do this:
   
   1. Make www.goodsearch.com your homepage, or save a link to it for searches.
      
   2. If you use Internet Explorer 7,
      1. you can add it to the search providers listed in the Instant Search Box, in the upper right-hand corner of your browser:
         Open this page (it opens a new window), and:
         
      2. In the “Create Your Own” form on the right, enter http://www.goodsearch.com/Search.aspx?Keywords=TEST as the URL in step 3.
         
      3. Enter “GoodSearch” in step 4.
         
      4. Click “Install.”
         
      5. Now go to the Instant Search Bar (upper-right corner of the browser) and click the little triangle next to the magnifying glass.
         
      6. Select “Change Search Defaults…” (last option).
         
      7. Select “GoodSearch.”
         
      8. Click the “Set Default” button.
         
   3. Other browsers have very similar methods. Please check their help files.
   • That’s it!
   • Now every time you search with one of these methods, you will be contributing to the Starfish Foundation! Once you have registered Starfish Foundation with GoodSearch, you can see how much money has been contributed – watch the money grow (you can also go to www.goodsearch.com and click the yellow “Amount Raised” button)!