Website of the Week: http://www.gamesthatgive.net

Games that Give is a website I recently found through UNICEF USA’s Facebook updates…it takes advantage of the money made from advertising online while people play games online and gives 70% of the revenues back to the 14 organizations it currently supports!

Hover over images to read a quick summary of each organization, click on the image for more information:

The website launched in August 2008 and also has a corresponding Facebook app!  The more you play online (and the better you do), the more you make for the charity of your choice!

All you have to do is sign up for a new user account, select your favorite charity, and start playing one of the currently 12 games available!  I love the interface, simple, sharp, and the game selection is ideal.  You’re going to be playing blackjack, solitaire, and some of the other popular games on your computer anyways – play AND give back to the community!

If you want to know more details check out their blog or their extensive FAQ section.  Learn more details about how they got started, who their most recent corporate sponsors are, and other questions you might have!

Once registered with the site, easily send out notifications to your email contacts, also encouraging them to play!  Right now my chosen charity is UNICEF USA and it tells me how many immunizations my online game time has bought for kids in need!

Finally, another fun feature of the gaming site, there’s even a “Click if the Boss is Coming” button that automatically pops up an image of a word document!  (Love those buttons!)  Play incognito to support the cause!

Military jokes in Reader’s Digest are one of the first columns I check in my monthly subscription.  In some shape or form, everyone can find some relation to the military.  Since 1868 to remember those fallen in the Civil War, Memorial Day celebrates those who died serving our nation.

On this day at 3pm we also take a moment of silence to honor the National Moment of Remembrance.  During this time, across the country, participants include MLB games stop and all Amtrak trains blow their whistle.

Official US Government provides information about everything from grilling tips, background information on the holiday to travel information.

Want to help a soldier and their family? Check out a few listed below…there are hundreds of opportunities – I don’t have the bandwidth to find them all…

• Wounded Warrior Project - helps rehabilitate wounded and active duty serviceman and their families as they come home. Get involved! Follow them on Facebook or join their FB cause. Donate.
• American Red Cross – they’ll take your blood, money, or time. Become a FB fan or join their cause. If you read my post on Top Unknown Websites, you can also support the American Red Cross on Social Vibe by posting a badge on your Myspace or FB profile and generate money for them!
• Department of Veterans Affairs - donate time or money, submit a form and they’ll contact you!

Besides writing letters, do this for the troops…

• DOD Community Relations – take 2 seconds to write an encourage note and then read the deeply appreciative letters they wrote in response.
• Operation Dear Abby – even those without internet access will get print outs of the messages you take the time to write.
• Soldiers Angels - request cards for your deployed soldier and/or their families or join the Cards Plus Team to take the requests that flood the sites for supportive words.
• Angel Bakers - can you cook brownies in a box? Then you can send homemade treats to a soldier who misses his country and home.
• Chaplains Support Team - support those chaplains deployed with our troops by sending cards, care packages, and other supplies they need. They bring strength before battle in horrific warzones…they need our support too!
• Operation Phone Home - for only $13 you can send Global prepaid calling card so a deployed personnel can call home. The cards include personalized recorded messages and help them stay connected to the world they were called to put on pause.
• Operate SOS: Kids – while deployed, soldiers come across local children begging for money, food, anything they can sell. Without thinking of their own needs, soldiers request items be sent from the states to them for the children. Donate items or money.

Finally check out my other post about becoming a foster parent for a deployed soldiers’ pet, give them the peace of mind while they protect our country.