As part of our Dare to Care campaign we will highlight events where you can make a difference by volunteering. So if you have an event where you are trying to make a difference by 'daring to care', let us know.

We want to hear what charities and ordinary residents are doing to make a difference so we can compile a 'people's pledge list' of events. Hopefully by giving it some publicity it will attract others to lend a hand as well.

This month there are several ways for people to get involved:

Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre is selling its annual Christmas seals which are available at post offices from now until Christmas. Simply put one on your Christmas cards and you are doing a small part to support a cause.

And there are bigger things you can do as the Christmas holiday approaches.

Dozens of charities are asking he public to be generous with their wallets and their time. For instance on December 6 and 8, the Red Cross will be hosting charity shopping days with A.S. Cooper & Sons Ltd. In exchange for a donation to the charity, the public gets 20 percent off store purchases.

On December 13, the Hands of Love Ministry is hosting its 21st annual 'Christmas Dinner on the Street' and is hoping to feed 400. It needs volunteers to cook a traditional Bermuda Christmas dinner, as well as servers from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. To get in touch you can call 238-7368.

Girlguiding Bermuda is also fundraising to send 18 girls abroad for their Centennial Anniversary Year in 2010; while YouthNet is looking for volunteers to assist with their mentoring programmes. Contact the Girl Guides on 292-0675 or YouthNet on 294-5300.

A great way to support the S.P.C.A. this month is to purchase its 2010 calendar for $10 proceeds go towards the shelter, which houses the Island's neglected and abused domestic animals.

They can be bought at the S.P.C.A. facility on Valley Road in Paget.

Throughout December, Bermuda Heart Foundation is encouraging the public to do their own fundraising initiatives on their behalf. Right now the charity is raising funds to build their Prevention and Intervention Centre, which targets people at risk for heart disease, and the charity wants people to host yard sales for their cause.

Cancer charity PALS is to put up a memorial tree in the Washington Mall and Butterfield Bank on Reid Street, in honour of lost loved ones. Donations can be given to the volunteer on duty although they are not required.

The Bermuda Handicapped Association is also asking people to donate to its cause throughout the Christmas season, by hosting bake sales and other initiatives on its behalf.

* If you are doing something to support Dare to Care or you know of an organisation that needs help, please E-mail news@royalgazette.com. We would like to include these in an upcoming article/appeal.