Weekend Spotlight: Giving Back

Why not mix a good deed with weekend fun? With these events, you can shop, enjoy a night out or enjoy a yoga class -- all while giving back.

Or use a good deed for personal gain this weekend. Through the weekend and all next week, the Ferndale Public Library will be offering its Have a Heart program. The library will be accepting donations of non-perishable, unexpired, unopened food items as payment for library fines. For each $1 owed, one food item will be accepted. The donations will be given to the Zion Lutheran Church’s Food Pantry for distribution to the needy in the community.

After the weekend is through, mark Fat Tuesday with some Mardi Gras fun in Royal Oak and give back during the process. Purcase tickets at any participating venue, check-in at 6 p.m. where you bought your ticket and have fun at a city-wide pub crawl. The best part is, all sales benefit Royal Oak Community Farm.

Here are some other events that mix charity with pleasure:

Blood Drive at Leon & Lulu

Did you know that one pint of your blood can save up to three lives? From 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, you can shop, save a life and have a cookie all in one visit at Leon & Lulu. When you shop, 10 percent of the sales will be donated to the American Red Cross. Schedule an appointment online or call 248-288-3600.

St. Patrick's Day Parade Fundraiser

Come enjoy a spaghetti dinner with salad and bread, as well as Irish entertainment from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Homemade baked goods will be available for purchase at the event, which takes place at the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Adults eat for $10; Childern younger than 10 eat for $5. Proceeds from the evening help fund the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

Educator Appeciation Weekend

The Berkley Book Corner honors educators by offering them a chance to stock classrooms or enhance their personal libraries 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. All teachers and school administrators with valid ID will receive 20 percent off their entire purchase of in-stock books. The Berkley Book Corner is an independent bookstore with more than 10,000 books in stock.

Hope for Jessica yoga event

Certified yoga instructor Monica Breen will lead a class 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Serendipity Yoga with all proceeds going directly to the transplant fund for St. Clair Shores wife and mother Jessica Johnson. The class will be a mixed level hatha yoga class-open to all levels. Cash donations will be accepted at the class with the suggestion donation is at least $10 per person, including those who regularly attend classes at Serendipity. Jessica, 33, was born with cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disease has left Jessica with only 30 percent to 40 percent of her normal lung capacity, and she will continue to lose lung capacity until she passes away or gets a transplant. For more information on Jessica and why her friends and family are working to raise $60,000 for transplant-related costs, read our story here or visit: http://cotaforjessicaj.com.

For more weekend events, visit our Events guide here. If you'd like to post your own event, watch this video tutorial.