Tag: #GivingTuesday

Holidays

And the winner is….

Kirsten W. Larson

Beautiful Christmas TreeI’m happy to report that the boys each picked a charity for their donations.

Finley used the money from the “donate” slot on his piggy bank to buy two toys for children at the local domestic violence shelter. He picked out the two toys himself (LEGOs –surprise! — and the game, Operation) and paid for them in quarters. Then he happily put them in the toy collection box at our local YMCA.

Cooper’s school has been collecting money for victims of Hurricane Sandy, so when I mentioned that there might be people without homes or toys that we could help, he immediately latched on to the idea of helping people build homes. We first thought of donating to Habitat for Humanity, but I remembered YouthBuild. The group helps low-income youth ages 16-24 earn their GEDs and develop  job skills through work on affordable housing projects.  So, we matched Cooper’s money and made a donation to our local chapter.

Thanks to all of you who provided such wonderful suggestions for ways we could help this holiday season. Even though #GivingTuesday has passed, it’s not too late to work charity into your holiday plans.

Holidays

It’s #GivingTuesday

Kirsten W. Larson

On the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday comes #GivingTuesday, an effort to remind us to be charitable this holiday season. Giving to others is an important message for children, especially this time of year when they are bombarded with TV commercials and toy catalogs. (Though I have to admit even I have fun looking at those toy catalogs.)

Our boys each get an allowance, with a portion going to saving, spending and donating. A lot of their donations go to church, but there is still plenty in their piggy banks to do some holiday giving, especially if my husband and I match their funds. I’m not sure what they’ll decide to do: buy a toy for a toy drive, donate for a holiday meal at the food bank or something that they come up with on their own. I’ll keep you posted.

I’m still open to ideas. Do you include giving as part of your holiday routine? If so, where do your children enjoy giving?