The Best Charity for Children!
MicroGiving offers a number of opportunities to support charities for children. In addition to providing charitable resources we encourage most importantly that children themselves take action and volunteer in the field of charity.
This post aims to encourage you as a parent to teach your children the importance of charity and volunteer service as an enriching part of everyday life. Childhood years are the most formative and what we teach our children now will have a tremendous impact on their future. Just as we eat, sleep, and breathe—charity for children should be an everyday part of our function, focus, and fervor.
The following tips are ways that you can prepare, shape, program, and wire your child for charity!
Encourage Charity for Children by being an example
Teach your children that there are many ways they can give to charity. Volunteering and giving of one’s time to help others in need is often one of the most effective ways to pay it forward to charities. The most impactful people are the one’s that volunteer their ‘time’. Volunteer work is a more personal and expressive way to show you care about helping children, families, communities, and the world. Illustrate to your kids that they can make a big difference in the world, that they can do something to help others, and their little hands can make change!
There are countless online resources that provide great volunteer ideas for kids and charity opportunities for children to get involved. You might also be interested in locating local places to volunteer in your community.
Encourage your kids to ‘give a little bit’ to Children’s Charity
Explain to your children that they are extremely fortunate to have food, shelter, and clothes when millions of children across the world are homeless, dying, and in great need. Encourage your children to set aside a small amount of money, even if it’s a few coins, to support charities for children. Explain to them that one doesn’t need much to help others in need. They can still make a big difference in a small way.
And don’t forget to give a little bit too!
Don’t allow your financial situation to ever hold you back from supporting charities for children, or any charitable cause for that matter. Apologies for sounding cliché but, “monkey see monkey do” holds much truth!! Teach by example and support charities by whatever means your unique situation permits. If you can’t donate much, at least afford a few dollars to support a worthy charitable cause. If you’re stingy, your children could very well turn out to be stingy too—and nobody likes a Scrooooooge!
Be charismatic about Charity for Children!
Attitude is contagious. Your enthusiasm will influence your child’s perception about giving to charity. Explain to your kids that giving feels good! The more we bombard our kids with positive messages about charitable giving: the more likely they will adopt an altruistic attitude. In doing this, you plant a seed at a very early stage in a child’s youth which will encourage them to grow into the kind of adults that will someday make a difference in the world.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Lets train our children to be strong and impactful human beings, with good character, and with a powerful altruistic spirit to live in pursuit of changing the lives of others. The best way to truly pay it forward is through your children. Let’s not forget they are the future…
How do you give back?
- What are some ways that you encourage your children to get involved in charity?
- If you don’t have children, what are some ways that you can get involved with charities for children, or inspire young people to take action?
We truly love your tips and feedback! Your comments give us all encouragement and insight into the diverse ways we can help and better the community. Please do not hesitate to drop us a few of your thoughts…
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http://www.microgiving.com/blog/2009/03/17/the-best-charity-for-children/
Tags: charitable resources
17. March 2009 at 9:59 pm :
I really enjoyed this article, and find so much truth in it. One of the ways I teach my kids about charity and giving is by being an example as much as I can. I have 4 kids and do my best to impart the “Gift of Giving” to them. Currently, we are trying to find ways to help a teenager named Jordan with a desperate surgery he needs, the funds for his mom to be there with him, during his surgery and aftercare. I use to work at a Residential Treatments Facility with Abused and Neglected Children, and my children got to at times experience first hand the lives of these children, by being around them during summer camp etc. It was a great way for children to understand the hardships that are imposed on other children. I’ve always been a strong advocate of children, having dealt with some traumatic life experiences and being in some of these children’s shoes at times. I’ve dreamed of putting together some kind of community program that advocates children, at this point in time, it has not happened, but maybe in the years to come. I myself, would love to see a program that allows children to work one on one with a child who is worse off then them. This would allow more children to experience these harsh realities themselves. It’s simpler when children hear but never see these types of things. To some really, it is something they hear about, but not something they see firsthand. I guess, my main idea is that to have a program where children could be mentors or spend a day in the life of one of these children to see what really goes on, that yes, many children are suffering across the world and that, this is a Reality. My hope is that this article educates many families across the globe and touches them in some way, and prompts them to teach their child about the gift of giving and that in can be realized in many different ways. But mostly importantly, that children realize “giving of any kind from the heart” is the most rewarding thing in the world.
18. March 2009 at 12:40 am :
First great article on parents being example for our children. Well, I must be lucky because there was an article here in our local paper for unfortunate children for the holidays that will be doing without toys. Everybody where I work used to give Brooks toys when he was young. I guess they know I was a single person. Brooks went in his room to get all the toys to take them to Toy For Tots. Watching Brooks wheel up this bag of toys to the marines brought tears to thier eyes and mine.
Then, Brooks and I were driving and saw a family with a sign, ” I will work for food.” Brooks wouldn’t stop talking about it. He forced me into making a u turn, and go to McDonalds to buy food for the family.
I know he is my child, but I’m so pround of him. I just told Rayhawk the other day what Brooks said. Brooks said, mom, evertything in life is so great, almost perfect. I was shocked because of his challeges he faces everyday, and yet, to make such a statement. He’s an Angel that would make you smile.
18. March 2009 at 2:14 am :
I have always been pretty lucky that my children really never needed to be taught to be charitable…or maybe it’s just the way we live that was teaching them and I didn’t realize it.
My youngest son was really good about putting together personal care packages for kids at his school who he knew were having problems getting those items. He would empty our cupboards of stuff that we hadn’t used to give to the school food drives and he’s always been a kid who would fix something, mow a lawn or do just about anything as an act of kindness. He is also one of the best finders and rescuers of aggressive animals.
My oldest son has always had a giving heart and will give or help anyone with anything.
I guess for us it’s just a family thing and I’m not really sure what I did to teach them but my sons are both very involved in MicroGiving. Yeah…MicroGiving is our household word. We don’t really say charity anymore, they don’t give to charity….they give to people in need.
18. March 2009 at 5:06 am :
Becky, I must aggree with you, Our kids just always seemed to know when they should be of service or volunteer, it comes naturally to them both.
They both shovel for neighbors in the winter, especially at the retirement mobile homes behind us. They each give their own personal changed to benefit things, such as the American Heart Assoc, United Way, The Salvation Arm.
They also, put things into garage sales, and donate their profit, usually to our county’s junior library.
We have always tried to instill the importance of giving and volunteering in our kids, as this is how I was brought up. My mother was a bartender for a local club for 31 years, She and my dad volunteered all they could with events at the club. Dad would work on people’s cars that couldnt’ afford it. Big hearts run in our family.
It makes the kids feel great, it changes there whole outlook on certain things.
And if it’s even possible, It makes us more proud.
Becky, Your last line in your post, stated “We don’t really say charity anymore, they don’t give to charity….they give to people in need.” I must admit to you, touched my heart, because we don’t use that phrase either. We say we give to those who are in need, or We are paying it forward.
18. March 2009 at 1:53 pm :
Thank you Lois, you mentioned something worth highlighting:
“I myself, would love to see a program that allows children to work one on one with a child who is worse off then them. This would allow more children to experience these harsh realities themselves. It’s simpler when children hear but never see these types of things.” , “spend a day in the life of one of these children to see what really goes on, that yes, many children are suffering”
You’re right, its one thing to “hear” about misfortunate children, but an entirely different ball game when one comes face to face with these kids. When children of more fortunate circumstances get a taste of these “harsh realities” it becomes more apparent of the pain and suffering that goes on in the lives of the abused and the abandoned. In many cases, one can “visually” see the pain on their face…
Indeed we need more programs that encourage children to work one on one with each other!
18. March 2009 at 1:58 pm :
Christy, that’s a very moving story – although Brook faces hardship, its apparent that he’s remarkably strong!
18. March 2009 at 5:10 pm :
The answer is simple – If I had the monies I would give to those in need via MircroGiving….we have all been screened/verified etc…so this makes the validity re: those in need easier.
Secondly, supporting local childrens’ programs/clubs that enable monies to provide a tool to create residual income and avenues that create meeting basic needs like food/clothing and shelter…but most importantly programs that allow kids to be kids..as they have the RIGHT to PLAY:)
18. March 2009 at 11:58 pm :
Best Charity For Children
Since my accident January 12, 2008 I have learn how important it is to give to kids in needs. The thing that amazed me a lot is todays sosiety do not pay enough attention to kids or people in needs. ( That My Opinion)
We living in a society that pay too much attention to issue that should not be topic of our every day life.
I hope the day will come when charity for kids and all people all over the world can be a more front line issue to our society
So i am delighted i found MicroGiving Foundation, So my gratitude to all the staff and members of this organization.
Jamel Gray
20. March 2009 at 2:04 am :
Its so imoportant to teach our children to give to other children.
Some ways I have tried to teach mine is through tithing at church.Even if just 50 cents .
Some churchs have a list on the envelopes so you can choose where you want your money to go.
An AGAPE program where the children are challenged .
Materials for Vacation Bible school etc… etc
Or teach them to share their snack at school if another child doesnt have one.
If a child at their school has cancer or an illness – help them start a fund raiser for them.. Volunuteer at a soup kitchen and/or a Food Pantry take them with you to reach out /befriend the children that come through.
Giving to childrens charities would become so easy to them b/c they had incorporated into their daily lives as well… they could even pick out their own childrens charity they would like to donate too.
20. March 2009 at 2:39 am :
Great comment Sheri! Yes, allowing your children to have a voice in choosing a charity to support will encourage them to be all the more passionate about giving!!
20. March 2009 at 12:23 pm :
Very nice article. i know that parents teach the children to be more like them, but not always a child is learning the good things , the learning process is started at a young age , but after the social influences circle the kids behavior he will develop side judgment and collective thinking, and what i want to say, in my country almost every Elderly person is giving money to baggers , this is not a wrong thing to be kind but most of the baggers are a part of a big Organization Of Baggers , they have one person who takes the money from them and then send the poor baggers out in the street’s again. I say OK we help those people, but no one is asking them why don’t they work for money as we do, believe me i asked 3 or 4 baggers why don’t they work for money and he replied to me “Working is hard, this is easy”. And in conclusion we have to give but we have to analyze to whom we give. This is only my opinion.
24. March 2009 at 10:04 pm :
[...] helping people in need sets an example for your children, family, and [...]
26. March 2009 at 2:59 pm :
Let me tell you a short..as possible…true story…that happened to me
We bought our home and it needed alot of work before we could move in, so we had brought some tools and my son had one of those battery operated trucks, we had just bought him for xmas….we spent alot of money on it($380.00), he loved it. Well anyway…the house was broken into and they stoled all my husbands tools and my sons truck. I was so upset over the fact that someone would steel a childs toy, that I wasnt even thinking any other way. My 4 year old son looks up at me and says…” mommy , maybe they had a child that needed more than me.” Now if that doesnt open your eyes to what a child can teach you in moments time. Boy did I feel about in inch high. I hugged him and told him he was absolutely right, maybe that child did need it more. For a child to be able to turn theft into something positive, can surely amaze me…..
1. April 2009 at 4:30 am :
David Said…
Often here our waitresses, once they get to know you will tell you…don’t worry about my tip. I have to turn it over at the end of my shift and tips are divided between all the wait persons that night. If a wait person did nothing that night she still gets a portion.
To me that is really sad…their wages are so little to begin with but to be forced to share their tips. Get to know your wait persons at diners. Ask them if they are going to get the whole tip before you dig deep into your pocket thinking you are helping that person.
4. April 2009 at 3:03 am :
My daughter came out today and ask if she could give 10% of what she made for her birthday last week towards God. It made me feel good that she understood even through our rough times we should still give from our hearts.
She is so willing to help in helping people. When someone hurts she wants to make it all better. I pray that it will always be in her heart.
I sometimes wish I had a heart as kind. Thank you to my daughter for showing me how to share and give from the heart.