Giving Back: Kid-friendly Charities
November 6th, 2012 - Category: Teaching Kids to Give
Teaching a child the importance of giving is as fundamental to their future financial health as teaching them to save. The key is to connect their gifts with a charity that benefits a cause they care about. Soon giving is less of a chore and more of an honor. When thinking about available charities, consider your child’s passions and connect them accordingly.
Charities for Humanitarians
Water for People works to build a world where all people have access to safe drinking water. If your child connects with other cultures through documentaries, books, or pictures, this is a great way to bring those ideas home.
American Red Cross is an emergency relief organization. If your family has ever been caught in the middle of a disaster, or if your child is heavily burdened by constant news coverage of those across the country, this is a great way for them to give back.
CHOICE Humanitarian is dedicated to teaching skills and sharing resources with underprivileged villages to help them break the cycle of poverty. This group is ideal for a child with a heart for helping the less fortunate.
United Way mobilizes communities to work towards a common good. This charity is perfect for kids that want to have their money help several humanitarian efforts at one time.
Charities to Help Other Kids
Phoenix Children’s Hospital provides healthcare for children and families. This hospital is an excellent connection point for kids who have either had medical issues or who have a desire to go into the medical field.
Children’s Miracle Network provides funding to children’s hospitals. If you have an up-and-coming pediatricians, or if your child has had a first-hand experience with a medical condition, this is a great way for them to give back.
Operation Smile’s sole purpose is to heal children’s smiles. This is great organization for kids that love smiling, happiness, and allowing their joy to sore. The gift of a healthy smile lasts a lifetime.
Charities that Connect Passions
One Laptop Per Child empowers children in developing countries by connecting them with laptops. This is an excellent way to help tech-savvy kids share their passion with school-age kids across the globe.
American Cancer Society raises money to find a cure for cancer and help those already diagnosed. This charity can be empowering for children who had a first-hand experience with a loved one with cancer.
Save the Earth raises environmental awareness. If your child wants to have a direct impact on the environment, this charity helps them do more than conserve energy in their own home.
World Bicycle Relief offers independence and livelihood by giving bicycles to those who can benefit from them. This is a great connection for athletic kids who are looking to share their passion.
Charities for Animal Lovers
Heifer International provides livestock to help families become self-reliant. This is a great charity for up-and-coming FFA members, animal lovers, or rural kids.
Polar Bear Survival Program is dedicated to educating people about the threats against polar bears and to help those in accredited zoos. This is a great charity for those with a passion for endangered species.
MyJobChart.com Welcomes Heifer International as Premier Charity
April 19th, 2012 - Category: Teaching Kids to Give
The almost 140,000 young users of the online chore chart, MyJobChart.com, will now have a chance to help by donating livestock to families all over the globe.
My Job Chart announced this week that Heifer International has been added as one of its premier charities, all part of the unique My Job Chart approach, that provides children the opportunity to “save,” “spend” or “share” the points they earn from doing their chores.
An astounding 10 Million chores have been completed by kids using the My Job Chart system over the last 2 years.
“When I first created the online chore chart, I did so to encourage my own six children to stay on task and to complete their chores,” says Gregg Murset, founder of MyJobChart.com. “More than that, though, I wanted to teach them how money works and help them see the rewards that come from saving and the joy that can come from giving to others.”
Murset says Heifer International perfectly fits with what MyJobChart is accomplishing.
Heifer International is a global nonprofit humanitarian assistance organization working to help end hunger and poverty and at the same time protect the environment and care for the Earth. Heifer provides living gifts of area-appropriate livestock and training in environmentally sound agricultural practices to families in need to help lift themselves out of poverty to become self-reliant.
“As users of My Job Chart decide to ‘share’ and designate the points they earn to go to Heifer International or another charity, these young people begin to feel that their work truly does matter. More than just pleasing their parents, they learn they have abilities and opportunities that can make a difference on a much grander scale,” says Murset.
While young users are drawn to the free online chore chart for its ease of use and the high-tech feel they love, parents are pleased with the less-obvious benefits of My Job Chart. My Job Chart “gets kids and parents talking, it changes the entire conversation when it comes to work and money,” Murset says.
Bottom line, Murset says, “It’s free, and it works! MyJobChart.com is just a fun, easy way to instill work ethic and build character over time. Now, with the opportunity to contribute to Heifer, users can feel the satisfaction that comes with helping to lift others out of poverty and become self-reliant .”
Teaching Children Charity
June 27th, 2011 - Category: Teaching Kids to Give
Ego-centrism could arguably be one of the worst problems facing today’s youth. And it may be affecting how willing your children are to do their chores and otherwise contribute to your family. When asked to do chores or help around the house, are these common phrases:
It’s not fair – you make me do everything.
Why do I have to do it? Why can’t someone else do it?
I didn’t make the mess, why should I have to clean it up?
If this is something you’re hearing on a regular basis, it may be time to teach your children to be more charitable. If given the chance to see how those less fortunate live, your child is likely to complain less and help more.
Too often, they get caught up in their own lives and focus only on what they have or don’t have. It’s difficult for them to comprehend that they might actually be very fortunate. Charitable acts and donations will give them a realistic perception of their own lives. And it’s not tough to come up with ways to teach charity.
1) When cleaning out closets, bag up old clothes, books, and other items that can be taken to a donation center. Then take your child with you when you make that stop.
2) Arrange a service project for a birthday or family get-together and get the entire family to join in.
3) Take your kids to volunteer somewhere they may enjoy. For example, a teen who likes children could read to kids at a Battered Women’s Shelter.
4) Encourage your junior high and high school age children to get involved in service clubs at school.
5) Donate gently used items to someone in your neighborhood who needs extra help – and take your kids with you when you go.
Teaching your children charity will help them become better, more well-rounded adults. It will teach them life-lessons they may otherwise miss the chance to learn.
Now, some may say that charity is a religious-based virtue and not necessarily a value that everyone believes in. However, there are several benefits to giving charity that have nothing to do with religion or spiritual feelings. They include:
- Tax breaks from the government
- A chance to pay it forward
- Scholarship opportunities (for volunteer work to charities)
- Helps develop fiscal responsibility
- Provides psychological benefits
So whether the motive is character development or you’re looking for more secular benefits, they exist and are well worth the time your children spend in developing this habit.
If you haven’t created your own myjobchart.com account, now would be a great time. One of the choices in how to “spend” the points your children earn is to donate to charity. Sign up today and find out how this works as part of teaching kids to be responsible.