A friend of mine and her eight-year-old daughter recently worked on a community service project together. Both artistic, they decided to create a painting to donate to a health facility to brighten up a hallway. They purchased a canvas along with a variety of neon paints, and the eight year old produced a wildly colorful tropical bird that would make any patient or visitor smile. 

The mom scheduled a delivery day with the facility director. After packaging the canvas with care – complete with a big ribbon and gift tag – she and her daughter drove to the center, eager to pass along the painting.

They met the facility director in the lobby and introduced themselves. My friend couldn’t help but notice how her daughter’s excitement was eclipsed by the administrator’s distracted manner. Determined to capture a happy moment, the mom pulled out her camera and asked if she could take a few photos of her daughter donating her artwork.

A few quick snapshots later, mom and daughter were back in the car heading home. My friend confided in me afterwards that she felt somewhat crestfallen.  Her daughter had worked hard and was excited to donate the painting. She had hoped for a more engaging reception. On the ride home, she was about to say to her daughter something about how sorry she was that the experience was not as enthusiastic as she had hoped! But, there was no need. Her daughter was beaming! She told her mom that she had so much fun and asked when they could do it again.

Later that day, my friend turned on the television to see the local news. One of the big stories was about the very same facility receiving one of the largest contributions in its history earlier that day! No wonder the director was pre-occupied. As adults, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that a kid’s painting might pale in comparison to a multi-million dollar donation for everyone involved. But to a child, the experience can be as bright and joyful as… well… a tropical bird.

©YesKidzCan!, 2010.

When a natural disaster occurs, like the recent earthquake devastation in Haiti, it is hard to wrap my brain around it as an adult and a parent. Not only does it give me pause, I do wonder what my nine-year-old daughter thinks. You might ask how she would even know about such a thing. I do admit that I flip on the television in the morning to catch the weather and traffic before heading out to school.  Many times, I am not quick enough to press the mute button on the remote, and my daughter hears something that requires some explaining. Televisions aside, kids are super good at eavesdropping and will overhear parents’ conversations, older siblings, or classmates talking at school.

What I have decided is this: not only is there a way to explain natural disasters to our kids, there are also ways to involve them in the relief efforts. The “how” and “when” of explaining depends, of course, on the make-up of your individual kid and his or her age. But just today, I found a useful blog from the United Nations World Food Programme  (www.wfp.org/students-and-teachers) that gives straightforward facts and information and tells it like it is without gory details or sugar-coating (which many kids resent). Here’s a snippet: “A powerful earthquake, measuring 7 on the Richter scale struck Haiti… The quake destroyed buildings and left a large number of people homeless. The death toll is unknown, but it is feared to be high with many people injured. Streets are blocked by rubble rendering rescue and assistance efforts difficult. The people in Haiti need your help.” In talking with my daughter, I might choose to focus on there being “many injured” rather than discussing a “death toll.” But my point is that I was grateful to find this resource (written with youth in mind) to help guide my conversation.

So, once you have explained the situation to your kids, how can they help when disaster strikes? First and foremost, Haiti needs monetary donations according to numerous disaster relief organizations. (Down the road, food and clothing donations may be encouraged.) Consider these suggestions:

1. Get online and visit any of the reputable organizations listed below to make a donation. Have your kid(s) sit with you and be part of the donation process.

2. Raise funds together to donate. If your kid(s) are motivated along these lines, you can discuss ways to raise money (from bake sales to making and selling greeting cards to car washing).

3. Purchase products that support the relief effort. One website (www.atriskchildren.org), has t-shirts and hats for purchase and donates a portion of their sales to Haiti relief efforts. In addition, organizations like UNICEF have an “Inspired Gifts” section on their website (http://inspiredgifts.unicef.org) where you can purchase medical, food, school supplies and more. You can even dedicate the purchase to a friend or in your kid’s name. (UNICEF will direct your purchase to the country in greatest need at that time.)

4. Sponsor a child. After the critical relief efforts have occurred, many families are still in dire straights. Consider sponsoring a child in the country where the disaster occurred. Several wonderful organizations make sponsorship easy and fulfilling: Children’s International (www.children.org) and World Vision (www.worldvision.org) are two. Your kids can go online with you and help identify the child you would like sponsor. (We keep a photo of Sandra, the girl we sponsor, in our kitchen as well as exchange letters!)

There’s no question that natural disasters are heart wrenching. Rather than shy away from the topic, consider taking a moment to educate your kids and involve them in a positive way. What do you think? I’d enjoy hearing from you!

You can make donations through any of these organizations that support the disaster relief efforts in Haiti:

www.Cidi.org

www.Interaction.org

www.Globalgiving.org

www.Panamericanrelief.org

www.Unicefusa.org

www.Mercycorps.org

www.Redcross.org

www.Doctorswithoutborders.org

www.SavetheChildren.org

www.Directrelief.org

www.Childfund.org

www.Worldvision.org

www.americares.org

www.pih.org

©YesKidzCan!, 2010.

We’re excited because this is our inaugural entry in The Giving Experience – a blog from two moms who have spent over twenty years working in the philanthropy field and who now want to share what we’ve learned about how to raise kids who like to give!  Our blog will feature community service ideas, causes to know, stories you shouldn’t miss, interesting research, and much more!  But first, we wanted to give you an overview of how we see the world of giving back for kids!

Giving back… We know it’s important to teach it. We know our kids will benefit from it. And, frankly, our communities need it. But if we are being honest, who has time? Our lives are packed with paper pushing, grocery shopping, clothes washing, and activity organizing. So, here’s our take on it. Giving back does take time and energy. But there are ways to engage our young kids in doing good works that are convenient for you, fun for your kids, and worthwhile overall. So where do you begin? Start by creating what we call giving experiences. A giving experience is a teachable, memorable, and hopefully enjoyable moment that reinforces the significance of giving back for you and your kids. A giving experience is not limited to a community service project. It can involve the every day stuff of life such as a conversation, an interaction, a regular activity, or family routines and traditions.

Here are three simple ways to start giving experiences with your family:

Talk! During mealtime, drive time, or bedtime, ask your kids if they know what it means to be charitable. You can explain that giving back can include donating money, time, or talent. You can also give or ask for examples of kind acts and build on these discussions over time.

Start young! Involve your kids in a giving experience when they are as young as three or four. Even toddlers can help put outgrown shoes in a donation bag, pass along unwanted stuffed animals or toys, or gather canned goods.

Think small! Reinforce your kids’ little acts of kindness. When your children show signs of compassion (such as saying hello to a classmate who is shy, giving a friend a hug, or paying someone a compliment), acknowledge their actions by telling them how proud you feel.

Like many of you, we’re off to drive carpool!  Be sure to tell us what you think and what you’d like to blog about down the road.

©YesKidzCan!, 2010.