Do you have a kid or work with one who is doing something special to help his or her community, a friend, or an organization? We would love to hear from them.  Encourage them to write up a few sentences and send it to us at info@yeskidzcan.com.  Their summary can be short and sweet, detailed, with photos or without!  We’d enjoy giving them recognition for their good work as well as a by-line!  We believe kids can change the world one kind act at a time, and we’re  excited to acknowledge all that kids can do!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

Do you think elementary school-aged kids should be taught about social entrepreneurism?  We want to know what you think!  To learn more about where we stand, we invite you to read this article!

As adults, we know that Memorial Day commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service.  We can also use this day as a way to educate our kids about the sacrifices soldiers continue to make for our country and involve them in a project to raise the spirits of those recovering from war-time injuries.  Thousands of our country’s soldiers get wounded every year, and many cannot return to duty. To date, in the Iraq war alone, more than 30,000 service men and women have been wounded. The average hospital stay for a wounded soldier is 10 months, but some stay as long as two years. Recovering from injuries is difficult enough. Doing so away from all the comforts of home is equally challenging.

In honor of Memorial Day, YesKidzCan! is offering one of our Community Service Project Kits, Lifting Soldiers’ Spirits, for free.  This project has kids decorating pillowcases for wounded soldiers to lift their spirits during their recovery, provide some comfort while they are away from home, and convey our appreciation for all they do.  The kit includes:

Easy, step-by-step instructions.  We’ve kept directions for each community service project short and simple.  But, we’ve provided a few extra details for those of you who haven’t done this kind of project before or appreciate a little bit more guidance.

Useful and fun and information. The kit lists everything you need including supplies, participant invitations, a countdown calendar, and estimated costs for the project.  We’ve also included several patriotic graphics that you can print out on iron-on transfer paper and apply them to the pillowcases.

Something for everyone. While our kits are designed for elementary school-aged kids at home, in school, or with clubs or faith groups, we also give you ideas for older kids.  For example, older kids may enjoy supervising younger kids’ projects, organizing an activity with peers, or getting their community service requirements.

Finally, the kit lists specific military hospitals that will accept the decorated pillowcases along with the mailing instructions. We want to make it easy for you and your kids to let our service men and women know that we value their sacrifices.  Our military helps us sleep more soundly at night.  Perhaps this act of kindness will help them do the same.

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

Grocery shopping is not my favorite activity.  Lately, it seems like a mad rush to grab a gallon of milk or find that last-minute ingredient for the school bake sale I just learned about!  But there are days when I enjoy the experience.  There is beauty in the produce section.  The vivid, shiny colors.  The bakery aromas bring back cookie-making weekends with my grandmother.  And the pasta and salad dressing aisle brings a smile to my face.  That’s because there is always someone smiling back at me — Paul Newman.  There he is staring at me from the labels of his pasta sauces, salsas, marinades, and more.  I have always been a fan of his acting and blue eyes.  But as a philanthropy geek, I get a rush from the Newman’s Own company which he started and has ended up being a joyful nod to social enterpreneurism.  The Newman’s Own Foundation donates all profits from the products it sells to thousands of charities and has been doing so since 1982 to the tune of over $300 million dollars!  Knowing this, I always enjoy directing my daughter to select the Newman’s Own pasta sauce instead of other brands.  We happen to like the taste, but I also use the opportunity to remind her how choosing that product results in money going to charities. Plus, it’s fun to read the Newman’s Own-isms like “Sockarooni” and “Industrial Strength” to describe his product flavors. Okay, okay! I am an unabashed groupie, and why not? Newman’s Own is a great reminder that doing good can be good fun.

© YesKidzCan, 2011

Based on my profession, it should come as no surprise that I am a big fan of supporting charities and people committed to community service.  However, I have to confess.  I have a big problem with the folks who stand on the median strip asking for money for the designated charity of the rush hour!  Here’s what gets me:

Do we really know who these folks are?  At one intersection, you have people who appear to be fresh-faced college kids with their university logos emblazoned across their sweat shirts holding up plastic buckets asking for donations to support pediatric cancer research.  Sometimes they morph into people dressed up like fire fighters — right down to their boots and suspenders.  They hold buckets or fire hats (nice touch!) asking for contributions to keep the firehouse running.   Other times, these folks seem to be athletes of some kind with team shirts and caps who are looking for support to go on a team trip.

Look, I love college kids, firefighters, and team sports.  Cancer research is a great cause to support — as are all the others.   My problem is this:  are these people legitimate?  Are they really who they say they are?  Are they truly collecting money for the causes they have hand written on paper that has been taped to various containers?  How do we know the money makes it from the bucket to the organization?

When I give money to a cause, I wanted to be assured of a few things:  Is the organization that is getting my money reputable?  Will my donation support the mission of the program rather than administrative expenses such as rent or travel?

There are, numerous ways to know if a fundraising effort is worth your donation.  When I get a direct mail piece, a fundraising phone call, an invitation to an event, or read about a cause, I can use online services like Guidestar, Charity Navigator, or the Wise Giving Guide to make sure that the charity gets high marks.

But when I am in my car waiting for the light to change from red to green, I don’t have time to roll down my window and ask these questions.  It wouldn’t be safe driving to pull out my iPad and google the charity to try to confirm the legitimacy of the fundraising effort.

Here’s the other part of the dilemma.  Many times when I am driving by, I have my daughter in the car.  She wants to know, “Who are they mom?  Why aren’t we stopping?  Cant’ we help them?”  Of course I explain who I think they are and that they appear to be asking for donations.  But I also feel compelled to let her know that I am not 100% certain about the situation – and perhaps she should not be either.

Am I turning my daughter into a cynic at an early age?  Or am I just trying to teach her that sometimes a smile and a “please” and a hand written sign is not enough to earn our trust and get us to open our wallets?  There are so many worthy causes that rely on our support.  And I applaud fundraisers.  However, in regard to the “roadside ask,” I just wish that the method used for getting donations did not put into question the authenticity of the effort!  What do you think?

©YesKidzCan!, 2011

Summer is around the corner. That means hot weather, outdoor fun, and . . . kid-run lemonade stands!  It doesn’t matter if the lemonade is too sour, too watery, or too expensive!  Watching our kids set up their stand, earn money, and beam with pride is worth every taste test and mad dash to the store to get that forgotten ingredient!

Now imagine taking this childhood right of passage and turning it into a vehicle for helping others.  That’s just what Team Kids is doing with their LemonAID program. Created after Hurricane Katrina, Team Kids LemonAID was a way for kids to show their support for other kids in New Orleans.  The program has expanded to support wildfires in California, the earthquake in Haiti, Japan Tsunami Relief, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Day efforts.  To date, close to $70,000 has been raised for charities with 100% of funds going to the beneficiaries.

So this summer when your kids ask you to unearth the folding table, pitchers, and paper cups, think about turning a cold drink into a heart warming experience for the servers and the receivers!

© YesKidzCan, 2011

A tough day for parents is the one when our kids come home from school with the tear-streaked faces and the story about something truly rotten that happened to them.  Sometimes, there are just no words to comfort them and no quick fixes.

I had such a day with my daughter.  The worst part was that I knew all I could do was listen and empathize.  I could not solve the situation for her.   And I could not confirm when things would get better – just that that they would . . . eventually.

So with a lot on both our minds, we headed out to my daughter’s weekly horseback riding lesson.  I knew her favorite activity would provide a needed distraction, but I never could have predicted how that afternoon at the stables would give her a gift that turned her day around.

A rider for almost 5 years, my daughter likes me to drop her off in front of the stables so she can tack up her assigned horse independently and make her way to her lesson.  At the sophisticated age of 11, she does not want me lingering.  Our deal is that I return about 90 minutes later and get the play-by-play of the class.

When I returned to pick her up, her retelling of the afternoon’s events had nothing to do with her lesson but had everything to do with what happened before it even began. As she was bridling Andi, a mom approached her and introduced herself and her four-year-old son, Jonathan.  Jonathan was shy and wouldn’t make eye contact. Jonathan also had no hair and had a medical tube that went up his nose.  The mom explained that Jonathan loved horses and that they were at the stables because of the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  Jonathan had leukemia and wanted to pet a horse as his wish.  The mom asked if my daughter would let him pet the horse she was riding.

My daughter was eager to introduce Jonathan and Andi, showed him how to pet the horse, and shared some horse facts.  When Jonathan was done petting Andi, my daughter bent down to ask him if he enjoyed petting the horse.  Jonathan wrapped his arms around my daughter to hug her and nodded that he did. When my daughter got up, she saw Jonathan’s mom was crying.  She said that not only did my daughter make Jonathan’s day but that she made the mom’s entire year.

I wish I had been at the stables that day so I could tell Jonathan’s mother that the gift given that day was not to Jonathan, but to my daughter.  My daughter said in the car ride home that what happened to her at school didn’t bother her any more.  She said she would be fine.  “Look at what Jonathan gets through each day.”

We now call this the “Jonathan Effect.” It is amazing how a simple kind act to a four-year old boy can transform the day of the giver and the receiver and leave behind a life lesson so strong that my daughter now knows that she can not only withstand the rotten days but also stand tall in spite of them.

© YesKidzCan, 2011

This Mother’s Day, you can honor your mom by supporting women in need.  About 30,000 women in the United States will spend Mother’s Day in a shelter for battered women.  To them, Mother’s Day is just another day to survive.  So, instead of giving mom a gift this year, you can donate $25 to a shelter in her name through Jewish Women International’s Mother’s Day Flower Project. Your donation will go towards flowers, beauty products, stationery, and more. The mom you honor will also receive a Mother’s Day Card to let her know a donation was made in her name. 

© YesKidzCan, 2011

We often hear how we can learn from our elders.  Very true.  But let’s not overlook how much kids can teach us.  Take seven-year-old Allie from Vermont, for example.  On vacation with her family, she saw tigers, lions, and mini ponies being pulled behind trucks for tourists’ enjoyment.  Alex was upset about the animals’ treatment in the hot sun without food or water.  Once home, she set up Allie’s Tigerific Lemonade Stand to sell homemade lemonade and limeade with all the money going to Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.  Her goal has been to help save tigers “one cup of lemonade at a time.”  With support from local papers and stores that posted her flyers, she has donated $820 to date.

We believe that kids like Allie should be recognized for their vision, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit.  That’s why we created the Social KidPreneurz Awards Program for kids in grades 3-5.  If you know young social entrepreneurs (kids who want to solve a problem by creating a business-like product or service and donating the money to a cause), encourage them to work with you to fill out an application to win $100 of seed money to implement their idea.  It’s only 10 questions, but apply now.  Applications must be postmarked by June 1.  YesKidzCan! will present 50 recipients with their awards by June 15.

Help your kids learn what Allie is already teaching us — whether it is one cup of lemonade, one kind act, or one kid — the power of one is unmistakable.

© YesKidzCan, 2011