Wouldn’t it be great to have our kids chow down on apples or carrots with as much enthusiasm as chocolate and ice cream?  The sad truth is that there are loads of kids who would actually like to crunch into some fresh fruits and vegetables but don’t have access to them — especially in their schools.

Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools is looking to change all this.  It’s no surprise research has shown that school kids eat more fruits and veggies when given choices via a school salad bar.  And the health benefits are well known — setting up a lifetime of better snack and meal choices.  The goal of this grassroots public health effort is to fund and award 6,000 salad bars in schools over the next three years.  The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity has endorsed schools using salad bars and upgrading cafeteria equipment to provide healthier choices for kids.

How can you become involved?  If you are a K-12 school district participating in the National School Lunch Program, you are eligible to fill out an application to add a salad bar to your school lunch line.  Once your application is approved for funding, you get a salad bar webpage for your district or school.  The Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative and your community raise funds for your salad bars.  Once funded, your salad bar equipment is ordered for shipment, and your school kids eat more fruits and vegetables!

Individuals can also make donations via the website to support one of the hundreds of schools listed in need of funds.  Or you can choose to donate to the general fund which will support schools who have approved applications.

As your packing your kids’ lunches, take a minute to think about the children who rely on their school lunch programs for healthy choices.  This is one way you can help other kids get in line for better health and good choices for their future!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

School volunteer activities are right around the corner!  To help you get prepared for this busy back-to-school time, we’d like to tell you about VolunteerSpot, a great resource that has a time-saving and sanity-saving online coordination tool for organizing all your volunteer efforts. VolunteerSpot’s free online sign-up sheets make parent participation at school, sports events, and in the community a snap!  No more passing around clipboard sign-up sheets or putting up with reply-all emails or phone tag just to help out.

With VolunteerSpot, ANYONE can launch a free sign-up calendar, and invite people to help in minutes. Parents choose their spots (when to help and what to bring) through a link in an email invitation or a button on your website or online group page. The best part is, once signed up, VolunteerSpot sends automated confirmation and reminder emails to keep everyone on track.

And now, volunteers and parents who are invited to your activities can sign up from their smartphones — no apps to install!  When volunteers receive your invitation (via email, Facebook, etc.) and click the link from their iPhone or Android device, they will be automatically directed to sign up pages specially designed to fit their phones.

VolunteerSpots tools are great not only for scheduling classroom volunteers, but also for parents who help with school carnivals and book fairs, parent-teacher conferences, soccer snacks, walk-a-thons, concessions stands, Scout campouts, and more!

Whether you are a room parent, coach, or committee chair in charge, one way to show our kids how much we enjoy volunteering at school is to make it as easy and fun for ourselves as possible. VolunteerSpot  helps parents do just that!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

(Excerpts from the story shared by Dawn Nelson, Stevie Nelson’s mom)

Video games, DVDs, bikes, toy cars, anything related to superheroes…this is what a typical birthday list looks like for most little boys turning six years old. However, Stevie Nelson of Tilden, NE, had a different kind of list this year. For his sixth birthday, he asked for dog food, cat food, animal treats, various chew toys and money, $6,000 to be exact, a thousand dollars for each of the Stevie’s years so far. All to benefit the Northeast Nebraska Humane Society.

His dream gift is a safe shelter for Northeast Nebraska’s unwanted dogs and cats who are still looking for their forever homes. Animals have always had a special place in Stevie’s heart. Stevie’s compassion for animals reached an entirely new level last year after his two charcoal Labrador Retrievers, Bo and Luke, went missing from their family home just two days before his fifth birthday. Stevie’s only birthday wish last year was to have his two best friends returned to him—a wish that was unfortunately never granted.

Instead of having a traditional sixth birthday party, Stevie requested that his birthday party guests not bring him any gifts, but rather bring gifts that would help the thousands of unwanted pets in Northeast Nebraska, including dog/cat food, vitamins, toys, collars, leashes and treats. He stated that he wanted to “fill trucks full of donations.” Word spread across the country and soon people nationwide started making monetary and product donations.  To date, Stevie has raised $25, 778.19 in monetary donations and an estimated $5,000 in product donations.

According to Stevie’s mom, “He has made something so  positive come out of our family’s tragedy. This is an excellent example of  ‘Paying it forward.’  What is equally amazing is when Stevie’s friends in Tilden heard his story, they wanted to help him raise money so much that they split the contents of  their piggy banks with him. That was incredibly touching to me.”

Stevie shared, “I am just happy to get to help more animals feel loved.”  His mom added, “I have never measured the success of this fundraiser by a dollar amount. This has been a valuable experience. We are so pleased that at age of 6 , Stevie was able to look beyond himself and see a bigger picture and a desire to help others. I think we can all learn from that.”

For more information, or to make donations visit Stevie Nelson’s 6th Birthday Wish.

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

(As published in Raising CEO Kids, June 19, 2011)

When should we start teaching our kids about money?  At very young ages, they seem to be awfully good at wanting to spend it!  YesKidzCan!’s Co-Founder Julie has two boys ages 7 and 9.  She and her husband feel strongly that if their kids want to spend money so badly, they should not only learn about spending it responsibly, but they should also appreciate saving and donating it!  When the boys were ages 6 and 8, they came up with an approach to teach them how to make thoughtful and personal choices with their allowance. Here’s what they did to foster financial responsibility, awareness, and generosity in their house:

• First, the spending piece.  They took their boys to the store so each could pick out their own wallet for money they can spend.
• Second, they each designed a “savings box” for money that will be kept for big-ticket items or the future.
• Third, the boys decorated a “giving jar” for money that will be donated.  They captured this fun project on video!

They spent time discussing the purpose and meaning behind each container, and also created a “matching savings program.”  Whenever the kids place money in the savings box, the boys understand that mom and dad will match it dollar for dollar.   They decided that the kids cannot touch their savings until after college.  On allowance payment days, the boys take out their jar, box, and wallet and they give them the payment in crisp one-dollar bills.  They watch as they choose how much money to put in each container without any coaching or coaxing.

To bring together the entire concept, they set up a family craft project.  They purchased a canvas and, working together, created a painting about the spend/save/give concept.  The painting hangs in their upstairs hallway in a spot that the boys regularly see as they race up and down the stairs.  The painting has literally added color and life to a topic that can sometimes cause kids to glaze over.

Parenting seems a little easier when fun and creativity are added to the mix!  Think of how much of a kick kids get out of learning fun synonyms for “money.” Words like dough, cash, bucks, or moolah. How about giving our kids equally fun ways to learn about finances?  Why not make “spend, save, give” part of your family time?

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

You know that gap of time when camp is over and school hasn’t started yet?   What to do with the little ones?  Here’s a different kind of project to consider.

• First, ask your kids to think about a cause that is really important to them — an issue, an organization, or a place.
• Next, have them do some (parent-supervised) research about that area.
• Encourage your them to brainstorm ways they can support their selected cause.  Check out these YesKidzCan! resources for ideas.
• Offer the option of including a timeline for  implementing their ideas.
• Suggest that your kids create a document, presentation or poster with visuals that summarize what they have learned and are proposing.
• Schedule a special time where your kids can make a presentation to the whole family.
• Explore if there are ways for the entire family to be involved.
• Provide positive feedback, and applaud their efforts.

This activity can be spread out over a period of time.   Just remember to encourage follow through.  Once the project is complete, you can ask your kids to create and present a summary of how things turned out. This kind of project goes beyond a way to fill time.  It offers a way to make time fulfilling!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

Thanks to the input and creativity of the Youth Advisory Board of Kids to Kids/Word Connect (a youth-led program that supports, arts, science, sports, education, and environmental projects in more than 10 countries), YesKidzCan! developed the Great Coin Race Community Service Project Kit.  The kit puts a fun spin on having kids raise money for Kids to Kids projects by collecting spare change.  We are excited to share that Sage School in Foxboro, Massachusetts which serves 169 students (ages 4-14) took on the Great Coin Race as part of their commitment to community service and to honor their 20th anniversary.

The Sage School selected a Kids to Kids project in the Dominican Republic called “Passport to the World” as the beneficiary of their Great Coin Race efforts.  Sage students and teachers “raced” to collect spare change to mark the 1,567 mile distance from Foxboro to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  Their goal was to raise 50 cents for each mile with a goal of raising $783.50.  “Passport to the World” will help a Dominican Republic community enhance their library by improving the physical space and improve the selection of books.

Sage School’s effort was school wide with every student, teacher, and administrator assigned to one of two teams:  Green or Blue.  The two teams competed in a month-long coin collecting race.  Members of the World Connect staff and the Youth Advisory Board attended the launch and spoke to the student body about the importance of supporting kids around the world.  While the racing was going on, students studied the history and culture of the Dominican Republic and learned about the challenges faced by kids in that region of the world.  After a month’s effort, the school held an assembly to celebrate their Great Coin Race accomplishments — raising a total of $1,161.20 which exceeded their initial goal!

Way to go Sage School!  We hope other schools and community groups will download the free kit and follow the fantastic example set by every student, faculty member, and administrators!  You put the “Great” in “Great Coin Race!”

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

What do you get when you take caring about a cause, an entrepreneurial spirit, and neon-colored duct tape?  You get another winner of our Social KidPreneurz Award — Abigail (age 11) of Bethesda, Maryland!  Abigail loves making stuff out of duct tape.  Wallets, pencil cases, purses, totes, bookmarks!  She recruited a classmate to help make duct tape items (probably 50 when all was said and one) and sell them at a neighborhood stand that her family helped set up.

On the morning of the event, Abigail and her friend were a little shy at first — getting a feel for how to engage passers-by.  But after a few attempts, they started waving and smiling at cars, carrying their products to greet weekend joggers, and even engaging Abigail’s younger brother to make a huge sign and flyers to put on the windshields of neighborhood cars. They had quite an operation going!  And who could ever predict that their customers would include toddlers to senior citizens.  Several were so tickled by what they saw that they told Abigail to keep the change or made a donation without asking for a product in return!

You can watch Abigail’s success here!  And successful she was!  She donated $200 to the Save the Children’s Japan Relief Fund.  And while the financial donation deserves significant kudos, according to Abigail’s mom (a third grade school teacher), the success went deeper than feeling terrific about the donation.  She emphasized that the project was great fun to do with a friend and also helped build confidence in the kids.  Just goes to show it’s not your grandfather’s duct tape anymore!  Congratulations to Abigail for finding the creativity and compassion in duct tape!

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

So you want to motivate your kids to take action around a cause that is important to them?  Why not try tapping into their love of all things “point and click?!”  Thanks to a Homepage Heroes, you can sit down with your kids and marvel at how far superior their technology skills are by creating a personal homepage that supports causes.  Your homepage serves as the gateway to online purchases from any of the 960 participating merchants.  Your transactions result in donations to the charity of your choice. You pay exactly the same product price you would normally pay and deal directly with the retailer.  You can even apply coupons or special offers! Create your own page, or use one of the site’s 70 backgrounds, various widgets, feeds, and search engines.   Your efforts will bring to mind a new spin on an old saying,  “Your homepage is where the heart is!”

© YesKidzCan!, 2011

What do you get when you take a group of kids, plain glass jars, and a bunch of big hearts?  A really fun community service project!  It’s called the Giving Jar Community Service Project and involves kids taking simple glass containers, decorating them to look like stained glass, and collecting money in their containers to donate. Kids can take part of their allowance, do chores to earn change, or fashion any other creative idea to top off their jars with well-earned dollars for their charity of choice.  Everything you need to do this project is available in a downloadable kit format.  The kit is almost free — just $8.00 — with 100% going to children’s causes.  It’s a winner among kids, but don’t take our word for it.  This video says it all!

© 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