This year I am trying to teach my kids it is about what you give, not what you get, that makes Christmas special. You can always be disappointed if your gift is not the right size, color or exactly what you had in mind. You, however, will never be disappointed in what you give because gifts from the heart are always the perfect fit. My thought was to buy a goat for an African child to provide milk. I had read somewhere that this was a great gift to give. After doing some research I found out that the goats people are buying for the children are eating all the grass, which is making the drought conditions in some areas worse. I began to do some research on ways for kids to give back locally and found many ways for kids to help out right here at home. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Joshua House or Everyday Blessings:
It breaks my heart into a million pieces to think that we need places where children can go to heal. Some children in Tampa Bay do not know the comforts of a loving home. The people at Joshua House and Everyday Blessings work tirelessly to provide a safe haven for these children. They are always in need of items or volunteers. While your kids can’t volunteer directly they can sponsor a toy drive or share their mommy one night a week so she can volunteer. Call them to find out the best way to help.
Joshua House (813) 949-8946
Everyday Blessings: (813) 982-9226 or www.everybless.org
Volunteer Match is a great web site that offers lots of different ways that kids of all ages can get involved. http://www.volunteermatch.org- Some recent postings:
Lowry Park Zoo is looking for helpers for “Noon Years Eve Celebration” families can volunteer to help set up and man tables during this event that lets the little ones in on the fun of New Years.
Odessa Martial Arts & Fitness is looking for helpers on Jan 4th to help clean out an old building. We are in need of as many volunteers as possible to help clear contents out of an old building so that renovation work can be started this winter. The contents will be given out at a Giant yard sale January 5th. Donations will be accepted. If you can spend even just a half hour helping move things on Friday January 4th it would help tremendously
Apprentice Ecologist Initiative –Nicodemus Wilderness Project:
Recognized by the E.P.A. – the apprentice ecologist Initiative is engaging youth, parents and teachers from around the world in environmental stewardship and conservation projects.
http://www.wildernessproject.org/
Option I (Trash Cleanup)
Plan and take a trip (with help from your family, friends, or teachers*) to a mountain, river, shoreline, beach, park, or wilderness area. Pick up trash and take a few high-resolution digital photos** of your environmental project in action.
Option II (Tree Planting) Plan a native tree planting project (with help from your family, friends, teachers, or public officials) in your yard, neighborhood, school, park, or other natural area. Get permission from any landowners and obtain your native tree seedlings from a local nursery. Plant native trees and take a few high-resolution digital photos of your environmental project in action.
Option III (Free-Form) Be creative! Organize and conduct an environmental stewardship project locally, nationally, or internationally. Possible projects include starting a recycling program, taking action to protect an area for wildlife, campaigning to save a species or natural area, educating others about wildlife or conservation issues, taking steps to prevent pollution/contamination, or improving awareness about the importance of renewable energy sources. The possibilities are endless!
Tampa P.E.T.- Over 22 million people that are destitute because of loss of mobility due to land mines, polio, animal bites, birth defects, disease, and many more. The Personal Energy Transportation can make the lives of these individuals life altering. All we need is you to help make this happen. Help Tampa P.E.T build these hand crank wheelchairs to be sent around world. Even if the kids are not handy with the screwdriver yet they can help out in other ways. Thursday s and Saturdays
www.tampapet.com
Bake a Fireman some cookies. Let the kids spend an afternoon in the kitchen baking up some holiday cookies. Present them to the fireman at your local station with homemade thank you cards.
Write a thank you note to your teacher. Encourage your kids to spend a little time thinking about what their teacher does in a day and write note. Their teachers will truly appreciate this and your kids will benefit from the recognition of just how hard their teachers work.
Secret Santa: The gift of time to a friend in need. Each year I have my children pick one child at their school and become their Secret Santa from the day they get back from Thanksgiving break until Christmas break. I ask them to think of someone that could really use a friend. Is there a child whose parents who have recently divorced or a shy child who is always by them selves? You’ll be amazed at how easily they can pick someone. Once day, without letting the other child know, they are to do a kind deed. Inviting them to sit next to them at lunch, to play during recess, sharpen their pencils or simply say “Hi’ and smile each day. We spend the car ride home talking about what happened that day. This has proven to provoke some amazing conversations and has resulted in some lasting friendships.
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