As we enter this holiday season, I want to talk about priorities and teaching our kids the importance of doing good for others. An organization that is near and dear to our hearts is Children International. They have a long-term goal to help kids who live in poverty, and hopefully someday, end poverty altogether.
They have a bold vision to graduate healthy, educated, empowered and employed young adults from their program in order to achieve their goal of breaking the cycle of poverty.
Children International has four pillars they focus on, which you can read more about here. They work all around the world, fighting poverty in areas closer to your home than you might think.
As a parent to two small children, I feel like it’s my duty to educate Caroline and Carson on the responsibility to help others, not just during the holidays, but throughout the year as well. We are fortunate to have jobs, a home, and countless other “things”, and with that comes the need and ability to give back and assist those in need.
For the past two years, our family has sponsored kids from our church’s South African Ministry to aid in providing clothing, books, and learning tools to help educate these youths. In addition, we also “adopt” two Salvation Army Christmas Tree kids each year, and take our girls shopping to buy gifts for local children in our area who might not otherwise have a happy Christmas. Teaching these valuable lessons to our kids is not only showing them the importance of helping others, but also that generosity and giving go a long way when we all join in the fight together.
This, among others, is one reason I am here today, to spread the word in showing how if we all do a little, we can accomplish a lot and give to those less fortunate.
This, among others, is one reason I am here today, to spread the word in showing how if we all do a little, we can accomplish a lot and give to those less fortunate.
Looking to do something special and meaningful this Christmas? You can join the Children International team of sponsors for $32/month, helping provide kids with three essential elements:
a place + a team + a path out of poverty
Donations—big or small—are welcome at any time and we can all do our part in the fight to end poverty forever… you can read about individual stories of hope and solutions in how donations are making lasting impacts on so many young people, too. Trisha’s story brought me so much happiness that I couldn’t wait to share it with Caroline and Carson and tell them how we can help her to chase her dreams and become a doctor!
This is so awesome to share, girl. We just did a shoe box for OCC and love the tradition to start with Leyton of giving back now and all throughout the year like you said. xo
The food at this place was delicious. The menu options we had at these wedding venues were great (it was hard to choose) and one course was better than the next. It was great that they had different options for those who didn't eat what we served.