(Originally posted July 2011.)

This is for C, after we read one of the stories last night in Zen Shorts he was really concerned. It tells of a man that’s visited by a robber and the man is poor and has nothing that could be stolen, but he offers the robber his cloak. C was really moved by this and expressed with some concern, we have so many things and there are people with nothing. He was clearly upset by this so we talked about what we can do to help others, through giving locally or abroad. Kit and I have made donations but we’ve really not talked about them much with the kids so I wanted to post links that we can explore to show the kids some of the organizations that we’ve donated to in the past or we are currently supporting. He seemed very relieved when I explained that we are trying to live on a budget so that we can give to others in need.

It’s a fine line to balance, wanting to meet the needs of our own children AND some of their wants but also realizing that we need to teach our children to give selflessly when there are so many with their most basic needs not being met. It was humbling, to have our son remind me that we can always try to stretch a bit tighter and give. I also explained that we are saving money (that we could donate, of course) in part because we want to make sure as the kids grow that they can go serve a mission and help others or pursue whatever goals they feel can better help others. And we talked about some of the research being done at my alma mater and how they are finding ways to create clean water for villages by using playground equipment, creating portable solar ovens for people without electricity, working in the food science labs to develop drought resistant crops. (As you enter BYU campus there’s a large sign that says, “Enter to learn, go forth to serve.” We use to make jokes about that but I do believe that is part of the mission of that university – training and teaching and providing a way to go and serve.) We told him that we are saving for his future and his education so he can take this desire to help others and make it happen, however he feels so impressed… maybe he’ll become a research scientist, maybe he’ll serve in the peace corps, maybe he’ll join Doctors without Borders, maybe he will be an incredible, dedicated father that adores his family. Who knows? 🙂 But whatever he does, he’ll make the world a better place.

Uganda.
Compassion International
Pennies for Peace
church humanitarian services and Latter Day Saint Charities
Spirit Horse Therapy
March of Dimes
Haiti earthquake relief through iTunes app store purchases!
Denton community food kitchen
Denton animal shelter
Backpacks for Japan
Every Mother Counts – sending medical supplies to South Sudan

When we make donations I do like to list the family name or the kids’ names so they can see their contributions – I snapped a photo for them of the donation scroll:

I think for these charities far away/online it helps them feel a connection, that they can see their names and see they really did help make a difference. When we serve locally there’s a physical experience with gathering cans of food or putting together packages, but online is more abstract. They were excited to see ThadenPierce on the website. 🙂

Update: We donated to some of the above organizations for our holidays in 2011 and in 2012 we’re letting the kids pick a charity, earn money through chores, we’ll match their earnings and donate in their name. So far they’ve picked:

The Water Project to build wells in Africa
The North Texas Food Bank to feed local families throughout the metroplex
UNICEF to purchase high energy biscuits

All three organizations have 90% or more of their donations going directly to their projects. I also like that with a $30 donation the food bank sends you 5 cards which state you made a donation in someone’s honor – the kids are very excited to think they can do chores and donate in someone’s honor while also helping people.

This is the playground charity, and around 70% goes to the playgrounds being built with the around 30% going to research, development, and admin costs in the US: Empower Playgrounds.

Kit and I are also picking charities to donate part of our Christmas fund to, and we’ve made some local private donations to support individual families in need and I made some to places supporting birthing moms (something dear to my heart.) Remember even just joining an organization like ICAN or Birth Network is helping make a difference for moms and babies!

There are so many worthy causes and however small our contribution may be, it’s a blessing to us to know we are serving others. I also love the humbling reminder of how blessed we are, and it helps us keep the focus of the season on giving – not receiving.

Another update – if you are local then you’ll love supporting this organization here, helping provide heaters and fans for families unable to afford central heating and air. I love their shirts and bumper stickers!