“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day;
teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
This Chinese proverb can easily be related to teaching children the art of charitable giving.
Seeking out opportunities to serve the community with your children provides them with the starting tools they need to be giving children.
My boys have always volunteered with me — whether it’s collecting food for the local food pantry, soliciting donations for underprivileged youth or spending time with the seniors from our church — and it is my hope that these experiences help create a desire in them to want to continue to volunteer when they are old enough to sign up on their own.
Use interests to support a charity. Young children can pledge money to swim/walk/run for a certain amount of laps to raise awareness and money. Children can do individual or group challenges and collect donations from family and friends.
Ideas for children to find volunteer opportunities in Fredericksburg:
• Serve at The Fredericksburg Area Food Bank. Children as young as 10 can give back to the community. Visit fredfood.org/volunteer.aspx to find out how and where you can volunteer with your children. Younger children can get involved by holding food fund drives. Additionally the Food Bank accepts surplus produce from home gardens or CSAs. In-kind donations — goods, services and other gifts — and monetary donations are gladly accepted. Allow your children to physically bring donations in to the food bank for a lasting impression.
• Help the environment. Remove/recycle trash from parks, rivers, beaches or other natural areas. Children 14 years and up can join Friends of the Rappahannock. Children of all ages can also plant trees or gardens to help conserve their neighborhood.
• Assist the elderly. Another charitable act is assisting the elderly in their yards by raking leaves, mowing lawns or weeding flowerbeds.
• Get involved at school or church. Children can become a mentor to younger children, help the elderly, or offer their talents in an area of need.
• Set up collection drives. Set up clothing drives for the homeless, collect school supplies for underprivileged youth, manage a yard sale using donated items, open a lemonade stand or use that entrepreneurial spirit to create ideas that will help bring in supplies and monetary donations to a charity near and dear to your family.
Allow your children to see that the world isn’t all about them by providing opportunities to serve others. As a parent, I guide our children toward volunteer opportunities and in return they feel good about themselves.
Check out one of my previous articles, Raising Giving Children.
Nikki Ducas is a budget-savvy Fredericksburg mom teaching her two young sons how to be charitable at home and in the community.
