My son? Well, he had a load of questions about scenes in Sudan, but he eventually fell asleep.
My daughter wanted to help children, in some way. She got inspired to be charitable from the movie. Then I told her of the two charities to which we (my husband and I) contribute regularly: St. Jude's and Children International.
I started donating to St. Jude's when my daughter was born. It was instinctual. I felt the need to help children who struggled just to grow up. I've witnessed a handful of children go through horrible diseases. It gets depressing when your thoughts wander, especially with your baby in your arms, and you feel horrible for not helping out every possible children's charity out there. I've learned you can't help everyone, but everyone can help out at least one. So St. Jude has been the one for over a decade.
The second charity fell on my lap when my mother-in-law passed away last year. She was in a nursing home, incontinent, and with the little money she had she would send a good portion of it to a child in the Children International program. We learned about this when she passed and we went through her mail. We found an envelop from Children International, and inside was a hand-written letter from the 6-year-old Honduran girl she was sponsoring. The little girl included a crayon drawings of her school and a message thanking my mother-in-law for her support. As a tribute to my mother-in-law, we took the account over and still continue to donate.
It's weird to "celebrate" these charities, so I'll just say that I'm thankful for St. Jude's, Children International, and all the other charities that put forward the needs of children before their own.
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I think celebrating these charities that do so much good in the world is a great kind of celebration. Also, what a celebration to be instilling that sense of empathy and giving in your children.
ReplyDeleteI think celebrating charities is a wonderful thing. I give on and off to St. Jude's too. Recently, I've given to Smashing Walnuts...a charity started by a 10 year old little girl with brain cancer. Gabriella was the same age as my son and passed away a couple of years ago. She lived in the same town as us and was friends with my son's best friend. It's another great charity to check out. Since her passing, Gabriella's mother has been working with senators trying to get more funding for children's cancer.
ReplyDeleteCharities can do so much good, and when one has a lovely memory or reason to connect with it, even better. I've donated to the Ronald McDonald one for years because of a neighbor man from my childhood. And Action Christmas Child I stumbled across several years ago and haven't stopped wrapping presents since. There are so many out there...hard to choose. Lovely celebration!
ReplyDeleteThat someone's working hard to help improve kids' lives is certainly something to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for a Small Things post! I've donated to St Jude's as well. Charities for research into diseases are helpful too (I hope) -- it'd be nice to find the causes and cures for many!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to be involved in charities and know that you're doing good in the world. Especially delightful that your daughter was inspired to help as well! When I lived in NY, I donated regularly to WWF and ASPCA. The animals were my "children." Have a great weekend! (And thanks for downloading my story!)
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