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eaglesvet
12-17-2008, 10:49 AM
I wanted to share an idea for charitable giving I have done for a few years now, both at Christmas and at the end of the school year, for classroom teachers, Sunday school teachers, piano teachers--the list can go on and on. I have made a donation in the teacher's name to World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide. When you make a donation, you actually specify what it is you are donating. My all-time favorite is to donate $15 for "a share of an alpaca" to a Peruvian or Ecuadorian family. An alpaca provides that family with income for up to 25 yrs from the highly prized wool, while at the same time protecting the local environment from erosion and deforestation by its gentle grazing habits. I guess this appeals to my animal-lover side as well as to my environmentally-friendly side!

There are literally more than 100 different charitable gifts as cool as an alpaca that can change the lives of the poor in other countries as well as here in the US. Another favorite of mine for my sons' piano teacher was to donate $20 for musical instruments for a child's classroom in Mozambique. I've also donated similar amounts for a supply of fast-growing hybrid seeds for a family in Thailand.

The list goes on... immunizing children for $41, preventing malaria by providing bed nets for 1 family for $20, providing safety for a formerly sexually exploited girl in Cambodia for $100...all the way up to digging a well in Malawi for $5390 ( and even some greater donations than that.) They also have projects for the underprivileged families right here in the US.

I've given this as a sole gift (how many knick-knacks can a piano teacher get in her lifetime?). In cases where the parents in a classroom have taken up a collection to buy a larger collective gift for the teacher rather than 20 small gifts, I've also bought one large personal gift for the teacher (say, a piece of personalized jewelry), and then donated the remaining money to a cause she would appreciate. World Vision gives you a nice card detailing what the specific donation is, and how it will help the person, family, or community to which it was donated--so that your gift recipient will know about the donation made in their honor.

Anyway, in these economic times, I wanted to make others aware of this worthwhile opportunity to make your dollars go far (in all senses of the word.):angel: The website is www.worldvisiongifts.org (http://www.worldvisiongifts.org), click on gift catalog.

Ive always been a dreamer
12-17-2008, 11:28 AM
ev - This is a wonderful idea, and thanks for that link. I just love these types of gifts that "keep on giving" to help those around the world who are less fortunate than we are.

Brooke
12-17-2008, 11:45 AM
It truly is, ev. Thanks for letting us know about it.

TimothyBFan
12-17-2008, 11:58 AM
We have actually done the exact same thing in the past. My children for several years now have put only one thing on their Christmas list for the gift exchange we have with my husband's family and that is a donation in their name for either The Save Darfur Fund or The Heifer Foundation where the charity uses money donated to help buy livestock, seeds, grains etc. and to help educate families in 3rd world nations raise crops and livestock and therefore helping them become self sufficient. I was very proud of them years ago when they started doing that on their own at the ages of 11 & 13.

eaglesvet
12-17-2008, 12:18 PM
That is quite generous of your children. My kids are not quite there yet, but the more we model the behavior, the more likely it is to stick!

tbs fanatic
12-17-2008, 02:07 PM
I will add another cool place to donate that I've just discovered.

The Children's Safe Drinking Water Project (csdw.org). It provides packets of chemicals that you simply mix with contaminated water and in about 30 minutes the water is drinkable. Amazing. Proctor and Gamble are behind this.

Apparently just $1 gives a child safe drinking water for 50 days. $30 gives a family safe drinking water for a year!! This system has won a bunch of awards so it obviously works well. I recently came across this on a tv ad for PUR water.

sodascouts
12-17-2008, 09:31 PM
What a great idea. I was trying to decide what to get for my parents who don't really need anything that I can buy them... and I saw this! I made two donations in their names.

I also like their post-purchase note: "Thank you for helping change the world with your gift."

eaglesvet
12-18-2008, 12:21 AM
Oh yeah, that's the other perfect recipient...the person who has everything, and you absolutely can't think of another thing to get them that they don't already have!

Glennsallnighter
12-18-2008, 08:22 AM
As well as giving personal gifts we always give charity gifts to our family and friends. We have picked a charity every years for about 10 years now since this gift idea has become possible. I try to match the gifts up with something meaningful in the recipients life . My sister loves basketball so one year I got her one which would be used to encourage sport between children of warring factions in Rwanda. We give educational supplies for schools in developing countries to teachers and students. I gave my mom a home survival kit one year. This year because Laura is getting such good eye care we are giving gifts from 'Sightsavers'. These include glasses which will allow visually impaired children to read, cataract operations and braille kits. We are giving ABA Christmas cards

I think its good too for our children to see that the services and products that they take for granted over here are not available to eveybody and that they should appreciate what they have.

Its quite funny at home on Christmas morning at times:

'Dad, What presents did you get?'

'A goat, a beehive, anti-malaria medicine and 600 jabs!!'

glenneaglesfan
12-18-2008, 03:14 PM
This is a wonderful idea. Last year D's parents bought some chickens in his name, which will help a family in Tanzania. Over here, we can put a small sum aside into a special charity fund, then we can pay cheques without worrying about our day to day finances. I've just sent a charity cheque to our local animal rescue centre. In the new year we are thinking about getting a dog from them.

eaglesvet
12-05-2009, 09:32 PM
Just to revive a thread from last Christmas...and remind you all about www.worldvisiongifts.org (http://www.worldvisiongifts.org). We can all make the world a better place, especially at this time of year, and especially when we're having trouble buying gifts for those people on our lists who "have everything." Let's think of those in the world who have nothing. Thanks! :angel:

Molly
12-05-2009, 10:10 PM
Nice thread, ev.

We've been donating in my MIL's (another person who doesn't need any more "stuff") to the Heifer Foundation for years now. There are some amazing programs out there.

I got tired of reading about my office's plans for Christmas this year, (sign up sheet for snacks, cookies, more snacks) and I suggested it might be a nice team building idea to do something for others instead of ourselves. I had suggested printing off the local Humane Society's "wish list" and filling up some baskets.

Or possibly going thru our local food pantry's "wish list" and getting together someof the things people don't usually donate (as opposed to the typical can of corn).

I was pleased that the group totally embraced the idea, and we have 2 large bins being filled up -one for the shelter animals and one for the food pantry being filled up with baby items like diapers and forumula which are greatly needed.

eaglesvet
12-06-2009, 12:31 AM
That sounds great, Molly!

Another organization that a friend informed me of is Women for Women International, a non-profit org that helps women from war-torn countries around the globe rebuild their lives. Their website is www.womenforwomen.org; in the UK it's www.womenforwomen.org.uk. From Dec. 7-11 in the UK, they are sponsoring a "Big Give," where all donations will be doubled--a great way for those across the pond to make their dollars (err... pounds) stretch further!

sodascouts
12-06-2009, 02:51 AM
How terrific that you were able to organize a drive, Molly. That's what Christmas is all about.

AzEaglesFan
12-06-2009, 03:00 AM
We donated money and Christmas stockings to our local Fire Department. Our town is so small that every year the Fire Department loads one of the fire truck up with Santa and gifts, They make sure they have enough gifts for every young kid in town. I don't know how they figure the number of gifts they are going to need but they have always come through with a gift for every kid so far.

cynd1231
12-06-2009, 08:01 AM
One of our local TV stations here in Albuquerque, KOAT, runs a program every year called "KOAT'S FOR KIDS". People donate coats (new and used) for distribution all over New Mexico to needy children. One of the local dry cleaners provides free cleaning for any used coats. The response is always amazing!! I always go thru my closets to see what I've got that I'm not wearing and often check with a few of my neighbors in an effort to collect as much as I can. And our local balloonists dedicate their December flying event to the collection of coats for the cause. I'm always so touched by the number of pilots (and their families and crew members) who donate their jackets from Balloon Fiesta and I have no doubt when some kid receives a Fiesta jacket it's a particularly special gift. (KOAT also runs a School Supplies collection for distribution in September...I love going shopping for crayons, pencils, notebooks and bookbags to put into the donation boxes)

eaglesvet
12-07-2009, 10:00 AM
We donated money and Christmas stockings to our local Fire Department. Our town is so small that every year the Fire Department loads one of the fire truck up with Santa and gifts, They make sure they have enough gifts for every young kid in town. I don't know how they figure the number of gifts they are going to need but they have always come through with a gift for every kid so far.
I saw that Old Navy was selling large Xmas stockings for $1 if you needed additional ones. That is so cool that your fire company and towns people can do that...I'm sure that your children will remember that when they are parents.

TimothyBFan
12-07-2009, 12:27 PM
Gotta say--You guys are the greatest!!! Those are wonderful things that are being done. Love the whole fire dept thing! How cool is that!?! And Kudos to you Molly and your fellow coworkers! The true meaning of Christmas at it's finest. I just wish everyone was so giving and focused on what Christmas is all about and not just give me, give me, give me all the time. I work with kids and can say it's pretty discouraging when all they talk about is " I want that!".

I wrote this last year "My children for several years now have put only one thing on their Christmas list for the gift exchange we have with my husband's family and that is a donation in their name for either The Save Darfur Fund or The Heifer Foundation where the charity uses money donated to help buy livestock, seeds, grains etc. and to help educate families in 3rd world nations raise crops and livestock and therefore helping them become self sufficient. I was very proud of them years ago when they started doing that on their own at the ages of 11 & 13." Same this year again.

And it's also always been a tradition with us that we buy a girls toy and a boys toy every year for Toys For Tots and to this day, my 19 & 17 year olds still donate them and feel such pride in doing so. We also donate to one pet refuge or another. Gotta remember the animals also.

Koala
12-08-2009, 03:04 AM
I donate to our local animal shelter food, not just at Christmas, in addition, we always do a donation for our Fire Department
and we do pack most still packages for children from families those it not so well goes, these are then always just before Christmas, distributed at a small Christmas party.

Glennsallnighter
12-11-2009, 07:29 PM
We also pick a charity every year and give charitable gifts from their catalogue around our families. This year I'm giving gifts from 'sightsavers' which provides eyecare to children in the very poor countries. In addition we have sent a 'shoebox' each to the Salvation Army's 'Operation Christmas child' You fill a shoe box with things from a list for a child. They are sent to areas where children would not otherwise get a present. Of course there are lots of big charity drives on at this time of the year as well.