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Patriotic Spending and Helping Others
By Joan Brunwasser (about the author) Page 2 of 2 page(s)
Here are three terrific school programs. The first one came from my friend, Linda, who immediately thought of me and my dog, Emma. The goal of Sit Stay Read! is to inspire a love of reading in Chicago’s inner-city children. “[Specially trained therapy] dogs enable us to tackle the serious issue of childhood literacy in a fun way.” This unique program has had great success and is lauded by kids, volunteers, and staff. The dogs seem to enjoy it as well! Donations are tax-deductible.
KASS (Kids And School Supplies) ensures that all Evanston/Skokie students are provided with basic school supplies so that they begin the school year with the tools necessary for success. The program was co-founded by Priscilla Smith, whom I met several years ago at the Y. Last August, 1,500 students received packets of paper, pencils, markers, crayons and backpacks. Donations are tax-deductible.
Meryl Ann Butler recently wrote a great article for OpEdNews about a school with an innovative project: “The kids, staff and parents at the very green, Salem, Massachusetts, Greenhouse School have been quietly plugging away, turning recycled waste paper into beautiful handmade items: cards, bookmarks, invitations, gift tags, journals, ornaments, and decorative wrappers for the school’s aromatic handmade soaps. Part science project, part recycling, part fundraising, the idea bloomed more than a decade ago. Grinding up old paper to repurpose into beautiful new cards is just one of the many ways this school turns trash into treasure.”
The school website says: “We always have more ideas than money, so please check us out and pass on to friends who might be interested in either buying our Trash-to-Treasure products or supporting our other initiatives, from a school bus to run on waste vegetable oil to a solar school initiative.”
There are so many truly worthy projects out there; this is a tiny sampling. Try applying this approach to your gift list – donations mixed with mindful consuming. Everyone will benefit from your thoughtfulness. You may never go back to your old gift-shopping methods again!
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Other articles from this series on unconventional gift-giving:
Heifer International: A Different Approach to Gift-Giving
How We Give Thanks
Katrina on my Mind: Debra South Jones with Just the Right Attitude
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