I love this time of year. Holiday music blasts from the radio, the kids are singing in their holiday shows and the school auditorium is decked out with student-made snowflakes. The holidays always feel so magical and I feel so appreciative for what I have – family, friends, a warm place to sleep at night and enough food. Anything else is just extra, and I’m so thankful for it! For Thanksgiving, we have made it a family tradition to feed people who would otherwise not get a Thanksgiving meal. We talk to these strangers for an hour or so, get to know them and share some goodwill with them. Every year, we go to a friend’s house for Hanukkah and they always “adopt a family” or two to donate gifts to. I love this tradition. It reminds me and all of us that there is so much to be grateful for.
Our school does a coat and toy drive for another school near downtown Los Angeles. We also used to do a book fair and we would buy extra books for kids that didn’t have them. It felt good to give – even if I didn’t know who was getting it. Knowing that I could help make someone else’s holiday a little brighter made me feel good.
This year, our school has brought The Simple Gifts Project to the 5th grade as a service-learning project. While some view this as a fundraiser, I like to see it as an awareness raiser. Simple Gifts is an organization started by two sisters in Montana who wanted to make a difference in the world and fundraise for schools at the same time. They were tired of the wrapping paper drives and wanted do something that would have a lasting impact. Rather than selling candy bars and wrapping paper, people can buy clean water for a family in Africa or mosquito netting for families in Central America or healthy snacks for kids right here in the USA. These “simple gifts” range in price from $5 – $120 and help people across the globe.
The hope is that while 50% of the donation you make can go back to your school, you can also help make a global change by giving these gifts. We all can make a difference in someone’s life…maybe many people’s lives.
As we move into the holiday season, I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season and hope you will do at least one thing to help someone else too. Making a difference for others fills me with hope and gratitude.
Thank you for all you do for your schools and all you give!
I would like you to do two things for me: #1 Tell me one thing you plan to do to help someone else this holiday season in the comments below and #2 please share this post with someone who you think could use the information. You so totally rock!!
Sarah
Sarah has been fundraising for schools since 2008. She is the author of A Mom’s Guide to School Fundraising and has consulted for several schools and clubs. She has been featured on RetailMeNot.com, Scholastic: Parent & Child and The New York Times. She thinks all kids should be able to have a well-rounded education, team uniforms, instruments and support. Don’t you?