Children’s Charities: Eight Great Causes to Support

From providing a golden retriever service dog for a youngster with a disability to building schools in communities hit by natural disasters, children’s charities deliver priceless services and programs to the next generation—all due to compassionate donors.

Deciding to support one of these organizations is a noble decision, and the crowdfunding model enables individuals to take it one step further by setting up rewarding campaigns for causes that are important to them and perhaps dear to their own children’s hearts. Kids are taught that sharing is caring, and children’s charities might spark their interest in helping other children so that they can grow up to have a happy, healthy and promising future. Getting kids involved in your fundraising effort teaches them about compassion and the importance of giving back.

Use the following list as a reference and check out some great fundraising ideas for kids to get the engine turning.

Eight Great Charities Devoted to Kids

1. 4 Paws for Ability

Seeking to provide more independence for disabled children and ultimately lessen the responsibility for their family and parents, 4 Paws for Ability teaches service dogs necessary skills before matching them with children in need. With an overall success rate of 98 percent and placing around 100 dogs each year, 4 Paws for Ability accommodates disabled children and is the only charity that does so without any age restrictions. This compassionate bunch refuses to turn down any child who does not traditionally fit the specifications for traditional service dog categories.

Harrison with his service dog, Cyclone, from 4 Paws for Ability

2. Little Kids Rock

In recent years, cuts in school funding have forced a large number of school music programs to shut down. Little Kids Rock looks to fill the gap in music education in schools across America. The organization provides music classes and instruments for students to realize their music talents. Since starting in 2002, Little Kids Rock has taught at more than 1,750 schools and donated more than 50,000 instruments all to keep music alive in the K-12 school system.

Lady Gaga poses with students at the Little Kids Rock gala (credit: Penn State News)

3. Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a nonprofit established by the founder of Wendy’s in 1992. Two years before that, Thomas had accepted an invitation by George H.W. Bush to become the spokesperson for a national adoption awareness campaign, and he decided he wanted to do more by forming a nonprofit charity for the cause. The foundation aims to connect children in foster care with loving families by giving grants to both public and private adoption agencies, spreading awareness and offering free professional resources and guides for parents about adoption. The charity strongly believes that every child should have the opportunity to experience a stable and loving home life in lieu of waiting in the foster system until they reach 18 years of age, and has worked to significantly debunk myths about foster care adoption.

Caley and her new daughter

4. Child Aid

Not every child has access to the tools they need to develop literacy skills and that is where Child Aid steps in. Focusing on rural villages in developing countries with low literacy rates, Child Aid fights poverty with knowledge. The organization believes that equipping these children with the skills to read will empower them to envision and actively pursue a better life.

Norma Guzman, a literacy trainer with Child Aid, leads an activity to get her teachers more familiar with the new books they will be using.

5. Project Sunshine

By providing programs including recreation, education and social services to children facing medical problems, Project Sunshine helps to bring a sense of normalcy to children’s healthcare—a ray of light to those who need it most. Today, there are more than 15,000 selfless volunteers helping more than 100,000 young patients relax in a fun way and aid them in establishing coping skills as they navigate the scary territory that often comes with illness.

St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children received a visit from the New York Mets players’ wives who partnered with Project Sunshine to volunteer.

6. Pediatric Cancer Foundation

A cancer diagnosis is tragic in all walks of life, but it can be especially hard hitting for children who haven’t yet had the chance to experience life. In its 23 years of operating as a nonprofit, the Pediatric Cancer Foundation has donated more than $6 million toward research aimed at ending childhood cancer globally. Since cancer is the leading cause of death by disease for children, the research they fund explores less-toxic treatments with the goal to find a cure.

Pediatric Cancer Foundation and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers teamed up for the third Cut for a Cure, which raised $30,000.

7. Our Kids Center

In providing both crisis counseling and medical evaluations for victims of sexual abuse, the Our Kids Center aims to decrease the number of children sexually abused each year, which today is an astonishing one out of 10. The center also aims to spread awareness, conduct valuable research and offer resources to educate communities about sexual abuse. Helping a victim of sexual abuse to cope with their experience is not a simple task, and many health professionals lack the training to properly care for these patients. Our Kids Center steps in to help victims and their loved ones.

A family runs in the Purity Dairy Dash to raise funds for the Our Kids Center.

8. Happy Hearts Fund

The Happy Hearts Fund’s objective is to rebuild hope in places hit by natural disasters. To accomplish this mission they travel to places that have been devastated by natural disasters to construct schools. Unexpected natural disasters can wreak havoc on communities, and oftentimes, these areas will receive a high influx of aid directly following the disaster, but there is a lack of any long-term help. Happy Hearts is changing that by establishing resilient buildings to serve as schools for the forgotten children of natural disasters. The organization’s impact has been widely beneficial to areas struggling to get back to normal; so far, it has built more than 100 schools worldwide.

Happy Hearts Fund ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Charles Moravia School in Jacmel, Haiti
Crowdfunding for Children’s Charities: Kid Tested, Mother Approved

Each profound achievement accomplished by children’s charities is due to the generosity of donors, which goes toward sponsoring a child, empowering kids, pioneering change and providing hope for a promising future.

Spread hope by launching a fundraiser for a children’s charity today.

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Source: https://www.youcaring.com/

RE2 Architecture International’s Bookmark Art with JD Salvador

You meet strangers and they can remain that way after. You reach out to a stranger and they can be of value to the organization. I met Richard Woodward on one of U! Happy Events’ sponsored events, Singles Professional meet up. He is the director and architect of RE2 Architect International and have made his team involved in what we do for children. Last August 9, we traveled together for an art workshop with John David V. Salvador Foundation.

Nine volunteers showed up early in Manila Hotel for our meet up. We usually have this iconic hotel as landmark whenever our feet brings us to Tondo, Manila. Currently we have 3 partner beneficiaries in the area.

I tasked the Kuyas and Ates to line up first in front so the children can meet them before they sat down with them. As they introduced their names they had to dance after. Although this posed a challenge to many volunteers, they got the children interested and engaged with their own version of steps.

Huddle time followed where each one shared their names, favorite color and their dreams among their groups. It was interesting how our foreign friends conversed and tried their best to understand each child. We also had Ate Yuri amongst our volunteer pool. She is our Japanese intern via partner AIESEC DLSU.

Fax Machine game ensued. It was an activity highlighting coordination, creativity and speed. Each person draws something at the back of the other until it reaches the front. The one in front then draws it on paper. The first one who submits the correct or closest item wins. This was an entertaining game. For example, we saw a star become a flower. :)

Kuya Robby took the helm to teach the skill and value of what art brings. That day we made unusual yet appropriate bookmarks. It was an activity that also encouraged children to love reading even more. Kuya Robby made sure each one followed step by step and got the volunteers heavily involved in what the children were busy with.

As the food arrived, made by one of their team members, we started wrapping up each masterpiece that everyone made. Photos abound as it was proud moment for each child and volunteer.

These happy events happen because of effort. Let’s continue to push ourselves to activate others. See you on the next ones!

Forcing People To Volunteer is A Really Good Idea

Since 1999, mandatory volunteer service has been a requirement for Ontario high school students to graduate. The concept has received a lot of attention (and backlash) in the US, and while there has been some discussion and controversy in Canada, it hasn’t been felt at quite the same level.

Still, whether forced volunteering is a good idea or not is definitely worth further exploration. Luckily, there is a lot of information on the subject ranging from credible sources like StatsCan, to not quite as credible sources like CapitalismMagazine.com (que the segue).

“Forced to volunteer. That is the Orwellian notion to which contemporary liberalism has sunk.” writes Thomas Howell for Capitalismmagazine.com.

Ok, so maybe that is a little (a lot) far-fetched and suspiciously argumentative, but it is one of the first Google search results if you search “Is forced volunteering good?.” But then again, if you Google “Mr. Howell” he appears alongside other similar shock-comment pundits such as Ann Coulter.

On some level he may be on to something, though. After all, there is intelligent debate surrounding the area of forced volunteering.

“To call mandatory community service ‘volunteering’ is a problem because then we begin to confuse the distinction between an activity that is freely chosen and something that is obligatory and perhaps not always rewarding. Volunteering should be something you choose to do because you want to do it, not because somebody made you do it.” says Linda Graff, President of Linda Graff & Associates Inc., an international consulting firm based in Dundas, Ontario.

Another influencer in the volunteer sector shares similar thoughts, as Maclean’s writes:

‘“The mandated nature means this is not really volunteering,” says Ruth MacKenzie, former president and CEO of Volunteer Canada. She lumps high school hours in with community service orders and other court-mandated sentencing requirements. The fear among those in the charity business is that forcing kids to volunteer in high school might turn them off the concept for the rest of their lives.”

But what about the positives?

Research at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., reveals no negative impacts from forcing students to provide a week of free work for worthy causes. “Making it mandatory doesn’t undermine any of the positive aspects of the program,” says politics professor Steven Brown. “It doesn’t poison the well.”

There is also significant research that proves the younger an individual becomes involved in volunteering the more likely they are to become lifelong volunteers.

After all, the idea of showing youth a part of society they may not discover on their own doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Do you remember what you were like as a teenager? I do.

I was self-absorbed more than I’d like to admit and it wasn’t until I had to fulfill my volunteer hours that I realized there was a whole world that existed outside the expanse of my own ego.

I started volunteering for Elmira’s Robin in the Hood festival by helping children with special needs experience the medieval festival in all its knightly glory. This experience directly led to my spending 8 years as a Developmental Service Worker and is the reason I still continue to volunteer with individuals with cognitive and developmental delays.

Isn’t this type of push-towards-action a good thing, then?

“Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop,” , says Dr. Dorothy Height, president and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women.

Is forcing students to volunteer different than forcing them to learn proper language or science skills? These are skills which help define attitudes that they will carry with them through the rest of their lives.

But high school doesn’t just prepare students for further education; it equips them for social interaction, problem solving in all aspects of life, and helps to direct students down a lifelong path – career or otherwise.

One theory suggests a correlation between service learning and higher academic gain. The idea here is that the transferable skills learned in a practical setting during a volunteer opportunity can be taken back to the classroom and applied in new, previously not thought of ways.

We’ve mentioned in other articles the documented health benefits associated with volunteerism. Isn’t there an expanding obesity epidemic amongst our youth? Wouldn’t we want to encourage different and varied ways for our youth to be active and healthy, then?

One area that many sources fail to recognize is the direct benefit to an individual’s employability if they list volunteer experience on their resume.

For example, volunteering gives students access to training and implementation of work-related skills as well as interaction with people from other walks of life. We all know that gaining employment in today’s Canadian job market is tough and often relies heavily on transferable skills that are not necessarily related to the position’s requirements.

You want to be a graphic designer? Good for you – that’s admirable – but guess what? Thousands of other people know the same software tools you do. What sets you apart? Is it your personality or experiences? The answer is likely yes; but how do you show an employer all your experience or the depth of your awesome personality on a resume they’ve barely read, or in a 30 minute interview? It’s certainly tough, if not completely impossible.

One sure-fire way is to share your volunteer experiences. Employers know that the more someone volunteers the less of a slug they will be. Volunteers are also typically associated with buzzwords like ‘self-starter’ or ‘motivated’ – you know, the things all employers want their employees to be.

Another highly unrecognized benefit of high school students volunteering is that many scholarships and bursaries have volunteer hour requirements, or, at the very least, seek students who are active participants in their own community. If you want access to certain scholarships, you need to meet these requirements.

Post-secondary isn’t cheap and many are going to attend without financial support from family, so why not seek ways to help yourself out?

There are 662,446 students set to graduate high schools in Ontario this year. If even one third of those students grasp the importance of giving back through volunteerism, then that means there will be 220,815 students going into the volunteer ‘workforce’ post-graduation. If each of those graduates goes on to give even a measly 10 hours per year, that’s over 2 million volunteer hours from one cohort year of graduating students.

Imagine how high they will lift their communities with that amount of effort?

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Source: https://blog.charityrepublic.com/

NumberWorks’nWords Tutorial with Little Lights 2 of 12

Just on the second session and we are building up more enthusiasm from the children of Little Lights. Each one is eager to discover more on the non traditional way of learning Math. There’s 4 more session to go on Math and the next 6 will be focused on English comprehension. I believe the children need to improve on this further so they could respond and compete better in society.

The children already have their stations marked with their names. This is a sign of things to come. Now, we need more volunteers so we could fast track learning. Right now only 2-3 assists them in their computers. Are you free? Join us Mondays and Wednesdays 130-4PM at NumberWorks’nWords, 2nd floor, Fox Square Building, Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan. Message us at 0917 8874278. See U! :)

Charity Works: IICF 2015 Charity Softball Tournament supports Our Military Kids

On a hot New York summer day, teams from 12 insurance/ reinsurance companies and agencies donned their game caps to face off in the seventh annual 2015 Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) Charity Softball Tournament held on July 30. The 16-year-old softball tradition, which became a charitable event in 2008, supports many charities. This year the selected charity was the children of military families in the New York tri-state region as part of Our Military Kids. The organization provides assistance to children when parents are deployed or injured serving our country.

There are more than 35,000 children ages three to 18 directly affected by the deployment of National Guard or Reserve parents serving in the war on terrorism. Another 54,000 have a parent recovering from a severe injury sustained in service. Our Military Kids offers grants to children to cover fees associated with athletic, fine arts, and tutoring programs. This program is offered to all children of deployed National Guard and Reserve military personnel, and to children of wounded and fallen warriors in all branches of service. Helping to make sure their kids are well supported is a powerful way to show appreciation to the men and women in our military, who each day lay their lives on the line for our freedoms.

Teams in the tournament contribute $5,000 annually to play three consecutive games and compete for the winning title. This year, a group of 17 Munich Re employees with varying skill levels played their hearts out. Although their results on the field did not “bring home the prize,” it was a big win in other ways.

Munich Re players recalled some memorable moments from the day involving several exciting plays by teammates, including a dive for home plate, superior bat control, and smash singles up the middle.

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Source: http://www.propertycasualty360.com/

NumberWorks’nWords Tutorial with Little Lights 1 of 12

As we to continue to expand our reach to companies and individuals, we also open new windows of opportunities for the children. Progressive events or a string of activities done with the same beneficiary started gaining ground last year when Esquire Financing Corporation had monthly events with two Gawad Kalinga sites in Taguig. We also had similar ones with Telstra Philippines just months back. This one is our longest with 12 sessions.

NumberWorks’nWords is one of the world’s longest-running tuition providers bringing success to many thousands of children. For almost 30 years they have been a trusted provider of quality Maths and English tuition, tailored to children’s individual needs. Their curriculum based program cater for all students 5 to 16 years old.

They help children who need to build some extra skills and confidence as well as those who already excel and wish to maximize their potential. Together they set goals for children, monitor progress and provide regular progress reports. Best of all, the lessons make learning enjoyable for children through gaming application.

Thanks to couple Jenrich and Pam Chua, who owns a franchise here. They opened the center for 6 weeks, twice a week for 16 children of Little Lights while the center is in its off peak. 8 children take turns learning Math and English through computer while the other half plays games and eat.

On our first session we highlighted the use of computer and introduction to learning Math. I am ecstatic to witness improvements as we go from one session to another. I will keep you guys posted. Join us if you can every Monday and Wednesday from 145-4PM until September 30 at the 2nd floor of Fox Square Building, Connecticut Street, Greenhills, San Juan City.

How to Teach Children About Charity

As the holiday season approaches, and we begin to reflect upon the many things for which we’re thankful, it’s only natural to find ourselves filled with a desire to give back to the communities around us.

This may ring particularly true to those of us with kids. While they’re surrounded by friends and family, filling their plates with delicious foods and writing out those long lists to Santa, we want to instill in them the understanding that there are those out there who aren’t so fortunate, and who could use a helping hand.

Charity and volunteer work are great ways to teach your children the importance of helping those around them who desperately need it. From clothing or food donations to committing your time to help around your community, there are many ways to get your child involved and thinking about helping others.

Talk the Talk

A new study, from the United Nations Foundation and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, shows that children whose parents talk to them about charity are 20% more likely to become charitable. In fact, talking to your children about charity is more impactful than simply serving as a role model.

Wondering how to talk to your kids about charity? Debra Mesch, the director of the Women’s Philanthropy institute, says to be direct and specific about what you’re doing and why.

“Saying you need to give to your church because it’s your duty, or give to this organization because it’s the right thing to do, that doesn’t work,” she says. “What works is, ‘You need to give to this homeless shelter because these people will be happier when they have food in their stomachs.’”

Match the Charity with the Child

Once you get to the planning stage of your volunteer work, it’s important to keep in mind that the charity you select should be appropriate for your child’s age and abilities.

Joel Berb, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, told CNBC that bringing a young child to a soup kitchen may sound like a great idea, but in practice, it can be more of a hindrance than help.

“The 7-year-old is making more work for the agencies,” he noted. “They’re too young to move stuff around, and they can’t really be around anything hot, or knives. The time it would take to instruct them is more than it would take for an adult.”

Finding the Right Fit

Looking for the right charity for you and your family? This list of worthy causes is a great place to start. If you want to broaden your horizons, check out VolunteerMatch.org, a site that will help you find exactly what you’re looking for, whether it’s based in advocacy and human rights, animals, arts and culture, and more.

If you’re in the Detroit area, some great kid-friendly options include Gleaners, Arts and Scraps, and The Heidelberg Project.

Everyday Ways to Give

Parents.com shared a list of nine simple ways you can help those around you. The list includes ideas such as donating gently used clothing, helping elderly neighbors by raking their lawn, giving blood, buying an extra bag of dog food when you’re at the grocery store to be donated in Sparky’s name, have your kids collect loose change around the house that will be donated to a charity you all agree upon, and just generally contributing your time to helping those in your community.

Participating every day in these small acts of kindness will teach your kids that charity is not just something we do once a year. Preparing children to look around and ask themselves, “How can I help?” is a powerful and valuable lesson that has the potential to positively affect more people than we can imagine.

How do you teach your kids about charity? Share your experiences with us! We’d love to hear how you’ve made charity and volunteer work important to your family.

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Source: http://www.quickenloans.com/

Ate Denise Celebrates with Philippine Children’s Medical Center

Last Saturday, August 8, we held an event sponsored by Ate Denise Palafox at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC). The event started a little late than the intended time as there was a miscommunication on the logistics of the event. But once everything got fixed, we immediately started the program.

We began with the usual orientation of the volunteers on what U! Happy Events is all about and what to expect. Even if we started a bit late, we were happy to see that enthusiasm is still high among our volunteers. However, after the orientation, we noticed that our microphone and sound system weren’t working. We have to admit this caused some panic on our end but hey, the show must go on! So despite not having a microphone and sound system, we proceeded with the grouping of volunteers and kids. Once grouped, we gave them time to get acquainted.

After the volunteers and kids got to feel more comfortable with their new found friends, we then proceeded play the game “Show Me Your Face.” In this game, specific emotions were to be given to the groups and they then had to express it with their faces. The group whose facial expression is closest to the given emotion, wins. It sounded pretty simple and choosing a winner should be easy but were we in for a surprise — the competition was tough! The volunteers and the kids, despite being ill put up a good fight. We really had a hard time choosing a winner for that game.

After the game, it was now time for some story- telling. The kids were so entertained by the story telling done by Ate Dyaly, one of U! Happy Evets resident story- tellers. The kids were so engrossed in the story as you can see them acting out the scenes plus, their facial expressions gave them away! Great job, Ate Dyaly!

It was obvious that the kids wanted more stories so we asked them to return to their respective wards and asked our volunteers to have a one-on-one story telling session with them. Normally, we give the gifts to the kids at the end of the event but we decided to give it already so the volunteers and the kids will have more options in their one-one-one session.

It was a little bit past the lunch time when the food arrived so after distributing the food to the kids and volunteers, we already asked the volunteers to say their goodbyes to the kids. Despite encountering a few difficulties during the event, we were glad to see that volunteers were touched by the kids to the point that it was already difficult for them to leave. We ended with the usual group photo but this time with more expressed emotions.

One of the goals of U! Happy events is to make sure that the sponsors, volunteers and kids will have a rewarding experience that is why we make sure that our events are organized and well- manned. Then again, there are times when we encounter hitches, like for this one. In times like this, patience and ingenuity are most needed so as to execute the event as smoothly as possible. We are very grateful to have Ate Denise and her friends, as well as the other volunteers for this event as they are the epitome of what volunteers should be- results driven, passionate, collaborative and energizers. They thought more of what they can contribute more than what they can get from the experience.

Do you also have the mind and heart of a volunteer? Join us in our next event!

The Best Charity for Children!

MicroGiving offers a number of opportunities to support charities for children. In addition to providing charitable resources we encourage most importantly that children themselves take action and volunteer in the field of charity.

This post aims to encourage you as a parent to teach your children the importance of charity and volunteer service as an enriching part of everyday life. Childhood years are the most formative and what we teach our children now will have a tremendous impact on their future. Just as we eat, sleep, and breathe — charity for children should be an everyday part of our function, focus, and fervor.

The following tips are ways that you can prepare, shape, program, and wire your child for charity!

Encourage Charity for Children by being an example

Teach your children that there are many ways they can give to charity. Volunteering and giving of one’s time to help others in need is often one of the most effective ways to pay it forward to charities. The most impactful people are the one’s that volunteer their ‘time’. Volunteer work is a more personal and expressive way to show you care about helping children, families, communities, and the world. Illustrate to your kids that they can make a big difference in the world, that they can do something to help others, and their little hands can make change!

There are countless online resources that provide great volunteer ideas for kids and charity opportunities for children to get involved. You might also be interested in locating local places to volunteer in your community.

Encourage your kids to ‘give a little bit’ to Children’s Charity

Explain to your children that they are extremely fortunate to have food, shelter, and clothes when millions of children across the world are homeless, dying, and in great need. Encourage your children to set aside a small amount of money, even if it’s a few coins, to support charities for children. Explain to them that one doesn’t need much to help others in need. They can still make a big difference in a small way.

And don’t forget to give a little bit too!

Don’t allow your financial situation to ever hold you back from supporting charities for children, or any charitable cause for that matter. Apologies for sounding cliché but, “monkey see monkey do” holds much truth!! Teach by example and support charities by whatever means your unique situation permits. If you can’t donate much, at least afford a few dollars to support a worthy charitable cause. If you’re stingy, your children could very well turn out to be stingy too—and nobody likes a Scrooooooge!

Be charismatic about Charity for Children!

Attitude is contagious. Your enthusiasm will influence your child’s perception about giving to charity. Explain to your kids that giving feels good! The more we bombard our kids with positive messages about charitable giving: the more likely they will adopt an altruistic attitude. In doing this, you plant a seed at a very early stage in a child’s youth which will encourage them to grow into the kind of adults that will someday make a difference in the world.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Lets train our children to be strong and impactful human beings, with good character, and with a powerful altruistic spirit to live in pursuit of changing the lives of others. The best way to truly pay it forward is through your children. Let’s not forget they are the future…

How do you give back?

What are some ways that you encourage your children to get involved in charity?
If you don’t have children, what are some ways that you can get involved with charities for children, or inspire young people to take action?

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Source: http://www.microgiving.com/

Sun Life’s Financial Literacy with AHA Learning Center and Metro World Child

Written by Kuya Harvard

Benjamin Franklin has a quote that got stuck with me for many years. He says that “An Investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” In this event co-sponsored by financial giant, Sun Life Philippines, we emphasized the value of financial knowledge to 80 children of AHA Learning Center and 40 from Metro World Child. We got two NGOs so we could get 120 to participate in their 120th year anniversary.

This event was close to my heart not only because I get to host a big outreach like this, it was also because am a financial planner myself. I have been in the industry for 17 years, having been influenced by my parents growing up. It was a combination of two of the things I do often and love- share volunteerism and how to manage one’s wealth.

The morning had so much expectations. We don’t get to have an audience of 200 people often. This kept me on my feet from the time I woke up. We also have 6 events on that day which added to more excitement.

We started with our customary grouping and ended up with 18 teams, each group having big circles. After getting settled we jump started it with getting to know questions which include their names, favorite subject and their favorite teacher. This was our way to slowly get the children comfortable to the volunteers and vice versa.

Next was our financial literacy program. I got to share money terms and their importance through our game Bring Me Art. I would task teams to cut different things associated to finance which included bank, currency, an agent and even things associated to success like retirement and travel. The first team to complete a bring me item by putting it up all in the air wins.

To complement our topic further, we got Kuya Robby to teach an art activity on making their own wallets. Simple put wallet will be a good reminder on what they learned that day. The workshop had an origami and designing element. The children were taught how to fold board paper and color them to life. Our photos show so much creativity in each of their creations.

As we finished up, we served early lunch to all and distributed tokens. The tokens had story books and a handful of other useful items.

Our last hurrah was a giant group photo! It was delight to witness that many smiling faces. Each one gained new knowledge not just on finance but also of each other. New friends and perspectives in life were made too.

Thank you once again Sun Life! We look forward for more partnerships with U! :)

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To volunteer by sponsoring for kids, visit U! Happy Events

#HelpGreeceNow Campaign Raises $100,000 to Support Children and Families in Greece

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 7, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT: Stephanie Rendon, srendon@sos-usa.org, 786.222.0406

Organizations come together to raise over $100,000 to support children and families in Greece

Washington, D.C.  – SOS Children’s Villages – USA (SOS), an organization that builds families for orphaned and abandoned children, announced today that over $100,000 has been raised in just two days to support children and families affected by the Greek economic crisis. Individuals donated through SOS’s peer-to-peer platform and online in response to a $50,000 challenge gift awarded  to SOS Children’s Villages by The Jaharis Family Foundation, Inc.

The challenge was met quickly after Chicago-based Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) launched its #HELPGREECENOW campaign, which raised over $50,000 for SOS in just two days through grassroots efforts. The success of the campaign inspired HALC’s founder to launch a challenge gift of his own.

“The Greek diaspora and many Philhellenes have proven their commitment to stand by Greece. The fact that hundreds of Hellenes and Philhellenes donated over $50,000 in less than 50 hours is awe- inspiring for me,” said Nikos P. Mouyiaris, Founder of HALC and MANA Products. “Having met the $50,000 challenge of The Jaharis Family Foundation to SOS Children’s Villages, I would like us to keep the momentum going.  That is why I am issuing another $50,000 challenge gift for this effort to benefit SOS Children’s Villages in Greece.”

“We are proud to work with SOS Children’s Villages – children are always the most vulnerable in any crisis, war or economic,” said Endy D. Zemenides, Executive Director of HALC. “SOS throughout its history has made a difference in lives of vulnerable children and we are excited to stand with them on behalf of children in Greece.”

Since 1975, SOS Children’s Villages has been in Greece working to ensure that every child grows up in a loving family environment. The economic crisis has forced many children and families into a dire situation. To support their needs, SOS has expanded its programs in Greece and now provides critical support to over 1,000 families annually across its seven community centers.

“Children and families are living in devastating conditions due to this economic crisis. Many parents are jobless and are finding it difficult to provide for their families. We are grateful to The Jaharis Family Foundation for leading this giving challenge and the Hellenic American Leadership Council for being an amazing launch partner and kicking off the campaign with such enthusiasm and success. ,” said Kathy Kladopoulos, ‎President at The Midas Exchange and SOS Children’s Villages – USA board member.  “This initiative is part of a larger board fundraising campaign to support these families, and to educate the American community about the situation in Greece and inspire them to take action.”

Funds raised will help SOS expand its services to double the number of at-risk families who currently receive support at seven social centers; expand SOS’s food aid program to support vulnerable families across the country; and help families recover and rebuild their lives as the crisis subsides.

Click here to donate to the #HELPGREECENOW campaign to support vulnerable children and families in Greece.

Source: http://hellenicleaders.com/

Ate Charina’s Avilon Zoo Tour with Tao Kids

Written by Kuya Harvard

The sun finally came out last Saturday after a series of rain and cloudy weather!  It was indeed an ideal time  for a tour at the Avilon Zoo in Montalban, Rizal. We partnered with Tao of Human Caravan to reach out to 25 kids who live within the proximity.

Ate Charina Tan and her family were our sponsors. Ate Charina is a long time friend of our President, Ate Te Candano. Ate Charina planned this birthday event quite early. You can say that she was excited and really willing to bless kids.

Together with Ate Charina’s group and U! Happy Events volunteers, we were able to partner with every kid on the trip. We divided them into groups. Trivias were given from time to time during the tour, so everyone was very attentive. After almost two hours, the kids were in high spirits, all smiles and hungry. We had the same teams eat lunch together.

After ice cream, we tested each group’s learning experience. To our surprise, almost all questions were answered during our games. Group 5 won and the kids got story books from our partner Adarna Publishing. All kids received a school supply set plus a school bag of goodies which contained vitamins, notebooks, chips and slippers.

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Volunteer in the Philippines and make a positive impact.

Mandela Day Making and Creating

Madeleine, the Aftercare manager in Grabouw (Western Cape), set the children on a new craft project...

The children had NO idea what the outcome of the project was to become...
All they knew was that they had to fill in some shapes on a white sheet with bits of blue paper...

The children busily set about cutting, gluing and sticking...still without knowing what they were making...

Can you guess what they've made?

Madeleine started assembling the different A4 sheets and the children began guessing... Can you see who or what it is yet?

It's none other than Tata Madiba!

The children did this project to celebrate Mandela on his up and coming birthday and International Mandela Day!

We all miss you Tata Madiba!

Source: http://sosafrica-children.blogspot.com/

- Nicolas | U! Happy Events Child Sponsor & Volunteer

“I Love Street Children.” How To Help A Disadvantaged Family In Manila, Philippines

In Manila for work or vacation? Why not bring over a few bags of food, a small donation for medicine, clothes or anything that will help the amazing kids at I Love Street Children. Here’s a quick recount of my last visit, and how you can help make a difference in a needy child’s life.

How You Can Help

I Love Street Children is a shelter (more shelters to come!) in Makati, Manila founded by Just Projects founder, Bryan Thomas, May Gomez, and Eiselle Pascua (EJ). The I Love Street Children shelter supports families by giving mothers and their children a safe place to stay, off the streets. Some of these children are attending school for the first time in their lives, and the mothers have more flexibility to work and earn knowing their children are in a safe environment.

Let’s start this blog by telling you what you can do to help, and how to do it.

Give Directly

You know that good feeling you get when you help somebody who is in trouble? (Just think of how you felt when you taught somebody kinda old how to use their new iPhone). Well take that feeling, multiply by 100, and that’s the feeling you’ll get when you walk into the shelter carrying the gift of food, a few cool toys, school supplies, or offering any specialized skills you might have (to all you doctors and dentists out there!)

To give directly, contact the people working via the ILST Facebook pages I Love Street Children or  I Love Street Children Campaign. Tell them how you want to help (making sure this is, in fact, the kind of help they need now) and just take a taxi over to the Cash and Carry Mall (click, or see below). They will meet you there and show you the way to the shelter…and help you carry the groceries as well, if that’s what you help with.

Give Indirectly

1. Share this blog post (How self-serving is that, eh!). Share the ILST Facebook pages. Like their posts. And generally help them engage and build their presence so more people find out about this shelter and others they are now working to build.

2. Send a donation. All of the banking information is below. Personally, I did both. I brought over a bunch of food, and also made a small donation.

The Details

And here are some details written by Bryan Thomas that I borrowed from the ILST page.

1. You can make a direct deposit from your bank account to The I Love Street Children account:
*** Swift code: BDO Bank BNORPHMM

Bank account name: Just Projects Philippine Foundation Inc. In the Note or under the name: “For ILSC”

Savings Account: 05400186999
Checking Account: 005408014972

2. Write a check to: Just Projects Philippine Foundation Inc. (underneath that or next to it: For ILSC). Deliver it to May or EJ at the Shelter Home at 3380-D Ibarra Street, Palanan, Makati (2 blocks from Cash & Carry), or contact them via one of the ILSC Facebook pages to set up a time to deliver the check.

3. If you are in the USA or another country outside of the Philippines, go to our Foundation websites, Project AK47 or Just Projects in the USA and click a button to make a donation for these children by credit card. Write that the gift is for ILSC, and our staff will forward the finances to I Love Street Children. If you want to check on your gift to make sure it has been forwarded, you can call our office at 1-615-212-2547 or 1-615-261-8223 (note: one number is for JPI and the other for Divine Inheritance – sister foundations – either will work.)

Visiting the Shelter

Here is a short video of my visit and the kids. When my students in Japan complain about their lives…I just show them this video. Families who have faced incredible hardship, but who have never given up and still laugh and smile. It’s both humbling and inspiring.

Before posting pics from my own visit, here is a link to some more professional photos on Flickr taken by a new addition to the ILSC volunteer group, Nick Conneff. Thanks, Nick!

On that note and without further ado, here are a few pics of my visit to the I Love Street Children shelter in Makati, Manila, Philippines.

Source: http://asiatravelbug.net/