Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Overcoming wilderness obstacles-rushing rivers, steep hills, avoiding wild animals-builds confidence and helps under-resourced kids better handle inner-city obstacles. All of this is why Big City Mountaineers pairs adults with disadvantaged youths on weeklong backpacking and canoeing trips. If you don’t live in the regions where the organization primarily operates (Northwest, West and Midwest), check out Summit for Someone, a program that makes walk-a-thons look restful; participants fundraise for Big City Mountaineers by soliciting sponsorship for major climbing trips.

Let Kids Be kids

Kids today play outside less than any previous generation. Promote play by donating to Ka-BOOM! (kaboom.org), a nonprofit that has built more than 2,300 playgrounds nationwide, to help make sure all children are within walking distance of a swing set.

Support Farm-to-School Projects

By teaching kids exactly where their food comes from, they will grow up to make informed grocery choices and strengthen their local economies. Start a farm-to-school project in your school district; all the know how is at farmtoschool.org

Kicks for Kids

Next time you are in the mall or wandering the web doing some retail therapy, buy a gift card from Nordstrom’s in support of the Shoes That Fit program. For as little as ten bucks, you can donate a pair of brand new tennies that fit perfectly for a young person who needs a leg up. Check out shoesthatfit.org. The right shoes can be the first step in the right direction. 

Let Kids Be Kids

Finding out that handmade rugs are often made by mere children was so shocking to me- I couldn’t imagine what those youngsters have to go through every day. The organization GoodWeave (goodweave.org) was started in 1994 to stop child labor in the rug industry. To help their efforts, check for a GoodWeave label on the rugs you purchase and donate to their One in a Million campaign. GoodWeave’s work has reduced the numbers of children toiling in rug factories, and with your help, they can help end child labor in the world today.

Popcorn and a Movie

    Donate movies and toys to the children’s ward at your local hospital. Even better, stay and watch a movie in the social room and bring doctor-approved treats!

Kicks for Kids

    Next time you are in the mall or wandering the web doing some retail therapy, buy a gift card from Nordstrom’s in support of the Shoes That Fit program. For as little as ten bucks, you can donate a pair of brand new tennies that fit perfectly for a young person who needs a leg up. Check out shoesthatfit.org. The right shoes can be the first step in the right direction.

Share Your Toys

    Leave small, handmade toys for people to find. The Toy Society spreads love by doing this good deed. Visit thetoysociety.blogspot.com for more information and inspiration. You can post your toy drop on the website and view the drops that others have made. Feel free to share a picture and revel in the thought of bringing a child happiness- it might also be a good idea to leave a note on the toy that lets people know they can take it. For example: “Take me home- I’m Yours!”

Stories Are Not Just for Bedtime

    Read a child a story. Introducing children to the world of books while they’re young will help boost their imagination and intelligence (and will also strengthen your bond). Whether you are babysitting, reading to your own child, or volunteering at a library or hospital, this deed goes a long way.

Support Farm-to-School Projects

    By teaching kids exactly where their food comes from, they will grow up to make informed grocery choices and strengthen their local economies. Start a farm-to-school project in your school district; all the know how is at farmtoschool.org

Share Your Hair

    Do you have long hair, or don’t mind growing it out for a good cause? Donate to Locks of Love, a group truly contributing to the good of others. Visit their website at locksoflove.org for more information. I recently read of a five-year-old girl who gave her hair to a fellow kindergartner going through chemo. With kids like her in the world, our future is bright!

Use Your Words

    I read all the time as a child, and by that I mean every minute I wasn’t at school, doing chores or homework, or sleeping, I had the cover of a book open. I developed a love of language that has lasted me a lifetime.I notice that it brings joy to others when they hear an interesting or pretty word. So try flipping through a dictionary every day and pick a word. Use this word at least once in the same day. This will help expand your vocabulary and communicate better with others. If you have a smartphone, download a free word-of-the-day app instead of using a dictionary. Help feed a child by adding a definition to the Online Dictionary on definition-of.com.

Sign Up to Be Santa’s Helper

    Go to your local Post Office around Christmastime and pick one of the letters to Santa that they get every year. Buy and send the gift to the child who asked for it so the gift arrives before December 25.

Operation Christmas Child

    Make Christmas special for boys and girls around the world by packing a shoebox with new toys, school supplies, and socks. Go to samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box for more information on how to pack a box. You can choose the gender and age group for your donation, and you can even track the box to see where it ends up! For even more packing ideas, check out: faithfulprovisions.com/2012/10/01/101-operation-christmas-child-shoebox-ideas.

From Growing Up Homeless to Helping the Homeless

    NFL player James Jones knows it’s better to give than to receive. “Being homeless made me a better man,” says James Jones, wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders since 2014. “And while I wouldn’t wish anyone to go through that, I wouldn’t change anything as far as how I grew up.” Having slept in shelters and on park benches for the first 15 years of his life, Jones’ success as an athlete defies stereotypes about homelessness and poverty. 

    He has taken his challenging experiences to heart. Since being drafted to the NFL in 2007, he has volunteered for many community organizations, and in 2008, started his own with his wife, Tamika. The Love Jones 4 Kids foundation (lovejones4kids.com) provides funding for school supplies, football camps, and pep talks to underprivileged children, many of them living in the same conditions that Jones did growing up. 

    “People are used to hearing about a homeless person or kid and don’t think it’s possible to be a professional football player. But down on your luck doesn’t mean down and out.” Touchdown!

It Takes a Village and You

In early 2010, in the small village of Nshupu, Tanzania, nine malnourished orphans were sleeping on a cement floor without even a blanket or sufficient food. Four years later, these children have a lovely new permanent home, are attending school, and have welcomed six more orphans to their family. Their home also serves as a village community center that hosts, among other things, a weekly women’s empowerment group that has created a savings and loan program for impoverished single mothers and widows. There is also a kindergarten program that serves 70 village children annually, including feeding them regular meals. All these endeavors are shepherded by PreciousProject.org, which explains on their website, “Though lack of education is a leading cause of poverty, Tanzanian schools are not free. Attendance even at the primary school level requires the ability to pay for school uniforms, meals, materials, equipment, fees, and other expenses. As a result, there are children who are unable to even receive a primary education. Our goal is to help break the cycle of poverty by providing educational opportunities for orphans and other high-risk children.”

Feed a Family on World Food Day

    UNICEF works to give kids a healthy start and your contribution, large or small, can help someone on the other side of the globe. Go to UnicefUSA.org and explore all the options available to you. 

    Malnutrition is linked to nearly half of all childhood deaths. Children who are malnourished are smaller, more likely to get very sick from ordinary infections, and their brain development can suffer. By treating malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, UNICEF has helped cut the number of children badly affected by over 100 million. Now that is making a difference on a global scale!

Pens Are More Powerful than Swords

Raise money for Pencils of Promise to help build a school in an impoverished country. For more information, visit their website: pencilsofpromise.org.

Teach at Citizen School

    Teach yoga, gardening, and more to middle schoolers. Reducing dropout rates by getting kids excited about learning is a major goal of Citizen Schools (citizenschools.org). Subjects covered in the 90-minute, 10-week after-school, volunteer-taught classes have included journalism, yoga, and architecture, with a focus on being “very interactive,” says Stacey Gilbert, Director of Media Relations. “Volunteers are encouraged to teach what they’re passionate about.”

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

    Overcoming wilderness obstacles-rushing rivers, steep hills, avoiding wild animals builds confidence and helps under-resourced kids better handle inner-city obstacles. All of this is why Big City Mountaineers pairs adults with disadvantaged youths on weeklong backpacking and canoeing trips. If you don’t live in the regions where the organization primarily operates (Northwest, West and Midwest), check out Summit for Someone, a program that makes walk-a-thons look restful; participants fundraise for Big City Mountaineers by soliciting sponsorship for major climbing trips.