By Sara Beggs, ASF
If you’re passionate about giving, it’s likely you want your own kids to follow suit. Isn’t that one of the key reasons family foundations are created? And, while some people want their kids to care about a particular cause, many donors simply want their children and grandchildren to care about something. Anything.
Whether you have millions to give away or something significantly smaller, teaching kids to care about something other than themselves is a worthwhile cause. As an ASF staff member, I don’t have IRS regulations demanding that I give out 5% a year, nor do I have millions of dollars to give away, but I sure want my kids to care about their community, both locally and internationally.
So, several years ago, I along with several friends started a group named Blooming Kids for Kindness. While we encourage the entire family to participate and don’t underestimate the value of that, it’s clear to me that some of the greatest enjoyment with our giving comes when we volunteer with friends.
Take our latest project of Lemonade Day, for example. Imagine 14 kids, ages 4-11, sitting together with their parents for 1.5 hours brainstorming stand names, determining optimal locations, testing recipes, calculating costs, estimating sales, and choosing charities that would receive all the profits. Add to this: tie-dying shirts for a common look, squeezing 336 lemons, painting our lemonade stand, and creating flyers. It was a boat-load of work! Continue reading
