Helen and Catherine

As a young child, Columbia resident Helen Clay was hospitalized and received a box filled with toys and treats from a young teenage boy.  When Helen found out that the teenage boy had also once been in the hospital and now put together gift boxes for other hospitalized children, she was greatly touched and inspired to follow his example.

In early 2010, Helen established the Helen’s Hugs fund with a goal of building teddy bears year-round for children at the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital in Columbia.  More

Palestine and the Two Seas

School’s almost out, but have you heard the story about the two seas in Palestine? We have time for one quick lesson! Take a peek at the map here. You’ll see the Sea of Galillee and the Dead Sea. You might remember something about them from your geography lessons or you might be able to place them in stories you’ve learned from your house of faith.

But you might not know this. More

(Disclaimer: We promise you don’t have to be a hardcore scrap booker, or even mildly crafty for this.)

Remember when y’all went to the beach last summer with the whole family and how fun it was and how crazy it was when Granddaddy was chased by a sand crab? Or when y’all went to Disney or Carowinds or the S.C. State Fair and rode the rides and ate cotton candy and how you all laughed when that clown accidently spilled a bucket of water on its dog? Or the last day of school last spring and y’all were all out at Field Day and the principal was in the dunking booth?

Well, thanks to today’s technology and a plethora of ways you can organize and archive memories, it’s likely that these experiences – from daily happenings to big events – are well documented. And what fun is it to pull the scrap book off the shelf for some reminiscing? Kids (and everyone, really) love to relive past fun and what better way to keep memories fresh and feel connected to family, friends and experiences that are sometimes far away? More

Have you ever found yourself in a position where you’ve ‘bitten off a little more than you can chew?’ We’re all probably guilty of it – from making commitments we simply cannot keep to burning-out, losing interest or all-out flaking. Whatever the reason, not following through with a commitment is disappointing and can discourage you from trying again in the future.

When introducing your family to giving, it’s important that we successfully meet our obligations but also have our expectations met. In doing this, you’re more likely to create a positive experience that will likely have your children asking for more. More

Sometimes, opportunities to give are not totally obvious. We talk a lot about giving financially. And we hear about opportunities to volunteer all the time. But what other ways can we help others? What else can we share?

How about our talent?

In addition to money and time, nonprofits have specific needs that others can help them with by providing expertise. Children’s ‘expertise’ and interests might change as often as the seasons, but we can help our kids find opportunities to use their talent for the good of others. For many, this form of giving can be extremely rewarding because we’re not only helping those that we care about, we are using our personal skills to do it. More