Talk About Giving

Helping others … Community involvement … Making a difference … Instilling these values into our children. These things all sound good, especially the last one, right? Maybe you want these things to be a priority for your family, but you’re just not sure how to make that happen.

Well, here’s your excuse to give it a try: Make A Difference Day – Saturday, October 27, 2012! Woot!

Here’s how you get started:

1. Pick an issue. Sit down as a family and decide where/how you want to help. What issues does your community face? What does your family care about? How could you help others in a way that might be fun for you kids? You can also check out the website to register your project and attract other volunteers or join another project. Here are some ideas to get you thinking:
   • Animals? Volunteer at a shelter or rescue or donate food.
   • Clothes and ‘stuff’? Do some ‘fall’ cleaning and donate clothing or household items to appropriate nonprofits.
   • Outdoors and nature? Plant a tree. Help an elderly neighbor with yard work. Volunteer or pick up trash at a local park or nature area.
   • Foodies? Volunteer at a local soup kitchen. Donate canned goods to your local food bank. Take a meal to a friend or neighbor.
2. Get to work. Make your plans and make them happen on October 27. Be sure to document your family’s experience with photos and video. Follow Make a Difference Day on Facebook and share them on page’s photo album.

1. Report back. Be sure you register online or mail your family’s Make a Difference Day results.
2. Reflect. After a long, hard day of amazing volunteering, spend some time as a family and reflect on your efforts. What did you accomplish? How did you feel? What do you want to do next?

Let us know what your family does and how it goes!