Page 2 - Trilakes Extra October 2015

2TT • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015 EXTRA ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE TRI-LAKES EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
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Growing up while giving back
The message of giving has reached new levels in recent years. While charitable endeavors have long been the center of many local community groups’ outreach efforts,
social media has made those efforts as popular as ever.
Generosity is something children can learn at an early age and continue into adulthood with the right motivation and teaching.
This includes millions taking part in ex- ercises such as the ALS ice bucket challenge and other ventures meant to raise awareness for charitable causes.
Charitable giving is a family tradition in many households. Many parents find that the earlier they introduce their children to charitable giving and volunteering, the more likely their kids are to embrace these efforts, both immediately and into adulthood.
Parents can impart lessons to their young- sters about the importance of giving during the end of the year, when many charities raise their public profiles, or when newsworthy events, such as devastating storms, draw at- tention to the less fortunate.
Nancy Phillips, founder and president of DollarSmart Kids Enterprises Inc., said it’s been scientifically proven that giving increas- es self-esteem and self-confidence. Children who learn that they can help others will soon realize they have the power to make a differ- ence. Recognizing that they can make a big change is an empowering discovery for kids.
Here’s a look at how parents can foster a love of giving:
Choose age-appropriate tasks
Young children do not have a lot of money, so try to find charitable tasks that allow them to donate their time and skills. Kids can help make cookies for bake sales or participate in food drives in front of grocery stores for certain charities.
Let children choose the beneficiary
Children may have their own ideas about who they want to help. Let kids choose
because they’re more likely to get behind the effort if they feel their input is valued.
Lead by example
Don’t just pay lip service to the idea of being charitable. Provide a good example by getting involved yourself. Make sure the entire family gets involved with the effort of giving.
Let children see where their efforts are going
Writing a check is a rather unceremoni- ous way of giving that may not resonate with young children. But if they can see food being delivered to the hungry or pet supplies going to an animal shelter, they can see the fruits of their efforts paying off.
Create a giving account or box
Make it a family tradition that members of the household will donate an item they receive or a small amount of money to the box each month. At the end of the year, the family can deliver those funds and gifts to a charity of choice.
Talk about giving at dinner
Make philanthropy a regular part of fam- ily conversation. Discuss the plight of the less fortunate with your children, focusing on the value of volunteering and helping others.
Children can learn to be generous and give to others at an early age, and those that do are more likely to grow into charitable adults.
— Courtesy of Metro Creative