Page 62 - Parents Magazine (December 2019)

KIDSÑHelping
AG E S 5 T O 7
Before a big haircut, ask your
child if she’d like to donate to
Locks of Love, an organization
that makes free wigs for
people who have lost their hair
due to an illness. She’ll need
at least 10 inches of extra
length secured in a ponytail
holder and a donation form
(go to locksoflove.org).
Encourage your child to
assemble an “activity box”
with toys he’s outgrown, then
donate it to a social-services
center, Boys & Girls Clubs of
America, or a local Y.
Check out the DIY donation
ideas at AntiCruelty.org, where
you can find easy tutorials for
making dog and cat toys for
animal shelters. Dropping them
off with a can of food or a
bag of kitty litter is extra useful.
Help your birthday kid
select a cause she cares about,
make a collection box, and ask
classmates and neighbors for
donations. If you’re throwing
a party, use KidsCanGiveToo
.com to send invites and
collect money for a charity.
Choose his favorite
of 100-plus threatened and
endangered animals at
WorldWildlife.org. He can draw
pictures of the animal in
exchange for donations from
friends and family, then
“adopt” it and a plush toy.
Set up a hot-chocolate stand
to raise money for your child’s
charity of choice. “Your kid can
make a sign letting customers
know what she’s raising money
for and why she believes
in it,” suggests Aubre Andrus,
author of 101 Small Ways to
Change the World.
Seek out a local animal
shelter that offers a reading
program. Many ASPCAs
and Animal Humane Society
locations allow kids to
practice their reading skills
with dogs and cats that need
some interaction.
Collect old books and help
him build a lending library
outside your home; get details
P A R E N T S 58 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9
T H E S E K I D S
S TA R T E D
C H A R I T I E S !
Nate Hyland Ryan Hickman
HIS CAUSE: HIS CAUSE:
Baby Food Fund Ryan’s Recycling
After noticing donation boxes When Ryan was 3, his father,
at cash registers, 6-year-old Damion, took him on an errand
Nate decided to make his to their neighborhood recycling
own in hopes of helping the center. “He loved it,” Damion
hungry. He collected $30 by says. “He told me he wanted
asking for contributions from to go back.” The next day,
friends and family who visited Damion asked his neighbors to
his home. Nate’s mother, Sarah, save their recyclables for him
suggested he narrow his so he could return to the center.
cause to a specific group. As “I just thought it was fun,” Ryan
they were dropping off baby says, “and I wanted to keep
food at a local shelter, a woman recycling and recycling ... and
entered with her baby. “That recycling!” Now age 10, he’s
was it for Nate,” Sarah says. “He recycled more than 625,000
saw a baby who he could help cans and bottles. Ryan’s
directly.” Nate started the Baby Recycling has donated nearly
Food Fund with his mom’s $10,000 to the Pacific Marine
help. “Instead of saying ‘You’re Mammal Center, in Laguna
only 6’ or ‘Why don’t you wait Beach, California. His next goal?
until you’re older?’ I listened “I bet I could reach a million
to what he wanted,” Sarah cans and bottles in a couple of
adds. Now age 12, Nate has years,” Ryan says.
delivered 1 ton of baby food
to his county’s food bank.
at LittleFreeLibrary.org. Your together encouraging your
neighbors can stop by to collect congressional leaders to
and share books for free. support conservation policies
Or find Head Start locations that protect this species.
near you (headstartprogram Assist him in setting
.us) and ask if they need used up a beach cleanup with his
children’s books. friends. Look together at
the tips at OceanConservancy
.org. Search for volunteer
opportunities at the U.S.
AG E S 8 AN D U P National Parks (nps.gov).
Learn how she can help start
a school-supplies drive with
Visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife friends and family through
Service’s website (fws.gov) the Kids in Need Foundation
to learn about endangered (kinf.org).
species in your state. Ask Solicit contributions of
your child to choose an animal unused clothing and personal-
to draw and write a letter care items for a Refugee Hope
Khloe Thompson
HER CAUSE:
Khloe Kares
While in fourth grade, Khloe
asked her mom about a
homeless woman she saw
every day on her way to school.
“When my mom told me how
people become homeless, I
knew I had to do something to
help her,” she says. With her
parents, Khloe got busy on her
sewing machine and made
a tote bag. When she was done,
she filled it with personal-
hygiene products such as soap,
deodorant, socks, wipes, and
feminine products, and gave it
to the woman. Khloe, now
12, has made more than 5,500
“Kare Bags” for the homeless
and founded a charity, Khloe
Kares. She has also expanded
her efforts on a global scale in
Ghana, installing water pumps
and bathroom facilities.
Box, and have your child write
a letter of support. Find a
free label to ship donations at
OperationRefugeeChild.org.
Tell your child about a local
political rally. Discuss why a
cause is worth your advocacy,
then make a sign and attend
the event together.
COURTESY OF THE SUBJECTS.
PIN THESE IDEAS!
Scan this code with your phone’s
camera for a pin of all the ways your kid
can volunteer (no app needed).