Thanks to Eastern Bank for sponsoring this conversation about the #JoinUsForGood campaign.
Teach Your Children to Give Back – Tell Them a Story
As we head into the holiday season, we know that giving is important. The problem is that most kids think receiving is what’s important. So how can we teach our kids the joy of giving? Perhaps you can tell them this story.
Kim lived with her mother in a one-bedroom basement apartment. Kim’s mother chose to leave an abusive relationship with her father. Angry fights were part of their daily life and her father sometimes hit her mother.
Her father did not always pay child support so she and her mother often did not have enough money to pay their bills. They needed to use food stamps to buy groceries.
Kim’s neighborhood was overcrowded with run down row houses on one side and a huge apartment building on the other. Most houses had 2-3 families in them. The kids played in the streets since there were no playgrounds nearby.
Kim had a few friends who lived in the nicest neighborhood in town. Their houses seemed huge. They bragged about their holiday gifts. Kim felt sad. Her mother had very little money to buy gifts. They needed to use money for more important things like rent, gas and clothing.
One morning, Kim discovered a plastic garbage bag outside her front door. She thought someone decided to throw his or her trash down the stairs. Instead, this bag was filled with gifts. Kim could not believe it. Where had the bag come from? Kim felt so special. Like someone truly cared.
The fact that an anonymous person made Kim and her mother feel so loved and a little less alone is something she will always remember.
In this story, Kim is actually me. This memory always makes me smile. It’s a story I’ve shared with my children. Partially so they understand my own humble beginnings, but also so they understand the power of giving.
Teach Your Children to Give Back: Adopt a Family
Every year, we have adopted a family for the holiday season. We want them to feel as special as I felt when that plastic bag arrived at my door. Knowing that a stranger cares can bring such joy to a family in need.
My daughter helped create this gift box for a girl in the family we adopted a few years ago.
This year, we are teaming up with Eastern Bank in their movement of good, as part of their Join Us For Good movement. Eastern Bank is a powerhouse for charity and volunteering, giving an average of 10% of their yearly profit to local charities since 1999. That’s 9% more than the industry standard! And, they have donated a whopping 50,000+ volunteer hours since 2016.
Eastern Bank has also been a champion for civil rights. They support the LGBTQ and immigrant communities through partnerships with charities like The Asian-American Civics Association, Project Citizenship, and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.
This year, my family will be working with HarborCOV. This Chelsea-based organization provides free safety and support services for people affected by violence and abuse. A Targeted Grant from Eastern Bank will help fund legal advocacy. We will be adopting a family for the holiday season. My kids are excited to pick out some new toys to donate and I’m going to donate some grocery gift cards.
Teach Your Children to Give Back – Spread the word!
Please join the Eastern Bank Join Us For Good movement. You can make a difference in so many ways. Have your kids tell friends what they are doing to give back. Spread the word in your community and social networks.
Keep up to date with this campaign by following Eastern Bank and the #JoinUsForGood hashtag on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Eastern Bank. The opinions and text are all mine.
I think it is really best for kids, at such a young age, to learn how to give back. This is not limited to rich kids only but to those who are underprivileged as well. The church simply teaches us that no matter how rich or poor you are, it is good to share whatever you have. It doesn’t necessarily have to be money or food or material stuff. The mere fact that you share your time for other people is already an act of giving. This is I teach to my children.
I have been teaching the kids to give back since they were born. I wish all parents would do the same. We always adopted a family at Christmas but since they’ve grown up and flown the coup, I haven’t been doing that. I need to restart it. This is a great campaign and reminder that sharing is caring.
This is such a great initiative. It is SO important that we teach our children that giving back is super important.
I believe that learning to give back is one of the most important lessons kids can learn. Learning about how other people live is an important part of that.
It is wonderful seeing others like you showing compassion. I agree with the commenter above me, it’s something that society seems to have lost touch with.
Compassion in our society seems to be a lost trait. Nice that you are helping to keep it alive. Kudos!
I am proud of my children because they know how to share their blessings. They regularly donate to charity, either in cash or in kind. They join youth volunteer movements, like feeding programs and reading/literacy outreach programs. We’ll have to check out the Join Us For Good movement and see how we can help even more.
I think that it is important to teach children earlier on in life that it is important to share and give. Giving is a joy that that they need to learn to experience.
Children should be encouraged to help make a difference. It’s something that can be done year round and not as just a once in a while thing, and both parties will appreciate it.
It’s really amazing that someone was able to show you that sort of kindness when you were young. The Join Us for Good movement sounds wonderful!
What a sweet story! I have always tried to teach my kids the importance of giving back and helping others.
It is so important to teach kids to be generous and do good for others. We just did some shopping to donate to different causes, and the kids had a good time choosing what they wanted to donate.
I think it is so important to teach our kids to give back. We have been doing our local adopt a family program for years. It is a great way to help out a family in our area.
I just love this! I always teach my kids to be kind and give back. We’ve donating or purchased many items for people who are less fortunate. I think it’s really important.
Proud parents of 4 avid volunteers. Volunteering has always played a major role in my life. My father was a regional accountant for the Salvation Army when I was a kid and we volunteered there frequently. It’s so important that we help others and teach our kids to do so as well.
I love your idea of adopting a family for the holidays. So many kids miss out and it’s lovely to see someone giving back.
I remember filling shoeboxes when I was a child, I always used to get excited picking out the items for the child to receive, with my parents.
This is extremely important to me! I want to make sure that my children are willing to give to others. We always have so much and some people have nothing. The more we can teach my kids to give the better.
Over the years we taught our children to give back. They have helped serve in soup kitchens, bought Christmas gifts and many other ways to serve.