As our growing boys regularly out-
grew their clothing and toys, we
donated them to Goodwill, Salva-
tion Army, and various community
organizations.
We literally raided our sons’ clos-
ets one chilly night when we found
out that the previously mentioned
soccer buddy and his older brother
didn’t have any long pants to wear.
As a homeschooling family, we ac-
cumulated a lot of books and maga-
zines. After we finished reading
them, we’d often donate them to lo-
cal schools and our public library.
How We Helped Our Sons
Learn the Value of Giving Back
G
— by Lisa A. Beach
iving back to others tops
the list of life lessons
we’ve tried to teach our
two boys since they were little. To drive
this point home over the years, we ad-
opted a three-pronged approach to giv-
ing: we donated our money, gave away
our things, and offered up our time.
Sometimes we did this as a family, while
other times, it was a solo effort. But the
net result? We infused our family with
the spirit of giving.
Giving Our Money
When my boys (now 15 and 18) first
started receiving an allowance, my hus-
band and I made them divvy it up into
three jars: spending, saving, and giving.
Their giving jar coins would accumu-
late for months until we found a worthy
cause to help. Then, we’d match them
dollar for dollar and donate the money
outright or purchase items and then do-
nate them.
Over the years, our family has given
money in a variety of ways, usually ty-
ing into something that will benefit other
kids.
We bought backpacks, school
clothes and school supplies every
August and donated them to organi-
8 WNY Family November 2018
zations conducting back-to-school
campaigns to help needy kids in our
community.
Every Christmas, the boys would
each pick a name off of the “Angel
Tree” at our church and then we’d
all shop for gifts. Another year, we
pooled money with several families
to help out a boy on my son’s soccer
team whose family was really strug-
gling financially. We bought coats,
clothes, toys, books, and new bi-
cycles for the soccer buddy and his
three brothers, plus food and even a
few presents for his parents.
Through Children International, we
sponsored a boy named Spencer
from Zambia for 10 years, helping
to provide food, clothing, medi-
cal care, and other necessities. The
boys would chip in from their giv-
ing jar when we sent in our monthly
sponsorship gift.
Giving Our Things
When we donated the very things
we owned and loved, it’s almost like we
were sharing a part of ourselves with
others. Over the years, we’ve donated
hundreds of things that our family no
longer needed.
When my boys outgrew their be-
loved wooden train set, they donat-
ed it (along with the wooden train
table my husband built) to Boys
Town for the young residents to en-
joy.
Giving Our Time
Sometimes we volunteered as a
family. Other times, my husband and I
did our own volunteering gigs, partly out
of our passion for the cause and partly
just to model a giving heart in action.
As a family, we volunteered with
Give Kids the World, a wish-grant-
ing organization that provides a free
vacation to kids with life-threat-
ening illnesses and their families.
This magical, 70-acre resort allows
“wish families” to take a break from
medical tests, doctor visits, and
therapy appointments and just have
fun together. We served ice cream,
made milkshakes, distributed pool
towels, handed out games, and even
served as “engineer” for the train
ride around the resort.
Our boys have volunteered more
than 150 hours on their own over
the last few years. They painted
murals for the library’s puppet
shows, doled out food at a food
pantry, refereed soccer games at the
YMCA, distributed school supplies
at a back-to-school fair, worked as
a summer camp counselor for the
Down’s Syndrome Association, and
provided social media marketing