It’s important for me that my kids grow up understanding the concepts of charity and benevolence, and that the holiday season isn’t only about what’s under the tree. Not everyone can spend Christmas volunteering at soup kitchen or collecting Toys for Tots, but thankfully a brilliant dot-org has another option.
Click pronto over to Markmakers, created this year by a Virginia husband-wife team and their four kids. Essentially they sell gift cards for kids with a twist – instead of using the cash towards building a stuffed bear or procuring six pounds of gummy worms, children shop for services and items needed around the world.
It’s the ultimate empowerment tool as kids can personally decide whether to divvy their funds to protect an an acre of rainforest, get medical supplies to war and disaster zones, or help provide other kids with vaccines, food, school supplies or musical instruments. The site is fun and upbeat, and very easy to navigate, and I’d imagine it could help even a three year-old could get into the idea of giving, if only in a very basic way.
I hope it’s not cheesy to admit that reading about Markmakers has made me a little emotional. All of our kids really have so much. We’re very, very lucky. –Liz
[via junior society and goodyblog]
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