During the holiday season, we can often get wrapped up on what to buy, how much to spend, and all the commercialization of the holiday. But the holidays are more than stuff, it about giving back and spending time with friends and family.
Last week my son and I were able to spend a memorable afternoon with a wonderful organization Our Children's Homestead. It was part of Random Act of Zhu!
Our Children's Homestead is charitable organization located in Naperville, Illinois. This organization is committed to finding loving, permanent homes for our youth. Many of their placements are children with challenges. In addition to foster care placement, the organization provides mentoring and educational programs to help these children in need.
My son and I were able to donate lots of Zhu Zhu Pets and accessories to Our Children's Homestead. These toys will make Christmas merry for many kids who may not have a lot of this holiday season. Cepia, the makers of Zhu Zhu Pets, asked some mom bloggers to spread Random Acts of Zhu (random acts of kindness) to worthy organizations in their areas.
Many charitable organizations are struggling this holiday season. Many of us have been cutting back and trying to save. Unfortunately, that hurts the budgets for charities. The Random Act of Zhu provided an amazing gift during these holiday season.
What I love about this program is the surprise and delight that a simple act of giving can bring. When I first talked to Kirsten, the VP at Our Children's Homestead, I don't think that she believed me. Really, how often does a complete stranger offer to give a charitable organization 100 toys? But as we talked a couple of times, she was delighted to have all these toys to give to their deserving children.
I chose Our Children's Homestead because my son and I could visit their headquarters and speak with their staff. I love giving to angel trees and toys for tots, but sometimes you don't see the impact of your gift. Since I was bringing my son, I wanted him to understand the impact of giving to an organization. It became real; it was no longer the abstract idea of charity to him. This experience solidified to him that our family is extremely lucky. There are many kids and families that can benefit from our help now and all year long.
This whole experience taught my son a valuable lesson. While we talk about charity and donate, this hands-on experience really hit home. My son personally got to hand over the toys and see the smiles and the faces of everyone at Our Children's Homestead.
This holiday season maybe your family could consider a random act of kindness. It doesn't have to be a huge event like ours. Maybe you could shove a neighbor's driveway, hold open a door for a person carrying lots of packages or put a quarter in the Salvation Army bucket. Just the smallest act of kindness can inspire others this holiday season.
I would like to thank all those involved in this event including Zhu Zhu Pets, Cepia, MomSelect and Our Children's homestead for making this event possible. For more information on Zhu Zhu Pets, please visit www.zhuniverse.com. To learn more about Our Children's Homestead, please visit www.ourchildrenshomestead.org.
Let's remember the spirit of the holiday season this year. A little act of kindness can bring joy this year.
Disclosure: The Zhu Zhu Pets given to Our Children's Homestead were provided by Cepia, Zhu Zhu Pets, and MomSelect. I was not compensated for this event. For my complete disclosure policy, please visit www.more4momsbuck.com/disclosure.
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