Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/425171
www.FredParent.NET • • • • 13 • • • • • • • 13 • • 13 INCORPORATE GIVING INTO ACTIVITIES YOUR CHILD LIKES. Children can open a lemonade stand and donations can be given to their favorite charity. Your child can ask for donations to their favorite charity in lieu of gifts for their birthday. My son chose one of his beloved gifts last Christmas to give to child who wouldn't have had anything. Every opportunity instills the importance of giving because a thankful heart is a happy heart. Helping your children to focus on others is an investment for a better world. Parents can support children by helping them find a charity that is important to them. If children choose the charity they want to fund, they are more likely to stick with it and happily give of their valuable time and money. Nikki Ducas is a budget-savvy Fredericksburg mom teaching her two young sons how to be charitable at home and in the community. LOCAL CHARITIES Keep your donations of time and money in the Fredericksburg area and support charities in our community. Listed are just a few of the many local organizations to get you started: Catholic Charities of Arlington Fredericksburg District Office – Serving the poor, the vulnerable. Visit www.ccda.net/programs_ fredericksburg.php, or call 540-371-1124. Grace Oughton Cancer Foundation – Dedicated to helping families fighting pediatric cancer by offering direct grants, research grants, education grants and grants to develop and improve local resources. Visit thegocf.org/, or call 888-900-GOCF (4623) to donate. Fairy Godmother Project – Eases the burden of everyday life for local families who have a child in treatment for a form of pediatric cancer. Visit www. fairygodmotherproject.org/, or call 540-645-4282 to donate. Fredericksburg Area Food Bank – Feeding the hungry through a community-wide network of partner agencies. Visit fredfood.org/ or call 540-371-7666 to donate. Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) – Committed to improving the quality of life for people residing in Planning District 16 with mental health, intellectual disability, and substance abuse problems and to preventing the occurrence of these conditions. Visit www.racsb.state. va.us/, or call 540-373-6876. Safe Harbor - Provides child abuse victims with a child friendly, community oriented, facility-based program in which professionals from multiple agencies come together to address the child's abuse. Visit safeharborva.org, or call 540-891-6280. " " COLLECTING FOR A CAUSE. Children can collect canned food at their next park playdate and bring it to the food bank. My eldest son packed a shoebox for a child in Africa. He bought everything for that box with his own money and was so proud of his accomplishment when he turned it in. Every opportunity instills the importance of giving because a thankful heart is a happy heart.