Read this before you go to the mall
Posted on 27. Nov, 2007 by kchristieh in international, religion, shopping
Here’s the perfect gift for the person who has everything: the gift of giving. Honor someone’s altruistic side by giving to a charity in their name.
Here are some of my favorite options:
- La Canada Presbyterian Church Christmas Market: OK, I’m biased: I’m a member, and I created this portion of their website. You can pay by PayPal for such gifts as school supply kits for Mexican orphans ($5), immunizations for Ugandan children ($30 for 10 kids), employing an inner-city teen ($40/week), freezing weather survival kit for a homeless person ($20) and much, much more. You can print out a colorful gift card from the site to fill out and send to the person you’re honoring.
- Heifer International
- World Vision
- Charity Gift Certificates.org: You purchase the gift certificate, and the person you “give” it to gets to choose which of the 75 charities the money should be allocated to.
- Kiva: “Loans that change lives.” You can give someone a Kiva gift certificate, and they can choose who to loan to.
We’ve found gifts such as these to be especially perfect for grandparents. We send them a nice photo calendar of the kids each year, and supplement it with a gift to one of the Christmas Market items that matches their interests. My stepsister is getting the Charity Gift Certificates for my kids this year, and I’m looking forward to having them choose who to allocate the money to.
We’re so blessed in the U.S., and should always remember to share our blessings.
My two sisters and their families and my family have decided to skip the gifts this year and give to each person’s chosen charity. My sisters and their kids are all up for it. The person who is having the most difficulty with it… my 71 year old mom!! We are just going to give her money for her vacation fund, like we always do. Maybe she’ll get on the bandwagon next year!
Thanks for the suggestions of worthwhile organizations.