Gathering Ideas for Good

Posted in Blog on August 22, 2011 by Sarah Aadland | 3 responses

I finally had time to explore the helpful article written by Vicki Glembocki, Thrive in 2025: Raise a Kid Who Gives.

The subtitle really says it all: “Doing good doesn’t just help others. It boosts your child’s confidence, happiness, and health too.” Here at Doing Good Together, we’ve been watching the evidence mount in support of this statement for a long time. The entire DGT mission is built to making doing good a simple, rewarding, and habitual part of our family lives for exactly this reason.

Like DGT, this article also emphasizes that good deeds can be as simple as making birthday cards for friends and family or as complicated as a weekly obligation with Meals on Wheels or Adopt-a-Grandparent. While the ideas aren’t exactly new to DGT supporters, the whole article is a good reminder of why we’re doing what we’re doing and a good reminder to keep up the effort.

Glembocki offers a fairly streamlined list of causes kids can check out, and it directs anyone who wants further ideas to check out GenerationOn.org, the youth division of the  Points of Light Institute. TheGenerationOn.org provides a variety of ideas for doing good along with a tool to pledge and track your service. If you tend to need structured goal setting and deadlines to make headway, this might be the sort of tool that you would find helpful.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I’m actively looking for creative (non-technology-related) ways to keep the kids busy as the summer winds to a close. The Parents.com article along with GenerationOn.org gave my search some new energy.

How about you? How has your family done good this summer? Or how are you planning to do good this fall? Share a bit of your story in the comments section and  you’ll be entered to win next week’s Kinder Book Club pick: Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy.

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About Sarah

Sarah Aadland is striving to make family volunteering a meaningful habit for her family of five. Join the conversation as she ponders what they may (or may not have) learned and looks for helpful information about raising compassionate kids.Though she plans to one day put her Masters in Public Policy back to work for social justice, she sees family volunteering as a way to build a stronger community, a better world, and a more connected family. In addition to her children, Sarah tends a large garden, a small flock of chickens, and a habit of mindfulness amid the necessary rituals of parenting.

3 Responses to “Gathering Ideas for Good”

  1. Shannon said:
    August 25th, 2011 at 2:41 am

    Sarah – I am so happy I have subscibed to this blog. I love getting the updates. My best friend that has two young boys and e and the boys are getting together the first week in September to have a sandwich making assemblt line. We can’t wait. This way we can split the grocery bill , the boys have a blast doing it, and there’s an amazing lesson in there. Also, I wanted to tell you….I bring food to my almost 90 yr old neighbor often, and I always have the boys with me when I bring it. This week, I made soup and was putting away the leftovers. Cameron asked me “are we bringing that to (neighbor)”? So, of course, we did – as my heart nearly exploded with pride… :)

  2. Sarah said:
    August 25th, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    Shannon – I love what you’re doing! And isn’t it sweet when the kids start initiating good things on their own. It certainly feels like we are changing their expectations of how we should live in community with others.

    Keep it up… and so far you are the only one in the drawing for a free book, so keep your fingers crossed!

  3. Shannon said:
    August 26th, 2011 at 12:23 pm

    It really is Sarah. The lessons and talking are important, but I think it’s another clear indication that teaching by example is the way to go!

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