BGCA (The Boys and Girls Club of America) are back for a second year with Give The Gift Of A Great Future Holiday Campaign. It’s a great campaign because it offers an easy way to give back to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America as a thank you for all they do.

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BGCA enables young people – especially those who need us the most in life – to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. It’s a safe place where children can learn and grow, and experience ongoing relationships, with adult professionals who care. 

I love that they have a series of programs to help children develop character and a strong sense of value, and promote hope and opportunity for the young children of this country.  We can always use more hope and opportunity.

The Give the Gift of a Great Future Campaign was started by the Boys and Girls Club to teach kids the true value of giving back this holiday season.  With the holidays looming, everything is centered around family, but also around a lot of gift giving.  I’m a giver, and I tend to go overboard with the gift giving for my kids, family and friends. 

While I spoil my kids rotten for birthdays and Christmas, I also want to instill in them the value of giving back.

I adopted my aunt and uncle’s great idea of creating a Christmas Jar each year.  Throughout the year, any extra change gets tossed into a mason jar, and it’s fun to watch it fill up over the months.  At Christmastime, we find someone who could really use some help – either because they were mentioned by friends or we noticed them in our daily activities. 

When it’s time to gift the jar, we wrap it up nice and pretty and drop it off a week or so before Christmas so they have a chance to use it in whatever manner works for them to make their Christmas Merry.

It’s not too late for you to help, too – as part of the Gift Of A Great Future Holiday Campaign you can play the Giving Game:

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Click the image above and select “Play Now.”  Click on the cute dangling heart to start – the heart drops into one of three gift boxes, so pay attention so you can guess which box it ends up in after they’re shuffled around.   When I played it, I was happy to see that just by doing that, I gave a Club Kid an Art Kit:

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The easiest gift given ever.  You should try it.

But wait, there’s more – head over to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Facebook Page , because they’re having a photo contest where you can vote for one club to receive a $2,500 grant from BGCA.  Such an easy thing to do – a couple of simple clicks will make someone’s holiday extra special.

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If you’re like most parents, you want to give your kids everything, especially during the holidays. But then you worry – will the true meaning of the season get lost amidst the mounds of discarded wrapping paper?  BGCA has created a great list of tips for parents to help teach their children the importance of giving back. Some of my favorite tips from the list include:

  • Talk about giving. Tell your kids which causes you’re supporting this year and why. Better yet, make the choice together. Or give each child a portion of what you plan to donate this year and allow him or her to choose the charity.  The kids have made me proud with their willingness to add some of their loose change to the Christmas Jar, as well as go through their toys to donate to local churches and daycare’s so other kids can have great toys to play with.
  • Do something fun, like cooking or an art project. Even very young children can make cards for senior center residents or help you bake a tasty treat for a neighbor. These are perfect ways to have fun while thinking about others.  Both kids love drawing, and when they know they’re doing it to be a bright spot in someone’s day, they go all out.  I love watching them create masterpieces to give to other people.
  • It’s o.k. to offer incentives. Especially for young children, food or prizes can help sweeten the deal when you’re asking them to spend time working for a cause.  Sure, some may call that bribery, but that’s definitely something that works in our household.  It’s for a good cause, right?

This holiday season is the perfect time to get the whole family involved in giving back and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America have made it possible to do so in a fun way while providing a learning experience for children as well. Set a good example for the children in your life by taking a minute to play the Giving Game, vote in the BGCA photo contest, and incorporate some of the giving back tips into your family life.

How do you teach your kids about giving back?

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I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Boys and Girls Club. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate. All opinions are mine and not influenced by outside sources. See my Disclosure Policy here.

3 Comments

  1. Hi!
    I’ve heard so much about Boys & Girls Club. The kids get to interact and learn with the professionals and their fellow kids as well.

  2. Very positive activity to bring closer boys and girls has wonderful opportunities to learn with each other, share personal issues and problems. Nice to read this club.

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