Posted on May 28, 2012
Hereis a link to an article that I wrote about a few ways we can all help our children to become budding philanthropists in their lives. In the article I highlight the importance of Penny Harvest, Mitzvah projects, and Jewish teen philanthropy programs. The importance of philanthropy programs and introducing the idea of philanthropy to our young Jewish teens, is evident in how the teens themselves express gratitude at having participated in the programs. These programs give teens a voice and allow them to learn about and choose an organization to donate their collected money to. They realize that they truly can make a difference and what they decide matters since the decision is put into their hands. Giving our children the responsibilities they will have later on in life during their formative years has a tremendous impact on them and continues to inspire them and their choices in the future. I encourage everyone with teenage children to teach them about philanthropy and encourage them to learn about organizations in which to donate money, either their own money (maybe from a bar or bat mitzvah) or the family’s tzedakah box at the end of the year. Working together as a family who cares about our community and recognizes the importance of doing chesed, will have a tremendous impact on our children.
