Getting involved in our community

Every year, my husband and I sit down and create a budget for the year. We have various buckets we review from the previous year and set new goals for the new year. Categories range from our day-to-day expenses, savings goals, give-back bucket and so on. This year when we were talking about our give-back goals, we included my daughter. We sat down and everyone picked two causes we will support this year. My daughter picked animals and the homeless.

We decided to include her this year for multiple reasons. From planting the seed of spending vs saving, wanting to show her that her voice and passions matter, and, lastly, the importance of giving back and supporting causes near and dear to our heart.
First, we discussed over dinner what causes we felt strongly about and why. I made a list and we talked about how we would support each charity through the donation of time or money. Example: We can pick up trash and help the environment. We narrowed down our list to 4 charities that we would help over the course of the year.Next, we created a "give jar" that we keep in the kitchen that we add money to over the course of the month. Mommy and Daddy put in the family budget amount. We had our daughter pick weekly helping activities that can earn more money for her causes and ways she could ask others to participate. (I.e. - tell grandpa about the cause and ask if he would like to also contribute).

I want my daughter to grow up with kindness being her superpower and realize the help of one person can make a huge impact in someone else's life, thus the world.