Heart-warming Easter story

Photograph by: ABC 7 Local News website

As I was watching the news last night I heard the story of an 8 year-old boy in Chicago, Jeremiah Minor, who used his allowance that he was saving for a year to buy Easter baskets for children at a local hospital in Chicago. His family thought he was going to use the money to buy a video game set, but he felt badly for all the sick children who were not able to fully enjoy the holiday. He along with his family delivered the baskets to the children at the Stroger Hospital yesterday. What amazed me the most was that he was only 8!!! WOW! I hope and pray that I will raise my two sons (three and one) to have such wonderful, self-less hearts and to understand the value of giving to others.

There are a lot of ways parents can get their kids involved at any age in volunteer opportunities in their communities:

• Similar to this story, you can create goody bags, baskets, dolls and deliver them to a nearby hospital with your children.
• You can have a play date/activity where all the kid make cards to cheer up sick and lonely kids. You can then call the hospitals and either deliver them yourselves or mail them in!
• Collect your old toys and deliver them to the Salvation Army, Church or other charitable organization – have your kids assist in the process so they are involved.
• Have a bake sale, lemonade sale with your kids and donate the money to your charity of choice
• Older kids can participate in helping at soup kitchens, preparing and serving holiday dinners for those in need. You can search for a soup kitchen in your area through the internet, church, community service organization or contact the Salvation Army (www.salvationarmyusa.org). This is a great activity to do as a family and to make it a tradition to do every year before enjoying your own Thanksgiving/Holiday dinner.
• Participate in the Salvation Army Angel tree program with your kids. This is also a great activity to do with your family and a great annual tradition to keep.