Angela and I have been teaching financial literacy throughout New York State for five years now. This year, we wanted to teach our 18-month old son, Zane a lesson in giving, two days before Christmas.
This is the first year that our son will have a Christmas that he will be old enough to actively participate in. We asked ourselves, "how can we teach Zane about the joy of giving?
Then, Angela came up with a great idea. She said "let's do a fundraiser for the local nursing home!" She visits residents at Schenectady Center on Altamont Avenue each week and many of the residents do not receive visitors other than local volunteers. So, for the holiday season we took our son, Zane and let him give gift bags to the residents with a wrapped gift and a handmade holiday card.
She also opened it up to the community so that anyone could donate for gifts. Our goal was to raise $375, which would have been enough money to buy $15 gifts for 25 residents. She raised $470 dollars, exceeding the goal, and was able to buy gifts for all 40 residents who live on the floor. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who donated, and to Fareeza and her family who helped us give out presents. Merry Christmas, and happy holidays!