Every year, at Christmas time, my office helps out needy families that live in the surrounding area and whose children go to the local elementary school. This year the school gave us six families who were in need. The families varied from a single mom with a small son to a very large family who had six children. It breaks my heart every year because their situations are so sad and it really makes me realize how fortunate I am. One family has a two year boy who has brain cancer and this will probably be his last Christmas.
The parents fill out some paperwork for us such as the names, ages, and gender of the children. They also give us ideas that they would want or need and any clothing sizes. Some just want groceries to make a holiday meal. We make up paper ornaments with the information on it and post them in our lobby. Employees can take as many as they would like, buy the items for the children, and then bring back to the office unwrapped.
We have our kids save a portion of their allowance throughout the year so they can specifically use it for charity. I picked out eight ornaments and let Caden and Carlin each pick four that they wanted to buy for. Dustin and I took them shopping and we told them that they could pick out the item listed and that we would help them find a size if needed. They really took the time to try to find something that they thought the kids would like and when we checked out at the register they did it all on their own paying with their money. We are very proud of them and we always want them to realize how lucky they are to have the necessities and luxuries that some families can't afford.
