The Joy of Giving

"A little rain can straighten a flower. A little love can change a
life" - Max Lucado

For the month of May the charity I chose was an organization located in Minnesota called Cheerful Givers. Their vision is simple: "All parents living in poverty will be able to give their child a birthday gift." Their mission: "We provide toy-filled birthday gift bags to food shelves and shelters so that parents living in poverty can give their child a birthday gift. We believe this simple gesture boosts self-esteem, enhances self-worth, and strengthens bonds in families." After reading this I knew I had to be a part of this. I contacted the President Karen Kitchel, who has been with the organization since 1996, full time since 2003, and asked "How can I help? What can I do here in Wisconsin?" And so the idea was born. I would hold a fundraiser, put together my own bags, and on behalf of Cheerful Givers I would donate the bags to a local shelter in my area.

The organization requires each bag have a minimum of $10 worth of merchandise and one "lasting item" such as a book or stuffed animal. According to Karen the typical child who receives a bag is 3-12 years old who is either living in a shelter or whose parents must rely on food shelves. Many of these families are single parent- usually mothers who have several children. Kitchel says, "We don't get to see the kids but from the feedback we get, many of these kids don't own toys (or very few). Many have never owned a book, and some don't know they have birthdays because it has never been celebrated."

I couldn't imagine what it must feel like for a parent to not be able to provide the basics for your children, let alone a birthday gift. I knew this was opportunity for not only me, but many others to get involved in. I set a goal of 50 bags and created a flyer. I emailed, called, mailed and spoke to as many people as I could. The response was overwhelming! I really hit the streets and Internet hard and found some amazing deals. With the money I raised we were able to put together 94 bags! These bags will go the Milwaukee Rescue Mission Joy House.

Boys bags contained:

• Book, Driving Buddies, based on the kids movie "Cars"
• Die cast car, character from the movie "Cars"
• An army parachute man
• 2 army airplane gliders
• A package of Jelly Bellies or Willy Wonka Fun Dip
• 1 coloring book
• 1 box of crayons
• Several sports themed temporary tattoos

We also had dinosaur themed boy bags which contained:

• Book, Dinosaur Detective
• Dinosaur puzzle
• Willy Wonka Fun Dip candy
• Foam Dinosaur mask
• 2 Dinosaur self inking stamps
• 8 Dinosaur stickers
• 1 coloring book
• 1 box of crayons

We had several different girl bags most Disney Princess themed which included:

• Book: Beauties in Bloom
• 1 princess wand
• 1 princess tiara
• several girly themed temporary tattoos
• several glittery, flowery jelly bracelets or a package containing princess rings and self stick earrings
• 1 coloring book
• box of crayons
• package of Jelly Bellies or Willy Wonka Fun Dip

We had 5 bags containing:

• Clifford the Big Red Dog book
• Matching Clifford Stuffed animal, with dog house
• Bubbles
• 3 flower shaped suckers
• 1 Disney Magic coloring book with special "magic" marker
• Glow in the dark light sticks
• Jelly Bracelets
• Girl themed temporary tattoos
• Package containing princess rings and self stick earrings

Lastly we had someone donate 4 beautiful felt gift bags with felt flowers and ribbons on them which included:

• A large plush flower with bendable plush stem
• Lady Bug/Butterfly tic tac toe boards
• Package of neon colored mini gel pens
• Pastel ribbon lined headbands
• Small tin of raspberry scented lip gloss
• Sequin and hearts hair tie
• 3 containers of play-dough
• bubbles
• candy
• Package of self stick earrings and play rings
• Jelly Bracelets

Putting together these bags was so much fun! I got the kids involved and we made an afternoon of it! If you are looking for a charity to get involved with your kids I would highly recommend this one. Kids identify with the idea of a birthday present for another child. My kids were excited to help provide for other children, especially when they knew these children didn't have much to begin with.

Cheerful Givers was founded by Robin Maynard in 1994. The story of how one woman was inspired to make a difference is truly inspiring itself. In 1994 just 700 bags were filled and distributed. Fast forward to 2008 and Cheerful Givers has reached 253,000 bags and counting. "Those little bags send a powerful message to kids in a time of need. They say that even though these kids are staying at a shelter, they are still special and deserve to celebrate their birthdays," Mary Ajax President and CEO Community Action Council.

Currently Cheerful Givers operates in Minnesota, and as of 2005 there is a pilot program in Washington, serving the Seattle area. "We would love to extend to every state, country and nation. Difficult part is we need staff and funding to do that. We encourage people everywhere to fill bags and take them to food shelves/shelters," says Kitchel.

There are many ways to become a Cheerful Giver and provide support. Cheerful Givers gladly accepts cash donations, as well in-kind donations. But there are other ways to get involved that are not monetary. Cheerful givers is looking for volunteers to fill many vital roles such as assistant to the president, Blog & Newsletter Assistant Writer, Grant Researchers, individuals willing to contact companies and seek donations, etc... Click on any of the above links to learn more about how you can get involved. If you enjoy reading, New Heaven Publishing will donate a percentage of the proceeds to Cheerful Givers from the sale of the following books: Do I have a Birthday Too? The Cheerful Givers Story by Melanie Bower (also available through Barnes and Noble Bookstore) and I Thirst: Mother Teresa and the Journey of Unconditional Faith by Robin Maynard Steele (founder).

On behalf of Cheerful Givers, and my family, I would like to extend to all 27 donors a heart felt thanks for helping make this project such a huge success. Todd and I decided we are going to hold another fundraiser on behalf of this charity next year. We have several ideas on coporate sponsorship and hope to make next years drive an even bigger success!