Better to Give

By Deborah Markus, from Secular Homeschooling, Issue #2, Winter 2008

As homeschoolers, we welcome opportunities to teach our children morally as well as academically. We are in a position to model, not just mouth, the idea that we should try to leave the world a better place than it was when we arrived.

However, as homeschoolers, a lot of us are also perpetually broke. We want to give, but don't have much in the way of disposable cash. So it's that much more important that the money we donate goes to a worthy cause, and that every cent of it counts.

That's one of the things I like about Guide Dogs of America (www.guidedogsofamerica.org). Their web site offers a great deal of information about the financial side of their organization, such as the fact that more than 75% of their funds go straight to the programs they offer. Those programs include providing guide dogs to those who need them free of charge, as well as a four-week instructional period (with room and board) spent on their campus.

A donation to a guide dog organization like GDA can be a wonderful thing for a homeschooling family because there's nothing abstract about it. We've all admired guide dogs as they go about their work, and even non-dog people (such as yours truly) have a soft spot for them. Most children are drawn naturally to dogs, and love the idea of such a strong relationship with one. If you want to make a homeschooling project out of a donation, check your library for good books about guide dogs and the work they do. Two of my favorite works on the subject are Beverly Butler's young adult novel Light A Single Candle, an autobiographical work about a blind teenager who regains some of her old autonomy thanks to a guide dog; and Caroline Arnold's photo-essay picture book A Guide Dog Puppy Grows Up, which gives a terrific portrait of all the love and work that go into helping a dog become a competent, trustworthy guide.

As the latter book points out, monetary donations aren't the only way a family could contribute to a guide dog organization. Kids can also apply to be puppy raisers, though the idea of bonding with a dog for many months only to give it up to someone who needs its help is a daunting one. But doing this kind of work and making such a sacrifice for the sake of a good cause could be a profound experience for a family.

Speaking of animals — my son is absolutely in love with Heifer International (www.heifer.org). Visit their web site, especially the "Online Gift Catalog" (under "give" on their home page), and you'll see why. This organization is dedicated to the idea of giving work, dignity, and autonomy to those in need all over the world.

What captivates my son, and may keep your children glued to Heifer's web site as well, is the fact that donors are encouraged to think of the money they give in terms of, say, how many chicks, or ducks, or water buffalo their donation could supply to a family. It's also heartening to see that a comparatively small donation — say, $20 — can do a great deal.

Heifer's site is a homeschooler's dream. You and your children can learn about how and why different kinds of animals can be of help to families all over the world. (Did you know that rabbit manure can be used as a fertilizer without any need to compost it? This city slicker and her son didn't even know you had to compost manure in the first place.) Children and grownups alike can feel great about saving up to give a flock of chicks or a hive of bees. My son has been inspired to start a fundraiser for a major Heifer donation — he wants to raise enough money for a "Milk Menagerie," which represents the gift of a heifer, two goats, and a water buffalo.

Children (and anyone else, for that matter) can also set up gift registries on Heifer International. My own feeling is that this is something that ought to be suggested by quiet example rather than hints. Pressuring kids to donate what ought to be their own money or birthday presents is distinctly sleazy, no matter how good the cause. (If you haven't read Dickens' Bleak House, pick up a copy and at least get far enough to read about Mrs. Pardiggle, who is so proud of her five small sons and the causes they "give" to. Their "gifts" are allowance money they never see, because their mother has already promised it to charities. These are five of the meanest, bitterest kids in the history of literature.)

Getting back to Heifer's gift registries: if a grownup member of the family were to pave the way by setting up such a registry of his own, it could appropriately be mentioned to an interested child that people can set up pages listing the animals they hope to be able to give in honor of their own birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions. (I have a significant birthday of my own coming up. This may be one of the most enjoyable wish lists I've ever drawn up.)

When I got the idea for this article, I wanted very much to find an organization to write about that directly helped children, but wasn't religiously based. Asking around on this subject, I learned that right around Christmas, James Randi (a.k.a. The Amazing Randi) — magician, lecturer, writer, critical thinker extraordinaire, and curmudgeon with a heart of gold — mentioned on his web site how much he hoped that his readers would consider sponsoring a child through Plan USA (www.planusa.org). "As a sponsor," Randi says, "you'll hear regularly from your supported child, and I can tell you that the medical, social, advisory, hygienic and other advantages you'll be buying for the kid's entire family will make a big difference to them all, and to the community." (www.randi.org/joom/content/view/141/1/#i13) Randi currently sponsors five children, and enjoys his correspondence with them.

Sponsorship costs $24 a month. That's a lot of money for many of us. But it does so much. And not just for the families who benefit directly. Our children could learn more about the world and their place in it from a simple letter from a sponsored child than we could teach them in a year of reading and talking about the world. Plan USA also welcomes just plain one-time donations, if you'd like to support the work they do but can't afford a monthly commitment.

As a closing thought — sometimes it's important for us to remember exactly why money is so tight sometimes. We undertook the challenge of homeschooling and decided that our time and energy was the best gift we could give our families. That may be all we can give to others, too: time and energy. Many organizations are often as much in need of willing hands as of anything else. Look around. Your local library, museum, or food pantry might be able to offer some family-friendly opportunities for you and your children to give of yourselves and your talents. What better way to teach your kids that money isn't everything?

More about Issue #2