Hi friends! I'm posting over at Bridging the Gap's website this week. My daughter's "friend" birthday party is going to be a little different this year -- no gifts. Instead, her party will be at our local animal shelter (who knew the shelter hosted birthdays?!?) and the kids will "serve" by helping groom or pet the animals. With the help of my local United Way, I put together a whole list of fun service projects kids could do at a birthday party, or anytime, really. Here is a preview, then follow the link for the rest of the article!
My daughter is almost five. She wants a friend birthday party. As
she spoke excitedly about friends and her invitation list, I inwardly
cringed at the thought of more presents, more stuff, more toys that
eventually wind up unloved in the corners of her room.
You see, my children are BLESSED. They have grandparents and aunts
and uncles who shower them with love and gifts. They have no needs,
only wants. Don’t get me wrong, I want my children to have fun things. But I
also want my children to love Jesus and know what it means to serve, to
love others, to share.
As I struggled with how to handle the multiple birthday parties (we
have family scattered and so end up with numerous parties), I sent an
email to my local United Way Volunteer Coordinator asking whether or
not there were any easy volunteer activities that young girls would
enjoy and could do during a birthday party. She provided me with an
entire list of wonderful ideas, and I thought I’d pass them on. Contact
your own United Way, Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services or
other relief organizations in your community for other ideas -- you’ll
find the staff knows about needs you may never have considered.
Read the full article
HERE.
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