Better to Give
Nonprofit Organization Management - , ,
Better to Give Employees
Better to Give Details
When children volunteer at an early age, they carry that concept with them throughout their lifetimes, creating more vibrant and giving communities. Unfortunately, kids from families struggling to make ends meet rarely get to help others in their neighborhoods. Research indicates that an individual's level of civic engagement is linked to income and education levels, in part because opportunities to volunteer are more prevalent in higher socio-economic groups. By making sure low--income children get the same volunteer opportunities; we intend to foster a sustainable interest in giving back to their community, no matter their family's financial status. Better to Give allows low-income children to experience giving first-hand and turn that experience into a lifetime of giving back. Working with the West Valley Boys and Girls Clubs, children are selected to write an essay about what it means to give to others. They then create their own individual work plan and commit to volunteer a minimum of 15 hours in their clubs, neighborhoods, churches or schools. Once they complete their volunteer work, these kids get to 'pay it forward' to family members in need during the holiday season. They pick out and wrap small, donated gifts for family at our holiday 'giving store.' During this experience, each child is paired with a volunteer (including older members of the Boys and Girls Clubs and previous Better to Give participants) who helps them 'shop' for a small gift for mom, dad, siblings and other family members in the household. The kids only give gifts to others in need, they do not pick out anything for themselves. Since our creation in 2011 we have served a total of 511 children from 11 West Valley Boys and Girls Clubs at our annual giving events. These children have performed a minimum of 15 hours each of community service in their school, club, church or neighborhood, for a total of 7665 hours of community service.
