Alternative Charitable Gifts for Kids: Pet Adoptions, Sponsorships and More

Watching my children open presents on Christmas morning is magical. It is a privilege to be able to provide such joy for my kids. Yet, as a parent, I worry about creating pint-sized materialistic consumers. After all, many of those wished for items from the local toy store will be broken or forgotten long before the next Christmas rolls around. This year, consider including an alternative gift for the children in your lives. The right kind of charitable gift can be meaningful, educational, and fun for children to receive. (And tax-deductible for you!) Here are a few organizations that will help instill a spirit of compassion in your kids in a tangible way that they will understand.

Adopt an Animal
Kids and animals go together like peanut butter and jelly. Check out ways to "adopt" an animal and teach your child about the natural world.

World Wildlife Federation (www.worldwildlife.org)
Click "Adoption Center" to choose an animal to adopt. You will help save endangered animals from around the world and support the conservation efforts to preserve their natural habitats. There are 80 species to choose from. For a $25 symbolic donation, your child will receive an adoption certificate and a photo of the animal. A $50 donation includes the certificate, photo, and a plush animal. A $100 donation includes a framed certificate, photo, plush animal, map, and gift box.

National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org)
Click the "Wildlife" tab and then scroll down to "Adopt an animal." You can adopt endangered animals for a symbolic donation of $30, $50, or $75. Every donation includes a plush animal, adoption certificate, and screen saver. For the larger donations you will also receive a stadium blanket or backpack. The "adoptees" include a polar bear, moose, desert tortoise, gray wolf, Canada lynx, and grizzly bear. You might also want to consider a gift subscription to the NWF's award-winning children's magazines. Wild Animal Baby (ages 12 months - 4 years) has been a much anticipated piece of mail in my home for the last few years; we are getting ready to move up to Your Big Backyard (ages 3-7); and I can still remember reading Ranger Rick (ages 7 and up) when I was a kid.

The National Audubon Society's Project Puffin (www.audubon.org/bird/puffin/adoptapuffin.html)
Adopt a puffin from the Maine coast. You will help secure the future of Maine puffins and support the student biologists who live and study on the islands each summer. For a $100 donation, you will receive a certificate of adoption, vital statistics for your puffin, and a detailed update on your puffin's behavior, nesting and other activities for the year. Personally, I am very curious about what those puffins have been up to!

Local Zoos. You can adopt a Louisiana wetland alligator from the Audubon Zoo (www.auduboninstitute.org), a hippo or warthog from the Detroit Zoo (www.detroitzoo.org) or provide treats and toys for any of 25 species at the San Diego Zoo (www.sandiegozoo.org). Check out the zoo near you to discover their giving programs.

Your local animal rescue shelter. Support your local animal shelter with a donation or a purchase of Humane Society merchandise. Hey, why not just adopt a pet who needs a home? Your kids will never forget that Christmas!

Animals Helping People
Heifer Project International (www.heifer.org) provides animals to families in third world countries to serve as a source of both food and income. In many parts of the world, a cow or a goat can be the ticket to nutrition and self-reliance. As a condition of the program, recipients must agree to pass along an animal offspring to another family in need. Browse the gift catalogue for over 20 symbolic animal gifts. This year, I am donating $20 for a flock of chicks, invaluable for the life-saving protein their eggs will one day provide. I will present the donation card to some family friends, along with a small book about chicks for their 2-year-old. (I purchased the book elsewhere.) Other accompanying gifts could include the Heifer Project's free magazine World Ark, which you can subscribe to on the web site. There are also two children's picture books featuring this unique organization: Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrien and Faith the Cow by Susan Bame Hoover. Check them out on www.amazon.com or your local bookseller.

Sponsor a Child
Sponsoring a child from a third-world country can be life-changing. When my first son turned one, I was filled with a sense of gratitude for all that we had in our lives. My baby certainly didn't need anything, so instead of giving him a traditional present, we sponsored a little boy named Hakizimana who lives in Rwanda. We chose Hakizimana because he shares a birthday with my son. Now that my children are older, they help me send letters and pictures to their "brother". We have been learning about Africa, and we keep Hakizimana's photo on our refrigerator so that we can think of him daily. I can't even remember the other gifts my son received for that birthday. Compassion International (www.compassion.com) and World Vision (www.worldvision.org) are Christian organizations. The cost to sponsor a child varies between $30 and $35/month. Save the Children (www.savethechildren.org) is $28/month.

Other Great Giving Ideas
Planning to give a special little girl Barbie's Dream House this year? Or maybe you were thinking about purchasing Hasbro's Rose Petal Cottage? How about also including a donation to Habitat for Humanity (www.habitat.org). Habitat has provided safe, affordable housing to over one million people. Educate your daughters and then get involved as a family.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org) is a pediatric hospital and research facility in Memphis, TN. Children from across the country with devastating diseases are accepted and treated regardless of their ability to pay. Make a donation, and/or click the "Gift Shop" tag to browse a selection of holiday merchandise to support the hospital. Here are just a few of the adorable gifts kids would like to receive:
Plastic reindeer dinner set ($12.00)
Snow globe ($29.00)
Teddy bears ($5.00)
Colorful alarm clocks ($15.00)
Cute cotton holiday tee-shirts ($15.00)

Support Kohl's Cares for Kids (www.kohlscorportation.com). Click "Community Relations" and then "Merchandise". You can purchase items in Kohl's department stores or online from www.kohls.com There are adorable plush animals and high-quality hard-cover picture books, a deal at only $5.00 each. Check out Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney and the accompanying plush characters of Little and Big Nutbrown Hare. Cute! 100% of the net profits benefit children's programs, such as immunizations and tutoring.

Here's one last sweet idea: join Ghirardelli Chocolates in supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation (www.wish.org). Your donation will help grant a wish to a child with a life-threatening medical condition. Then pick up a Ghirardelli chocolate baking bar and a bag of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips, a star-shaped cookie cutter, and visit www.ghirardelli.com to print off the recipe for "Wish Star Chocolate Cookies." Your budding chefs will have a memorable afternoon making these delicious cookies with you!

I wish I could name all of the worthy charitable organizations that can help you make a difference this holiday season--a difference in the world and a difference in your children. Follow your heart to the cause that will speak to your children and inspire them to contribute their own time, thoughts, and money throughout the year. Give a gift that will last.