Children's Charities: Remember the Holidays are a Time for Giving Back

The holidays are here and this is the time of year that many of us count our blessings and are looking to give a little back. This time of year I like to focus on children's charities, to me, this season is for kids.

My favorite children's charity is The Make A Wish Foundation. The Make A Wish Foundation grants wishes to kids with life-threatening illnesses. Since the first wish, granted in 1980, Make A Wish has granted 148,543 wishes to kids dealing with life-threatening medical conditions. How do they grant wishes? First the child is referred, by a doctor, nurse, parent, friend, neighbor or anyone, then the child's medical eligibility is determined, then someone from Make A Wish will visit the child and help discover the child's true wish, then the wish is granted. These wishes often provide these children with hope, strength and joy. How can you help The Make A Wish Foundation? There are many ways to help, you could donate money, you can shop to help at the Make A Wish online store or volunteer your time, there are many positions available for volunteers from wish granters to Information Technology. The Make A Wish Foundation could not function with out it's over 25,000 volunteers.

Another worthy charity is the Marine Toys for Tots program. The Toys for Tots program started in 1947 when Diane Hendricks handcrafted a Raggedy Ann doll and asked her husband Bill, a Marine reservist in Los Angeles, to find a charity that would give the toy to a needy child. When Bill discovered that no such program existed, Diane suggested that he start one. This pilot program was so successful that the Marines adopted the Toys for Tots program in 1948. The Marines collect and distribute new toys to needy kids at Christmas. The goal is to deliver a message of hope, to help develop self-esteem, which can motivate a child to become a productive, respectful, patriotic citizen and community leader. So how can you help the Marine's Toys for Tots program? You could donate money, bring new toys to a drop off site, or if you own a business you could apply to become a drop site for the program.

At this time of year, I also like to think about the men and women in our Armed Forces. These brave men and women (and their families) sacrifice so much for our continued freedom and safety. Think about sending a care package to a soldier living in harms way. WWW.treatanysoldier.com can help you with that. Or think about visiting a church or other group to find a local family with children who's parent or parents are away fighting the war in Iraq and make sure they have a nice Christmas.

Wherever you decide to make your donation this year you can check out any charity that solicits nationally with the Better Business Bureau at www.give.org