Operation Christmas Child

For as long as I can remember I have been committed to giving back. I remember as a kid raising funds during the Jump Rope A Thon at my school, raising money for cerebral palsy at grocery stores and bike a thons for the center for the blind. My mother influenced me by her service and without being asked I ran with it. As an adult this commitment to service continues with my volunteer activities, raising funds for organizations I believe in, advocacy work and donations. It is my hope that my son will also be influenced by me.

And I have to say, I think this has rubbed off. Most recently my son's school asked for donations for a child that they "adopted" in Africa. It was his birthday and they wanted to send a large gift to him. I mentioned to my son that I needed to stop by the bank before school to get cash for the gift and my sweet 5 year old son went upstairs and when he returned was holding $5 that he'd taken from his piggybank.

When he returned from school that day he excitedly told me about the birthday celebration they had for the child in Africa and was so very proud of his donation. This holiday season we are going to provide some happiness for another child in Africa by making a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. This week we are packing the box with goodies for a boy my son's age and we will be able to track its progress to the final destination.

 

This particular exercise might be challenging for my son because all of the things we are sending he would love to have for himself. With this exercise he will be learning about the joy of giving and we will also discuss how this may be the only gift that a child in a developing country receives. We will also be enclosing a note to the child and there is a chance that he will write to us!

This week, November 12-19 is National Drop off week and my son and I will be taking his box to school this Friday. Yes, his school is awesome and located in a church that participates in Operation Christmas Child annually. If you would like to participate too (I hope you do) simply visit the Operation Christmas Child website, all the information you need is available for you.

 

This holiday season build a box with your family to teach kindness, compassion, and generosity.

Operation Christmas Child and influencer marketing platform BlogFrog have teamed up with 200 bloggers like me to spread the word about this great cause. 

BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built.  Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.