At Christmas 2010, I distributed $50 to each member of the extended Jones family and asked that they give it away and let me know what they did and why. The family then voted on what they considered to be the best gift, and I made a matching donation to the winning idea. The Family Giving Challenge was born.
The winner was eight-year-old Harris, whose gift to the Jimmy Fund honored his friend Elijah, a youngster with cancer. While it was a great gift, some of my readers wondered whether a small donation to an organization as large as the Jimmy Fund really made a difference. That comment prompted this year’s challenge: to make the biggest difference with $50.
Can small gifts actually make a big difference? To answer that question, I again invited my family to serve as a little laboratory for giving. I wondered whether family members would combine their $50 with others, consider a matching gift or a loan, or propose a grant to support creative projects and people (think Kiva or Kickstarter). I even wondered whether they would find a small organization that does not have access to a variety of funding sources.
All accepted the challenge except five-year-old Meredith, who returned her $50 with nary a comment and raced off to play with GoGo My Walkin’ Pup. Clearly she had not read the article about the relationship between giving and happiness. The electronic puppy was all the happiness she needed.
The gifts have been distributed, and now it’s your turn to vote.
Please let me know which gift you think will make the biggest difference. You can either respond below or email me at mjones@mainecf.org. The winning idea will be announced in the next blog post and will receive a matching gift from yours truly.
Gift #1: Penobscot River Restoration Project
Dana’s $50, plus his own matching gift, has been directed to the Penobscot River Restoration project which, he says, “represents the last best chance of restoring native sea-run fish and cultural and ecological integrity to Maine’s largest river system. This work will make a difference for all time to come.”
Gift #2: Pan Mass Challenge
Ché is giving his gift to the Pan Mass Challenge in honor of a family member (see gift giver #1) who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. The challenge donates 100% of its proceeds to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. He said he just might participate in the 100+ mile bike trek later this summer.
Gift #3: Jimmy Fund and Horizons for Homeless Children
Half of Harris’ gift will go to the Jimmy Fund.* The remaining half will go to Horizons for Homeless Children, a group that recruits and trains volunteers to help children living in shelters. In addition to helping the children learn how to play, share, read, and enjoy their world, volunteers help their parents learn how to be nurturing and involved in the growth and development of their children and to help them with job training, GED, and college courses.
Gift #4: Birthday Wishes
Becka’s $50 will support a local, all-volunteer group that hosts birthday parties for homeless children as a way to help them build their self-esteem. The organization has grown to serve more than 165 shelters and transitional living facilities, largely the result of significant volunteer involvement, including young children and their families, scout troops, sports teams, and senior citizens. Because birthday parties are a luxury, some parents don’t even tell their children that they have a birthday.
Gift #5: Heifer International
Mark and Izabel have combined their funds and will help people in developing countries have a sustainable source of income and food. Unlike other global relief charities, Heifer has embraced a distinctive community-building, long-term sustainability approach. Recipients agree to share the offspring of gift animals with others in need, making them equal partners with Heifer in the fight to end world hunger and reinforcing the notion of “paying it forward.”
Which one of the five gifts do you think will make the biggest difference?
* While most of us think “Red Sox” and “Boston” when the Jimmy Fund is mentioned, you might not know that the original “Jimmy,” Einar Gustafson, was from New Sweden, Maine. (Thanks to Marion Kane for the tip).