Sunday 6 October 2013

Giving To Make A Difference: Meet A Family. Spark A Change.

This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and WorldVisionSpark sponsored program. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsors.

As a parent and  a person who is concerned about the world around us, I wholeheartedly believe that it is  important to teach our children about philanthropy, kindness and giving to those in need. And the best way to teach about giving is to not just talk about it...but to actually give. If you were to ask my children how they have learned about giving, they would tell you that we give to the food bank on a regular basis. They would tell you that we have purchased toys and food for families in need at Christmas. They would also tell you that we have gone through the drive-in at restaurants, purchased a large hot meal and then handed it out the car window to a hungry stranger standing by the side of the road. {Then we have watched that stranger sit down on the spot and eat the meal we have just given them. It is very emotional to see the immediate effects of one act of kindness.}We have also given cash to strangers in need...without judgement or prejudice. We give because we are able to give and we give with a sense of hope that we have helped to make that person's or family's life just a little bit better. Recently, our city had their annual Fall food bank drive. A few weeks ago, every home was delivered a paper bag  asked to fill it and leave it on the doorstep for pickup. This is what our family chose to give: rice packages, noodle packages, soup, peanut butter, shelf-stable milk, canned tuna, canned salmon, cake mixes, frosting, dinner kits, cereal, instant potatoes, canned fruit, oatmeal, sandwich bags, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant and a box of apples from our small backyard apple tree. The kids helped me pick out what to give and I even bought items specifically to give...like peanut butter. This is a Fall tradition for us....we give as much as we can to the food bank on this day.
I recently learned about a new program launched by World Vision  called World Vision Spark, which is a new and unique online pilot donation program running through the Fall of 2013 and is designed to help families in Armenia, Georgia, Niger and the Philippines.
The program is simple.
Meet A Family. See Their Need. Spark A Difference.
It works like this:
1. Go online to www.sparkchange.ca.
2. Read about and meet families in Armenia, Georgia, Niger and the Philippines.
3. See what their needs are.
 {The needs can anything from a bag of seed, farm equipment, a bed, or clean water.}
4. Make an online donation for as little as $20 to the family of your choice for their particular need.
5. As part of this program, once the gift has been fully funded and delivered, an  email photo of the family and a quote from them detailing how they will benefit now that they have received the item.

This program is wonderful because you can immediately see where your money is going, how it is helping a family and know that you have reached out to help one family. Through this program, your family can give to another family in a time of need and helped a family overcome hard times and real -life struggles, and that is a beautiful feeling.

In addition to your own donation, from Tuesday September 24th to Sunday October 27th, YMC will match every dollar donated by YMC members through World Vision's Spark website, up to $1,000.00 CDN.
Here is something that I am very aware of: several times a day, I go to the fridge for this.
A glass of fresh, clean water.
 I don't even need to think about water during my day. 
I know that it is always there.
When I went to www.sparkchange.ca and read about some of the many families, my heart went out to this Niger Community Group. All they wish for is clean water. CLEAN WATER. Clean water so that the people in their village don't get sick from drinking dirty water.

 I know that this Thanksgiving, our family will be reading about a family that we want to help and we will be making an online donation.
Giving. Sharing. Loving.
It's who we want our family to be.
I encourage you to visit www.sparkchange.ca today and meet a family too!
Meet A Family. See Their Need. Spark A Difference.

To help make even more of a difference in the lives of families who are less fortunate, from Tuesday  September 24th to Sunday October 27th, YMC will match every dollar donated by YMC members through World Vision’s Spark website, up to $1,000.00 CDN.


World Vision Spark offers Canadian families the opportunity to help a specific family or communities in the developing world. Through www.sparkchange.ca you can meet these families, understand what they need, and spark a difference in their lives.

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