Parent Magazine St Johns November 2021 Issue | Page 14

Your Family Can Make a Difference : Choose To Give

By Jan Pierce

The evening news is filled with stories of natural disasters or the ravages of war . Our children are aware that many others just their age are suffering . What can we do to both alleviate that suffering and teach our children compassion ? It sometimes seems that any effort we might make is merely a drop in the bucket . But … that really doesn ’ t matter . It ’ s like the story of the boy on the beach caught throwing starfish back into the ocean so they wouldn ’ t die . The observer ridiculed the boy ’ s efforts saying he ’ d never get them all back in and what he was doing really didn ’ t make a difference . His answer : “ It makes a difference to the ones I throw back in .”

And that ’ s the answer . We can ’ t fix the whole world , but we can impact one person , one family or one village . We can alleviate pain and suffering somewhere for a time , and we can make a difference in that circumstance . We have a choice — to try to help or to ignore the situation . It feels good to try .
There are thousands of organizations around the world dedicated to giving aid . And , there are many ways to help . Here are some of the possibilities . Which way will your family choose to make a difference ?
Sponsor a Child
There are many organizations that support the care , feeding and education of children . Sometimes they ’ re orphans and sometimes they ’ re
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