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Season of G/Living

12 Ways of Giving logoJust Add Kids'
12 Ways of Giving
by Just Add Kids' Founder,
Paula Herrmann

"The first way of giving, my true heart gave to thee..."(sung to the tune of "The 12 Days of Christmas".)

During this holiday season there is so much focus on the Christmas Gift List. What your kiddos want for Christmas, what you're going to buy, etc.
I'm guilty as charged. Not that it is a crime. It is not.

But what if each one of us, just added on one more thing to our list, or perhaps, created a new list.  Read more...

Certainly, you need to play Santa to your kids and family. At the same time, there are people and families in need, today and throughout the year. So let's check out some ideas of things you can do now, during this holiday season, to pay your blessings forward.


1st Way of Giving: Volunteer for treats, or to work a shift at HALO Santa’s “Adopt-a-Family Holiday Program.

2nd Way of Giving: Donate a shoebox or two for Santa in A Shoebox.

3rd Way of Giving: Donate food for veterans via Holiday Food Drive for Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin.

4th Way of Giving: Shop Amazon via Amazon Smiles and designate Faith, Hope & Love – support for children in crisis, choose to donate financially or bag items directly.

5th Way of Giving: Donate financially to Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, Inc.’s SCAN (Stop Child Abuse and Neglect) program.

6th Way of Giving: Volunteer to man & ring bell (Oak Creek, Racine, Kenosha), or donate online or in person to Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign.

7th Way of Giving: Send a card to 8 year old burn victim Sa’fyre Terry.

8th Way of Giving: Drop off new or gently used warm clothing items as part of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s “The Big Bundle Up” campaign: Kenosha, Racine counties.

9th Way of Giving: Buy a Shalom Center Cheesy Scarf for yourself or a gift.

10th Way of Giving: Donate toys for Racine, Kenosha, Walworth County Community Toys For Tots. Volunteering and donating for Tex Reynolds’ Toys for Tots program is accepted year ‘round.

11th Way of Giving: Buy your choice/amount of gift cards and have in hand to pay it forward to (a) random stranger(s). Random blessing.

12th Way of Giving: Bake cookies/deliver, give/make holiday card, rake leafs/shovel snow for a lonely neighbor.  Selective blessing.

I have a coach/mentor who I tap into daily. Today she said the most amazing thing and something that I am going to take to heart and apply to my life/my kids' life today and going forward:


"If we want to take the limits off of our blessings (received),
we need to take the limits off of our giving."


Beyond this holiday season, I am going to make a bucket list of NOT things I'd like to do (ie: travel to Hawaii), rather, the things I WANT GIVE. Similar to the list above, yet can happen anytime during the year. You in?

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