Giving instead of getting
Not many nine-year-old boys would turn down a heap of presents to do charity work. Quendy Raymond’s son Malachi didn’t give up presents for just one birthday, but two in a row! This bighearted boy isn’t turning back any time soon, and has encouraged classmates to turn to service learning on their birthdays as well.
Malachi’s 8th and 9th birthdays were spent helping out at Kids Against Hunger, a non-profit organization that packages meals for hungry families. Instead of giving gifts, guests were asked to donate to the organization or to a charity of their choice. “We really negotiated the ‘no presents’ thing, and at first his reaction was, ‘Why is this a good idea?’ Now, he likes looking at the totals and saying, ‘Look at how much I raised this year!’ He still gets toys from his family and from me, so he’s not completely giving up gifts,” says Quendy.
It wasn’t all work and no play. Partygoers were treated to pizza, juice boxes, and cake after an afternoon of packing boxes. “The kids really loved it. They loved the hairnets and aprons, for whatever reason. We’re seeing other kids do service learning projects for birthdays instead of gifts, which is great. It’s getting to be a trend, which it 1,000 percent should be. Service learning is more about the education that goes with volunteering, like when the staff explains, “This is why what you did today is important.”
