Gifts That Give

While your kids will likely enjoy the holidays in a warm house with ample food on the table and presents under the tree, many children just like them won’t have the same advantages. ‘Tis the season to instill in your children the gift of giving. No matter how young they are, your kids can lend a helping hand and be a catalyst for change in the world. These 11 causes are a great way to begin …

Some families have to travel thousands of miles to get treatment for their sick children, which can be stressful and lead to financial strain. Ronald McDonald House Charities provide a place for mom, dad and siblings to remain nearby without having to pay for lodging and supplies during the course of a child's treatment.

While monetary contributions are certainly appreciated, you can also volunteer to host, cook or simply listen at one of the many locations. The website now has Volunteer Match, which will provide you (and your kids) the perfect volunteering opportunity at a local chapter this holiday season.

Fill a shoebox with small gifts, and change a child’s entire world this holiday season. The spirit of giving extends overseas with Operation Christmas Child, an annual project put on by Samaritan’s Purse.

You can decide to fill a box with your kids: choose whether it’s for a boy or girl, pick the age range, then package up nonperishable items and leave it at a local drop-off station. Samaritan’s Purse will send it to a child in need somewhere across the globe, and you and your kids can follow your box's path on the nonprofit’s website.

More than 99 percent of donations to CHF, totaling over $1 billion and spanning 72 countries, have gone directly to help provide food to hungry children. When you and your kids will likely be sitting down to big meals this holiday season, supporting this cause will help ensure more kids just like them will have something to eat. You can host a party, event or fundraiser with your children, get involved in the organizations Project Food Pak, or donate directly.

In impoverished parts of the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe, a single animal can make a huge difference for an entire village of people. Heifer International began in the mid-1940s when Dan West realized a cow could provide an ongoing source of milk for Spanish Civil War Refugees. Today, the organization helps send animals like cows, goats and sheep to people in need. Give the gift of an animal as a family, and see if you can count how many lives you touch.

At heart, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is all about kids, so it’s not surprising there are many ways your children can help out the young people whose lives have been slowed significantly by type 1 diabetes. From the foundation’s special Kids Walk, to Cure Diabetes, to buying greeting cards created by kids with juvenile diabetes, the website has tons of unique ways kids can get involved and raise awareness.

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Since its founding in 1985, Kids In Distressed Situations has been able to lend over $1 billion in aid to children in need—like those dealing with poverty, domestic violence, incarcerated parents, and serious illness—in the form of new books, clothes, baby products and other supplies. From hosting a fundraiser or product drive to picking out products online that will go toward the K.I.D.S. mission, there are lots of ways to help with your kids.

This nonprofit attacks pediatric AIDS through advocacy, education, research and preventive care. Donating just $19 can help the organization get a pregnant mom the resources to stop the spread of HIV to her baby.

Beyond monetary contributions, you and your kids can become involved in the organization in other ways. Participate in a race, host a holiday party in support of the fight against AIDS and encourage your kids to get involved in the foundation’s Generation Free Campaign, comprised of events where young people raise awareness as well as funds.

Kids dealing with tough cancers and diseases need support, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitals have built a reputation by giving sick children the best medical care free of charge. In order to continually provide those benefits, they require a lot of volunteers, young and old, big and small.

Whether it’s encouraging your child's school to get involved in St. Jude’s Math-A-Thon or donating money in the name of your children, your kids can help brighten the lives of those little ones living with illness.

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There’s no more selfless gesture for many girls than cutting off their long manes and sending them to Locks of Love, the well-known organization that helps provide free wigs to cancer patients who have lost their hair during treatment. Tell your daughter about how she’d be able to help a child who might not be feeling well this year, and she may just eagerly volunteer to hand over her locks.

The foundation grants the wish of a child tackling a tough disease every 38 minutes, and it takes more than 25,000 volunteers to pull that off. One could be you, or your son or daughter. Time, talents and donations are all that's needed to make each wish successful, and this charity is plenty kid-friendly. There are special ways children and students can help, either individually or with their school, highlighted on the Make-a-Wish website.

Something so simple can be a child’s holiday miracle. Take your kids to the toy store, and let them purchase something for a less fortunate boy or girl during November or December. Leave it at a drop-off box in any of the countless locations across the country, and they'll be delivered as Christmas presents for little ones in need around your community. Your kids will learn that the smallest gestures can have a big impact.