This might seem like an unusual question, but, during this time when we, the adults, are considering our pledge and stewardship forms it is a question that those of us with children should consider. I believe that charitable children are raised when their parents lead by example.

From an early age, my parents made sure that each Sunday, each of my brothers and sisters and I had collection money, in addition to their own contributions or pledge envelope. The amount is not the issue but it is the action. By giving our children an active role in contributing and talking to them about what the money they contribute will be used for they learn to be charitable.

The first Sunday of every month Fr. Michael uses the money from the collection to buy things that the elderly and poor in Rome or the refugees at the JNRC need. Right now it is shoes. Talking to our children about how cold their feet would be without shoes would make their understanding of what their contribution is being used for easier for them. Or, for those more daring, let your child run around outside for a few minutes without shoes and ask them how cold their feet are and if they would like to live that way everyday? Then point out that this is the life of the poor and those in need.

But simply giving money and talking to our children may still not be enough for them to understand. I believe the more tangible the gift and the more our children participate in purchasing the gift and giving it away, the easier it is for them to appreciate the joy of giving and to understand the joy that someone less fortunate may have when they receive the gift (just ask them what they felt when they got a gift they hadn't been expecting). What do I mean? For example, at Christmas, take your child to the market or store and let them buy a hat and/or gloves to decorate the Jessie Tree at the front of the church. Or, set a container out at home in which every member of the family can deposit their loose change everyday. Make a game of it - see who has the most change everyday and let the children put all the change into the container. When the container is full, let the children give the money to Fr. Michael or even a poor person on the street. It doesn't have to be a lot of money.

Don't forget that charity doesn't just mean money or buying and giving away tangible things. Charity involves gifts of time as well. Older children can be encouraged to offer their services without pay to help an elderly neighbor carry their groceries upstairs or to help out in the Church office (yes, I know that this involves logistics when the children are in school but if they ask, a job that suits their time and ability might be found, such as helping do a mail out on a day off or during vacations).

For anyone looking for ways to inspire their children to be charitable, I recently came across a website that allows parents and other gift givers to buy gift cards which the child can then use on the web site to contribute to a charity or cause of interest to the child (if you are American all amounts used to buy the credit as well as the 7% transaction fee are tax-deductible in the giver's name. The minimum purchase is $10 and is purchased by credit card. Yes, the transaction fee is high but it covers the 5% credit card transaction fee.) What can the children contribute to? They might:

• Purchase vaccines for children in Africa;
• Purchase a cow or a goat for a family in Kenya;
• Help save a whale or the rain forest;
• Buy books for families who can't afford them.

The website uses animation, not too much text, a shopping cart to navigate the site (for those children who love to shop and are web shopping savvy) and donates to issues that children easily connect with. The website was created by the founder of Back to Basics Toys (a US Company) and has recently been written up in Kiplinger's Magazine. Check it out - it is fun for everyone and might inspire you - www.markmakers.org

If you are looking for a similar, hands on, fun website that might be more appropriate to the whole family, check out the Episcopal Relief and Development site at www.er-d.org/church. On the website, you can request a copy of ERD's holiday Gifts for Life catalog and discover many ways which you and your family can help people in need worldwide, such as:

• Give a buffalo to boost income and health;
• Provide mosquito nets for an entire village;
• Educate children orphaned by HIV/AIDS
• Rebuild a home destroyed by the tsunami.

Both of the above websites and the suggestions made to involve our children in charitable works requires participation of the parents with their children. When our children see us actively participating in charitable acts and when they are encouraged to do the same in any way, no matter how small or humble, they will be charitable and we, as parents, will be proud.

Kathy Morgan