8 Stories to Inspire Generosity and Charity in Kids八个激励孩子乐善好施的故事

克里·弗拉特利

Below are eight stories of kids who saw a need in the world and set out to fix it. Hearing the stories of these kids charities will inspire generosity and charity in your own kids.本文講述了八个关于孩子们看到他人有难、主动行善的故事。这些孩子创立了自己的慈善机构，聆听他们的故事将激励您的孩子慷慨行善。

My kids love stories. And stories about other kids？ Even better.

So when it comes to teaching my two daughters about generosity， what could be better than to tell them stories of kids who happened upon a need in society and set out to fix it？

Below is a list of eight kids who founded their own charities. Some of these organizations address local needs and others reach internationally， but all were founded by kids.

Hannah Taylor—The Ladybug Foundation： When she was 5 years old， Hannah Taylor saw a homeless man eating out of a garbage can on a cold winter day. For the next year she constantly asked her parents： “Why？ Why couldnt everyone just share what they have to end homelessness？”. At age 8， Hannah founded The Ladybug Foundation which has raised over 3 million dollars to fight homelessness in Canada. Hannah is also the founder of a second， separate charity， The Ladybug Foundation Education Program Inc.， through which she created “makeChange： The Ladybug Foundation Education Program”， a K-12 resource for use in schools across Canada to empower young people to get involved and “makeChange” in their world.

Craig Kielburger—We.org： One morning over breakfast， 12-year-old Craig Kielburger was flipping through the newspaper when he stopped short1 on a story： Iqbal Masih， a 12-year-old former child slave in Pakistan， had been murdered because he spoke up for human rights. In that moment， Craig realized he could have been Iqbal but for the fate of where he had been born. From there， Craig determined he had to do something and with the help of some classmates and his brother， WE （then Free The Children） was born – an organ-ization that empowers with a mission to free children and their families to lift themselves from poverty and exploitation. The team has also created WE Villages Adopt a Village， dedicated to development that provides access to five key pillars—education， clean water and sanitation， health care， food security， and alternative income— a combination of key interventions that empower a community to help lift themselves out of poverty.

Janine Licare and Aislin Livingstone—Kids Saving the Rainforest： Janine Licare and Aislin Livingstone were 9 years old in 1999 when they saw the rainforest disappearing from their beloved home in Costa Rica and the negative impact this was having animals， particularly the mono titi monkeys2. After becoming dissatisfied with how their donations were being spent with other rainforest charities， Janine and Aislin set out to begin their own organization—Kids Saving the Rainforest. The mission of Kids Saving the Rainforest is to protect the diverse wildlife of Costa Ricas Pacific coast by rehabilitating wildlife， conducting original scientific research， training volunteers， and promoting conservation.

Jonas Corona—Love in the Mirror： When Jonas Corona was 6 he and his Mom would make monthly visits to the local homeless shelter to volunteer. The experience of seeing not only adults but also kids in need inspired Jonas to begin his own organization. Jonas says “every kid should look in the mirror and love themselves” and thus came the name “Love in the Mirror”. The mission of Love in the Mirror is to inspire young people to make a difference through their volunteer commitment of providing disadvantaged youth and their families with basic necessities.

Austin Gutwein—Hoops of Hope： In the spring of 2004， Austin Gutwein watched a video of children who had lost their parents to AIDS.  Moved to do something to help these kids， Austin decided to shoot basketball free throws3 as a way to raise money on World AIDS Day. He shot 2，057 free throws to represent the 2，057 kids who would be orphaned that day. Through sponsorships， he was able to raise almost $3，000. From that year forward， Austin organized a shoot-a-thon4 called Hoops of Hope， that thousands participate in. Hoops of Hope participants have raised over $2.5 million to provide orphans of AIDS access to food， clothing， shelter， a new school， dormitories， a computer lab， two medical centers， and more.

Annie Wignall—Care Bags 4 Kids： At eleven years old， Annie Wignall began the Care Bags Foundation in 2000 when she discovered there are many kids in crisis situations who have to leave their homes with very few of their own belongings. Annies organization creates and distributes fabric care bags filled with essential and comforting items for needy children aged baby-18 years. Over the years， with increased support and donations from businesses， groups， and individuals， along with agencies who hand-deliver the bags， Annies idea has grown from a small home-based project helping a few kids in Iowa， into a nationally-recognized nonprofit that provides services to thousands of kids worldwide.

Garrett and Kyle Weiss—FUNDa-FIELD： In 2006， Garrett and Kyle Weiss attended the World Cup Soccer games in Germany. At a game between Iran and Angola， they discovered what a privilege it is to play soccer in Angola. Since they were two young American soccer players and had taken for granted cleats， shin guards， and fields to play on， the brothers decided to fund fields for kids in less fortunate areas of the world so they too can take part in the game. In addition to having built 10 soccer fields around the world， FUNDaFIELD says its fields support the rehabilitation and recovery process in post-conflict and post-trauma regions around the world.

Mackenzie Bearup—Sheltering Books： Mackenzie was 13 years old when she began collecting childrens books for shelters in and around Alpharetta， Georgia. It soon became a family project with her 2 brothers， Alex and Benjamin， working alongside her. In total， they have collected and donated over 360，000 books for shelters across the world.

我的孩子们喜欢听故事，特别是有关其他孩子的故事。

因此，在教导我的两个女儿学会慷慨解囊时，给她们讲述其他孩子因偶见他人有难而投身慈善的故事无疑是不二之选。

下面八个孩子创立了自己的慈善机构。这些组织有些行善一方，有些则将爱心播撒到世界各地，但都是由孩子创立。

汉娜·泰勒——小瓢虫基金会：  5岁时，在一个寒冷的冬日，汉娜·泰勒看到一个无家可归的人从垃圾桶里掏东西吃。在接下来的一年里，她不断问父母同样一个问题：为什么？“为什么大家不能分享自己的东西，不再让人无家可归呢？”8岁时，汉娜创立了小瓢虫基金会。截至目前，该基金会已筹集了超过 300 万美元帮助加拿大的无家可归人员。此外，汉娜还创立了另一家慈善机构，即小瓢虫基金会教育计划公司。通过该公司她创建了面向加拿大 K-12 学校的“做出改变：小瓢虫基金会教育计划”，旨在帮助年轻人参与慈善并“做出改变”。

克雷格·基尔伯格——We慈善机构：一天早上，12岁的克雷格·基尔伯格一边吃早餐，一边翻阅报纸，突然注意到这样一则报道：巴基斯坦12岁的前童奴伊克巴尔·马西因主张人权而被谋杀。在那一刻，克雷格意识到，要不是因为自己出生在命运不同的国家，他也可能会有跟伊克巴尔一样的遭遇。在这件事的触动下，克雷格决定要做些什么;在一些同学和自己兄弟的帮助下，克雷格创立了 WE慈善（当时叫做“解放儿童”）。该组织的使命是帮助贫困儿童及其家庭增强能力，让他们靠自己摆脱贫困和剥削。该团队还创建了 WE Villages Adopt a Village计划，致力于提供五大方面的保障，即教育、清洁水和公共卫生、医疗保健、食品安全与替代性收入，这些关键性的干预措施结合起来帮助社区增强能力，使之靠自己摆脱贫困。

亚尼内·利卡尔和艾斯琳·利文斯通——“兒童拯救雨林”：1999 年，年仅9岁的哈宁·利卡尔和艾斯琳·利文斯通目睹了在哥斯达黎加自己热爱的家乡雨林消失的惨况，及其对动物，尤其是伶猴的灾难性影响。哈宁和艾斯琳向一些雨林保护慈善机构进行了捐款，但款项的使用方式引起了她们的不满。为此，她们开始着手成立自己的组织，即“儿童拯救雨林”。该组织的使命是保护哥斯达黎加太平洋沿岸的各种野生生物，具体措施包括恢复野生生物的种群数量、进行原创性科学研究、培训志愿者和宣传环境保护等。

约纳斯·科罗纳——“镜中之爱”：6岁时，约纳斯·科罗纳每月都会和妈妈去当地的流浪者收容所提供志愿服务。约纳斯发现流浪者中不仅有成年人，还有孩童，这激发他创立了自己的慈善组织。约纳斯认为“每个孩子都应看看镜子里的自己，自赏自爱”。基于这一理念，他将组织命名为“镜中之爱”。 “镜中之爱”的使命是鼓励年轻人投入到为弱势年轻人及其家庭提供基本必需品的志愿服务，从而发挥自己的作用。

奥斯汀·古特魏因——“希望之篮”：2004 年春天，奥斯汀·古特魏因观看了一段关于孩童失去身染艾滋病父母的视频。奥斯汀深受触动，为了帮助这些可怜的孩子，他决定在世界艾滋病日通过篮球运动的罚球筹集善款。他投了2057次罚球，代表那天将成为孤儿的2057个孩子。通过各种赞助，他筹集了近3000美元的资金。从那一年起，奥斯汀组织了一场名为“希望之篮”的投篮马拉松比赛，有数千人参加。“希望之篮”的参与者筹集了超过250万美元，这些钱用于为艾滋孤儿提供食物、衣服和住所，并为他们修建了一所新学校、几间宿舍、一个计算机房和两座医疗中心等。

安妮·威格诺尔——“关爱儿童爱心袋”： 2000 年，11 岁的安妮·威格诺尔发现许多孩子漂泊在外，几无财物，处境堪忧。为帮助这些孩子，她成立了“爱心袋基金”。该组织积极为18岁以下的贫苦孩童制作和分发爱心袋，里面装满了必需品和慰问品。多年来，企业、团体和个人纷纷向这家基金会伸出援手和提供捐赠，一些机构还承担了亲手递送爱心袋的工作。在社会的帮助下，安妮的基金会已从帮扶艾奥瓦州几个孩子的小型家庭作坊式项目成长为举国公认的非营利机构，目前可为全球成千上万的儿童提供爱心服务。

加雷特和凯尔·韦斯——“捐建足球场”：2006年，加雷特和凯尔·韦斯在德国参加了世界杯足球赛。伊朗对阵安哥拉的一场比赛让他们意识到，踢足球在安哥拉是一件无上荣耀的事情。对这两位年轻的美国足球运动员而言，防滑球鞋、护胫板和球场都是理所当然的。为了让世界贫困地区的孩子也能参与足球运动，兄弟俩决定资助球场建设。“捐建足球场”表示，他们在全球建造了十个足球场，此外，在刚刚经历过冲突和创伤的地区，这些足球场还有助于当地的恢复重建工作。

麦肯齐·贝勒普——“为收容所捐书”：麦肯齐13岁时开始为佐治亚州阿尔法利塔及其周边的收容所收集儿童书籍。很快，她的两个兄弟亚历克斯和本杰明也加入她的行列，与她一起搜罗书籍。他们收集到的书总共超过36万本，这些书捐给了世界各地的收容所。

Inspirational Quotes About Giving

We make a living by what we get， but we make a life by what we give.

——Winston Churchill

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.

——Pablo Picasso

You give little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

——Kahlil Gibran

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

——Mahatma Gandhi

Giving is not just about making a donation; its about making a difference.

——Kathy Calvin

Always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting.

——Brian Tracy