Champions for Kids - A Stocking for a Special Young Man #CBias #DisneyCFK

The thing I love most about the Christmas season is the opportunity to give to others.  There is nothing more warming than giving unexpected gifts to those you love, admire, respect.  Gift giving comes from the heart and demonstrates to others the value they hold.

Champions for Kids is a non-profit organization focused on children.  Their mission is to:

"... work to mobilize MILLIONS of people to improve the lives of children in their communities.
Champions for Kids began with a core commitment: to improve the lives of children through the leverage of people. We are motivated by one purpose—to support people and organizations working to make our communities a better place for children."

Disney has partnered with Champions for Kids this Christmas season to create a Stocking Stuffer Celebration - offering people in the community a chance to give back this season by gifting stockings to children.

My family was blessed to participate in this effort.  When we realized we had the chance to give a stocking, it was important to pick just the right young recipient.  That wasn't hard.  There is a young family that participates at the Taekwondo dojo we go to.  Their two year old son is absolutely precious.  I knew he was the one we wanted to give our stocking to.

I was a young parent.  I had my first two children while in college starting at 19.  This was a tough road to take, but one that ultimately blessed me with a wonderful family.  I learned, though, that it takes a village to really raise children.  It shouldn't be done in isolation.  I want this family to know - they have a village supporting them. 

Shopping for the stocking stuffers was such fun.  The boys and I went throughout Walmart looking for just the right items we knew our little guy would love.  His parents helped us out by telling us he enjoys movies, books, stuffed animals, and I got permission to add candy to that list.  :-)  My boys were very proud of their careful selections!  You can see our entire shopping trip here.

Stockings fill up quickly - it took a little finesse to get everything in, but the boys were able to do it! 

Then, we were off to deliver our gift.  Our young man went straight for the Simba stuffed animal sticking out of the top.  He didn't even realize there was more inside.

Once he did, however, he was digging in.  The cell phone was a big hit!  We all got to spend time taking a call from the Lion King. 

He made sure his puppy knew these toys were for him and not to be touched.  He would point at the toy and then at the puppy - "No, no, no, no, no!"  with his little finger dramatically pointed.  The puppy did end up with the stocking as his very own Santa hat, though.

While the intention was to bring cheer to a family this holiday, the real gift came from them: the opportunity to spend time with their son seeing childlike joy at receiving a small gesture.  I'd do it one hundred times over if I could.  My boys learned too how much fun it is to give to others and see the excitement it brings.

Champions for Kids will host other simple service projects.  If you're interested in participating, you can find them on the web at www.championsforkids.org, on Facebook here, and on Twitter here. 

*** This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.

Giving Back During the Holiday Season - Champions for Kids #DisneyCFK #CBias

One of the things I really love about the holiday season are the overt opportunities to give back.  Unlike during other times of the year, occasions to give back are everywhere.  We see the Salvation Army bell ringers at the store, the Toys for Tots boxes are everywhere, the groceries have food boxes setup for donation.  While giving should be a year-round habit, this time of year makes it easy even for those who might not otherwise find the time.

As a parent, I think it’s very important that my children grasp opportunities to share their blessings with others.  My husband and I want to be good stewards of what we have been given and provide ways to help our family understand the importance of thinking of others.

Some of the ways we’ve found to do this are through our church.  Each year, churches fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, adopt families in need to provide them with a Merry Christmas, collect food or provide a food bank, go to homeless shelters and retirement/nursing homes to carol – all activities we look forward to each year. 

This year, we have the opportunity to fill a stocking for one special child as part of the campaign for Champions for Kids partnered with Disney.  Picking the child was easy.  My boys and I participate in taekwondo at an amazing dojo near our home.  A young family also goes there.  The father and mother participate in TKD, and they have a young boy age two. I remember when I was just starting out – being young and raising a child.  It really does take a village.  Feeling very isolated and alone raising my two oldest kids was difficult - I would have loved the support of a community of parents.  We want them to know – they are part of a village.

The mission of Champions for Kids is to improve the lives of children through the leverage of people.  What better way to leverage people than to take adults like myself who have been raising kids for a long time now and offer our love and support to a young family?

We’ll be giving this young man his stocking next week.  The boys and I had a great time shopping for things we thought he’d love! 

If you'd like to learn more about Champions for Kids, click here.  You can also follow them on Facebook here, or Twitter here.

What ways do you enjoy giving back over the holiday season?  How do you keep the spirit of giving going even when the holidays are over?  Is there a special child or young family in your area you could help out this holiday?

*** This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias