Overview #9.Our Charitable Work: Developing a Social Conscience |  |
Overview #9.Our Charitable Work: Developing a Social Conscience | |
In the Spring of 1996, the staff, students and parents of Bright Horizons
began a fund-raising project for Sleeping Children Around the World. This
Canadian charity provides "bedkits" to the world's poorest children. Bedkits
are comprised of 12-20 essential items, typically including a sleeping mat,
blanket, towel, pillow, toothbrush and clothing. Every $30 donated buys a
bedkit, and donors receive a photograph of their recipient with his/her bedkit
and a sign bearing his/her name. 100% of every donation goes directly to
bedkit production.
By the Spring of 1998, Bright Horizons families had donated 61 bedkits, and we are still going strong. Most funds are raised by the children collecting the pennies that come into their home, and occasionally tipping them into a classroom jar. Participation in this project is entirely voluntary, but our tremendous success indicates that it receives widespread support. The children enjoy seeing pictures of the children they've helped and adding them to a display of "Our Extended Family". We hope that exposure to this project and its many rewards will teach the children to care about those who are less fortunate than themselves.
