Giving Tuesday: Elementary School Library Book Drive

This year, Giving Tuesday is especially important. SO many people are struggling and in need. So I've been looking around trying to decide where to give whatever is within my means to give.

Now, more that ever, I want to teach compassion and generosity to my children. Even though this year our Christmas will be smaller, I still want them to see it's important to always give whatever and whenever you can. 

So when my daughter's school sent home a fundraiser for spreading kindness, it caught my eye. They were selling T-shirts to raise money for Maudrie M. Walton Elementary whose library had been involved in arson and ALL of the books were destroyed...either by fire, smoke, or water. The school serves children in Pre-K through 5th grade. Further investigation showed that the school was located in a low-income neighborhood - predominantly Hispanic and Black. 

I bought a T-shirt. But looked for ways to do more because, you know, I have a soft spot in my heart for books and young children and the impact that the former has on the latter.

While I was ruminating on whether or not I could host another book drive similar to the one I did last year for migrant children, I stumbled upon this NBC article and read that one was already being hosted by the Junior League for Fort Worth. 

So far, 200 books have been donated to the school, but they have to replace ALL of the books that were ruined by the fire. The Junior League has stepped in to help by setting up a wish list on Amazon. I scrolled through it and there are a lot of great books there. (I noticed, in particular, that there were several of my favorite bilingual titles if you scroll way down the list.) 

So if you have $5, $10, or even $20 to spare, won't you please consider donating a book to help restock this school library? The wish list even includes a shipping address written at the top in the description. 

I'm purchasing a book from their wish list and packing a box of books that have been sent to me to review over the years to donate. Join me in helping and giving. 

School libraries are so very, very important to a school community. They provide children with a safe space to learn, study, and dream about the possibilities of the future. They are a refuge and a classroom. And the books inside bring the world into a child's life. 

Giving Tuesday is a week away. It always falls on the Tuesday following Cyber Monday. So that gives you time to start planning on how to give, if you haven't already.

This Giving Tuesday, please consider donating a book or two to this elementary school and help children in need of support and kindness.

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday. 

#GivingTuesday Helps Us Raise Giving Children

How do you raise compassionate, generous children with a strong sense of social responsibility?

This is a question I think about often. I want my kids to:

• realize they are blessed
• understand that there are many who are less fortunate
• be generous with their time, love, and money
• recognize those who struggle and suffer
• feel compassion
• be willing to make a difference

My husband and I work hard to help them see the needs of others and to think about ways to improve lives. This means we have to be sure and look for and create opportunities to teach our kids.

For #GivingTuesday and this holiday season, we're happy to make a difference in the lives of others through our support of Heifer International. They empower families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity by helping communities and delivering sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. It all starts with the gift of a sheep or a goat or a flock of geese. The animals that are gifted provide communities with food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market. When many families gain a new sustainable income brings new opportunities for building schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.

Heifer has been in Peru since 1963, where they've worked with women artistans. The women receive veterinary medicine kits, greenhouses, cookstoves, vegetable seeds, marketing support, and training in business management and Heifer's 12 Cornerstones.

This beautiful alpaca scarf I'm wearing is hand-crafted by the artisans of Tres Alpaquitas in Marcapata, Peru. Not only is it something special for me, but by wearing it, I also support @heiferinternational and these women who are supporting their families.

I have another scarf exactly like it and like many of the families who are aided by Heifer Internat'l, I'm going to pass it on. Passing on the Gift® is the hallmark of Heifer's approach. They began by requiring each family who received an animal gift pass on their first female offspring to another family in need. Thus, by helping one, they help an entire community by encouraging the spreading of skills and wealth.

Join My Family in Making a Difference!

I also want to invite you to join me in gifting one share of a knitter's basket, which includes a llama, an alpaca, a sheep and an Angora rabbit. In addition, the family that receives the knitter's basket is instructed on how to properly feed and care for the animals.

My daughter has recently learned how to crochet. She loves creating scarves, dish cloths, and other handmade items to sell or gift to others. So the knitter's basket was an ideal choice for our family. Especially because it provides nourishment, warmth, and income for the recipient families.

We've purchased one share for $48. If nine other shares are purchased, then a full knitter's basket will be gifted to a family in need. Won't you consider helping us to make this possible?

To join us, or to learn other ways you can help others this holiday season, click here to visit Heifer International. There are many, many other ways to give; you can help others for as little as $10!!

Wishing you all a loving and giving holiday,

Monica

Preschool is Crucial for Every Child's Education

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. While I was offered compensation for this post, I am donating the payment to Mi Escuelita Preschool. All thoughts and opinions espressed below are my own. #TheStoryOfEmma #CollectiveBias

Today is Giving Tuesday. A day after the biggest shopping weekend of the year in which people can stop and think about helping others. Parents, do you take the time to model generosity with your children? Compassion? Do you teach your children that they can make the lives of others better through their actions? It can be by donating money, volunteering your time, sharing information, or simply listening. It comes as no surprise, I'm sure, that my focus is on preschool and early education.

And so I want to share with you a program that has become dear to my heart. One that deserves support for the value and importance it plays in the lives of so many Latino children. I'm so happy to be part of #TheStoryOfEmma campaign by #CollectiveBias.

This year I've chosen to donate to Mi Escuelita Preschool in Dallas, TX. They serve "working poor" families living at or below the poverty line. A non-profit, Mi Escuelita provides these families with quality preschool programs, helping their children to learn English so that they can transition directly into English-speaking kindergarten classrooms without the struggle of a language barrier. They also prepare these children for kindergarten by teaching basic skills such as pre-literacy, pre-math, and social skills that help them excel in school.

Every 2 minutes, a Hispanic student drops out of school. I wonder, exactly how many of these children attended a good preschool? How many started kindergarten already behind or struggled to learn the language? Last year in DISD, 51% (that's over half!) of the children entering kindergarten were categorized as Limited English Proficient (LEP).

In the Dallas Independent School District, the graduation rate for Hispanic students is 67%. But LEP students only have a graduation rate of 44%; most are Hispanic.

This is why schools like Mi Escuelita are so important. I wish there was one in every town in the country. They actually save our country so much money because they alleviate the need for expensive bilingual education and reduce the need for remedial English instruction.

I am Emma

I was born in Dallas. My first language was Spanish. And because education has always been (and always will be!) something extremely important to my mother, she made sure that I attended a Montessori school for preschool and kindergarten. I went on to attend private schools on scholarships, because luckily, I learned English well enough to enter and excel in these English-language schools. I didn't start behind and then struggle to catch up as so many do. And those schools provided me with so many opportunities that I might not otherwise have had. From ballet to piano lessons to French, I was lucky to have access to these classes which broadened my view of the world.

My mother was a single-mom from the time I was 2 years old. She worked long hours and I spent most of my time with my 'Buelita and Nanita and (Grand)Daddy. My mom and I lived in our own home for a while, but eventually moved in with my great-grandmother (my 'Buelita) who owned her own home.

I spent a lot of time with my extended family in the area. Outside of school, I was immersed in the Latino community. I know what it means to work yourself to the bone for not much money. I've seen families who struggled to put food on the table. Families with children that were loved very much, but parents didn't always have the time, tools, or the money to help their children succeed.

Preschool is sometimes a luxury that many Latino parents cannot afford. And for those who work one, two, maybe three jobs or more, there isn't always time to teach their children at home to prepare them for school. 

And that's why I want to share with you the Story of Emma. It is part of Mi Escuelita's annual fundraiser. You can watch the video below to know her story. The video is not a true story. But it might be. In fact, it could be the story for thousands of children across this country. If you have a moment, won't you watch? Because you might know an Emma. Or her parents. Or her brother. Or....

The Story of Emma from Mi Escuelita.

Join us!

Please join us for #TheStoryOfEmma #LATISM Twitter Party on Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 9:00pm. @LATISM and @ColectivaLatina will be joining forces to support of the Mi Escuelita campaign and create awareness about #TheStoryOfEmma. 5 prizes of $50 gift card + $50 donation to Mi Escuelita in winner's name will be awarded during the twitter party. RSVP link: http://cbi.as/qe2ds.

You can help...  

What is your story? Do you have an Emma in your family? Maybe you are an Emma?

Share your story and Emma's because every share, tweet, or retweet that utilizes the hashtag #TheStoryOfEmma will generate a donation of $1.00, up to $10,000 in donations!

Here's a sample tweet you can send out to help Mi Escuelita:

RT to donate $1! I'm investing in #Latino children: Let's make success stories like #TheStoryOfEmma a reality http://bit.ly/storyofemma