It's that time of year — the holidays, the season of giving. But while a lot of people wonder what gifts to get for their families and friends, there are people who have different concerns. What will I wear when the weather turns cold? Where will my next meal come from? Where will I live?
The holidays are a difficult time for the less fortunate, but volunteers across the country give their time, efforts, and money to help those in need. Kids are especially active — and Scholastic's newest team of Kid Reporters decided to take a look at what young people around the country are doing to help out the less fortunate.
What they found is amazing! From shoe, coat, and pajama drives to cookies for soldiers to building dining room tables, kids everyone are working hard to make a difference in their communities.
What are you doing to make a difference this holiday season? Scholastic's Kid Reporters have some good ideas for you! Check back throughout December as we post new stories and videos.
Articles
Sweetening Up the Holidays
The holidays have become a little "sweeter" for many soldiers thanks to some devoted volunteers.
Refugees Need Your Help
You know that awesome feeling that springs up on the inside whenever you do something nice for someone? A class of 5th and 6th graders at the Paideia School in Atlanta, Georgia, recently experienced that when they made a difference for refugees in their community.
Illuminating Hope
Have you ever thought about what it might be like to live with no bathroom or stove? This is reality for many of the 14.4 million people of Guatemala in Central America. When Cincinnati-native Andrew Brownley, 11, saw pictures from a neighbor's mission trip to the third-world country, he knew he had to do something.
Teen Launches Volunteer Website
Finding an organization that is right for each person is the first "scary step" of volunteering, Margot Wilsterman has made it less scary for kids in Cape Cod by launching the website CapeCodTeenVolunteers.com.
Shelter Helpers
Pet Helpers, a nonprofit, no-kill shelter in Charleston, SC, is devoted to helping cats and dogs of all shapes and sizes. And it encourages people of all ages to volunteer. Kids who are under the age of 17 can work at the shelter with an adult assistant.
DREAMin' Big
The mission of Operation DREAM is to deliver hope by feeding those who are hungry, both in body and in spirit. It also strives to inspire young people to dream big by empowering them to make a difference in their world.
Girl Scouts Heal With Art
Girl Scouts in Troop 30771 proved the strength of girl power when they recently held a local art supply drive for the Oakland's Children Hospital in California.
A Tour of Honor for Vets
Learn about the Honor Flight Guard, an organization that both provides funds for veterans to travel to memorials in Washington, D.C.
Give Kids The World
Just a stone's throw from world-famous theme parks such as Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios is Give Kids The World Village. The vision of Henri Landwirth, the village gives children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to fulfill their wishes of visiting Florida's attractions.
U.S. Kids Build School in Ethiopia
Thanks to a school club in Tenafly, New Jersey, children in a small village in Ethiopia now have their own place to learn. The Global Care Unlimited Club at Tenafly Middle School raised the money needed to establish a school half a globe away.
Tables for Thanksgiving
The smell of sawdust permeated the air as students built dining room tables one recent November morning. When finished, the tables would be given to families in need as part of the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio's "Tables for Thanksgiving" program.
Locks of Love Needs YOU!
Some kids have no hair at all due to illness. Locks of Love is an organization that helps kids cope with their hair loss by providing real hair wigs from donors.
- Subjects:Social Studies, Homelessness and Poverty, Kindness and Compassion, Sharing, Understanding Self and Others
