How can parents make charitable gift giving during the holidays more of a family affair?
Baroni: Actually, this is a perfect way to bring the family together. With the need to rebuild so many communities, many families will want to contribute to these efforts. Together they can research online what areas are in the most need of which resources. They can find out more about the countries that were affected by the tsunami, or find a town to “adopt” here that was affected by the hurricanes. They can find out what these areas were like before and what has happened to them since. It can be not only a giving experience, but a learning one. Is there a danger that the wealth of disaster relief this holiday season will overshadow other worthy causes? Reeder: No, I don’t see that. Loyalty to a particular cause is cultivated throughout one’s life. Disease causes, for example, tend to be more permanent. And we have great marketing now that’s keeping these kinds of lifelong causes in the public eye. The way they can combine gift giving of merchandise with charitable giving is terrific.
