Help students to locate public service agencies whose goals are representative of the group's word for CARE (Association of Retarded Citizen's goal is representative of Social Skills). The teacher could arrange to bring student groups to various agencies for short-term internships.

Anticipatory Set:


Write the word CARES on the chalkboard. Ask the students, "What does it mean when someone cares for you?" Remind them that committing a philanthropic action (private action for the public good) demonstrates how we care about an issue or person.. State that over the years many philanthropists cared enough about certain problems to try to prescribe a remedy for the situation. End the introduction by telling the class that today's objective gives each of them the opportunity to prescribe a philanthropic solution to current societal issues.

• Divide the class into 5 groups. Instruct each group to 1) read the scenarios, and 2) develop a negative and positive response for each scenario (role-play). Each scenario card represents a word from the acronym for CARES.
• An example of a typical negative response to Scenario 3 for Responsible would show the students role-play a businessperson in his office saying "I've made it! I should do something to help other poor kids from my old neighborhood go to college. Well, on second thought, they can work hard like I did and stop looking for a handout!"
• An example of a typical positive response to Scenario 3 for Responsible would show the students role-play that same businessperson saying, "I've made it! I should do something to help other poor kids from my old neighborhood go to college." The business person calls his or her secretary. "Ms. Wilson, write a memo to my old High School announcing my decision to start a scholarship for a graduating senior who has good grades but no money." Allow approximately 15 minutes to develop their responses and call on each group to present their role-play.
• After each group's presentation, ask them to identify the philanthropic action shown in their role-play. For the negative response, the philanthropic action is nonexistent because the business person chose not to help others although he had the money. In the positive response, the business person took philanthropic action by realizing the need to give back to his community and following through on that realization.
• At the end of all the presentations, give each group the matching prescription from the pillbox. Ask a group member to read the solution to their scenario as prescribed by a famous philanthropist.

Using the same groups established for this lesson, assign students the task of writing a pamphlet listing community services. Compose a display unit advertising the public service pamphlets. Distribute student pamphlets to your neighborhood branch public library.

Sample pamphlet entry: Responsible
Q: My child needs glasses but I simply can't afford to buy glasses. What do I do?
A: Contact the Lions Club at (313) 355-6000.

Sample pamphlet entry: Empathy
Q: My best friend is 15 years old and fighting cancer. To make matters worse, her hair has started to fallout. I wish I could make her a wig with my hair. Where could I find help?
A: Call Wendy's Wigs at (313) 522-9420. She specializes in making wigs for chemotherapy patients.