Letter to Families and Caregivers

Dear Families,

Our class is learning about being philanthropists. A philanthropist can be anyone, of any age, who gives of his/her time, talent and treasure, and takes action for the common good. The lesson encourages students to think about choices people make with their own resources. We will learn the differences between spending, saving and donating. Our focus will be on how young people can contribute to hurricane disaster relief.

The project involves collecting money to donate to well-established and respected relief organizations. We may choose an organization recommended from the U.S. governments Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Web site or we may choose a local organization.

The children may use money from their own personal banks, earn money by doing some extra jobs, or by enlisting help from family members and friends of the family. This is not meant to be a major donation, but something from the hearts and generosity of the students. Spend time with your child talking about where they can get some small change for this project. Please do not send your child door to door. The money that our class gathers until the date of _____________ will be collected in one large classroom bank. We will practice our math skills by sorting and counting the money, and the class will come to a consensus as to how it will be donated. Feel free to talk to your child about your ideas about the organizations included on the FEMA Web site.

Please talk with your child about the following vocabulary words and concepts:

Philanthropy: giving or sharing of time, talent or treasure, and taking action for the common good.

Spend: using money for immediate needs or wants.

Save: keeping for future needs or wants.

Donate: to make a gift of money, time or talent.

Community: a group of people that work, live or gather together for a purpose.

Consensus: when a group comes to an agreement.

Charity: money or help given to aid the needy.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,