Our Unique Legacy of Giving
How do communities impact individuals, and how can individuals impact a community?
Photo Credit: Nursing Home Visits by RJH School is licensed under CC by 2.0
The story of one philanthropic community inspires students to tell the story of their own people and places. Students create stories and use the stories as a gift to others. Although it uses a video about West Michigan, this unit is easily adapted to any community, urban or rural.
This beautiful documentary The Gift of All: a Community of Givers shares the motivations and attributes of the generous people interviewed. In response, the learners create their own short biographies of philanthropists in their community.
In this lesson, learners explore their personal responsibility to the community. They recognize that everyone has something to give, and that includes them. The learners brainstorm local philanthropists and positive traits of their own communities. They assess local needs and make a plan to address one need through volunteering or advocacy at a later date.
In this lesson, the learners write a story about philanthropists, modeled after the documentary The Gift of All. They research or interview a local philanthropist. Each learner writes a biography telling the story of the philanthropist. They share the completed biography with an elementary student, teaching that student about philanthropy and the value of giving to the community.