Kids’ Corner

1. Host an event or activity

Please submit this form to request Doorways representation at your upcoming events, to host a free educational prevention workshop for your community/organization, or to coordinate a fundraiser or donation drive.

FILL IN FORM

2. Host a fundraiser

Empower your kid to get creative in designing a fundraiser for Doorways. Many children have hosted a lemonade stand or bake sale, for example, to raise funds. The process of imagining a fundraiser, setting a goal, and creating a plan to make it happen can teach your child valuable skills, including financial awareness, organization and communication skills. It also enables them to practice asking for help and support!

3. Participate in Doorways’ kid-friendly events and awareness days

Throughout the year, there are awareness days, campaigns and other events that kids and youth can join in age-appropriate ways. Whether it’s wearing purple on Purple Out in October to celebrate healthy relationships or attending an event like Rocklands’ annual roast benefitting Doorways, there are opportunities throughout the year to join our community in making an impact.

• Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (February)
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October)
• Youth Homelessness Awareness Month (November)
• Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (November)
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April)

4. Talk about the issues at home

One of the most important actions a young person can take is learning about the issues impacting their neighbors—at an age-appropriate level—as well as how those issues might impact them. Conversations with your child can start simply, focusing on kindness and empathy, growing in specificity and detail as they age. Talking with your kids about healthy relationships can start early, for example, with discussions about being kind to one another. To get started, check out our reading list that introduces important content in kid-friendly stories.

5. Pay it forward around birthdays and holidays

For birthdays and other holidays, several young philanthropists have asked for donations, gift cards and gifts from our urgent needs list for their neighbors at Doorways instead of (or in addition to) gifts for themselves. This is a great way to help your child learn to celebrate themselves and their life by lifting someone else up.

6. Sponsor a fellow kid through Doorways’ campaigns

The back-to-school and holiday seasons are generally exciting and fun for kids, but they can be stressful for children and families at Doorways. They’ve lived in unstable situations, and may have experienced or witnessed abuse; in these situations, survival is the priority, and there may not be resources available for school supplies or holiday gifts.

Through our Back to School and Holiday Wishes campaigns, we pair your family with a child or family at Doorways, providing you their wish lists. You can shop as a family for these items—kids, in particular, are great at picking out items for fellow kids—and discuss what these gifts mean to the recipients. Older children might also want to make a financial donation to Doorways’ Back to School campaign to support other expenses such as visits to potential colleges and other school-related activities.

7. Create a giving jar

Giving jars can be a great way to keep compassion, gratitude and generosity central to your child’s life. Creating the jar can be a fun family project; decorate an old jar, coffee can or other container, and decide when gifts will be added. Perhaps you add money to celebrate good things that happen, as a wish for good things to happen to the people who the donations will eventually support.

Older children who receive allowance can pay forward a portion to their neighbors through the jar. Younger kids can count the things they’re grateful for and add a dollar to the jar for each. Both of these examples also provide opportunities to talk with your child about the challenges facing families in their community, helping them to be mindful of those in difficult situations. You can also incentivize your kids to give by offering to match their donations yourself.

Once you’ve determined how you’ll use it, place it in a central location in your home so everyone remembers to participate. Keep up the conversation as gifts are placed in the jar. You can even wrap in money management skills like saving and basic budgeting. At the end of each month, or however often makes sense for your family, donate content of the jar to Doorways to support the adults, youth and kids we serve.

8. Add Doorways to your grocery list

Adding Doorways to your grocery list is another great way to keep giving to Doorways top of mind. Like the giving jar, create a bag or box in your kitchen or pantry. Every time you go to the grocery store, buy an item that Doorways needs—see our urgent needs list for examples—and add that item to the bag. Once it’s full, schedule a time to deliver the contents to Doorways. During holidays such as Thanksgiving, extended family members can also be invited to participate, offering your kids an important opportunity to share about the project and see their passion supported by their relatives. This fosters conversation about giving back, and why people in our community need items like the ones you’re collecting.

9. Ask kids for their ideas

Kids have big imaginations and lots of ideas. How does your child think they could make a difference? What ideas does your class or troop have for a community service project? Encourage them to brainstorm and see what’s possible.

10. Reflect together

Whichever ways your family chooses to give, it’s important to take time to reflect on the importance on helping our neighbors. Here are some sample questions to jumpstart your family’s conversations about giving:

Questions for families to talk about together:

• What causes are important to each of us? How can we help one another support these causes? What causes do we want to learn more about?
• What does giving mean to us? Why is it important to give?
• What are we grateful for?
• What are some other ways we can help one another and our community?

Questions for kids:

• How do you feel about doing this activity?
• How might you feel if you were in the situation described in the story?
• How do they think the kid/family who will receive this gift will feel about getting it?
• What might you have in common with a kid at Doorways? (e.g. favorite sports, games, books, etc.; attending the same school; enjoying the same things around town)
• If you could share a message with someone at Doorways, what would you want them to know?