# Recommend some good charities(for kids)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [February 3, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689 "2007-02-03T18:52:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/1 "2007-02-03T18:52:34Z")
I’m a 7th grade teacher and am planning to have the kids write an essay for a contest.
The topic is \*\*“If you could give $50 to one charity, which would you choose and why?” \*\*
Now, the charity must be a real charity, so I want to give the kids some choices of some charities. I’m thinking that any charity that deals with children would be interesting to the kids, but don’t know a wide variety of them.
We’ve read about Child Labor and other issues involving kids, so they are interested in that topic. Do any Dopers know of some good charities I can recommend to the kids?
I’m also wondering if anywhere offers brief summaries of the charities that I could show to the kids.
As always, thanks!
😃
By the way, the winner of the contest gets some cash to give to the charity they choose.
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### Author:  [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/2 "2007-02-03T19:07:28Z")
One child-friendly charity is [The Heifer Project](http://www.heifer.org/). In a nutshell, they give heifers or other animals to poor people, along with guidance in taking care of the animal, with the understanding that they will share the cow’s first calf with another family. A whole heifer costs $500, but one can buy a share of a heifer for $50 or some chickens and rabbits (or honeybees).
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### Author:  [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/3 "2007-02-03T19:26:20Z")
I’ve always had a soft spot for St. Jude’s Children’s hospital. As a kid, one of my friends was treated for cancer by them. Her family was very poor, but St. Jude’s gave her world-class treatment, as well as paying for her family’s lodging and other expenses.
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### Author:  [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/4 "2007-02-03T19:42:12Z")
I always loved the **Make-A-Wish Foundation**. Directly relates to children and is the charity/non-profit my wife and I give to most to each year.
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### Author:  [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/5 "2007-02-03T19:47:20Z")
I’m sure you’ve already thought of these two, but just in case, Unicef, and Habitat for Humanity.
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### Author:  [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/6 "2007-02-03T20:16:57Z")
[Child’s Play](http://childsplaycharity.org/) and the [Shriners Hospitals for Children](http://www.shrinershq.org/) seem appropriate.
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### Author:  [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/7 "2007-02-03T20:23:04Z")
Looks like I was beaten to the Shriner’s Hospital suggestion, but here’s another that the kids might like: your local ASPCA or Humane Society.
Or perhaps the local zoo has an “adopt an animal” program, where contributions help the zoo to feed and maintain an animal of the childrens’ choice.
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### Author:  [@zelie\_zelerton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zelie_zelerton)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/8 "2007-02-03T22:06:20Z")
> **[No child lost to the streets](http://www.railwaychildren.org.uk/)**
>
> Railway Children is an international children's charity working with street children in India, Tanzania and the UK. We fight for vulnerable children who live alone at risk on the streets and at train and bus stations, where they suffer abuse and...
The Railway Children helps runaway and abandoned children who live in and around the world’s railway stations. Working through partner organisations, the charity offers shelter, healthcare, education, training, protection and, above all, friendship.
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/9 "2007-02-03T23:22:58Z")
How about [Christian Children’s Fund](http://www.christianchildrensfund.org/) or one of the several other charities with a similar mandate? I see it advertised frequently up here, but from the web page it looks like you have it too.
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### Author:  [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/10 "2007-02-04T15:40:26Z")
[http://www.rmhc.com/rmhc/index.html](http://www.rmhc.com/rmhc/index.html)
The Ronald McDonald House fund.
"By creating, finding and supporting programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is working to better the lives of children and their families around the world. "
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### Author:  [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/11 "2007-02-04T20:41:29Z")
Autism Speaks, autism is very prevalent now, and the children likely have someone around them with autism.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [February 4, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/12 "2007-02-04T21:17:13Z")
I’m going to second **Spoon** ’s suggestion about ASPCA or Humane Society. All kids like animals!
Some of the kids might have seen one of the “animal cops” shows on Animal Planet, TLC, etc. They might be familiar with what the ASPCA does.
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### Author:  [@moes\_lotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moes_lotion)
#### Post date: [February 5, 2007, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/13 "2007-02-05T06:15:24Z")
How about \[http://www.ryanswell.ca/</plug](http://www.ryanswell.ca/</plug) for Canadian content warning\>.
As Ryan was only 6 years old when he began his own act of charity, it could be an interesting story for 7th graders to learn about.
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### Author:  [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)
#### Post date: [February 5, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/14 "2007-02-05T13:53:12Z")
[Charity Navigator](http://www.charitynavigator.org/)
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### Author:  [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)
#### Post date: [February 5, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/15 "2007-02-05T13:57:46Z")
How about a local food kitchen or even the library. Libraries always need money.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/16 "2007-02-12T22:26:45Z")
Great suggestions.
I’ve had such a response from kids that I have a follow up. Does anyone know of a great charity that deals with Child Labor in the world? The kids want to help out by giving money to stop Child Labor in Asia and the world.
I need a reliable charity for this that I can get approved by the school(so I can do a fund raiser).
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### Author:  [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)
#### Post date: [February 12, 2007, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/17 "2007-02-12T23:30:08Z")
Well, I see [Child Labor Watch](http://www.cvc.vipnet.org/cgi-bin/cvc-view.cgi?org_id=1a06103181131752200), which might be to your liking.
However, I have a philosophical issue with trying to donate to a charity that specifically fights child labour. I know your and your kids hearts are in the right place so this is a statement of my belief, **not** a criticism of yours. Child labour exists because families need the money to survive; I find it extremely difficult to believe that there are very many parents anywhere that would submit their children to child labour just to get some more unnecessary spending money.
Fighting child labour should, for the most part, be done by raising the standard of living of people whose children are doing child labour, and that can be done through any of a great many charities that don’t specifically mention the abolition of child labour in their mandate. Otherwise if it simply banned then you will get more child prostitution, selling of children, infanticide, etc. so that desperate third world families can get what they need.
So, give to whatever charity you want, but **I** would never dream of giving to a charity whose sole mandate was fighting child labour.
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### Author:  [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/18 "2007-02-13T03:27:44Z")
Good suggestions. I would second the Christian Children’s Fund. Your child will get pictures of the child he is helping, plus letters throughout the year, and periodic reports on how he has benefited the child. We presently support two children, and are about to add another.
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### Author:  [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2007, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/19 "2007-02-13T03:55:20Z")
This isn’t an actual charity, but directly impacted school kids ([News Conference on Death of Officer Fox – NBC10 Philadelphia](http://www.nbc10.com/news/10746792/detail.html)). A kid in my neighborhood was crushed by an out of control school bus, and as far as I know is still in critical condition. So far she’s had one leg amputated and is still in a drug induced coma. You couldn’t meet a family more phenomenal. It’s not a charity but the local news is collecting funds for her family here [NBC10 Philadelphia – Philadelphia News, Local News, Weather, Traffic, Entertainment, and Breaking News](http://www.nbc10.com/newslinks/10835687/detail.html)
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### Author:  [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)
#### Post date: [February 13, 2007, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-good-charities-for-kids/390689/20 "2007-02-13T04:34:42Z")
Well, I’ll pitch the group I volunteer with, we work with kids who have HIV
[http://www.sunburstprojects.org/](http://www.sunburstprojects.org/)
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