The holiday season often reminds people that it’s important to do good for others. It’s not all about buying the hottest toy of the season or the most expensive gift. It’s about spending time with loved ones, making memories and doing good for others.
This time of year many people donate unwrapped toys, food and monetary donations. Did you know that there are other things you can do to help like gift a goat, fruit tree or soccer ball?
I’m sure you are scratching your head about gifting a goat and a fruit tree. These are gifts that you don’t give to family and friends but rather to a needy family or community in another country.
World Vision offers several charitable gift options that help children, families and communities around the globe.
Here are just a few examples.
Goats – World Vision offers donors a variety of livestock to choose from, and goats are their most popular option. One goat is a valuable source of milk and fertilizer for a family. The milk provides children with easy-to-digest protein and calcium, and the fertilizer helps crops flourish. A gift of two goats sets a family on a path towards success as shepherds who can start their own flock. $75 for one, $150 for two.
Fruit Trees – Even with all the sweets and treats the holiday season brings, it’s important to remember nature’s candy—and not just for the figgy pudding! Donating five, ten, or fifteen fruit trees can help a family feed itself and start a business. The seed of this gift can blossom for years as a few trees turns into groves and orchards full of good, healthy fruit. Partridges not included. $30 for five trees, $60 for ten, $90 for fifteen.
Soccer Balls – Every parent knows one of the best feelings in the world is seeing a child’s face light up like the Christmas tree as they discover what’s been left for them by Santa. Donors can pass that same joy along to kids across the world with their gift of soccer balls, which replace makeshift balls made of banana leaves or rolled-up trash. The global popularity of soccer makes this gift a great way to reach out with a helping hand. $16 for two balls, $32 for four, $48 for six.
Career Training for Girls & Women – Empower a woman with this investment in skills training, business education, and, most importantly, hope. With opportunities in weaving, jewelry-making, baking, dairy farming, and more, this gift helps create the chance for mothers and daughters to take their future into their own hands. It’s like they always say: Give a woman a fish, and you feed her for a day. Teach a woman to fish, and you can change the world. $25-$125.
You can gift these items from yourself or gift them in the name of a loved one.
If you rather purchase a tangible gift (and actual gift you could give to a loved one), World Vision operates the Where Most Needed fund, which provides for improvements in the quality of life for struggling children and families in the U.S. and around the world. Donors to this fund are eligible to receive beautiful artisanal goods from Africa, India, and Southeast Asia, which make wonderful presents and stocking stuffers. Encourage your readers to pledge their support and receive handcrafted gifts for themselves or their loved ones.
Handcraft gifts include jewelry, home decor, coffee, tote bags and more.
One such handcrafted gift is this lovely Christmas Star Ornament. This lovely ornament made from castoff metals by artisans helping to support childrens’ education in India.
We have this ornament and it looks beautiful on our Christmas tree, most especially when the tree is lit up and the colorful lights reflect off the shiny metal surface of the Christmas Star Ornament. It’s a nice sized ornament too. You can easily see it hanging in the tree.
This ornament sells for $40 on the World Vision website. Purchasing this ornament will help where most needed and will address specific, urgent needs that might otherwise go unmet for a child, family, or community.
Purchasing this (and other) World Vision gifts is tax deductible (please refer to each gift for tax deductible information).
If you would like to learn more about World Vision’s efforts, or to view their holiday catalog, please visit the 2015 World Vision Gift Catalog page. You can also find World Vision on social media. All of their links are found at the bottom of their website.
World Vision would like to give a lucky reader the same Christmas Star Ornament that I received to review. Thank you World Vision.
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and will end on December 14, 2015. The winner will be chosen at random using a random number generator from all eligible entries. The winner will be notified via email and will have three days to reply or a new winner will be chosen in their place.
To enter please comment on this post and tell me what you would like to win this lovely ornament?
For extra entries you can use the Rafflecopter widget (below) but you must complete the initial entry requirement or the additional entries won’t qualify.
Kimberly
*I received a free product sample to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Maureen says
I think it would add such delicate beauty to my tree or to give as a special gift for my parents.
MelodyJ says
I want this star because it is pretty. It would be the perfect addition to the tree.
MelodyJ says
I want this star because it is pretty. It would be the perfect addition to the tree.
pamela j says
It is absolutely beautiful.
Thanks!
Faye Gates says
I would be proud to hang it, and I love what it stands for.
Erin Ellis says
I would love this ornament because I collect Snowflake and Santa ornaments.
Jenny S says
I think is gorgeous and I don’t have anything like this on my tree.
ken ohl says
I think it would look so beautiful on our tree for sure.
D Schmidt says
I would like to win because its beautiful
Melissa S says
I would love to win this ornament because it is just so pretty.
Anne says
To be perfectly honest, I have a hard time with the holidays. I haven’t decorated in years. But there’s something about that beautiful ornament that speaks to me. I think I would put it someplace where I could see it all the time, like over the sink in the kitchen, and I’d leave it up all year.
Lesley F says
I would love to put on my tree! Beautiful