Summer Giving

My Addison is a saver! This girl doesn't part with a dime, EVER. She opened her first savings account this summer and I am sure she will be buying her first car or house with that money someday, because I don't think she will touch it before then. So, when she began saying that she wanted to save money for animals, I was surprised and impressed. Throughout the summer, she put aside a small portion of any money she received in a separate box, "for the animals". She loves to visit PetSmart or the grocery store when they have animal adoptions, she has read every "Puppy Place" book written, and she had expressed an interest in volunteering at a shelter. I checked around with the local shelters and unfortunately she is too young to volunteer. However, the SPCA volunteer coordinator was kind enough to offer the girls a tour of the facility if they wanted to bake some homemade doggie treats and bring in their donation. Minus the home baked treats (not much home baking goes on in my kitchen), we put it on our list of summer activities. By the end of summer, with a little help from her sisters and some small contributions from family in Texas, Addison had a decent donation saved up. We went shopping and purchased a few bags of items from the SPCA wishlist to take with her cash offering. The tour was great, the favorite part being a live surgery we viewed through a window. The girls loved on some animals and were happy to give their donations. We showed great restraint  and didn't come home with any new additions to the family, though it was tempting. I am sure we will go back many times for visits.

Also this summer, during their VBS, the girls had the opportunity to donate money to an orphanage in Burma. A missionary from the village visited with the children each day and told them stories of the families there. My girls were touched by the stories and were eager to help. The goal, as a group, was to raise $21000 in a week and they did it! My girls took it very seriously and gave generously with their own money.  They gave from money they already had and did chores for me to earn extra money. Addison donated a large portion of her savings and sweet Reagan actually gave all that she had. They were cheerful givers and were compassionate to others in need. My prayer is that they will always be this way. They sure make me proud!