The Big Give Challenge

We live in a pretty cool community, not because of anything fancy, but because there are a lot of great people here.

Many of our neighbors are involved with giving....recently, some of them got together and created The Big Give Challenge.

The Ladera Ranch Kids Who Care Club is a group that organizes charity/volunteer opportunities for kids, each month. They do things like clean up the beach, make blankets for needy kids, and other fun stuff. It's a great group, and it teaches kids valuable lessons about doing unto others.

Toy Town is the neighborhood toy store, and the owner, Josh, has the biggest heart in the world. He is constantly doing nice things and reaching out to others....and he has the best toys around.

The LR Kids Who Care Club, Toy Town, and other community leaders got together to host The Big Give Challenge.

Here is how it works....Kids could sign up for $25, and at the end of the month, they had to report back on how they used the money to make a difference in the life of others.

Pooper and Beauty decided to take the challenge (one entry per family)...and it was just a natural that the money would go to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation

Rather than donate the $25 to Alex's Lemonade Stand, the kids came up with a way to "grow" their money. Pooper asked Josh at Toy Town, "What is the most popular thing I could buy for $25?"

Josh told him that the two newest Webkinz, the chicken and the American cocker spaniel, were probably the best investment. Unfortunately Josh didnt carry those hard-to-find Webkinz, and directed us to a store in the mall that did have some. See what a selfless guy he is??!

So, I ventured to the mall in search of the Webkinz and the kids would raffle them off.

Wanting to find a busy place, they decided to sell raffle tickets at The Taste of Ladera. This is a big event in our community, and our family already hosts an Alex's Lemonade Stand at the Taste of Ladera.....so, we would also have a raffle for the Webkinz. Perfect.

In addition to raising $2524 from the sale of lemonade, the raffle brought in an additional $267.

The kids successfully grew their initial $25 into more than 10 times the amount....and it will be donated to Alex's Lemonade Stand, to help find a cure for pediatric cancers.

As part of the contest, the kids have to report back with how they gave away their $25. The report includes writing about their giving, and also a picture or video....check it out!







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