A COMMITMENT TO GIVING BACK

 

Kids Village Humanitarian Efforts

Kids Village believes that building strong character is equally important to growing a strong mind. That is why we teach our students to make a positive impact in the world around them and to be conscious about how to improve the lives of others. We do this by involving our students in philanthropic activities.

We find that this involvement helps our students develop genuine compassion for those around them. It also gives them the opportunity to learn how to take action in a cause or give to others in ways that make the world a better place.

 

HERE ARE SOME SERVICE PROJECTS OUR STUDENTS HAVE TAKEN PART IN:

Kids Village Humanitarian Haunt

Since 2012, Kids Village has held an annual Humanitarian Haunt. This event is a big, day-long Halloween carnival and silent auction that raises money for a carefully selected cause. The spirit of this event is to encourage our students to give to other children in need and to foster a spirit of compassion and generosity.

This event is also supported in the preceding weeks by classroom lessons about giving to those in need, supporting others in our communities (or outside our communities), and specific lessons pertaining to the cause which the Humanitarian Haunt will benefit. These lessons are supported by supplemental information on our parent-focused social media networks and online articles to encourage reinforcing lessons, intention, and understanding of the event at home.

In past years, these causes have included:

  • Orphanages Support Services Organization, which benefits children in Ecuador
  • Esperanza International, which helps to support children in the Dominican Republic
  • Friday’s Kids Respite, which helps to strengthen a foundation of love and appreciation in families with special needs
  • Defend Innocence, a sub-brand of the Younique Foundation which helps to educate people about the prevention of sexual abuse in children

We choose to hold the Humanitarian Haunt near Halloween to help our students think about “giving more than just candy at Halloween.” It encourages students to think of others during times when they may otherwise be thinking of themselves.

During this fundraiser, each student is encouraged to do jobs at home to earn coins that they’re then invited to place in a classroom change jar. On the day of the event, every family is invited to participate in a school-hosted carnival to support the charity. Over the past five years, Kids Village has raised over $100,000 in donations.

Learn more about our 2018 Humanitarian Haunt

The 2018 Humanitarian Haunt will take place on Friday, October 26 from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Join us for spooky foods and haunted delights. All proceeds will be donated to the Kids Village Foundation to benefit local charities!

Zambia Book Drive

Our children helped to organize a highly successful book drive to benefit orphans in Zambia, Africa. Our students collected and donated over 700 books and expanded the drive to the community by collecting used books at Barnes and Noble in Orem. They also participated in a schoolwide activity of cutting and sewing book bags that were donated with the books.

During the book drive, teachers encouraged conversations in their classroom about the service project, including understanding others in need and thinking about what we as individuals and groups can help do for others. This book drive was highlighted in the Deseret News and can be viewed online: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700229894/Orem-school-collects-648-books-for-kids-in-Zambia.html 

Additional Humanitarian Efforts

Our students also organized a winter clothing drive for the children on the Hopi Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona, participated in Orem City’s Green Waste and Recycling Program, assembled school kits through “Serving with Smiles,” prepared letters and artwork to send to members of the Armed Forces as part of “Project Patriotism,” and donated teddy bears and stuffed animals to the Orem and Provo fire departments to give to children to help comfort and calm them in traumatic circumstances. We also recently completed a very successful food drive for the Provo Food Bank.

Kids Village believes that quality childhood education should be available to every child, which is why in addition to service projects Kids Village also provides need-based scholarships to single mothers, families with health issues, families with loss of employment, low-income families, and other circumstances. In 2017, the Kids Village Board of Directors provided over $80,000 in scholarships to students of families in need.

About Our Humanitarian Philosophy

These service contributions not only make an impact on the children and families we’re serving, but also on our students, their families, our teachers, and the community. Our goal is to bring families together in the spirit of giving and serving others and to teach our children the importance of serving others.

We believe that making these service projects an integral part of Kids Village changes our students’ hearts for the rest of their lives. We believe these programs help our students become even more compassionate, loving members of the community who will go on to make the world a better place to live.

ABOUT SOME OF THE CHARITIES TO WHICH KIDS VILLAGE HAS GIVEN

Defend Innocence (The Younique Foundation)

The Kids Village Foundation donated $7,000 to the Defend Innocence foundation which helps empower parents and caregivers to protect children from sexual abuse through education and online resources. Our donation was double-matched by the founders of Younique for a total of $21,000 to contribute to the education and prevention of sexual abuse in children.

Friday’s Kids Respite / Kids on the Move

In 2016, the Kids Village Foundation donated our proceeds from the Humanitarian Haunt to Fridays’ Kids Respite (also known as Kids on the Move). Friday’s Kids Respite strengthens families of children with special needs by providing quality respite care, which is temporary care by certified nurses for children with special needs to provide a short period of rest or relief to their usual caregivers. This helps families relieve stress, renew energy, and restore balance for a happier, healthier home environment. Many families lack the support and financial resources for these occasional breaks, making respite care one of the most requested services of families of children with special needs.