Way back when I was a kid, it seemed like fundraising was just a part of the curriculum. At Christmas I was selling Christmas ornaments or wrapping paper for school, in the spring it would be cookies or cakes at bake sales, and that doesn’t even touch on the kids who had Girl Guides or Scouts or Soccer teams raising money for uniforms and equipment.

These days, kids still fund raise, but it seems different in many ways. Yes, times have changed and “rules” are different. When I was a child in the 80’s & 90’s taking my pledge forms door to door on my own wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, nor was it really all that incredible either. It was just what we did.

Today, children can’t go far on their own. This can be for many reasons such as laws, parenting styles or just plain old safety depending on the neighbourhood they are in. But does this change in society have to effect the level of independence a child can feel when taking on a fundraising initiative?

I couldn’t help but be incredibly inspired by this young KidPreneur right here in our backyard. Ruben’s Shoes collects shoes & donations as a registered charity for children in the Dominican Republic to offer them the resources for shoes and an education. As you can imagine, when local children hear these stories and the cause, many become moved and want to help.

There is an 11 year old who caught my attention with the inspired passion she had and action she took to raising enough money to donate over 1000 shoes! Just under 500 shoes this year alone. Her name is Calliope and she lives right here in the Tri-Cities.

So how did she do it? It was a lot of effort, I am sure, but one thing I know is that she had the support of a community behind her cheering her on. Calliope is a part of Sole Girls, a fantastic organization that encourages empowerment among young girls through physical activity. She also had the support of her community where she lives. For 3 years now, Calliope has had an annual lemonade stand to enable her to raise funds for Ruben’s Shoes.

So, how can you help your child impact others? Give them the space to be inspired and then help them take action. Surround them with other change makers of young and old doing incredible things who can support them, as well as help you with offering the right amount of guidance.

Summer Entrepreneurship Programs are available where they can socialize with kids just as explosive with ideas and facilitators who can teach them the tools and steps to make their passion become a impactful in their community.

But most of all, make sure they know that even as one individual, they can impact the lives of 1000’s of children in need, animals with no homes, or keeping our earth healthy.