 
Feature:
The Gift of Giving
Some things never change? Think
again...
More excellent advice from financial expert
and author, Paul W. Lermitte.
Hey, what are your summer plans? Working? Going to the Beach? Hanging
out with friends? Shopping? Starting your own business? There are always
lots of options in the summer, but I would like to encourage you to
try something a little different - volunteer work!
Last week I had the opportunity to go with eight teens to a Youth Conference
in Denver, Colorado. For three days we did service or volunteer
work -things like making 850 sandwiches, then serving them and cleaning
up after. We served dinner in a men's shelter and helped out in a food
bank. Did you know that these places never have enough helpers? There
are always hungry people to feed, especially in the city. You know what
happened to all of us? We realized just how fortunate we are to have
plenty of food, clothes and blankets and bedding, and a safe home.
Think about how much money you make if you have a part-time job, making
minimum wage and no benefits to pay for health care or dental appointments.
Your parents buy your food, and probably clothes-maybe they even give
you an allowance or a clothing budget. Imagine if you had to use all
the money you made to pay for a place to live and food to eat. How long
do you think your money would last? Right, it wouldn't last more than
a few days! That's what happens to some of the people who live in shelters.
They don't make enough money at their job to live on. So they are forced
to rely on social agencies to help out.
If you and your friends volunteered once a month (or why not get crazy
- volunteer once a week!) at the food bank or a women's shelter and
served food or helped do dishes, you could make a big difference in
your community. Maybe you even lived in one of those shelters for a
while, or know someone who has. Everyone needs help once in a while.
Think about how you can help people that are less fortunate than you!
Then get out there and volunteer. You'll be glad you did.
P.S. For some great summer reading about teens like you who
are making a difference, check out Chicken
Soup for the Teenage Soul (there are several books in this series),
Taste
Berries for Teens: Inspirational Short Stories or Guideposts
for Teens Magazine.
Want to download forms that help you get control of your
money? Click
here.
Head back to the Teenzone
page.
I'm outta here, and gone to there.
Site
contents © by Paul W. Lermitte
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