The What We Covet Holiday Gift Guide 2011, Part 20: A Gift to the World

I very firmly believe in giving back, and I feel it's necessary to put our best foot forward at all times, especially in the cold winter months when life can be especially hard on the needy, and donate whatever we can, be it time or money. With that in mind, I encourage you to find a local or national charity whose mission you can support.

One of my personal favorites is the National Center for Family Literacy, an organization that targets illiteracy at both the child and adult levels. As most of you know, reading is near and dear to my heart, and it pains me to encounter someone who lacks even basic reading skills. 

According to their website, "The family literacy approach harnesses the strength of parent-child bonds to help those who are most at risk of failing economically, emotionally and socially. We build success by strengthening their confidence, increasing their ability and broadening their outlook." Right now, most of us could use a leg up, but then again, most of us can read. For those who can't, the world can be a dangerous place, so it is especially important to help correct that problem.

I hope that you'll consider sending at least a little bit of money somewhere--if not to NCFL, then to your own favorite cause, be it a soup kitchen, your local fire department, an aid group such as the Salvation Army, or someplace else entirely. (If you're looking for more ideas, consider taking a look at the White Envelope Project, a non-profit that can help you connect with a charity that suits you.)

Check out famlit.org, the National Center for Family Literacy's official website.

Image via the NCFL.

-Cate-