Did you ever have a piggy bank?

Mine was bright pink and it was literally a pig.

Squiggly tail and everything.

I'd throw in coins and imagine how much money I had…and while I dreamed of having a beach house one day, the 1980s images of kids starving around the world floored me. I wanted to give some of the coins to kids who needed it way more than me.

Fast forward to when I became a mom. When I got my 3 kids their own “piggy banks,” their version was a clear, small, 3-drawer container and on each drawer we put a label.

Save.
Spend.
Give.

Sometimes all of their allowance would end up in the “spend" drawer and we’d have to talk about why it was important to spread it out.

Sometimes the allowance would go entirely into the “give" drawer, perhaps after a sad movie or walking past the homeless in NYC, and I’d have to explain why we can’t give it all away and how we need money to survive.

I have prioritized giving in my own life, even in my toughest days with financial worries, and it’s still a priority.

Parents have an especially important role to play in modeling generosity, since kids watch what you do more than they listen to what you say.

And did you know that research on happiness shows that giving is a great predictor of how happy we are??

That may be reason enough to give.

But the most important thing I’ve learned in my own life?

Giving doesn’t have to mean money. I hate asking people for money!

Giving can also mean time. It can mean energy. It can mean forwarding an email to spread the word about an important cause.

The point is to move outside of yourself for the betterment of something else.

I created a social impact page where I have listed some of my most beloved causes, to help get you started, but feel free to share with me your personal cause. I am eager to learn more.

There are many on my list but with September approaching, I wanted to highlight Pediatric Cancer Awareness month.

Years ago, we lost our dear friend Liam Witt at only 7 years old. It was brutal. Liam was Maddie and Sydney’s friend from preschool and watching the unfairness of his disease shifted us into a place where we committed to forever support the organization his parents started in his honor.

Cookies for Kids Cancer raises funds for research to develop new and improved treatments for pediatric cancer…the #1 disease killer of children in the U.S.

This week, CFKC has organized “Art in August”, an online auction with over 30 renowned artists who created art for limited-edition dinner plates. 100% of the proceeds raised by the sale of the plates will directly support their mission.

100%.

I have so much more to share about giving - about building schools in Guatemala with your kids, or sponsoring a child so she can go to high school in Kenya, volunteer tutoring, or other ways you can help communities and people in need.

For now, I wish you a very happy, restful, generosity-infused last week of summer.

And a reminder to not just save and spend…

But also give.

With fierce love,
Alison