Raising Little Heroes

 For most of my adult life, I have been searching for ways to contribute to society in a meaningful way.  Although I’d tried many avenues, I never felt like I was doing enough.  In addition, I have this wish for my children: that they will grow into compassionate adults who know everything and everyone is connected and we should all be doing our best to take care of each other and the world in which we live.  As my children were growing before my very eyes, I was all too aware of the fact that I wasn’t doing anything tangible to help make this wish come true because I was waiting to have more time, more money and more energy.  Then one day I realized I didn’t want to be teaching my kids that being generous is something you do when it’s convenient for you.  What if we never felt financially secure?  I decided to stop waiting and asked some friends if they felt the same way.

We started as a handful of families, coming together once a month to take on a project we could do for little to no money.  We baked homemade goodies for our local firefighters during the summer when Colorado was suffering from seemingly endless wildfires, we made blankets for children in need and we helped the local food bank with their annual food drive.  Word quickly spread around our city about what we were doing and I suddenly started getting emails from people I’d never met and from all walks of life asking to be a part of our group.  The response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic as our little group grew from 11 families to 60 in 2 weeks.  We now offer projects in 3 major areas of interest:  Human, Environmental and Animal.

One of the things I feel most proud of is the exposure we are providing for our kids in the beginning of their lives.  We know it’s much easier to learn to play a musical instrument or speak another language if you are immersed in that world when you are young.   I believe this principle also applies to what our Raising Little Heroes families are trying to accomplish.  Our hope is that if we do these things regularly with our children from the time they are born, these values we so cherish will be woven into the fabric of their life journey into adulthood.

Raising Little Heroes also offers a community building aspect often lost in this age of technology.  There is a peacefulness that comes with knowing your neighbors and having a group of people to get together with once in a while who share your interests.  Raising Little Heroes tackles great, kid-friendly projects while fostering a sense of belonging and knowledge of community.  It’s good for the kids, but also positively impacts the adults by igniting a passion for volunteer work while creating community and social connections.  What better way to light the fire than to contribute to society knowing you are setting a great example for your kids as you do so?

We offer unique opportunities as often as we can.  We know each person is able to give back in different ways.  For some, giving money is easiest and most fulfilling while for others giving time is more satisfying and doable.  We strive to find projects at little to no cost and if they do involve money we work hard to make it possible for all families to participate regardless of their financial situation.  Each piece is equally important and helpful and we want to encourage families to participate in any way they wish.

So, whether it’s the 8 year old who is helping pull weeds at our adopted park or the 2 year old who draws a cheerful picture for a family affected by a natural disaster; the infant who inspires her parents to get out there and do something to help make this world a better place or the parent who holds a new mother’s baby so that mother can take 10  minutes to sort food donations; or, the pregnant soon to be first time mother, who lovingly makes a blanket for a baby in the NICU while chatting with other parents about what’s ahead for her on the new journey she’s about to embark on.  There is something for all of us, a way to contribute regardless of how much.  Join us in our efforts to help strengthen our community in hopes of raising compassionate, caring little heroes.