Every year at Christmas, my family gets together for a family "project" of sorts. Since my cousins have their children, and buying a gift for each cousin,her corresponding husband, and the kids would be pretty expensive, we collectively decided that, in lieu of buying gifts for each adult, we would contribute a certain amount to a charity of our choice, in order to help those in need.
This year, we decided on Casa Valentina , which is a non-profit organization that helps girls who age out of foster care gain independence. As you may or may not know, once a child turns 18, they "age out" of the foster care system, and are typically left to fend for themselves. Most of them, however, have never really learned how to live an independent life: they are not familiar with budgeting money, buying groceries, and the like. Casa Valentina offers young women the chance to gain independence and to make that transition from foster care to the real world. At the end of the holiday season, after the family has contributed their monies, my cousins go and buy gift cards from Publix and Target/Bed Bath & Beyond for the girls to use towards their new homes.
If you have any extra cash lying around this holiday season, or want to donate to a charity, give back to these young girls here.
