Random Act of Kid-ness: Boy with Leukemia Gives Back

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Anchorage, AK, where 5 year old Leland Camara decided to use Make A Wish Foundation gift to give back to others. Leland has been living with Leukemia since September, and when he was asked what he wanted as part of his gift, he said he wanted to help others. As part of his Disneyland going-away party, Leland served at Kid’s Kitchen, a program that provides free meals to children.

Laura Bruce of the Make A Wish Foundation said:

“When I asked him he was sure he wants to serve other kids, he says, ‘so many people helped me so I want to help others.’ “

What a great story of kindness! Read more about Leland and his gift to the community here.

Random Act of Kid-ness: Good Deeds All Year Long

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Montclair, NJ, where 3rd grader Julia Diamond-Rotman has been raising money for the American Red Cross for almost a year. After Julia heard about all the natural disasters, from floods to tornadoes, occurring around the world last summer, she decided she had to help those in need. She raised over $100 and just presented the money to the Red Cross last week.

Julia also cut and donated her hair to Locks of Love last year, when she found out one of her close family members was diagnosed with cancer.

We think that Julia is just an all-around kind kid who would do anything for those in need. Read more about her and her efforts here. And as always, let us know if you have a suggestion for our next Random Act of Kid-ness.

Random Act of Kid-ness: Cancer Buzz-Off

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Canton, MA, where 4th grader Griffin Lincoln has a goal of raising $3,000 to help kids beat cancer at Children’s Hospital Boston. Griffin is also going to participate in One Mission Kid’s Cancer Buzz-Off in June, when he will have his head shaved to raise even more money for children with cancer. Griffin said:

“I have never buzzed my hair off before, but I’m more excited than nervous. It’s just hair. If I can raise a lot of money that helps just one kid, it’s all worth it.”

In the past, Griffin has done walks with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and donated Halloween candy to cancer patients at a hospital. Soon he plans to raise more money with an Easter Egg hunt, a bake sale after the Canton Little League Baseball parade in April, and a street hockey tournament.

We think Griffin Lincoln is one seriously incredible kid doing wonderful things for those in need. Read more about him and his fundraising efforts here.

Random Act of Kid-ness: Game that Grants a Wish

Random Acts of Kid-ness are not necessarily about specific kids who are help making the world a better place. Every so often, we highlight tools that might help kids learn random acts of kindness, and today we’re doing just that.

For this week’s Random Act of Kid-ness, we feature a partnership between the nonprofit charity, Wish Upon A Hero, and the Facebook game, A Better World. A Better World is a free game that focuses on encouraging people to do good deeds. Players can create characters, play games, care for pets, and much more, but the way the players progress in the game is by doing kind things for others, both inside and outside of the virtual game. The charity Wish Upon a Hero wants to grant a wish for Gracie’s Place, a special needs school for children. Gracie’s Place wants a new transport van to assist more children and families in need.

Through this partnership, people can sign into A Better World and visit the Sanctuary of Hope section of the game. Players can post a dream or hope, or support those of others. If 100,000 hopes are posted or supported, ToonUps (the creator of the game) will answer the wish of Gracie’s Place in order to help them fulfill the hopes and dreams of these special needs kids. ToonUps Vice President of Product Development, Gregory Hansell, says:

“Our players are absolutely extraordinary in their support and desire to do the right thing. We’re excited that this month, our players can make real world dreams come true for special needs children by sharing their own hopes and dreams inside the game.”

You can read a lot more about this story and how you can help grant a wish by playing A Better World here.

Do you know of other fun games that promote random acts of kindness? Share them below!

Random Act of Kid-ness: A Whole Bunch of Kind Kids!

For this week’s Random Act of Kid-ness, we are not just highlighting one good deed, but a whole list of them. Earlier this week, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital announced the winners of its annual campaign, Kids are Heroes, for kids ages 5-18.

This year’s winners include children who have: sold gum to raise money for a family whose house had burned down, rescued another child from drowning, and donated books to underprivileged students.

Click here to learn more about these and other winners of the Kids are Heroes campaign!

Random Act of Kid-ness: Helping Hands Project

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Rhode Island, where second graders at Sowams School are saving up dimes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For two weeks, the students offered to do chores at home for $1.00 each, that their parents would pay them in dimes. All of the dimes collected were put into plastic water bottles that are being sent to the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Kids for Wish program  that grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.

What a great way to get kids involved in charity. Read more about the Helping Hands Project here.

Random Act of Kid-ness: Saving Grandma’s Home

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Wisconsin, where 12 year old Noah Lamaide raised $10,500.00 to save his grandma’s home from foreclosure. When his grandma Janice fell short on her
mortgage payments, Noah stepped in and posted on his website about how much his grandma deserved support:

“My Grandma incase you don’t know her has a heart of gold. She has given so much to our community since I can remember!!!” 

He asked for donations to help save her home from being taken away, and people listened!

Philanthropy is not new to Noah, though. When he was only 9 years old, his mom challenged him to do one community service project every year. Noah has given donations to food banks and even raised money for a trip to Disneyland for his family friend who had cancer. Noah is truly an inspirational kid.

Read more about Noah’s random acts of kindness here.

Do you know a kid who has done or is doing random acts of kindness? Let us know!

Have You Seen It?!: Race to Naptime

If you’ve walked into the museum lately, you’ve probably noticed something big taking over the main lobby wall. And you might have been wondering why our staff has been wandering around the museum in their sweatbands.

Well, the Zimmer Children’s Museum is an official charity of the 2012 Honda LA Marathon, and to get in the spirit, the Zimmer staff is on a RACE TO NAPTIME! Help your favorite staff member win the race to the crib by donating to his or her LA Marathon team! We’ll even put your name on a little baby foot on the chart!

Want to run… or walk… or jog… or even stroll with us in the 5K on March 17th? Learn more here.

Random Act of Kid-ness: Mitzvah Chefs

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from the Bay Area, where first through eighth graders at Peninsula Temple Sholom prepare and deliver meals to local residents in need. This program, called Mitzvah Chefs, is based on the ideas of mitzvah, meaning charity or good deed, and tikkun olam, or helping/repairing the world.

The temple’s Youth Director Yael Zaken says,

“It’s really important to start within your own community. And [we teach them] for it to be not only the people of your religion or ethnicity or race. We make sure we have a discussion about the best ways to make the world a better place.”

That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? At the Zimmer, every single one of our exhibits focuses on learning human values such as respect for others, helping those in need , generosity, and making the world a better place. We are focused on the BIG IDEAS of global citizenship, community responsibility, and cultural sensitivity.

Click here to read more about Mitzvah Chefs.

What can you do to make the world a better place? Why not start by playing your way to a better world at the Zimmer?

Random Act of Kid-ness: Euan’s Bracelets

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us all the way from Scotland, where 5 year old Euan is making and selling bracelets for charity. When Euan and his family lost their home in a chimney fire in 2010, the Davie Cooper Centre- a charity for special needs kids, young adults, and families- helped out. So now, Euan is giving back to the Davie Cooper Centre by selling bracelets to raise funds for the organization.

Celebrities like Gordon Ramsay have heard about Euan and his good deeds, and they have begun to rally for him on Twitter. So far, Euan has raised over £5,000 for the special needs charity, and he does not plan on stopping anytime soon.

He has a great website, so check it out and learn more about Euan, the Davie Cooper Centre, and how you can get involved!

At the Zimmer Children’s Museum, we are committed to making quality play and learning experiences available to all children. While the Zimmer works diligently to provide inclusive programs every day, on Open Door Days, the museum is open exclusively to families who have children with special needs. Open Door Days also combine special considerations regarding cost and “busy-ness” of the museum and allow families who prefer to enjoy the museum as part of an understanding community. Our hope is that visiting the museum is enjoyable for all families, and Open Door Days serves as another option so that all families in the city may play and learn together at the Zimmer.

For more information about Open Door Days, click here.