This Christmas, Share Big Dreams with Gifts that Teach Giving

Change the lives of children living in poverty

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Oct 23, 2014, 08:00 ET

SEATTLE, Oct. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The need is great, as around 400 million children in the world under the age of 13 live in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank. That's more than the entire population of the United States. In the U.S. extreme poverty has hit a new high; recent studies show over 1.6 million households with children are living on less than $2 per person, per day.[1] This Christmas shoppers can help fight poverty by improving the lives of children with life-saving gifts from the 2014 World Vision Gift Catalog. In fiscal year 2014 alone, more than 140,000 donors purchased more than 417,000 items from the Gift Catalog that helped more than 822,000 people around the world.

World Vision's Gift Catalog gives shoppers over 100 ways to improve the lives of children through gifts such as: clean water, food, medicine, education, job training and small business loans, among others. Gifts range in price from $16 to $39,000 and can be made in a loved one's name. Shoppers can also choose to send a personalized card describing the gift and its impact. Donors don't have to spend a fortune to bring about tremendous social change. There are many items in the catalog under $20, less than the average American spends on holiday floral arrangements. Here are some examples of life changing gifts:

Fight Poverty in America: Feed a family in the U.S. for a day ($18), give a child a backpack filled with essential school supplies ($22) or help disaster relief in the U.S. ($50).

Gift a Goat: One goat ($75) not only nourishes a hungry family with up to 16 cups of milk a day, but the surplus milk can also be sold at the market for extra income to buy school supplies or medicine. Even manure can be used to fertilize crops and vegetable gardens.

Stock a School: Give kids in developing countries the books and tools they need to fulfill their potential and lift themselves out of poverty. Thanks to corporate donations a gift of $100 provides $800 worth of supplies such as textbooks, teaching materials, desks and more.

Give Where It's Needed Most: Make a donation to help where it makes the most impact and choose from a variety of handcrafted gifts such as jewelry, totes, serving spoons and coffee.

Donate to Disaster Relief: In the wake of a crisis, children usually suffer the most. World Vision is often one of the first organizations to begin relief work after a disaster, and remains on the ground for the long haul, rebuilding communities and restoring hope. You can give to general disaster relief or specific humanitarian crises in places such as Iraq, South Sudan and Syria.

For parents, the catalog can also be a great teaching tool, giving children a tangible way to learn about generosity, gratitude and the needs of others. The Deans family from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania says when World Vision's Gift Catalog came in the mail it caught their toddler's attention right away. "We didn't talk about it again for a couple weeks, but one night she saw the catalog lying around and reminded us emphatically that she wanted to buy a goat 'for the kids.' So we got out her piggy bank and counted up the money – we couldn't count it fast enough for her!" The family now uses the catalog yearly as a way to teach their daughter about helping others.

"For many families the Gift Catalog is a part of their holiday traditions with their children just like Christmas caroling or baking cookies," says Carrie Swanson, World Vision's Gift Catalog Director. "That time together is important as studies show talking to your children about philanthropy is even more effective than simply modeling charitable behavior."

Parents can also find pictures, videos and stories about children in the 100 countries where World Vision works by visiting www.worldvision.org. To order from World Vision's Gift Catalog, visit www.worldvisiongifts.org or call 855-WV-GIFTS.

About the World Vision Gift Catalog
Since 1996, the World Vision Gift Catalog has given people the opportunity to better the lives of children, adults and communities in the U.S. and around the world through hundreds of gifts in all different areas of need: clean water, food, education, sexual exploitation, job training and others. In fiscal year 2014, more than 140,000 donors purchased more than 417,000 items from the Gift Catalog that helped more than 822,000 people around the world. To order from World Vision's Gift Catalog, visit www.worldvisiongifts.org or call toll-free at 855-WV-GIFTS. Want to see where your dollars go? Watch how the Gift Catalog works on YouTube.

About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/press or on Twitter @WorldVisionNews.

[1] Pathways The Rise of Extreme Poverty in the United States Summer 2014:
http://web.stanford.edu/group/scspi/_media/pdf/pathways/summer_2014/Pathways_Summer_2014_ShaeferEdin.pdf

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SOURCE World Vision