ARTICLE TOOLS

E-mail story

Comments

Printer friendly version

iPod friendly version

Share This

Text Size: A A A A

Chattanooga: 'Charitable Children' author to speak here

By: Adam Crisp
(Contact)

Included in this article

Carol Weisman

Parents say all the time that they just want their kids to be happy, but Carol Weisman knows that’s not exactly true.

“If a child was happy sitting in the basement, drinking all day, playing video games, that wouldn’t make mom really happy. What we want is a child that is responsible, wise about money, cares about others and is thoughtful,” said Ms. Weisman, a motivational speaker, author, trainer and consultant whose latest book, “Raising Charitable Children,” offers tips on how to teach children the value of giving.

In town Thursday for two lectures, Ms. Weisman will discuss how to raise charitable children as well as talk to nonprofit leaders about raising money in tough times.

“With the current economic environment and many pundits saying this is the result of consumer materialism and corporate greed, this seems like a timely topic to address in our culture at large and especially with our children at Christmas,” said Kelley Nave, spokeswoman for the United Way of Greater Chattanooga, one of the sponsors for Ms. Weisman’s lectures.

Ms. Weisman has worked for a variety of charities, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, American Lung Association and National Kidney Foundation.

Admitting that it can be hard to raise charitable children in a materialistic world, Ms. Weisman will offer tips on how to get children involved in charitable giving. Tips will include sitting down and talking as a family about what you like and don’t like in the world, then giving money to charities that can fix those problems, she said.

Her other lecture will offer nonprofit leaders practical steps to get more money from groups and individuals who might be scared during the souring economy. Nonprofits can learn valuable lessons from politicians such as President-elect Barack Obama, who raised millions of dollars on the Internet, she said.

“If you talk to someone whose mother had breast cancer and they say they can give $50 to help a cancer charity, well, perhaps you could ask that same person if they could part with $10 a month instead,” Ms. Weisman said. “That’s usually an amount people can part with, and instead of getting $50, you get $120.”

Other sponsors of the lectures are First Things First, Hamilton County Department of Education Character Development Program, Creative Discovery Museum, T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital and United Way’s Center for Nonprofits.

Comments