Bookended by an earthquake and a hurricane we went to Gray, Louisiana for our sixth trip! Collage, watercolor, pastels, mask and crown making were just some of the activities the kids participated in.  Since it was the 6th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, many of the children recalled memories of being airlifted into helicopters, living in shelters and losing their homes. One of the boys said, “It was mighty scary and a little exciting!” It was great to be able to reflect back that it was ok to feel many different things about the experience.

We continue to be moved by the kids reactions when we drive up after a year away. One girl, who we have seen every year since she was six, was happy but surprised! “We thought you would forget about us.” How wonderful to be able to prove her wrong.

If you would like to learn more please go to www.sohoparenting.com/charity. We would be delighted to accept any donations made out to Start Corp. The funds go to art supplies, after school activities and family trips.

Our New Orleans community has been directly impacted by the environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil workers, shrimpers and their families who live in the development are coping with the loss of their livelihood.

Just as these families started to recover and heal from Hurricane Katrina, they are now hit again. In light of these recent events, we feel compelled to raise awareness and enlist your support. Laura and I will be traveling to New Orleans for a week in August to kick-off the much anticipated art classes. So far, we have raised $2,500 – enough to staff and supply the children’s art program for only 6 weeks.

We hope that you will join us in our commitment to this Louisiana community. Checks should be made payable to Start Corp and can be either mailed in or dropped off at Soho Parenting – 568 Broadway Suite 402, New York, NY 10012.

Last night’s earthquake in Haiti is a terrible tragedy.  Our response will make all the difference in the world in terms of their recovery. Here are links to well vetted relief organizations and every contribution will help. Join us in contributing what we can to the relief effort!

Save The Children

Mercy Corps

International Medical Corps

Parents often ask about age appropriate ways to volunteer or do charity work with their children. This holiday season hunger is at our doorstep. Our country is facing record levels of hunger, and the use of food stamps is climbing each month. Each crisis provides an opportunity for teaching kindness and spiritual growth.

A simple act of charity is a wonderful way to give your child the chance to help out. Locate the nearest shelter or food pantry. Find out if they accept donations of food and whether it can be canned, boxed or fresh. Then take your children to collect items in your building or neighborhood and bring it to your destination. Explain it to your children by relating it to trick or treating. This time you are collecting food for others and not candy for yourselves, but it is essentially the same process! Have a conversation with them, discuss that some people do not have enough food in your town. Reassure them if they get worried that you have more food than you need.  You can go with a group of kids and parents and make it something infused with camaraderie.

PS. A big thank you to all families who participated in Soho Parenting’s “Give a Good Hot Shower” bath products drive for Safe Horizons! They were so happy to accept our donations.

Here’s the real deal when it comes to protecting and raising our children: They need a healthy planet with clean water, breathable air, safe food and an adjustment in the trajectory of climate change.  These basics are in peril. Truly.

Article upon article, research from all over the globe, are sounding loud alarm bells. Somewhere in our minds we realize this is going on but many of us put it aside because of the pulls from our daily lives.  Diving in and becoming knowledgeable is scary, but staying with our heads in the sand can do nothing to help our childrens’ health and well being. If the voices of parents start to be raised clearly and consistently we can pressure the people with power. Think how strong a parents for the planet lobby could be!

So what can we do? Get informed.  Decide one thing to work on and take a stand.

1. EDUCATE yourself by reading and watching this sampling of books, articles and video.

Clean Water Laws Are Neglected, at a Cost in Suffering, The New York Times

Food Inc.: A Participant Guide: How Industrial Food is Making Us Sicker, Fatter, and Poorer

The Union of Concerned Scientists Global Warming 101

National Geographic Sate of the Earth Video Series

2. JOIN Momsrising.org, a political organization that champions causes that we as parents need to get involved in. Members receive email updates about issues like plastics in baby bottles, paid leave as well as topics related to the environment.

3. READ the paper and WRITE letters to the editor. When the volume gets turned up, more attention is paid.

4. TEACH your children about caring for the planet: recycling, composting, public transportation, turning the lights off. Take on a project with your family. One of the single most influential factors in happiness is altruism. Here are some links to organizations that welcome help:

Environmental Volunteers

The Nature Conservancy

The Volunteer Family

Let’s face it – the kind of life our children will lead relies completely on these issues.

In 2006, Soho Parenting started a connection with a small community built by Habitat for Humanity in Bayou Blue, Louisiana. The project began with building the houses for families displaced by Hurricane Katrina. We have raised funds each year since to sponsor activities for the families, art for the children and trips down to Louisiana to provide counseling.

This week is our 5th trip to do therapeutic home visits and to run an arts program for the children in the community. Here are some pictures of the home building and all of our trips.

To read more about this project please go to Our Charity on our website.