This post for Fieldnotes was co-authored by Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, and Paul Palazzolo, President of Kiwanis International.
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Kids love to be like grown-ups. And for many adults, part of being a grown-up is contributing to a worthy cause. Believe it or not, Halloween can be a child’s first experience with altruism and can present the perfect opportunity to honor our national spirit of service.
When boys and girls across the nation dress up next week as princesses, witches, and ghosts and go door-to-door, they will have the chance to gain something far more profound than candy. By asking not only for sweets—but also for donations to UNICEF—children can make a big difference in the lives of their peers around the world and can discover the satisfaction that comes from helping others.
Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF began in 1950 as a youth project. What started as a simple idea has grown into a cultural phenomenon that has introduced millions of youngsters to the power of philanthropy and instilled in many a lifelong passion for giving back.
Toting that little orange Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF box and filling it with change empowers children to take action locally while serving the global community. And that change has added up. Since its inception, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has raised more than $144 million, saving and improving the lives of scores of children.
Kiwanis International’s Key Club, the oldest and largest service-leadership program for high school students, has been a chief supporter of the Trick-or-Treat program since 1994 and has raised more than $5 million to help children in developing countries. Last year, Key Club’s Trick-or-Treat efforts generated $700,000 to aid orphans and other vulnerable children in Swaziland. This year, Key Club members are aiming to raise funds to help at-risk children in Uruguay.
For children whose lives are threatened by disease, natural disasters, and war, these funds literally mean the difference between life and death, between illness and health, between despair and a brighter future. In fact, the change collected in those little orange boxes has no doubt contributed to some remarkable news announced just last month.
Despite a crippling recession and the continuing consequences of a global food crisis, we learned in September that the worldwide number of children who die before age five has dropped to about 24,000 per day. That is down from 25,500 three years ago. Perhaps most important is that the decline in child deaths is accelerating. Key Club members and other Trick-or-Treaters all over America should feel proud that they helped make this happen.
An act of service does not have to be big to have a big impact. Sometimes, all it takes is the willingness of one person—no matter how young or old—to believe that he or she has the ability to make the world a better place.
