Submitted by Shara Lawrence-Weiss

July is National Make a Difference in Children Month.

Participating in volunteer work, including helping children, has been shown to improve health, mood, life outlook and more.

In what ways can you help children? The options are endless, really. Here are just few ideas:

• Volunteer at a local center that helps teen or single mothers (or fathers)
• Volunteer with your local elementary school
• Help at a soup kitchen for needy families
• Help at church with Sunday School, VBS or another faith-based program
• Locate a service in your area that assists homeless children with school supplies, medical care or social-emotional development
• Volunteer to read for kids at your local library
• Teach classes at a local rec center or community center: arts, crafts, reading, sports, ASL, music, etc.
• Offer your time at the Foundation for the Blind (they often run children's classes)
• Find a local farm that hosts classes for special needs kiddos and volunteer there (horse therapy, etc)

Don't have time to volunteer your time? How about a simple donation?

Have you heard about the Twitter Charity Hats Campaign yet?

Sign up with Mommy Perks to have your business logo hat worn on twitter for one week. In return for a nominal donation to any family-friendly (or child focused) charity, your business will be blogged about and promoted for seven days.

The Twitter Charity Hats Campaign has already been featured on the following sites:

• She Posts
• Bloganthropy
• Learning and Laughter with Louise
• Mommy Perks
• Examiner
• Punflay

View the Charity Hats waiting list here.

Whether you volunteer your time with kids, or join the Twitter Charity Hats Campaign with a donation to a child-friendly non-profit - make the choice to participate in Make a Difference in Children Month. You might even decide to stick with the volunteering long-term...to the bettermeant of your family and emotional well-being.

To the future grown-ups!

For in reality they are not just children, after all. They are future grown-ups. When we view them as such, we can't help but pay attention to the way they are being treated right now - for the here-and-now is impacting their brains and hearts for years to come.

Let's never forget that.

ABOUT the Author:

Shara Lawrence-Weiss is the owner of Mommy Perks, Personal Child Stories, Early Childhood News and Resources and Kids Perks. She has a background in education, early childhood, nanny work, published freelance, marketing and special needs.