Give the Gift That Really Will Keep on Giving

At this time of year, many of thinking of charitable giving. Most of us review the obvious places; homeless shelters and food kitchens, all worthy of course. This year though, I'm thinking a bit outside the box. I have an idea that I hope catches on like it has with a small town charity the Clarkston Education Foundation.

Clarkston is a small town in eastern Washington state, with one public high school, a middle school, and four elementary schools. In the 2000 census (the most recent nationwide demographic data for Clarkston), the town had just over 7K people (although its school system serves communities outside the city limits, so the effective population is larger than that.) 15.5% of families within Clarkston live below the poverty line (almost twice the nationwide average). Only 13.1% of Clarkston's population over 25 has a college degree - compared with 25% nationwide (or 65% in Cambridge, MA).

CEF was created when some local graduates got together to try to improve the educational odds for Clarkston's kids. They started out by providing a scholarship to a high school senior, and they now provide several scholarships each year.

There are thousands of inquisitive, curious, excited kids out there right now, in towns you and I have never heard of, who have what it takes to earn BAs and BSs and PhDs and MDs - they just need some help getting started.

As we enter the season of giving, take a look around your neighborhood and find out if there are similar educational programs for contribution. Your participation doesn't have to be financial. Perhaps you can be a mentor or teachers assistant.

Your gift to education, however it is made, will definitely be the gift that keeps on giving for generations to come.