EatSmart fans will continue to select each Charity of the Month in 2013. Fans will submit short stories about the charity’s mission and why it’s meaningful to them. We began our Charity of the Month donations in 2011. To kick off the new year, loyal EatSmart Fan, Jen Crum selected Champions for Kids. We will be donating 50 cents for every new Facebook LIKE during the month of January. (So spread the word!) Read why Jen picked Champion for Kids: Have you heard of Champions for Kids? This organization has an amazing vision for creating a culture of change in our world. They aim to train and mobilize people to be champions, creating change in the lives of children in their own communities and around the world. What is their motivational goal? To mobilize 20 million people by the year 2020! Are you familiar with Champions for Kids? Is it at work in your community? Are you interested in partnering with Champions for Kids to make a difference in the lives of the children and families around you? One of my favorite things about Champions for Kids is that they encourage people to get involved even in “SIMPLE service projects”. These are things that cost very little - and sometimes nothing. Did you know that you can improve the lives of others for free? It’s true that volunteering to read in a classroom can help the life of a child, or several. Sending a package of crackers to a daycare (whether your children attend or not) may help the entire student body! This organization is close to my heart for a couple of reasons. First of all, I’ve got kids. I have three beautiful little boys and I want the world for them. I want to do all I can to make this world healthy for their friends and the other kids around them. I do not want them to grow up in fear or in need. We also are part of the 20% of families that “live in poverty”. We get by and we do fine with the money we have, but there are times that life is difficult. Although we do not have a lot, we have plenty - but we very well may be an exception. I am certain that many of our neighbors are living without enough food day to day. Many of the children on our street live with very few of the luxuries we have been blessed with. I have also had the honor of working with children in a unique capacity. I served for 4 years as a “youth care worker” at a children’s home. Yes, they do still exist. I cared for young boys who had been removed from their homes after suffering physical, mental, emotional, and especially sexual abuse. I want the world to be different for boys like these. For a short time my husband and I had the privilege of caring for 2 of these children in our own home. We were blessed to be champions for these boys and I pray that as they grow others will bless them. Are you a champion for the children in your community? Even now as I am writing, I am thinking again about the ways that I can better serve those around me. How can you make a difference in the lives of those in your neighborhood? in your town? in your state? Take some time and explore the Champions for Kids website and consider joining forces as one of the 20 million!

Click here and EatSmart will help donate:

About Jenn: I am the wife to an amazing man; mama of 3 sweet boys, blog at Life with my Boys, and work seasonally as a program director at a fantastic church camp. I love sharing adventures with my family and watching my sweet little guys grow.

If interested in submitting a charity for consideration, please email karen@eatsmartproducts.com. The donation amount will be capped at 500 new followers/likes.