GRAND Magazine - September/October 2016 - 24

grand legacy

CONNECT WITH GRAND

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Does the Witkovsky family have a motto?

According to the grandkids, it's this: "Always leave your campsite better
than you found it." Through the years, it's come to have a much deeper
meaning than the admonition of a long-ago camp director (me) about
picking up trash, not disturbing the environment, and leaving the grounds
in excellent condition for the next people who will want to enjoy them.
It's about being a caring citizen of the world, who leaves it a better place than
when you came aboard. The broader concept is about inspiring a culture of
philanthropy, but it starts at home. How do you contribute to your family, your
school, your community, so that all are better because you have been there.

How we reinforced our motto

For our family, we included a discussion of values in one of our early
three-generation family meetings (which included grandkids, parents, and
grandparents, usually twice a year when we are all together for holidays).
Inspiring a culture of giving or caring can be on all scales. Even at a young
age, small children may feel the joy of helping another child, by selecting
clothes or toys to donate to another child. Families can volunteer together
during the year to help pack and deliver supplies to families in need around
the holidays, from the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah (in October this
year), to Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Always leave your campsite better
than you found it.

And, never under estimate the power of one child or teenager to make a
difference. Exponent Philanthropy has a conference in September and many
resources to help get teens started. And, "kid" philanthropy is not always
kid-sized-some raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for their cause.
Leaving your campsite better than you found it also means volunteering,
or even standing up for what's right-embracing the power of one person
to always be accountable and proud of your own character.
For example, cyber-bullying has been a problem at some schools. Start
24 GRAND

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2016

a conversation about it with your grandchildren, help them role play and
model conversations so that they will have the words to stand up for someone who is being bullied, or let them know you are a trusting adult to come
to if they see that someone is being bullied.

Seek out reinforcements

Sharon Morton, affectionately known as "Bubba Sharon," grandmother
to five herself, founded Grandparents for Social Action as a way to
"educate and engage seniors to do social action; empower the youth
to be lifelong philanthropists and social activists; and to create a legacy
from one generation to another." Morton has created projects and
spoken around the globe on this topic and says grandparents can take
young children along to grocery shop for an elderly or sick neighbor;
middle schoolers and grandparents can visit a shelter together; older
children can make books on tape for a children's hospital. "You're never
too young or too old to start or be exposed to social action and helping
others," Sharon says.

A legacy of good citizenship

Our family phrase, "always leave your campsite better than you found it,"
is one that is at the core of good citizenship. Knowing that you have the
ability to impact everything you touch, and using that power for good.
It's my hope that each of my grandchildren, in his or her utterly unique way,
will strive to do just that in one form or another. And that I will have helped
them do so, in some small way - like the grandparents who are fondly remembered in the charming stories above and in the hearts of their grandchildren.
What are your family's secret codes or go-to phrases? What
values do you share together?

Buy the book
www.TheGrandestLove.com

Create a culture of Teaching-and-Learning

Enter their world, at any age

A long-time social work professional, grandparenting activist,
and passionate Grandpa, author Jerry Witkovsky offers fresh
approaches to help grandparents enter their grandchild's
world, to leave values, not just valuables, and thereby create
a living legacy. www.thegrandestlove.com.
Teach values. Create a living legacy

https://www.facebook.com/GRANDmagazine/ https://www.twitter.com/grandMmagazine https://www.pinterest.com/GRANDmagazine2/ https://plus.google.com/114746402480325356757 http://www.thegrandestlove.com/ http://www.grandparentsforsocialaction.org/ http://www.TheGrandestLove.com https://www.facebook.com/The-Grandest-Love-1392880087634120/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel https://www.twitter.com/TheGrandestLove https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHGq2c-BkROzz2SYAm74CLg https://grandestlove.wordpress.com/ http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?llr=wbk7dzqab&p=oi&m=1117534431286&sit=xpbvwrzib&f=3ecfe31a-749b-418b-ab5f-fbbfe9aea94c https://grandestlove.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/teaching-learning-and-intergenerational-family-meetings/ http://www.exponentphilanthropy.org/resources/by-topic/family-philanthropy/teen-philanthropy http://www.listverse.com/2011/01/27/10-great-philanthropists-who-are-kids/ http://www.thegrandestlove.com/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - September/October 2016