An idea in the works

One of my biggest desires as a parent is for my kids to have a strong sense of empathy and a compassion for others.

Sometimes life gets muddled with the ordinary and mundane schedules of work, school, homework,  baseball, dinner, sleep.  When do we fit in the really important stuff in life?

My kids love going to Awanas, and I love for them to go.  They learn a lot, and it's fun. But I don't feel like we are building community there as kids come from all over town.  I also feel like we are keeping them in a bit of a Christian bubble.  Part of the reason we decided on public school is that we want to be a light in our community. We want to make connections, build community, and show Christ's love to others.

So I've had this idea floating around.  I would love to start an after school club at our elementary school.  A club based on biblical principals, but would be appealing to people from all walks of life.  A club where we teach kids how to care for others above themselves.  I envision doing service projects locally and supporting charities abroad.  I want to open their eyes to the rest of the world, as many have not seen anything beyond our little well-to-do town.

I'm picturing a mix between fundraisers and projects where we can use the money earned to help others.  Making blankets for the homeless or elderly, providing backpacks & PJ's for kids in foster care.  Raising money to dig wells in Africa, provide school supplies for the underprivileged in Oakland.  I want to expose them to different opportunities and see where their hearts lead them.  What ideas can they come up with?

I was thinking "Compassion Club" is cute.  But then I googled it and found this.   It appears that Compassion Clubs are quite popular amongst a certain crowd =(.  Maybe we can bring new meaning to the term!

I have a lot of ideas.

The question is will I make this one come to fruition?