This holiday season, many families are feeling stretched. Budgets are tight and life is heavy. But changes are happening quietly across the country. More and more Americans are discovering that generosity can be expressed in many languages. According to the Johnson Center on Philanthropy’s 2025 Trends ReportNonprofits are creating new pathways for people through services, mentorship and in-kind support. These opportunities complement traditional philanthropy and together make giving easier than ever.
To us, this evolution makes perfect sense. As mothers, some of the most meaningful gifts we offer are the gifts of time. Late night conversations. A few extra minutes before bed. Moments when our children need comfort or guidance. Time is how we teach our children who we are.
Services work the same way. It connects us. It cures loneliness. It invites us to be part of something bigger than ourselves. It has always been at the heart of our family.
pass realize your dreamA movement led by the King family, we call on Americans to join Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in reaching 100 million hours of community service in 2029, the 100th anniversary of his birth. Not for the numbers, but for the love that these times teach us and our children how to move. The Curry family serves as Achieving the Dream’s chief Dream Ambassadors and is committed to helping lead this mission not only publicly, but also domestically, as they join communities across the country to contribute to this 100 million hour goal.
We witness this power in the following ways eat. study. Play.It is a foundation co-founded by Ayesha and her husband Stephen Curry. Across the city, volunteers transform schoolyards into places where children play, learn and dream. Earlier this fall, more than 300 volunteers worked together to transform the campus of MLK Jr. Elementary School in Oakland. Together we transformed cracked asphalt and aging equipment into a vibrant children’s designed space, complete with new play equipment, sports fields, murals, gardens and outdoor learning areas. In one day, families, teachers, neighbors and partners contributed more than 1,200 volunteer hours, creating a campus that is now used by more than 400 students every day. Nearly 5,000 volunteers have helped transform 23 campuses in recent years as part of wider campus initiatives, and this community will continue to play an important role until every child in Auckland has the campus they deserve.
Parents told us their children couldn’t wait to get to school the next morning. Teachers say students are starting to play together across grade levels in ways they never had before. When family members paint, plant, and build together, they create more than just beautiful spaces. They create a sense of belonging.
The collective giving movement proves that people crave connection. More than three hundred and seventy thousand Americans have contributed more than three billion dollars by pooling their resources, time, and skills. People want service. They want to give in a personal and direct way.
Service doesn’t need to be fussy. You can read with your children in the library. You can help your neighbors. You can provide food at a local shelter. You can donate a toy as a family. You can mentor a teen who needs encouragement. You can support an organization whose mission moves you.
The beauty of this moment is that giving expands rather than replaces. Financial contributions remain vital to sustaining this work. Service brings work to life. Together they create something more powerful than either side would be alone.
Your kids are watching. They will not only remember what you say about kindness, but also how you practice it.
This Giving Tuesday, we want mothers to feel especially empowered to give in the way they know best. By being. Through compassion. Through the support they can provide. Quietly shaping the world through small acts of caring.
Time is a gift that every family has. When we give it freely, we create a culture of service that will take our children far this season.
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