Give it away, give it away now

I’ve been working with home schooled writing students for well over a decade, first in the venue of support/enrichment groups, then in classes held in my living room, and finally via e-mail tutorials. One of my favorite assignments is an essay based on the question: “How would you give away a million dollars?” I have a couple of rules: students can’t give this money to a family member – or their own local church; they need to choose at least 3 different destinations for their financial gift (this gets me a structured, classic five-paragraph essay to evaluate); they need to be specific. I tell them, “Don’t just tell me you want to help people in Africa – tell me which country in Africa, tell me which organization located there and what kind of work they do, tell me why you choose this particular organization, and tell me how you expect this organization to use your donation.”

This assignment is based on an editorial I’d read in World magazine in 1999, penned by Marvin Olasky. In it, he details how he’d give away a billion dollars. A billion is a ridiculously unimaginable number, so I scaled back the figure to a nice, manageable million.

I’ve had kids doing this assignment for the last 7 or 8 years – and I’ve read dozens and dozens of these essays during that time. Students have donated their imaginary money to numerous missions agencies, cancer research, homeless shelters, and animal rescue organizations, along with the occasional homeschool basketball team. I’ve had a great time reading these essays, and pushing the kids to dream about giving to others.

So maybe, as we enter this Advent/Christmas season (which tends to be all about getting and buying, as well as eating and eating some more) here’s a daydreaming assignment for YOU:

HOW WOULD YOU GIVE AWAY A MILLION DOLLARS?

I’d love to see your list. Even better, you don’t have to write an essay! Just a list. 🙂

I’ll post mine to get you started: