Heart-Mind Newsletter: Teaching the Gift of Giving and Heart-Mind Workshops


How Edith Lando's Legacy of Giving has Been Gifted to
Her Family

Every year, Edith Lando’s grandchildren are encouraged to think about a Canadian charity to support with money given to them by their family. Their grandmother, Edith Lando, a philanthropist dedicated to fostering children’s self-esteem through her charitable foundation, started this tradition of family giving. Her passion was helping people, especially children; develop to their fullest potential. When she turned 65, Edith decided she would send a portion of her pension cheque every month to one of her ten grandchildren. She only required that they put her gift to good use, and give half of the amount received to a cause they believed in. “One of my kids, when he was a teen, got $20 bills, went to the Downtown Eastside and just handed the money out to people he felt needed it,” remembers Roberta, one of Edith’s four children. “He felt really good about that.”

Since Edith’s death in 2003, Roberta and her three siblings have managed the family Foundation, and have also continued the tradition of intergenerational giving. They have now included Edith’s thirteen great-grandchildren in the program, who range in ages from 2 to 19. When a grandchild turns 10, he or she receives $100; that amount increases to $500 when they are 16, and $1,000 when they reach 21. Children may choose to support any cause that appeals to their heart, as long as it is a registered Canadian charity. “It is interesting how their interests change,” Roberta notes. “One of them gave to the SPCA and one was inspired by a basketball player who created an organization to help kids at risk. Another was very interested in literacy and reading so she gave to a library program that promotes literacy for kids at risk. Another has given to a senior citizens’ home,” she says.      “There is a lot of variation.”

Roberta fondly remembers how her parents inspired her to give to others who were less fortunate than her. “We grew up in an atmosphere of giving. We learned by experiencing,” she says. “My parents were always very involved in the community. I remember when Ugandan refugees came to Canada in the 1970s, my mother volunteered to help them with whatever they needed.  And at the end of the day she just told us about what she did. It was not a presentation, it was part of daily life.”

Today Roberta strongly believes intergenerational giving is a great model that parents can easily implement with their own children. “It is really quite easy to do and a lot of people can benefit from it,“ she says. Children can relate to money, and when you teach them about giving, they realize that things they want are not automatically granted and many people have very little. “It makes them think about the idea of giving. It is an awareness that is created for them and they often can see some tangible results,” Roberta says. For example one of Roberta’s grandchildren, who is 12, sings in a boys’ choir and has decided to give money to support a child who could not afford the choir otherwise.

The other great benefit about this model is that everybody can talk about it. The children discuss the charities they are supporting with their friends, parents and grandparents. ”It becomes a focus of conversation for all of us. We can talk about who the kids give to and why,” says Roberta. “It is an intergenerational thing to do.”

Currently the Edith Lando Charitable Foundation is an important funding partner of the Dalai Lama Center's Heart-Mind in Schools Initiative, an initiative that aims to develop an effective, research informed model for integrating Heart- Mind Well- Being in BC Schools.   

For more information on the Edith Lando Charitable Foundation, please visit: http://www.edithlando.com

                                                                         Edith Lando

Bringing Heart-Mind Well-Being to Northern BC

 

DLC’S President & CEO  Fiona Douglas-Crampton and Program Director Kareen Hudson were delighted to be invited to attend the Spark Women’s Leadership Conference in Fort St John this May. Spark is designed to provide professional development to enhance the career path of the female workforce in Northern BC.

While in Fort St. John Fiona and Kareen had the opportunity to engage in discussions with the community about bringing Heart-Mind Well-Being to Fort St John. They met with representatives from School District 60, Aboriginal Business Council, Rotary Club, Child Development Center, Treaty 8 Tribal, Child Resource and Referral Program, Chamber of Commerce, Northern Lights College, and the Family Friendly Coalition.  Additional meetings have taken place in Vancouver with the Community Development Institute at University of Northern BC, Northern Health and the Mayor of Fort St John.

A key objective of these meetings was engaging in a consultation process with key stakeholders to determine level of need and interest in offering HMWB programming in Northern BC, with a focus on Fort St John as an initial pilot community site.   

We are currently in the process of analysing our learning from these informative meetings to determine next steps and timelines for advancing our work in Northern BC.  Overall we were met with great enthusiasm and assurance that the HMWB Framework is not only relevant, but much needed within various contexts of Northern BC’s children and youth’s lives. We will be following up with several key contacts to explore potential dates for workshops and conference presentations for the Fall 2018.

HEART-MIND WELL-BEING WORKSHOPS


Would you like to know more about the workshops that the Dalai Lama Center offers and how you can attend a workshop or book one for your organization?

Visit our website here to find out more about the series of Heart-Mind Workshops that we offer. Since introducing our Heart-Mind Signature Workshop in 2014, we have developed five additional workshops: Focus on AdolescenceCaring for YouHeart-Mind in SchoolsParenting; and Secure and Calm

Our Heart-Mind workshop helps build capacity in organizations and communities to promote the Heart-Mind well-being of children and youth. 

REGISTER FOR OUR JUNE 12TH
HEART-MIND WORKSHOP 

This workshop is our foundational workshop where we share current research, best practices and practical strategies related to the promotion of social and emotional development in children, youth and adults.

In this Heart-Mind workshop we explore the Heart-Mind Well-Being Framework that graphically defines what the DLC means by the term ‘Heart-Mind well-being'. You will learn about how each of the five qualities develops in children, and how you can influence their positive development. 
Register Now
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PO Box 3662, Station Terminal
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