In the spirit of change, we’re spreading the word on a new birthday idea: give to a charity of the birthday boy/girl’s choice instead of adding more “stuff” to the pile. A recent NY Times article talks about this new trend:

In part to teach philanthropy and altruism, and in part as a defense against swarms of random plastic objects destined to clutter every square foot of their living space, a number of families are experimenting with gift-free birthday parties, suggesting that guests donate money or specified items to the charity of the child’s choice instead.

Some examples of these youthful charity givers:

•  Gavin Brown of Cranford, NJ gave the Cranford Fire Department $240 on his 4th birthday.
• Annie Knapp of Milford, NJ collected $675 at her Sweet 16 for Heifer International, which provide livestock to poor families
• Zachary Greene, who lives in the Chicago suburbs, turned 8 in November surrounded by books that his friends brought for a local reading program.
• Jack Knapp in Randolph, NJ turned 6 and got his grandparents to lug a 50-pound bag of kibble to his party for the local animal shelter.

Davida Isaacson, a principal with Myerberg Shain & Associates, a fund-raising consulting firm, says that no-gift parties are one prong of a growing movement to involve even the youngest children in philanthropy. Some parents match children’s charitable donations dollar for dollar, she said, while others invite them to research causes and help decide which ones to support.

ADB says kudos to a trend that does not reek of excess.