A New Effort Intends to Teach Kids of All Ages About Ways to Help Others

A new charity seeks to help children, even preschoolers, make their mark on the world through volunteering.

GenerationOn, an effort announced in October by the Points of Light Institute, in Washington, is being supported by a $5-million donation from the Hasbro Children’s Fund, the philanthropic division of the Pawtucket, R.I., toymaker. The gift will be distributed over five years.

The program, which will be international in scope, “will be the platform for all youth-service and community organizations to work together to help kids discover their potential through the transformative power of service,” says Michelle Nunn, chief executive of the Points of Light Institute.

Lesson Plans

GenerationOn will combine the efforts of several youth-service charities, including Children for Children, the League, Learning to Give, and Kids Care Clubs. The new organization, with headquarters in New York, will focus on school-age children from pre-kindergarten all the way through high school. GenerationOn’s Web site already includes some 1,400 service and philanthropic lesson plans for all grade levels. The Web site also includes suggestions for hands-on projects for young volunteers.

The charity is responding to a growing interest among parents of young children who want to introduce their kids to community service, says Kathy Saulitis, GenerationOn’s interim associate executive director.

“We say that you’re never too young to volunteer,” says Ms. Saulitis. “Parents are really interested in getting their kids involved and volunteering alongside their kids.”

Brian Goldner, chief executive officer of Hasbro Inc., said that he hopes that the gift from the Hasbro Children’s Fund will encourage more children to volunteer. Says Mr. Goldner, “There are so many kids participating in service programs already, and our goal is to raise the visibility—celebrating their great work—and make it easy for others to do the same.”