It guess it sounded like a good idea on paper: a national campaign to collect clothing donations for homeless youth featuring non-homeless, fully-clothed youth. Except for the part where the clothed youth are supposed to take their clothes off. Sponsored by cell-phone company Virgin Mobile and National Network For Youth (NN4Y), the Strip2Clothe campaign asks young people to make a video of themselves stripping and post it online. Clothing companies then donate new clothes based on the number of times the video is viewed.

This strip-tease idea doesn't sit well with some of the organizations the campaign is intended to benefit. Catholic Charities, among other groups, has complained saying the effort is inappropriate and that it exploits young people. Rebecca Lentz, a spokeswoman for Catholic Charities, is especially horrified because she says that it isn't uncommon for kids who find themselves on the streets to be sexually exploited within days of becoming homeless.

Victoria Wagner, chief executive of NN4Y, says the program is now being re-evaluated. "It's unfortunate it's become so explosive," she said. Unfortunate, indeed, since many of those who are complaining are members of NN4Y and were not informed of the campaign before it kicked off.

To be fair, the rules for video submission stipulate that there is to be no full nudity and the videos I viewed were in no way risque. Like it or not, the campaign appears to be going quite well - the site reports close to 150,000 donations so far.

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Nicole Kidman may be debuting pics of her new baby soon, but if she does so, it won't be for cash. The Oscar winner and her country music star husband, Keith Urban, recently welcomed Sunday Rose into the world. According to reports, they've been debating about whether to share their joy in picture format.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, if they do release pics, it won't be for a lot of money. In fact, the Australian paper is reporting, if pictures are released it will be for free.

As we all know, the Jolie-Pitt twins pictures will be worth between $15 and $20 million. The money has reportedly been earmarked for charity. Hollywood stars have had a long tradition of selling pictures of their children to publications like People and OK Magazine for hefty sums. Nice to see the Kidman Urban tribe isn't willing to share their joy only if there's payment involved.

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Celebrities, by their very nature, crave attention. Some of them can't seem to get enough of it and go to great lengths to make sure they stay in the public eye (see Britney Spears). But some famous people keep their private lives private and quietly go about being wonderful people without drawing attention to themselves. One such celebrity is actor Kirk Douglas.

For eleven years, the 91-year-old Douglas and his wife Anne have been giving their time and money to make sure that school kids in Los Angeles have a fun and safe place to play. Through the Anne and Kirk Douglas Playground Award, the Hollywood old-timer and his wife have supported the creation of 401 public school playgrounds. For each dedication, Douglas takes a trip down the brand new slide. "What nobody acknowledges is that every dedication I risk my life," he jokes. "I'm getting too old for this."

Douglas says the inspiration for their philanthropic work came from his German wife's desire to give back to her adopted country. "When we got married, she was very anxious to become a citizen. And when she became a citizen she felt: 'I had to do something for my new country.' "

The Douglas' have given back in many other ways - through the Douglas Foundation, they built a homeless shelter for women and created the Anne Douglas Center for Women - but Kirk says that the playgrounds have been his most important work. "Let's face it: The world is in a mess and young people are going to inherit that mess. So we should do all we can to help them," he says.

The Douglas' are now stepping down from the Playground Award but hope others will continue the work. "The program could benefit the entire country," Douglas says. "I think every individual should take a more personal action about their surroundings."

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Do you give? When are were you taught to do so as a child? Do your children? But, how exactly do we create a culture of giving in the home?

It doesn't start the way I think about it--that scene from Mommy Dearest where Mommy makes Christina give all her presents from her birthday to the needy children, except for one. After a struggle she is allowed to keep two presents, but not without building in resentment. So how does one do it, the right way?

Well, the tips provided by MSN Lifestyle's Home Sweet Home are a good start. Kid getting a new toy? How about encouraging him or her to part with an older one (still in good condition, only gently loved or used). Do the same with clothes. Also mentioned is to demonstrate giving by buying a few extra canned goods for a food drive when doing the regular grocery shopping. Giving, like anything else, it says, is a habit--something that is formed over time with repetition.

Another suggestion is to take cash--from presents or allowance--and split it into savings, charity and personal spending money. Now there's a way to teach kids about money! If only my parents had employed that. I did have a piggy bank, but this is totally different. They did always give to charity and to our church though. An addendum to that tip is to match the gift that your child makes. Now that would be something!

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After all the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, the day has finally arrived. The living room is awash in wrapping paper and holiday music is playing on the stereo. The turkey is in the oven and the smells of my mother's good cooking fill the house. I am warm and happy surrounded by those I love so much and I hope you are, too.

In the spirit of the holiday, I've combed the Parent Dish archives for examples of average children doing exceptional things in the name of giving. In no particular order, here are my favorites.

• To honor her grandfather's memory, this ten-year-old girl spent the first 25 days of December living as her grandfather did, making a difference by giving selflessly of herself and inspiring others to do the same.

• Another ten-year-old, this time a boy named Zach Bonner, walked 280 miles to raise awareness and money for homeless children.

• These five seniors from Lake Fenton High School in Michigan declined the honor of being nominated for homecoming king so that another student could. That other student was Eli Florence, a sophomore in the late stages of leukemia.

• This group of students at the Cathedral School in Portland, Maine raised over $1000 during the course of a year to pay for their annual class trip. But after being inspired by a visit from Sister Lisa Velntini, the kids decided to give up their trip and instead donate the money to aid poor families in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

• And finally, I had to include this one because it's my own Ellie doing something wonderfully selfless. For her birthday this year, instead of gifts, she asked party guests to bring donations for our local animal shelter. She not only collected much-needed supplies for homeless animals, she also inspired several of her friends to do something similar at their birthday parties.

With their hearts so firmly planted in the right place, these children have inspired me and given me hope for the future of the world that our children will inherit. May your heart be filled with the spirit of giving as well. Merry Christmas!

Every year about this time, our local newspaper publishes a list of children in need. The list gives information on the child's sex, age and a few things he or she should would like to receive for Christmas. These are children who otherwise might not receive anything at all and the list is heartbreakingly long.

This weekend Ellie and I went over the list and chose a girl about her age to shop for. We do this every year and Ellie enjoys choosing and wrapping the gifts to give to a child she's never met. And while it makes me happy to make a small difference in a child's life, somehow the experience always leaves me feeling a bit sad. Giving gifts to underprivileged children is a good thing, but it just doesn't seem like enough.

This year, I am trying to find a way of giving back that involves more than shopping. And I want Ellie to participate. Talking about children who have very little is one thing, actually seeing these children is another. I not only want to instill in Ellie the desire to give back, I want her to understand just how fortunate she is for all that she has. Does your family have a tradition of charitable giving this time of year? How do you give back?

Ellie's school will soon hold it's annual fund raising event. For several weeks now, I've been getting emails and notes from the organizers of the event begging parents to help out by volunteering. I happily signed up and am looking forward to seeing all the little kids and their families having fun at the harvest-themed festival.

It is clear by their pleas for help that Ellie's school is having trouble rounding up parents willing to volunteer. Perhaps they should follow the lead of Brooklyn's Puppetry Art Theatre, who also needed a little help with their second annual Haunted Halloween Carnival Benefit. For their costume party, this arts program for inner-city kids has enlisted the assistance of a half-dozen dancers from Scores, a local gentleman's club. In other words, strippers will be manning the booths and handing out the candy.

The women won't come dressed in their usual flirty attire, of course. 19-year-old Natalie Fretwell says she will leave her police officer getup at home and instead dress a cat or a devil. "I'm not going to be inappropriate or exposed," she says. Another dancer who goes by the stage name Sophia says she is motivated to do this as a way of giving back to the community.

What is most surprising about this is that at least some parents don't seem at all bothered by the idea of the strippers' involvement in the program. "As long as they keep their clothes on I don't see the problem," said Aileen Reyes. "As long as they dress as witches - not sexy witches - my 10-year-old can go."

This isn't the first time the women of Scores have tried to help out local causes. Last Christmas, they were turned down by dozens of charities when they tried to help raise money for needy women and children. Says Elda Auerbach, who works in promotions for Scores, "We're very glad to have the chance to help out. Lots of people who work here have kids and they want to help out kids who are less fortunate."

via iBreeder

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Angelina Jolie may take a lot of heat for stealing a husband and spending tons of cash on her daughter's handbag, but you cannot deny that she is making a positive difference in the lives of children all over the world. At the Clinton Global Initiative 2007 Annual Meeting Jolie announced a commitment by the The Education Partnership for Children of Conflict to educate more than 1 million children around the world whose lives have been damaged by conflict.

Jolie is a co-founder of the Partnership, along with Gene Sperling, of the Center for Universal Education on the Council on Foreign Relations. This commitment from 19 organizations and individuals in 15 countries represents a total of $148 million dollars to be spent improving educational opportunities for these children.

Through the partnership's commitment, 350,000 children in conflict-affected regions will have the opportunity to attend school. Another 690,000 children will benefit from improved learning environments, safety, materials and teacher quality. 200,000 Iraqi refugee children will be assisted and more than 300,000 children affected by the Darfur genocide will be aided.

Wow. I am way impressed with what this woman is doing with her life. Her compassion and willingness to give of herself is to be admired. And old Slick Willie isn't doing too bad himself.

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Last week I wrote about an auction Will Ferrell was hosting, in which he invited the world to bid for a part in his new movie, Step Brothers. It was intended to raise money for a friends' cancer-charity, and, now that the bidding has come to close, it appears the stunt was incredibly successful.

The winner bid $47,100 (more than $42,000 over the starting bid) -- all of which will go to the Cancer for College foundation.

What makes this story even better, is that the winner (who wishes to remain anonymous), won't appear in the movie -- but instead purchased the role for his 10-year-old son. Now the boy will not only get to be in a scene with Ferrell, but will also meet the actor later today, at a Cancer for College golf tournament.

Ferrell was "overwhelmed with the response and generosity," the winner feels "fortunate that my 10-year-old son and I are able to participate," and I feel all warm and fuzzy on a Friday. This is awesome!

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Thanks to his hysterical perfmorances, that amazing toddler landlord video, and the time he appeared at the Golden Globe awards with his wife's breast pump, I was already a big Will Ferrell fan. But now I think the father of two is even more awesome, as he's auctioning off a role in his upcoming movie to raise money for a cancer charity.

The movie is Step Brothers, in which Ferrell and John C. Reiley become absurdly competitve once their parents get married, and the two become stepbrothers. The auction is on eBay, where the current bid is a whopping $19,000, and closes in about 6 days.

No news on what your role in the movie would be -- only that you'd get to be in a scene with Ferrell himself -- which is reason enough to bid, in my opinion (assuming you have 30 grand or so to donate to charity). Plus, you'd get to hang out with the superstar at the charity banquet where they'll announce the winner. How cool is that?

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I live in a neighborhood full of school children. They often come to my door selling things to raise money for their schools and I usually buy something just to help them out. But what they are selling is rarely something I need or want. By the end of the school year, I am all stocked up on wrapping paper, calendars and chocolate.

The whole concept of selling door to door has been around for a while, but those days may be numbered. An online shopping program offers cash back rewards on your purchases to be donated to your favorite cause. Even if your favorite cause is your own bank account.

iBakeSale was designed specifically for local community fund raising, with hundreds of participating online retailers, including the Disney Store, Macy's and Wal-Mart. The online stores offer cash back rewards up to 20% on every purchase. You choose where that money goes - back onto your credit card or to a community group or charity of your choice. As far as the charities, you can donate to one already registered on the site or add your own. Invite your friends to join and let them shop for your cause, too.

It's free and I think it's a great idea. I shop online anyway and this way I can support my community while buying things I actually want.

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She made a name for herself as Lois on TV's "Malcom in the Middle," but now Jane Kaczmarek uses her name to help other people. As the founder of Clothes Off Our Backs, Jane encourages celebrities to donate clothes and goods to auction in order to help children's charities.

The mom of three was gracious to give Parent Dish a call in the early afternoon, just after finishing her lunch.

"I couldn't stand seeing all the waste that happened in Hollywood," said Jane in regards to starting a charity. "All these clothes, shoes, purses that people wear. It gets photographed on the red carpet and it never gets worn again. I was starting to work with a lot of children's charities and thought 'Gee, wouldn't this be a great way to raise money for children's charities?'"

Jane and her husband, Bradley Whitford, started calling celebrity friends and Clothes Off Our Back was created. The organization is a nonprofit and the proceeds all go to groups that help with children's issues, such as Cure Autism Now or the Children's Defense Fund.

Jane, who lives in Pasadena, California, likes to point out at how far a dollar can go to help a child. She refers to the dress Jennifer Aniston auctioned in 2002 that sold for $50,000. That money was used to immunize 50,000 children in Africa.

"I went to a Dodger's game the other night," said Jane, who drives a Honda Civic and whose children share a room. "Beers are ten dollars. Everyone was buying them. I thought 'man, people can afford ten dollars for a beer? Do you know what kind of food that could buy for people in Darfur?' It's amazing what people will spend money on in America."

The charity doesn't end when she leaves her office, however. She and Bradley's three children have also gotten in on the act, thanks in part to being raised outside of the typical Los Angeles celebrity hubbub. Instead of the traditional birthday parties with gifts, the birthday child chooses a charity, which attendees are encouraged to make checks out to.

"You can't believe how much you can raise at a birthday party," she said. "Smile Train does cleft palette repairs for children in the developing world. $250 changes a kid's face, which gives them a life."

She encourages parents to introduce children to a variety of ways to help others. From visiting an eldery neighbor or reading a book at a school to donating allowance money to organizations such as Heifer International, there are many ways to help.

"You can buy livestock for people around the world," she said. "Goats, bees, bunnies; I used to get a water buffalo every year from FOX for Christmas when I did 'Malcom in the Middle.' I always said I was the only actress in Hollywood that got livestock as a Christmas present."

In the past three years, Sunkist has given away more than 14,000 lemonade stands, recipe cards and juicer kits to kids across the country to encourage them to raise money for charities. The encouragement has worked; an estimated $1.5 million has been raised by the kids who have received these free stands. The money has gone to such worthy causes as the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund, American Red Cross, American Cancer Society and March of Dimes.

This year, Sunkist is planning to give away 10,000 stands as part of the first ever "Take a Stand Day." From June 21st through the first weekend of summer, kids across the U.S. and Canada will join together in selling lemonade for their favorite causes.

"Take a Stand Day is set to become a national symbol that encourages kids to take the time to help others in their community," said Robert Verloop, Vice President of Marketing for Sunkist Growers.

Kids between the ages of 7 and 12 years can apply online at the Sunkist website to receive a free stand by selecting a charity of their choice and writing a short pledge. The website also includes information on how to run a successful stand as well as safety tips for young entrepreneurs. There are also lots of yummy lemonade recipes and a link to download printable signs to attract customers.

Sunkist has pledged to match all lemonade stand donations up to $50,000. If you don't manage to get one of the free stands, you can still participate in "Take a Stand Day" by purchasing a stand or making your own. Either way, it's a great way to help kids learn about the importance of giving back and helping others.

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A New York area soup kitchen was in dire straits after a $20,000 annual grant from a large US food and beverage company was cancelled. That was enough to close the place down -- until Liz Feller showed up. At only ten years old, she couldn't replace the whole $20k, but she certainly did more than her share.

Starting with $60 in birthday money, she earned more than $800 more by selling handmade beaded jewelry to friends, her mother's co-workers, and members of her church. Her donation of $863 was the single largest in a fund-raising campaign that garnered around $34,000. She felt that the $60 she got for her birthday was too much for a child to spend on herself and started looking for ways to put it to good use. She came up with the idea to buy beads, make jewelry, and sell it to raise money for the soup kitchen. It seems to have worked out well.

"Think about what she could do with that money -- she could buy a plasma TV for her bedroom or something," said her pastor, Rev. Douglas Leonard. "It kinda puts us to shame, anybody who says they can't do much this year. If you have the will and the heart to do this, you can." It's nice to hear about a kid making a difference and not being greedy. I have to admit, it would never have occurred to me that $60 would be too much for me to spend; I could blow that in a matter of minutes. Kudos to Liz for making better use of it!

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On a recent drive to work I heard a wonderful idea on the radio that involves teaching our children not only to save money, but to help others. The idea is to designate a change receptacle where each family member deposits their spare change at the end of each day. If the effort is started in January, a decent sum of money can be accumulated by the following December. Both parents and children can then decide whether to donate the money to a certain charity or to purchase gifts to give to those in need.

I love this idea. Not only can it show children how much money can be saved by setting aside spare change, it teaches them to think about the importance of giving to those less fortunate throughout the year. I plan to start a giving jar in our family in hopes of having a gift to share next December.

What about you? Do you have this sort of tradition in your family?