It’s fun and pretty easy but you should have help from an adult with spray painting and you might go dotty doing the dots like my Mom did when she was helping me. It’s a little messy, so take care and clean up after. Have fun. This way you can collect spare change for the homeless and help them.

1. Collect junior baby food jars.
   
   
2. Spray paint the entire jar red. You may need more than one coat. Do this in a safe place with lots of air and no sparks or fire. Get your Mom or Dad to help with this part.
   
   
3. Dip a Q-tip in black acrylic paint and dot sides of jar.
   
   
4. Paint lids with black paint to look like a ladybug.
   
   
5. When dry, wrap a black pipe cleaner around jar lid and twist to look like ladybug antennae.
   
   
6. On the antennae pipe cleaner, attach a message that says “Help us makeChange™ for our Homeless”.
   
   
7. Take your jar to kind people and teach them about the needs of the homeless. Ask them to fill the jar, deposit the coin into their bank account and mail a check to The Ladybug Foundation
   
   
8. Take your jar and fill it again.

Kids can support The Ladybug Foundation in so many ways. Start your own project at school or church, or in any of your activity groups, or just yourself or among your friends, to help Hannah help the hungry and homeless! Some kids have done the following kinds of things:

• Ladybug Jars
• Lemonade Stand
• Bake sales
• Art Sales
• Used toy sales
• Hoops for the homeless
• Playing music
• Selling popcorn, licorice or cookies (like Ladybug cookies)
• Fun races
• Birthday parties
• School dances – have a sock hop! (Everyone brings 3 pairs of socks to donate to your local shelter.)

You could promote The Ladybug Foundation Scarf Campaign and wear a red scarf on National Red Scarf Day – January 31st!

It can be whatever you can think of that is fun and safe. Get help from your parents or teacher. Remember, it’s very important to raise awareness about the homeless and what they need, so make that part of your project, too.

Let’s get creative!! Together we can makeChange™.

Here is how one school in Edmonton has helped make big change.

June 2006! My first contact with The Ladybug Foundation! What inspired me to pursue this venture? The humble and kind heart of a ten-year-old who had figured out life more than I had, six times her senior. This young gal could, and would, teach me more about life than I could ever imagine!

By October, 2006, staff, students and parents at Ecole Greenview school became aware of Hannah’s vision for the less fortunate. With some very basic teaching, some very basic stories of how Hannah had made a difference in the lives of so many, and the knowledge that our little school COULD make a small difference, our journey began! Not only did our students become advocates for helping others, but so did our entire community!

Greenview became partners with Hope Mission and the Youth Emergency Shelter Society, and, by June, 2007, had provided in excess of $6,000 in food and shelter for these organizations. A gentleman living at Hope Mission, and a young man living at the Youth Shelter, spoke to our students at different assemblies, sharing their stories, but also thanked the community and acknowledged the assistance from the students, penny by penny into the ladybug jars.

The highlight of the year was organizing an afternoon to share our journey with other schools, and having Hannah as the guest speaker. Hannah’s sincere and compelling vision inspired everyone even more, and we were determined to continue to help the less fortunate with Greenview’s Ladybug journey.

As a staff, we noticed, very soon in our journey, a great difference in the attitudes of our students. A penny found on the playground could cause a huge tussle, trying to see WHO would put it in a ladybug jar. Money for do-nut day would be put into the ladybug jars instead of getting that second do-nut. Allowances would find their way into the jars. Our students quickly became aware that right here in Edmonton, there are many children who are less fortunate than them, and they wanted to make a CHANGE!

As a teacher, I have been over-whelmed with the generosity of children who have a genuine interest and care for others. I have been amazed at the difference in attitudes of these students – sincere, caring and so willing to be sharing with others! The Ladybug Foundation, and what it stands for, has made a huge impact on my own personal life, and my attitude toward others less fortunate. I can only thank Hannah for that!

Linda Horvath

Ladybug Cookies

1 cup margarine
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 TBS corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups flour (or enough to make a dough you can roll out with a rolling pin)

Beat together margarine,sugar,eggs corn syrup and vanilla. Mix in baking soda and flour. Chill 2 hours. Roll 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Decorate with red icing and chocolate chips for dots on your ladybug!

Talk to your teacher or school about using makeChange™: The Ladybug Foundation Education Program for your grade. To learn about makeChange™, click here.