One of the things I want to be sure I do as a parent is to teach my children charitable giving. Caring for the world around us, and people less fortunate, are things that are important to me and I hope will become important to them as well. The American Girl Shine-On Now campaign will make it easy for parents to help their young girls do just that.

What is the Shine-On Now Program?

Sine-On Now is American Girl’s campaign, taking place July 13th- July 31st, that will allow teens and preteens to take part in a charitable giving program to donate a maximum of a million dollars to four different charities. The four charities that American Girl will be supporting are Kids in Distressed Situations, Save the Children, National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions, and National Wildlife Federation.

How Does American Girl’s Shine-On Program Work?

Starting now, girls can sign up as “Ambassadors” for the Shine-On Now Program to start preparing. Visit the American Girl Shine-On Now website and enroll with name and an adult’s email address (kept private of course). Then download the PDF file with more information.

Starting on July 13th, girls can donate stars, free of charge, through the website and American Girl will donate $1 per star on their behalf. Not only will each girl be able to donate 100 stars each day, but she’ll be automatically entered when she does to win an American Girl doll of her own. Speaking if which…Blissfully Domestic will be giving one away during this campaign as well!

What do I Love About This Campaign?

Unlike some charitable campaigns I’ve seen this is not a “buy $1500 and we’ll donate 5 cents” kind of thing, but rather a set amount that is already going to be donated to these charities. What American Girl is doing is a brilliant way for allowing young girls, who often don’t have large amounts of money to spend, to really participate in charitable giving! What a fantastic learning opportunity Shine-On Now is for them, and I think many girls will feel empowered in the process to feel they are making such a difference.

Girls can donate 100 stars per day, each day of the campaign starting July 13th and ending on July 31st. Follow American Girl’s Shine-On Now via Twitter and Facebook for reminders to go and donate stars. Also, stay tuned to Blissfully Domestic in the coming days for more ideas on how to maximize the learning potential for your children in tandem with the Shine-On Now program and details about the American Girl doll giveaway.