Reading, Writing,
Arithmetic...And Charity?

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Nov. 18, 2003 -- Reading, writing, arithmetic ... and community service? Nearly six out of 10 parents in the U.S. (58 percent) think community service should be emphasized as much as or more than traditional subjects in their children's schools. However, the best role models are outside the classroom, according to the Doubletree "Caring About America" Survey.

Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of kids polled said parents were their primary teachers about the importance of caring for others, with the majority of parents surveyed encouraging their children to get involved in community service. In fact, 69 percent of parents say they participate in community service with their kids, with nearly four out of ten (38 percent) parents volunteering with their children once a month or more.

According to the survey, parents also can learn a thing or two from their kids when it comes to optimism. More kids (83 percent) than parents (68 percent) think the world we live in is a caring place. Children also are more apt to follow the "golden rule," with nearly half (47 percent) saying they do nice things for others because they would want to be treated the same way.

"It's encouraging to see parents leading the way in teaching our children the importance of giving back to others in their communities," said Betsy Rogers, the 2003 National Teacher of the Year. "Showing kids the difference they can make in the world with even the smallest of gestures is an invaluable life lesson." TOP

Additional survey findings include:

• Why Americans Don't Do More -- Nearly a third (29 percent) of parents don't participate in community service projects with their kids. The top reasons given include being too busy (46 percent) and not having the time or money to give back to their community (23 percent).

• Charitable Giving this Holiday Season -- More than seven out of ten parents plan to give back to the community this holiday season, including donating gifts and/or food to charity (47 percent), volunteering time (15 percent) or donating money (13 percent).

• Being Caring Most Important Trait -- When it comes to the most important trait in a person, both parents and kids agree that it is more important to be a caring person (67 percent) than smart, good looking or rich. TOP

The "Caring About America" survey was conducted in conjunction with Doubletree Hotels Teaching Kids to CARE(TM) community outreach program. More than 130 Doubletree properties across the U.S. and Canada teamed with local schools and youth organizations to introduce more than 4,000 kids ages 6- to 10-years old to the concept of social responsibility in a fun and interactive classroom environment.

At the core of the Doubletree Teaching Kids to CARE program is an educator-approved lesson plan that was designed to encourage kids to begin making conscious decisions about caring and serving their local community. As part of the lesson plan, each student was asked, "If you had 2,003 chocolate chip cookies to give to a special group of people in your community, who would you give them to, and why?" Students were then encouraged to write a short essay about the group they voted for on a "caring cookie," with the cookie essays displayed in each classroom on a specially designed poster. TOP

This week marks the start of the program's "Great Community Cookie Giveaway," during which each of the "kid teams" will have the opportunity to personally give 2,003 fresh baked chocolate chip cookies to each of the groups receiving the most votes in their communities. During the next few weeks, more than 250,000 cookies will be presented to such groups as homeless shelters and food banks, doctors and nurses, orphanages and children's hospitals, as well as the Red Cross, the U.S. Forest Service, firefighters and the police.

Great Community Cookie Giveaway events were kicked off on Monday, with a special celebration in Arlington, Va., just outside of Washington D.C., honoring members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Betsy Rogers, 2003 National Teacher of the Year, attended and participated in the event, which included presentations by the entire second grade class from Hoffman-Boston Elementary School.

Many of the hotels' adopted schools selected the military as their cookie recipients and are even making plans to ship "cookie care packages" to troops currently stationed in Iraq.

TOP