As Sofia’s parents, we plan to leave her a multifaceted legacy—a business that can sustain her, the gift of a loving extended family, and so much more. Perhaps most important, we want to give her a spirit of giving and teach her to use her voice and her kind heart to make a difference in the lives of others. We want Sofia to succeed in business and in life ... and that includes teaching her how to be a successful philanthropist.
To give our 6-year-old daughter an early start in the world of giving back, we created "Sofia's Kind Heart," an online donation campaign to benefit the charity of her choice.
First, we introduced Sofia to a number of ways to help other people. When she expressed an interest in helping homeless children, we arranged a meeting through Willie Jordan, director of the Fred Jordan Mission, which serves thousands of homeless individuals and families in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles.
Then we established an online donation site and spread the word. Sofia's Kind Heart raised over $5,300, which Sofia proudly presented to Debbie Smith of the Fred Jordan Mission onstage at the Paul Mitchell Schools FUNraising Gala in Beverly Hills on May 21, 2018.
“My name is Sofia and I'm 7 years old. I am using my voice to raise money for the Fred Jordan Mission because I like helping people.”
"We have our kids shadow us at work.
Let's also have them shadow us in our philanthropy world!"
– Winn Claybaugh