Disclaimer: I received product in order to facilitate this review. 

Share BIG Dreams this Holiday Season with Gifts that Change Lives!

With the way that the holidays have been so commercialized it’s easy to forget the true meaning behind our celebrations. We get caught up in the “gifts” part of celebrations that we give without thought. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if your gift could be more than just a gift? What if it could make a bigger impact, well guess what…it CAN! Each year World Vision offers a Gift catalog allowing you to make a difference with your gifts and helps to remind us of the true gift we were given. This is a lengthy review but well worth reading, so please bear with me.

As a blogger I’ve been blessed to receive a lot of wonderful food, drinks, toys, kitchen gadgets, and beauty products to review on My Silly Little Gang. Recently I was sent a set of beautiful Hand-Carved Serving Spoons. This set had such an effect on me, it went beyond the beauty of the craftsmanship it went to the meaning of what having this meant. It had such an immediate effect on me, that the effect hasn’t left and honestly I don’t believe it ever will.

First let me tell you a little about World Vision (although I’m sure you’ve heard about them) World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that aims to make an impact in the lives of people everywhere, especially for the children. They fight against poverty and injustice in nearly 100 countries regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. They help provide clean water, food, and education. They actually “demonstrate God’s unconditional love for all his people” . Since it began in 1996, the World Vision Gift Catalog has grown in popularity as a gift-giving alternative; in the last fiscal year alone more than 186,000 donors purchased more than 475,000 items that raised over $33.7 million. Aren’t those numbers amazing, I love it! Before I tell you why the set of hand carved spoons is such an amazing choice in gifts and why holding the handmade items brought tears to my eyes, let me tell you a little bit about how the gift catalog works, and how by buying something extra-special for someone you love, you can touch the life of someone you’ve never met.

Take a look at this video about the World Vision Catalog:

Amazing, right? Here are just  a few examples of what handcrafted gifts you can choose and their cost to you.

World Vision also has options if you want to give directly to those in need. Take a look at these examples:

Let me tell you a little more about my set of hand crafted serving spoons. When I took the serving spoons out of their beautiful packaging, I was immediately attracted to the smooth design, the natural colors of the wood and the simplistic beauty of them as a whole. I love that these would make a perfect gift for holiday entertaining, as each set of olive wood serving spoons comes complete with a hand-sewn fabric bag and is ready right out of the box. But it was the knowledge that these serving spoons are not only practical and useful but are also benefiting the orphans of the Kamba tribe in Kenya that brought tears to my eyes. Knowing the story BEHIND World Vision’s mission and the importance of the Gift Catalog, left me with a lump in my throat. As tears came to my eyes, it just reawakened a love for all of God’s people – near and far. It also served as an alarm to awaken something inside of me that had been napping – there are men, women, boys, and girls all over the world who not only have the luxuries you and I take for granted – they don’t have food, shoes, or even clean drinking water.

 World Vision makes a difference…. a VERY REAL difference… in people’s lives. It allows US to reach out and lovingly give a hand to others while offering them hope.
The most important part of this entire project is, obviously, the difference it makes in people’s lives. How can you even put a price on giving people hope?!

I also hope you’ll read more about the World Vision Gift Catalog. Below are just a FEW of the wonderful gifts in the catalog.

Prosperity Cinnamon: Know a friend or family member who loves to bake? Each beautifully-carved cinnamon bark box contains 3 oz. of cinnamon and bears a common Asian character for prosperity. Vietnam’s renowned sweet cinnamon is a renewable resource collected from the Cassia tree, sold to benefit generations of hard-working families. $85

Fair-Trade Coffee Set: For the coffee lover, this 12 oz. coffee set is blended by OneCup.org, using delicious flavors from Ethiopia, Sumatra, and Costa Rica, and is delivered in a gift bag of African fabric hand-sewn by local women. $65

Hand-Carved Serving Spoons: A perfect gift for holiday entertaining, each beautiful set of two hand-carved olivewood serving spoons is delivered in a gift bag of African fabric hand-sewn by local women. The serving spoons are made to benefit orphans of the Kamba tribe in Kenya. $65

$400 worth of school supplies: Studies show that an education is key to overcoming poverty. But many schools in developing countries are dilapidated and lack resources. Your gift of $25 will offer assistance like building materials and tools, teaching supplies, textbooks, toys, sporting equipment, and more. Thanks to corporate product donations, your gift will multiply 8 times in impact to provide even more resources! $50

Donate Animals: Animals like goats, cows and chickens provide vital nutrition to feed children and families while bringing extra income.

Provide Medical Care: Stop deaths from preventable causes with basic healthcare to prevent or treat diseases like malaria and cholera.

The 2014 holiday season marks the 19th annual edition of the World Vision Gift Catalog and I couldn’t be more proud to help support it. Around 400 million children in the world under the age of 13 live in extreme poverty (more than the entire population of the U.S.) and this catalog provides a way to bring about tremendous social change without spending a fortune. Last year, more than 350,000 animals were purchased by donors, and while a goat ($75) may be World Vision’s number one seller, other popular gifts include ducks, sheep, and chickens. Connect with World Vision on their Website, Facebook and Twitter.

This holiday season, don’t just give a gift. Consider a gift from the World Vision Gift Catalog, knowing that it can significantly improve the life of a child or family in need by providing tools and opportunities to overcome extreme poverty. At the same time, your friends and loved ones will be honored as they read their special card describing the gift and the impact it is making. Give a gift that keeps on giving, and start a new tradition in your family! Your Holiday gift giving could change lives! For an even bigger impact, grab more information on sponsoring a child and encourage others to shop in the World Vision gift catalog!

In my book that’s the true spirit of the holidays!

Now for the giveaway!

Thanks to World Vision‘s never ending generosity, one of you will be able to proudly share in the inspirational life changing ways of this amazing organization. How…well one of you will win a set of hand carved serving spoons just like mine (ARV $65) from World Vision!