I have a darling friend from college that I adore and love.

We lived in the same dorm, and she was as spunky as can be!  Always smiling, friends with the world, a total spitfire!

I’ll never forget visiting with her in her dorm room the first time and seeing her hooked up to what looked like a small refrigerator, and breathing into a mask…

My friend has Cystic Fibrosis.

When she came to visit with me in California, she brought along a machine that literally pounded her chest. I think the machine was bigger than she was…yet through all her treatments she was ALWAYS smiling!  Mandy defies the odds!

Mandy is a giver, always has been, and I’m sure always will be. She gives with her smile with every person she meets.

And now she is giving to our children. 

My children and your children.

My dear friend recently started a company called Blessing Bank.

“Finding a purpose in life takes on a sense of urgency when dealing with a chronic illness like Cystic Fibrosis.

After reading ‘Same Kind of Different As Me’, I became even more confident that the Lord does indeed have a reason for me being on this earth. I began praying that He would show me my purpose. Because my husband and I cannot have children of our own, I prayed for us to make a difference together. After several months of praying, an idea became a passion and before we knew it, Blessing Bank became a reality.

It happened one day while I was shopping for my two precious nephews. I became frustrated at the lack of options. Everything I found was just another toy and I knew it would be quickly cast aside, without any lasting impact or memory.

Right there in the middle of the store, God gave me the idea for a gift and parenting tool that would inspire children to give.”

“Our banks reflect our desire to blend form and function into a sturdy, yet beautiful handmade piece that will last for generations. Whether used as a tithing or savings bank for helping those in need, we believe the Blessing Bank will help nurture a giving spirit that will grow with the individual for a lifetime.”

As Mandy notes, at 24 months a child has the ability to learn to put money into a bank.  (Addie has been doing this with her Daddy for about 4 months now, and she will be 2 years next month.) And by 3 years they can use the money to buy a needy child new shoes, or a toy, or much needed food…

…and it’s from THEIR bank. What a VALUABLE lesson and gift we can teach our children!!!

I absolutely LOVE these banks.

Addie and Hayden both have them along with Little Blessing Bags.  Each bag has a little saying or verse on it.  Your children can use them to take a portion of their savings to wherever they wish to donate and give.  Helping another in need, tithing at church, no matter where it is.  This lesson is soooo invaluable!  It is NEVER too early to teach our children to save and to give! I still remember the margarine containers my dad helped us make, cutting  a slit into the top so we could save hard earned change.

The wood banks come in a girl or boy design, either oak or birch.

They also come Ceramic, Pink/White, Blue/White, Chartreuse Green/White and all White.

Such a perfect gift for a baptism, christening, birthday, or God baby.  The banks are each $30!! And the bags are $2.50 each…excuse the pun, but this DOES NOT break the bank for a meaningful gift to give!

Blessing Bank is so serious about their commitment and desire to help children learn to give that they are giving away 2 darling banks!!

Here are the rules:

1. Visit Blessing Bank and comment below with your favorite bank. (1 entry)
2. Become a fan of Blessing Bank on Facebook. (1 entry)
3. Subscribe to My Favorite Everything daily emails. (Orange box above, or at the end of the post) (1 entry)
4. Tweet about this giveaway, just copy and paste “Visit @myfaveverything and learn about teaching your children to give, http://ow.ly/13cob with Blessing Banks” (1 entry)
5. Or send a Facebook post and copy your post back into your comment. (1 entry)

Giveaway ends Wednesday, February 10th at 5:00pm PST.  Best of luck to you!!

AND you have all been so patient waiting on the winner!!  Now that there are so many more of you, I’ve turned to Random.org to select the winners for our giveaways.  Addie and Hay may still make guest appearances though, not to worry!  Soooooooo, the Stella & Dot Giveaway winner is….

Jessica Barkett!!

Congrats!  Please email me at shanna@myfavoriteeverything.com

(Disclosure: I am not affiliated with Blessing Bank, nor have I received payment for this post.  I love Mandy and love her banks!!  This is my honest opinion on a wonderful tool to teach our children to give.)

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