By Netta Kornberg

According the Fraser Institute, less than one per cent Canadians’ income goes to charitable organizations. In Ontario, the average annual amount donated to charities is $1,302. How else do Canadians give and, if we could give anything, what would it be?

Tal Brodsky, a grade 12 student in Richmond Hill says that he “would hope to pass on empathy and a reasonable attitude.” The best way to do this, he says, is to lead by example and show why it is important.

For Catherine Lundy, also in grade 12 at Langstaff Secondary School, the best gift she could give is complete trust, all of herself, and a pocket watch. Of all the gifts she knows, the one that needs to be given most urgently is a break.

Jake Pilon, a student at Guelph Humber, thinks that those most in need of gifts are those down on their luck and they can be provided for by the government as well as by social support. The best gift Jake hopes to give is contentment and hope.

He also states that the intent of giving makes a big difference. “Giving out of pity isn’t such a good thing; giving out of respect or empathy, though, is positive to both the giver and receiver, hopefully.”

When we look at classic stories, such as Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, the same theme is repeated. As one character sacrifices her hair to give her husband a new band for his watch, and the husband gives up his watch to buy his wife combs, it is clear that the gifts given were useless in themselves. It is the intangible that creates the wisdom in giving.

Netta is a grade 12 student in Toronto. She recently travelled to Kenya on an international volunteer trip through Leaders Today. Netta is a lifelong learner who constantly seeks new experiences and to learn and grow. This article is to be published on thestar.com on December 21, 2006. Read more at www.thestar.com/globalvoices.