I knew “X” would be a challenge, but then learned of an upcoming effort at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital and settled on X for X-ray, eXam rooms and eXtra love.

On Sept. 8 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Henry Mayo is hosting a Donate-A-Bear event and encouraging individuals and families to donate teddy bears that the hospital can have available to children as they wait in the ER or in exam rooms. This would be a great service project to engage children in, as they could select the teddy bear themselves to donate, and it offers opportunities to talk about the importance of helping other kids feel loved and comfortable when they might be a scared.

You might be surprised at how eXcited your children get about the possibility of being involved and giving back to help others. A friend of mine does a simple service project each day with her two sons and has been amazed at the ways this excites her sons. There are unexpected benefits in terms of their abilities to talk about and work through their own feelings and to be understanding and caring with others. (She shares their projects on her blog, Pennies of Time.)

I recently read a New York Times article about the value and importance of fostering empathy in children and of the eXtremely beneficial impact “giving” has on all of us. What surprised me was to learn that psychological studies have shown our brains respond the same way when we win money as it does when we give to others and help others. In short, our brains want us to give to others, because we are rewarded when we do so – a smart system to motivate us to continue giving. So, if you see an opportunity to help someone, do it. You might be surprised at how much you, too, gain from the process.

Regarding the teddy bears, they need to be new, and it is suggested that they be 9-12 inches. They can be dropped at the hospital at the designated times. Henry Mayo is located at 23845 McBean Parkway in Valencia. For more information about the event, call Maria Strmsek at 661-253-8051.

I hope you’ve been inspired to eXplore giving opportunities around you. I’d love to hear of your favorite ways to help others, so pop over to The Good Long Road on Facebook and inspire me.

Jennifer Fischer is co-founder of the SCV Film Festival, a mom of two, an independent filmmaker and owner of Think Ten Media Group, whose Generation Arts division offers programs for SCV youth. She writes about her parenting journey on her blog, The Good Long Road. Her commentary is published Saturdays on SCVNews.com.