Every January, we make promises to ourselves. Gym memberships. Career goals. Personal growth.
What if 2026 was the year you made a promise to someone else?
I’m writing this from my reserve post near Gaza. My third extended deployment since October 7th. The calendar changed, but the war didn’t stop. The families struggling to make ends meet while their breadwinners serve didn’t suddenly find relief because we turned to a new year.
Your resolution can change that.
The Monthly Commitment
Skip one dinner out per month. That’s $50. Multiply by twelve, and you’ve funded essential gear for three soldiers or fed a reserve family for six weeks.
Monthly giving works because consistency matters more than occasional generosity. When you commit to $50, $100, or $250 every month, we can plan. We can stock supplies before they’re desperately needed. We can reach more families before they hit crisis.
Set up a recurring donation at givebutter.com/smilesforthekids2025. The 15 minutes you spend now multiplies across twelve months of impact.
Adopt a Soldier
You don’t need to move to Israel to support someone defending it.
Our Adopt a Soldier program pairs individual donors with specific combat units. You fund their tactical gear, comfort items, and morale support. You get updates on how your soldier is doing. You become part of their team.
Resolution: Commit to one soldier for the year. Know their name. Know their unit. Know you made their service safer.
Visit Israel
Tourism fell 70% after October 7th. Hotels sit empty. Tour guides lost their livelihoods. Small businesses in Jerusalem’s Old City shuttered.
Your trip matters.
Resolution: Book a week in Israel for 2026. Walk the streets of Tel Aviv. Pray at the Western Wall. Spend money in local restaurants. Show the world that Israel is open, alive, and worth experiencing.
While you’re here, visit us. See where your donations go. Meet the families you’re supporting. We’ll arrange it.
Sponsor a Pillar
Bronze sponsors commit $5,000 annually. Silver $10,000. Gold $25,000. Diamond $50,000.
Pick your pillar: Soldier Supplies, Meals for Reserve Families, Reconnecting Soldiers with Loved Ones, Supporting Bereaved Families, Community Carnivals, or Underprivileged Youth.
You get quarterly reports showing exactly where every dollar went. Photos of the families served. Updates from the field. Complete transparency.
Resolution: Own one area of impact for the entire year. Become the anchor that makes an entire program possible.
The Zero-Overhead Promise
Every dollar you commit goes directly to recipients. Not 90%. Not 95%. One hundred percent.
I don’t take a salary. Our small team works as volunteers. Administrative costs get covered separately through dedicated grants.
When you resolve to give $1,200 this year through monthly donations, twelve hundred dollars reaches Israeli families. That’s the promise.
Make 2026 Count
The war created needs we’re still meeting two years later. Reserve soldiers still deploy for months at a time. Families still struggle without their primary income. Widows still need support. Displaced communities still need rebuilding.
Your resolution can address one piece of that reality.
Monthly donor. Soldier sponsor. Israel visitor. Pillar partner.
Pick one. Commit for the year. Make 2026 the year your personal growth included making someone else’s life measurably better.
Visit smilesforthekids.com to get started. The families waiting for support won’t benefit from good intentions. They need your commitment.
Smiles for the Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting Israeli military families, displaced communities, and underprivileged youth. 100% of donations reach recipients directly.