Saving money can be difficult for anyone. Giving it away - especially in the current economy - can be even tougher.

For young children, who often think more about the stuff they want than how they'll get it, learning about saving money can be even more complicated.

But Sgt. Robert Pangaro and his wife, Stephanie, a stay-at home-mom, are teaching their kids how to earn, save and spend money at an early age.

They are also teaching them to give some of it away to charity.

On Aug. 10, the family stopped by the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fisher House to drop off a donation of $49. Though not a huge amount of money, the sense of philanthropy it represents is a priceless and lasting lesson.

Saving for the donation took the children - Maddox, 7, Genevieve Wozniak, 6, and Paige, 5 - most of the summer. The kids earn money by completing various jobs, (they don't call them "chores," Pangaro said, because the children choose what they do, such as folding laundry, feeding the dog or doing dishes). Whatever each child earns is split three ways, with 40-percent earmarked for saving, 40-percent for spending, and at least 20-percent for charity.  

When the children decide that they have saved enough, they choose a charity to give it to. Over the past year, the family has donated to Locks of Love, Jump Rope for Heart and Tacoma homeless shelters.

This time, they chose the Fisher House, Pangaro said, because it was for helping people in the Army like their dad. "They just knew it was for helping Army guys and their families," he said. Fisher House provides a free place to stay for ill and injured Servicemembers and their families receiving treatment at the nearby Madigan Healthcare System. As a nonprofit organization that receives no appropriated funds, it relies heavily on donations and contributions.

But for the Pangaro family, it's not just about the giving. "We want the kids to see where the money's going" said Pangaro, an infantryman with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team on JBLM. So the children deliver their donations in person.

The donation "will make it better than it was, and make them feel good," said Genevieve, who attends Park Lodge Elementary School in Lakewood. All three children gave an enthusiastic "yes!" when asked if they would like to donate to the Fisher House again.

Photo caption: Fisher House operations assistant Jessica Thompson counts out Maddox Pangaro’s donation to the home on Aug. 10. Maddox, 7, and his sisters Genevieve, 6, center, and Paige, 5, saved a portion of their allowance money over the summer and donated it to the home.