Volunteering as a family: 20 tips

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Abstract

The value of helping others is modeled in a direct way when families volunteer together and everyone makes a contribution. This effective practice shares service-learning projects that are suitable for whole family participation. Reprinted with permission from an article by Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., written for Nick Jr. Family Magazine.

Issue

Involving the whole family in volunteer projects can model the behaviors of service and citizenship in ways that a more hands-off approach may miss. Yet, finding service ideas that are suitable for all ages can seem challenging.

Action

According to Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A., ideas for family volunteering projects include:

Kids Helping Kids

Birthday in a Box
Create a birthday party for kids at a homeless shelter by volunteering at a party, stuffing goody bags, or holding a gift drive. For more information, visit http://www.birthdaywishes.org.
Knit One, Quilt Two
Knit or quilt blankets to donate to ill or traumatized children via http://www.projectlinus.org.
Sweet Thoughts
Cook up some goodies and host a Great American Bake Sale (http://www.greatamericanbakesale.org), held annually from October through January, to benefit needy kids across the country.
Welcome Basket
Send stuffed animals to http://www.childrentochildren.org, which distributes soft toys and duffel bags to foster kids who may arrive at new homes without comfort items of their own.
Play Ball
Kids and grown-ups can sign up to volunteer at Little League Challenger Division Baseball (http://www.littleleague.org/Learn_More/About_Our_Organization/divisions/challenger.htm), where kids with physical or mental disabilities play in their own league and are paired with a peer "buddy" or an adult volunteer.

Animal Friends and the Great Outdoors

Talk to the Animals
Ask your local animal shelter for a wish list, then have your child help you gather and deliver newspapers, old blankets and towels, and baked dog biscuits (visit http://gourmetsleuth.com/recipe_dogbiscuit.htm for recipes).
Litter Be Gone
Keep America Beautiful (http://www.kab.org) offers simple suggestions for your family to help clean up your community.
Go Green
Learn about the environment via interactive games on screen, join an environmental kids' club, and click on any icon or "Game Room" for kid-doable projects at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/education/.
Speak for the Trees
Join a tree planting event, or ask about "tree tagging," where you and your kids help document what trees are where. Contact your local parks department or visit http://www.arborday.org for information.
On the Wild Side
At the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Kids Corner (www.fws.gov/educators/students.html) learn about endangered animals and other wildlife and how to help them by building homes for birds and bats, and more.

Hey, Neighbor

Author a Story
Create an original storybook — with your child's illustrations — to donate to an emergency waiting room, pediatrician's office, homeless shelter, or preschool.
Random Gifts of Kindness
Enlist your child's help in choosing a library book or bouquet of flowers for an elderly or housebound neighbor, and deliver your gift together.
Turn Words into Art
Choose a meaningful saying (visit http://abcdbooks.org/curriculum/quotes.html for ideas) to write and illustrate as a family on posterboard or fabric, and donate your work of art to a senior center or convalescent home.
Put On a Show
Gather props or puppets and conduct a story hour at your local library with your kids. Bring precut strips of paper and crayons, so participating kids can make bookmarks as a gift to the library.
How Your Garden Grows
Beautify your neighborhood with a garden in containers, a yard, or a community lot. Visit http://www.kidsgardening.org, a program of the National Gardening Association, for ideas and resources to get you growing.
Party for a Cause
Have a birthday party with a service theme. Ask kids to bring a gently used book or toy to donate. At the party, kids can make flowerpots with real or artificial flowers: one to keep, one to donate to a convalescent home.

Get Well Soon

If Life Gives You Lemons...
When a national or global cause requires donations, such as hurricanes Katrina and Rita, kids want to help, and taking action can make them feel safe. Few neighbors can resist a lemonade or hot cocoa stand, especially with a homemade sign stating where the money is going. Be sure to post a sign the next day displaying the amount of money raised and thanking customers.
Walk This Way
Contact a national organization regarding an issue your family cares about and ask if there are any walkathons planned. For example, visit http://www.sarnet.org to walk for autism research or http://www.diabetes.org to take a step toward preventing diabetes.
Book It
The national program Reach Out and Read, http://www.reachoutandread.org, distributes books to children at pediatric checkups. Host a party where children dress as their favorite characters and ask each child to bring a book to donate.
Visit Across Generations
Well-planned visits between children and elders provide joyful moments and satisfying relationships. A child's drawing left behind is a sweet parting gift. Check with your local senior center or residence for opportunities.

Context

Calling family volunteerism an "emerging trend," Sheryl Nefstead, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Cooperative Extension Service in St. Paul, Minnesota, says, "People are trying to put more emphasis on family cohesiveness, and they're searching for ways to help young people have a sense of hope and satisfaction." Other motivating factors for volunteering as a family include greater awareness of social problems and a realization that government support is diminishing.

Citation

Berger Kaye, M.A., Cathryn. "Get Involved! 20 Great Ways Your Family-even the littlest members-can volunteer together." Nick Jr. Family Magazine (Dec/Jan 2006). Reprinted with permission of Nick Jr. Family Magazine.

Some information contained in the "Context" and "Outcomes" section of this practice, is adapted from the article, "Family Volunteering," found on the Bay Area Volunteer Information Center's website at http://www.volunteerinfo.org/famvol.htm and written by Marilyn Gardner for the Christian Science Monitor.

Outcome

Volunteering as a family shows kids the value of helping others and lets them see how they can make a contribution — encouraging a sense of community responsibility. While donating money is important, a hands-on experience provides kids with tangible evidence that, "I can make a difference!" Involving whole families in activities that promote self-esteem, value and accomplishments for all members fosters vital relationships that promote community well being. Additionally, in an increasingly busy world, community service is valued as family time becomes more and more difficult to achieve.