Family Volunteer Opportunities
Author: Heather Slee
Volunteering is a multiple-win situation. You help others in need. You teach your children the importance of assisting others. You feel good. But sometimes it's a little overwhelming coming up with a plan. Here are a few ideas and resources to make giving back easier.
First, find something you can do together-make it important because it's a good thing to do, and also make it important as family time. Start by thinking about everyone's interests. Some of the volunteer opportunity websites allow you to search by keyword, such as poverty, homelessness, literacy, mentor, children, seniors, etc.
Next, decide what you want your time commitment to be. Is it an occasional or one-time thing? Monthly? Weekly? Decide what works best with your schedules. It may be a good idea to start small in order to make sure you really enjoy the activity or find it to be a good match for your family.
Now, to find reputable opportunities, check out one of the following sites (there are many more, but these three I find really user-friendly):
Volunteer Match: www.volunteermatch.org
Serve.gov: www.serve.gov
Volunteer Solutions: http://volunteer.united-e-way.org/
There are plenty of other places to find volunteer gigs, too. You can check with local charities, places of worship, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. And another really easy way to get involved with your community is to see if any of your neighbors need a little extra help, like shoveling, raking, cleaning gutters, or other tasks that might be difficult for them due to any number of reasons.
Make a commitment today to volunteer: for your community, your family, and for your heart! You'll be making a difference in the lives of others and making invaluable memories for yourself.
