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Family Volunteer Day: Support communities while demonstrating power of families
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Visiting a nursing home is one way your family can volunteer together.
Family Volunteer Day, November 21, is held annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The event is sponsored by the HandsOn Network, which encourages and equips people to take action to change the world.
Family Volunteer Day demonstrates the power of families who volunteer in their communities. According to guidelines on the informational Web site, a family is any group of two or more people who consider themselves a family. Volunteering can be done by:
• The whole family
• One parent and one child or teen
• Siblings together
• Extended family, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins
“Volunteering gives you an opportunity to change people's lives, including your own,” according to a KidsHealth.org article. By volunteering as a family, parents can teach their children kindness, compassion and good citizenship, HandsOn Network said.
Not sure what you and your kids could do on Family Volunteer Day? Check the HandsOn Network Web link. Ideas are based on children’s ages or you can choose a project connected with an issue that is important to your family.
VolunteerSpot, a free Web-based organization tool that powers grassroots volunteering at school and in the community, has published a free e-Book, Family Friendly Volunteering: Ideas from A-Z. Suggested projects include:
1. Book Drive – Collect gently used books, CDs and DVDs and donate them to schools, children’s hospitals, or family shelters.
2. Graffiti Removal – Join other families in your neighborhood in scrubbing surfaces and painting over graffiti.
3. Prom Dresses – Organize a collection of prom dresses and accessories. Girls in economic need welcome a chance to dress up for homecoming and prom.
4. Work Party – Assemble a team to rehabilitate a less fortunate corner of your neighborhood or a tired playground and make it a better place for families.
“We hope every family will be inspired to participate in some form of service this holiday season,” said Karen Banturveris, VolunteerSpot Founder. “Our e-Book will give them practical and simple ideas to come together and make a difference in their communities.”
More information:
Family Volunteer Day Games and Puzzles
Volunteering
Why Volunteer
Children’s Volunteering Resource Guide
20 Ways for Teenagers to Help Other People by Volunteering
Volunteering with Your Family
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