Once your family has decided on possible volunteering activities, you're almost ready to go! Consult your yellow pages (under "volunteers"), newspaper, house of worship, cafe bulletin board, library, or local community center to find out where your efforts can best be employed. Keep an eye out for local and national organizations who are already working toward your family's designated cause(s). If your search turns up agencies that are not local, don't be afraid to contact them for suggestions. Many nonprofit organizations are associated with each other, and are more than happy to direct you to local chapters or groups. You may also want to check with people you know. Friends, neighbors, and coworkers make excellent resources, and they may be able to guide you to volunteering opportunities that haven't yet crossed your mind.
Do a little research to determine if the volunteer opportunity makes an appropriate match for your family. Don't be shy about walking right into the organization your family is considering helping before committing to volunteer your time. Get a sense of what the organization does, who it serves, and how your family can best participate. Ask the program director specifically about children's involvement and what they can do to get the most out of the activity. Also, find out if the organization is willing to provide the training and supervision necessary for your family to be successful.
Start Small
At this point your family is probably getting more and more excited about starting a volunteer project. Encourage this enthusiasm, but be realistic about the amount of time you all can commit to volunteering. Your community will be thankful for any of your help, regardless of when you give it. Outline all your time commitments first, paying attention to daily responsibilities as well as extracurricular and social obligations. Once you have a calendar of family events in front of you, it will be easy to spot time slots for volunteering. Remember, it's better to start small and add hours later than to stress about an overwhelming schedule.
When starting out, many families find it useful to test the waters with a one-time, season-oriented volunteering activity. For example, in October you might choose to spend a Sunday afternoon baking ghost and goblin cookies for the children's ward of a hospital. Sharing family traditions with others in your community is a wonderful way to show kids the value of caring.
Summer vacations, as well as the hours between school and dinner, are also great times to get started. Before you hear the anguished words "I'm bored," why not decorate grocery bags and boxes that can then be filled with nutritious items to either meet special dietary needs (e.g. diabetic, low salt, etc), or provide some cheer to the ill or homeless? Getting creative and working toward a common goal with your kids can lead you to easy cures for the school-break blues -- all while lending a set of much-needed hands in your community.
