Volunteering With Children
I have a deep dark secret...I am a totally awesome hermit. Seriously. I work online (most of the time), take classes online, most of my friends are scattered across the country so I contact them online, yada yada yada. Since I have decided to be a blogger, my online blogger community is full of these awesome women (and men) who seemingly live life to the fullest. Cocktail parties, dinner parties, galas, fashion events, traveling, sky diving, hunting, canning their own foods, growing their own foods, concerts...you name it, these bloggers do it! While I am a hermit...*sigh*
Furthermore, since I have classified myself as a fashion and beauty blogger, most of the events I get invited to are definitely a no kids allowed venue. The hubby owns a retail store and is constantly working...and now my mother has moved away, so I no longer have reliable, trustworthy sitters! So getting out, is a pain and half...if not utterly impossible at times. So in my quest to stretch myself and get out of the house (!) I have been looking for events and activities, that are kid friendly AND are interesting to me. (Sometimes kid friendly equals adult boring. Yeah, I said it.)
Luckily I live in Washington, DC. There are so many events, concerts, museums, art galleries, marches, rallies, parks and activities (some events are free) happening at all times in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) the possibilities are endless. In addition to the activities, I found many charity organizations that are looking for volunteers and a light bulb went off. While the kids and I will hit the museums and parks in abundance, I thought volunteering would be a great way for me to meet people as well as instilling an attitude of community service in my children.
There are an abundance of activities you and your children (young children as well) can volunteer for. Many organizations are in desperate need of help and welcome little ones. The trick is to do your research and check the age requirements. The first resource I stumbled across is Big Hearted Families (http://www.bigheartedfamilies.org/). Big Hearted Families has a wealth of information and ideas of ways your family can give back. From volunteering with the elderly, to writing letters to soldiers, to fundraising, to adopting a pet, Big Hearted Families gives you a ton of practical low cost and free ideas to get you started. From the website: "Big-Hearted Families offers simple, fun and engaging activities for your family to live generously. Some projects are short and simple while others are more involved. Some take planning, while others require spontaneity. There are ideas to suit every family’s style." (Big Hearted Families, 2012)
The next resource is Volunteer Match (http://www.volunteermatch.org). Volunteer Match is a wonderful resource which provides specific information about which organizations need help and which ages are accepted. From their
Pretty awesome, right? As far as me and my crew of little ones, we have chosen 4 activities to volunteer for. The first is, we are volunteering at Birmingham Green, a local senior living facility. We will be matched with an elder and visit with them about twice a month. We'll talk, laugh, play games and have fun together. The process to get started is fairly simple, I filled out my volunteer form, we have to submit to a background check, then we go for orientation and then we get started!
Volunteering with the elderly was my top pick. How we treat our elders in this country is atrocious and I hope when I am up in age that people will respect me (for making it that far!) and hopefully understand I am still a viable force with a wealth of information. Furthermore, "combining children and these elderly people will not only benefit the children, but the elderly as well. Research has shown that these elderly people become more interested in others, get more exercise, fall less, and feel happier and more loved after spending time with children. Their loved ones have said that they seem more engaged and less isolated. This same research showed that these children will usually have higher social development scores, fewer behavioral problems, and enhanced perceptions of older adults. Also, children who have been involved in programs with the elderly have been proven to have a better vocabulary as well as better reading skills." (Shoemaker, 2011)
I hope we get paired with an elder who has a wicked sense of humor and tells good stories!
Then we have two similar projects we're volunteering for and are environmentally oriented. We are participating in the Route 1/Prince William Parkway Annual Cleanup Event, where we will pick up litter and trash and the Earth Day at Upton Hill Regional Park where we will be mulching and pulling up invasive weeds.
This is my totally awesome way to A) get out of the house, meet people, and live life with my children B) Inspire my kids to be compassionate and civic minded and C) give back to the community! If you are feeling like an awesome hermit and want to make some changes, see what you can do around your neck of the woods. It's a great way to create a social life, get active and actually do something productive!
Happy Volunteering!
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References
Big Hearted Families. (2012). Welcome to Big
Hearted Families. Retrieved from Big Hearted Families:
http://www.bigheartedfamilies.org/
Shoemaker, A. (2011, November 5). Volunteering
With the Elderly: How Your Child Could Benefit From This Experience. Retrieved
from Can Do Street Blog:
http://candostreet.com/blog-parents/2011/11/volunteering-with-the-elderly-how-your-child-could-benefit-from-this-experience/
Volunteer Match. (2014). About Us. Retrieved
from VolunteerMatch.org: http://www.volunteermatch.org/about/
