Volunteer Opportunities
This post provides some great ideas for fun volunteer opportunities you can do with your children and family! In fact, why not turn community service into a “volunteer vacation”?
There are many opportunities to better the community that you can turn into a family get-away. You’ll find the experience of helping others, your community, and the environment far more rewarding than any trip to Wacky Tacky Land.
Volunteer to help the poor & homeless communities
Many disaster relief victims across the country, such as those affected by Hurricane Katrina and the Midwest floods are in need of a new home. Habitat for Humanity provides excellent volunteer opportunities to help rebuild homes for poor and homeless people across the country. Take a trip with your family to a new state you’ve always wanted to visit and build community relationships with other volunteers as you rebuild new homes for the poor and homeless. Anyone can help and skills aren’t necessary – just an open mind and an open hand that is willing to better the community.
Volunteer your community service to help children with disabilities
There are plenty of state camps that need volunteers to help children with special needs. This is a great opportunity to volunteer with your family and enjoy a great vacation trip. Visit a local state park to enrich the lives of special needs children through fun activities such as aquatics, canoeing, nature studies, and rock climbing.
Volunteer to help animals
Great family volunteer opportunities can be found at animal sanctuaries. Your children will love to participate in building habitats, saving wildlife, feeding baby animals, supervising little critters during recovery and rehabilitation, fundraising, and engaging in educational activities. There are over 300 animal sanctuaries in the United States. Get out the house and plan a trip to help animals in need.
Better the community by saving the environment
There are many national wildlife services that need volunteers to participate in environmental refuge activities. Visiting a natural refuge makes for a fantastic vacation and volunteer opportunity for your family. Enjoy fun environment activities with your children like restoring endangered plants on riverbanks, aiding special wildlife projects, and photographing natural resources for laboratory research. Environment and wildlife volunteer opportunities can be located across the country.
A little creative brainstorming with the family can unleash an entire world of fun volunteer opportunities. We’ve listed just a few ways that your family can better the community…
We’d love to hear from you!
- What are some community service activities that you personally enjoy?
- What are some other fun volunteer projects you can do with your family?
Tags: community service
2. April 2009 at 4:44 pm :
I stay close to home since the fuel I would use to go a distance would be hurting more than I could help in the duration that I could afford to be gone.
Since I stay close to home, it has to be helping a community and I do get to involve my family. We enjoy our family time volunteering our work at the church. I like to work fast and hard on maintenance inside and outside the facility because those are my areas of expertise. I figure if I can take care of it efficiently, others can better serve their time doing things they actually like! I only say this because I’ve talked to those doing the maintenance and they only do it because it needs to be done. They have informed me time and again, it is not their area of expertise and they do not enjoy doing it. I say, “no worries” and they laugh and give thanx~
2. April 2009 at 4:57 pm :
Oh, my daughter Rachael likes to help me outside so she can play, but I think she would much rather help as a teacher’s assistant in a younger class than her own (if possible). She is only 6 so I’m not sure they would chance delegating kids over kids, but I think it would be of her interest and possibly beneficial to Rachael.
She loves to help serve others and I think the reality of her volunteering independently would make her a better child than she already is to her parents as well as bringing a positive development into her own future.
My wife is not huge on volunteering, but she has her moments. She is busy with school and work making it difficult for her to see the difference she makes in lives around her. She has a great heart, but not many people get to see it behind all the armor. Her influence is best served with computer program assistance and deliverance of items from the donors to recipients. She has been known to take the less fortunate out to eat~
2. April 2009 at 6:09 pm :
“Everyone can be great because anyone can serve.”
MLK Jr.
“No matter how big and powerful government gets, and the many services it provides, it can never take the place of volunteers.”
Ronald Reagan
“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
II Cor.9:7
2. April 2009 at 9:55 pm :
Unfortunately I do not live in the United States, and these organizations seem to be located there.
3. April 2009 at 12:18 am :
I too tend to volunteer closer to home as I cannot drive and Amy’s days off as well as us having a running vehicle are unpredictable. When my local biker org. is working a charity event someone can usually come and get me if the event is closer to my town and if they are taking a truck with them to haul supplies. I’m pretty limited in how I can help, but I have done food packing for food donations. Gift wrapping for holiday gift programs, I can carry stuff on my lap if I’m using my wheelchair so I can assist in some home renovating events and pack and move events. I will foster animals for people who have been evicted, are ill or hospitalized or if a loved one is ill/hospitalized and they can’t care for the animal while caretaking for a loved one. We do regular cleanup for a free acess natural spring that people use to get water when their water is cut off. We also assist in the cleanup of parks and botanical gardens. I come in pretty handy with a scooter or a chair at parks with paved walks because I an attach a wagon behind me…the problem is neither of my mobility equipment is all terrain so while I am handy on paved ways…I’m about useless over gravel, sand and grass and tend to cause more of a hardship for those I’m trying to help.
3. April 2009 at 12:30 am :
It is always a good idea to volunteer in an area of interest or expertise because if not you will not enjoy the act of volunteering. If you love to read…volunteer to read to the elderly or children at a library. If you love to cook, the soup kitchens is a great place for you. If you know a bit of first aid then volunteering among the homeless is a good place to be. If you like to repair/renovate then your services are always needed by elderly, disabled, and poor folks who can’t afford repair/renovation projects. If you know a bit about working on cars, you might be able to get a neighbor back to work.
I believe very strongly that everyone can give something in some way to help another.
The post author suggested major programs….some of us know that the very poor, disabled and those with children, or those without cars really cannot do that type of volunteering. So it’s up to us to show just how much we DO to help others even if it’s not cleaning up a park…cuz well some of us can’t even get out to visit the park let alone clean it up.
JT…looks like it’s up to you and I to find others to come leave some comments with good ideas for volunteering when you are unable to really leave your home or to go very far if you can.
3. April 2009 at 1:10 am :
Well, as I understand there are blogs that some individuals really have nothing to say that hasn’t already been said… beating the dead horse if you will. I, too, went through all the previous blogs of MG and only wrote when I had something to write so I do understand that this may be an area more people have an interest in just reading, rather than writing.
I also understand it may be difficult to find ways to volunteer if you’ve never done it before or never even noticed it happening around you. There are many sheep who mindlessly carry-on in everyday life (not saying that anyone here is mindless) and these are the extremes. It is my opinion that if you are a participant here at MG, you are obviously not mindless to the factors of giving. I am saying that there are so many people who cannot see what is right in front of them. It’s like the child in a messy room stepping over things, but doesn’t realize it’s messy or that they stepped over anything until you point it out.
So I guess we have to point things out and give others time to see how they can participate and/or volunteer~
3. April 2009 at 1:17 am :
Also, because there are those people who are prideful in their midst of hardships, it may be even more difficult to find/see them. I was a wanderer years ago after my family abandon me. I was a completely different person. I was so depressed that I didn’t want to bring anyone down so I went into hiding for awhile. Slept on buses or the subway grasping my baggage tightly while I slept. Sometimes it was easier to find railroad passages and sleep under them knowing I wouldn’t be harassed by conductors or passengers.
Sorry, the point was that it makes it more difficult to see those who do not want to be seen as the less fortunate~
3. April 2009 at 1:37 am :
Yes, I agree that if everyones volunteers that this world would be a much better place to live in. Personally, I work hard for Lion’s Camp. Also, I do a lot of community work for our town. For example, A few of our customers have died. I run cookouts, raffles, and auctions, for raising money to pay for bury expenses.
I washed cars for Katrina victims and everything above I mentioned. We adopted a family and got them a rental with money down on thier electric. Took the couple to WalMarts and spent four hundred dollars on household furshinings.
I worked with my local newpaper, whose runs an article, ” Have a Heart.’ They actually called to get our business to help people that lost thier homes in fire. We raised money for clothes and other needs.
Along, with all the work, I market this fundraisers. I have to make signs and advertise.
I work, take care of my family, and go to school, and work. I always have been the type person, if there is a cause, I find the anwers. Until, I met Michelle, I know gives her life to people mor than me, which I told her that at the begining.
I do volunteer because it makes me feel better.
3. April 2009 at 8:36 am :
You do some good volunteer work Christy! Michelle does do so much to help others. I only wish I could a fraction of what she does…but I do what I can and I’m pretty happy with that.
3. April 2009 at 8:57 am :
What types of programs are available in Canada?
Even though the programs listed are in the US, the intent of the post was more to encourage volunteering in general. Not really to encourage you to volunteer at those places. Would be great if we all could, but many simply cannot.
Have you ever volunteered for anything (it doesn’t have to be organized programs)? Is there any area that you might enjoy helping others less fortunate than yourself?
3. April 2009 at 3:49 pm :
Christy, you do quite a bit on the high end of giving. Those are great examples for people to see and take their own initiative. Thank you for sharing~
3. April 2009 at 4:15 pm :
Bendah wrote:
2. April 2009 at 9:55 pm :
Unfortunately I do not live in the United States, and these organizations seem to be located there.
Not sure what part of Canada you are from, but volunteering to shovel snow paths for your neighborhood is perfect and time consuming. I have done that before in New Jersey along with spreading salt for the ice. See if anyone wants help vacuuming their cars, cleaning their house, et cetera. Find ways to give your expertise to those who could benefit from it. That is all this blog is insinuating~
3. April 2009 at 8:12 pm :
Oh I remember shoveling snow…LOL…yes it is time consuming but for an elderly or disabled person it’s the best gift you could give them! My youngest son will mow lawns, cut down brush or do small repair work to porches, decks etc to help folks unable to do those tasks. He is much more comfortable with manual labor than anything else so this is his way of helping out. My oldest son who is mentally challenged, schizophrenic and medically challenged with a heart and brain impairment is pretty limited in how he can help people. We have a charity event tomorrow and my chapter president asked me to bring him because we need someone who can simply stay near the video camera tripod and make sure nothing happens to the camera and to move the angle arm to follow the action during some of the events. My oldest would be perfect for that job and since I’ll be selling tees in the booth I’ll be nearby to help him out. He will even do better than I will because he can stand up safely to follow action and move the angle arm. I wouldn’t be able to do that.
It’s simple volunteer work, but that video footage will be put out to different sites and to the media and that will drum up contributions that will help injured and disabled riders as well as the families of those who have died. We had a death recently of a member who had cancer. His partner really needs some help and this event will help. My son might only be holding onto a angle arm of a video camera but the footage he controls will make a big difference to the partner of man who lost his battle with cancer.
Every small act of volunteering or giving makes a difference.
10. April 2009 at 2:29 pm :
Well I had an unexpected experience yesterday evening. My hubby decided I needed to get out of the house and destress a little so we went to a river near by and fished off the bank and caught not fish but we did catch a five pound cat. Yep we have a new cat. Someone must have dumped him off by the river and there was no way I could leave him there he was starving. He ate four cans of cat food when we got him home. So looks like we have a new to be named member of our family. We already have a cat and a dog so we have to slowly get them used to each other but it does feel good to know that he is safe. I put some pics of him in my media if anyone wants to see him.
12. April 2009 at 1:58 pm :
It is strange how volunteering happens for me….. Wherever I am it seems like I am volunteering more than anything. I love to volunteer. I have a lady at the Flea Market that is in a wheelchair and she is the sweetest woman. She tries to come in with her arms loaded every week end and when I help her I get to know her more. Every time you turn around you can volunteer. Even in my home I volunteer to do the dishes Ha! It makes the day go better when you can help someone and not get anything in return.
16. April 2009 at 11:38 am :
I am a volunteer with the Red Cross… It is just amazing to me on all the things they do for people in need. With my daughter having so many health problems lately I have not been able to do as much as I like but, going to their classes and seeing how they put into action what is needed when there is a disaster gives you the desire to be a part of helping.
6. May 2009 at 11:12 pm :
[...] “There are many sheep who mindlessly carry on in everyday life” – “people who cannot see what is right in front of them” – “So I guess we have to point things out and give others time to see how they can participate and/or volunteer” – “It’s like the child in a messy room stepping over things, but doesn’t realize it’s messy or that they stepped over anything until you point it out”. – JT, on Volunteer Opportunities [...]