Family Volunteer Day takes place on November 18, 2017
It doesn’t take a lot of time to make a big difference. Check out these
project ideas here to get your family started!
project ideas here to get your family started!
For the past three years we have been participating in the Family Volunteer Day, sponsored by Disney and generationOn, and occurring annually on the Saturday before Thanksgiving; This year’s Family Volunteer Day will be November 18th.
What is Family Volunteer Day and how can you and your family help make a difference?
"Family Volunteer Day (in its 27 year this year) is a global day of service that celebrates the power of families who work together to support their communities and neighborhoods. Powered by generationOn, the youth division of Points of Light and sponsored by The Walt Disney Company, it's a great way to be inspired by the power of helping others. It’s an amazing day to bring your family together and make your mark on the world. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity!"
Kick off the holiday season by joining with your family to lead or participate in a volunteer project on Saturday, November 18 (the third Saturday of November). You can make a difference with projects for the whole family or find a volunteer project to join in your community. Pledge to participate or share your family volunteer story here: www.generationOn.org/fvd
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Last year my family chose a few different volunteer projects to do together as a family. We did a coat drive, make cards for the elderly that we dropped off at a local nursing home, and played Secret Santa to a handful of local children so that they could have a Christmas.
Last year Savannah bought and filled stockings for area boys and girls less fortunate. She ended up using up all her birthday, tooth fairy and allowance to make other kids' Christmas special.
These are all the toy the girls bought with their own money last year and donated to those less fortunate.
For Family Volunteer Day this year, we are doing things a little different. For the past volunteer days, I would decide what we would do and then work with the girls to complete them. But, this year, because the girls are older, and we are using this day as part of our homeschooling community service volunteering, I will be letting the girls decide on their projects.
Because Family Volunteer Day is fast approaching, I sat down with the girls last week and talked about this day and about what we did in years past. Part of our conversation was about the importance of giving back and helping those in need, and then we talked about how our past Family Volunteer Day participation made the girls feel. Even though they are only 6 and 7 years old, they understood the importance of annual volunteer day and both agree it made them feel happy knowing that they were able to help people in the community and put smiles on their faces. They especially loved the nursing home card project we did, as they got to see firsthand how their handmade cards put a smile on the residents' faces and how much they truly appreciated the girls thinking of them and taking time and putting a lot of effort into making beautiful cards.
This past Halloween I took the girls to the nursing home we handed out cards at and the girls were happy to see that a handful of the residents still had their cards up. While the residents didn't remember it was the girls that gave it to them, my girls were moved to want to do this project again and make more residents' days. :-)
After we talked about the importance of Family Volunteer Day and how it is just one day out of our life, but one that mean so much to those less fortunate, the girls decided on what they would for their projects. Savannah choose a couple projects. She is going to go through all her books and put ones she doesn't want in boxes. Then, we will drive around and drop them off at the different Little Book Libraries we have in our community. These little libraries are set for people to give and take a book, or simply leave books for others to enjoy. She will also donate a box of books to the local library so that they can sell them during one of their upcoming book sales to help offset costs for programs offered to everyone in the community for free. In addition to donating books, Savannah is also going to use her allowance she has saved for the past few months and use it to buy dog and cat food to donate to the local animal shelter. We will also go through our blankets and towels and put a bag together for the shelter. Savannah loves animals and plans to be a vet one day, so I wasn't surprised that she wanted to make a point to include animals (who can't speak for themselves) and help them out with a comfy, warm blanket and food to fill their bellies.
As for my almost 6 year old daughter, Bella, she is going to be using her birthday money she has been getting for her birthday (which is tomorrow) and use this money to buy stockings and fill them with toys and goodies, and drop off at the local Toy Drive that is happening on November 18 in the town next to us. She thinks she can fill about a dozen stockings, thus making 6 boys and 6 girls' Christmas that much more special. In addition to playing Secret Santa, she is also going to do another coat drive and donate to the local shelters we have for the homeless and a battered women's shelter.
Last year we did a coat drive and the girls asked friends and family to donate gently used and new coats, mittens and hats. We ended up filling 7 boxes to drop off at nearby shelters.
This year, Bella is setting a personal goal of 10 boxes. She plans to ask her friends at the co ops and homeschooling we attend, as well as go through all the extra coats we have here, to fill boxes. As I write this post, she has already filled 6 boxes, so she is on her way of reaching her goal. And, if the coat drive wasn't enough to keep Bella busy, she also wants to do a can drive so that we can help fill the pantry of our local shelter. I showed her a photo shared on Facebook the other day about how the shelves were bare at the shelter and how they didn't think they would be able to offer Thanksgiving supplies to those in need like in years past, due to lack of food on the shelves. In addition to collecting canned goods from friends and family and going through our pantry shelves, Bella is also doing more chores around the house to earn more money that she plans to use to buy a few turkeys to include with her food donation to the food pantry on November 18th.
I love seeing the girls get excited about volunteering, and just hearing them talk about the projects they chose and how they would make them successful really made me smile. I liked when Bella asked why do they just do one day a year, when people are in need all year round. I told her that this is just a special day held annual to remind families to help those less fortunate or to step up and help out in the community by giving their time for one day -- before the craziness of the holidays. The holidays are a great time to slow down and remind yourself that it is better to give than to receive. So, why not join my family and so many other families are pledging to volunteer on Family Volunteer Day, and give up one day in your busy life to help others. By searching the Family Volunteer Day page, families can volunteer through local service projects in their own neighborhoods or find more than 100 DIY projects.
If for some reason you can't participate on November 18, but want to volunteer or give back during the year, you can visit www.generationOn.org/fvd to learn about ideas on how you and your family can give back any time during the year.
The holiday season is all about giving, and inspiring others to pay it forward. Help someone else to elevate THEIR season by doing something kind for them. Can't wait for you to share your acts of kindness the volunteer projects you and your family will be pledging to do as part of this year's Family Volunteer Day!
Learn more about Family Volunteer Day here: http://www.generationon.org/fvd
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Stay up-to-date on all things related to Family Volunteer Day by following the official website and social media channels below...
- Family Volunteer Day on Website: http://fvd.generationon.org/
- Family Volunteer Day on Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/generationOn/ - Family Volunteer Day on Twitter: https://
twitter.com/generationOn - Family Volunteer Day on Pinterest: https://www.
pinterest.com/generationOn/ - Family Volunteer Day on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/generationOnService
- Hashtag #FamilyVolunteerDay
About generationOn:
generationOn, the youth division of Points of Light, is dedicated to providing programs and resources that support the development of caring, compassionate and capable kids and teens through service, empowering them to become changemakers in their communities and the world. To learn more, visit www.generationOn.org.
Thanks for the post! We should all probably volunteer more!
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