News Journal Article About Family Volunteering

Giving the gift of one's self

A volunteer project can help your child learn the benefit of helping others

Chet Greene (left), 12, and sister Emily, 14, of Newark, volunteers for Personal Ponies, a group that provides horses for disabled and critically ill children, attended a training session at the Carousel Park Equestrian Center in Pike Creek. Here, they brush the coat of Glory, an 11-month old pony. (Buy photo) Special to The News Journal/MATTHEW JONAS

Samantha Draper, 16, a volunteer at the Carousel Park Equestrian Center, helps to clean up hay in an outdoor pen.(Buy photo) Special to The News Journal/MATTHEW JONAS

Family volunteering brings with it many benefits, so the question isn't if parents and children should volunteer -- it's when to start and what to do.

Lynn Henshaw believes getting children involved in volunteering early on lends itself to participation later in life.

"When Katie was 6 and Kim was 4, we worked with others once a week to provide a lunch program for needy families," says the Newark mother of now 14-, 12- and 7-year-olds. "Even though the girls were young, they would help with simple things like setting up condiments, greeting people and cleaning up at the end."

To make family volunteering a satisfying and rewarding experience, experts suggest considering your child's interests.

"When I talk with families, I always ask, 'What are your interests and what are you curious about?' Then we work from there," says Susan Eggert, volunteer service administrator at the Delaware State Office of Volunteerism. "If your child likes animals, find an organization that needs help with animals. If it's nature, tap into one of our state parks. This can lead to a greater passion for that interest. It may even open the door for a future career."

This was the case with Matt Halterman. At age 12, he began volunteering at Brandywine Creek State Park for one reason: He liked animals.

"I had gone to a program on reptiles and amphibians at Borders Books," says Halterman, 19. "While I was there I learned about the youth programs at Brandywine Creek State Park, so I started volunteering. The more I worked there, the more my interest in that field grew."

Halterman eventually got his parents onboard with volunteering, and within a year the entire family was serving at the park. Today Halterman works as an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Brandywine Zoo, training youth volunteers.

Some organizations, such as the zoo, require volunteer training for safety reasons. Personal Ponies, a nonprofit organization that partners ponies with developmentally disabled and critically ill children, does, too.

"Last summer Emily, Chet and a few of their friends went to a training session for Personal Ponies at Carousel Stables," says Cindy Greene, Newark mother of Emily, 14, and Chet, 12. "This gave them a chance to interact with the ponies and familiarize themselves with the volunteer program."

Once initial training was complete, Greene took Emily and a friend to the Special Olympics at the Bob Carpenter Center at the University of Delaware to work at a display in the outdoor village.

"The girls brushed the ponies, led them around and gave participants who came by the opportunity to interact with the ponies," Greene says. "It was a rewarding experience."

Organizations also may have age requirements. But that doesn't mean young family members can't get involved.

"A child may be able to help his parents organize feed bins at an animal shelter, take a display to a local community fair or participate in a fundraiser walk," says Eggert. "All of this is important work and benefits the organization."

What's vitally important is that children see the fruits of their labor.

"Last year our friends from Pennsylvania had a flooded basement, and my husband, Katie and Kim went to help," says Henshaw. "One day they dug mud out of a basement. Then the girls helped prepare meals at a church for other victims there. They saw both the tragedy of what had happened and the benefit of helping out."

Oftentimes volunteering stirs up feelings of empathy which can cause families to extend themselves beyond typical limits. Greene found this to be true.

"When Chet was nearing 10, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, and he wanted to help," she recalls. "He knew his birthday was coming up, so he decided to have a party. But instead of receiving gifts, he asked guests to make a donation to hurricane victims."

Greene reports the party was a success. But for Chet, the true gift was the gratification of knowing he had made a difference in others' lives. Emily's hunger drive served up a feast of self-fulfillment, too.

"Emily did a '30-hour famine' with our church youth group to raise money for World Vision," Greene says. "While they were fasting, I drove the kids around to neighborhoods and they asked for nonperishable food donations for the homeless. That night, just before the fast was broken, we had a knock at the door and there stood a homeless couple looking for food. We gave them some of what we had collected that day. In that moment it all hit home."

Henshaw and Greene both believe experiences like these are cultivating caring, community-minded children who will become active adult volunteers. Halterman thinks so, too.

"When I first started volunteering years ago it wasn't a passion of mine, animals were. But the work has brought direction to my life and has created a feeling of self-fulfillment and satisfaction," he says. "Volunteering benefits the community, the environment, the individual and the family. From any vantage point, it's a win-win situation."

VOLUNTEER RESOURCES

Delaware has a number of family volunteering opportunities available. For information, go to www.volunteerdelaware.org or call the Delaware Health and Social Services's Office of Volunteerism at (800) 815-5465.

You also can check out the following sites:

• www.familycares.org -- Sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network. It provides project ideas, educational materials, inspirational stories, and fun and games for family members looking for hands-on opportunities to help others.

• www.volunteerresource.org -- A virtual library with updated information on volunteering information. It also contains several resources specific to family volunteering in its library, bookstore and marketplace.

• www.1800volunteer.org -- A national Web site providing volunteers with direct connections to local volunteer opportunities that match interests and skills.

For more reading on family volunteering, check out these books:

• "Building Moral Intelligence: The Seven Essential Virtues That Teach Kids to Do the Right Thing" by Michele Borba.

• "The Busy Families Guide to Volunteering: Doing Good Together" by Jenny Friedman.

• "Raising Kids Who Will Make a Difference: Helping Your Family Live With Integrity, Value Simplicity and Care for Others" by Susan V. Vogt.

FAMILY VOLUNTEER VACATIONS

Family volunteering vacations present opportunities for parents and children to experience different cultures while helping others in need. There are a number of volunteer travel organizations that welcome families. Here are a few:

• Global Citizens Network -- A nonprofit organization based in Minnesota that offers trips for volunteer families ranging in age from 8 to 80. Volunteers are led by a team leader and serve in areas such as New Mexico, Arizona, Washington, Mexico, Nepal, Guatemala, Kenya and Tanzania. www.globalcitizens.org or (800) 644-9292.

• Cross-Cultural Solutions -- Open to families with children 8 and older. Sends volunteers abroad to assist with its Volunteer Work Programs in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Peru, Tanzania, Thailand and Russia. Volunteer opportunities last from two to 12 weeks, and internships abroad also are available. In addition, one-week Insight Programs are offered. www.crossculturalsolutions.org or (800) 380-4777.

• Oceanic Society -- Takes individuals and families with children 10 and older on participatory research expeditions, natural history expeditions and other volunteer activities. www.oceanicsociety.org or (800) 326-7491.

• Volunteers for Peace -- Provides information on international work camp opportunities for adults, college students, teens and families. Over the last 20 years, organization has placed more than 20,000 volunteers in international work camps. The majority of the programs are for adults or teens over age 15, but family work camps also are offered. www.vfp.org or (802) 259-2759.

For more reading on family volunteer vacations, check out:

• "Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others" by Bill McMillon, Doug Cutchins and Anne Geissinger.