Volunteering for Different Age Groups

There is really no age requirement for volunteering. In fact, the earlier that volunteering begins and continues throughout childhood, the more likely a person is to participate in community activities as an adult. Whether a participant reaches out to one person or a village across the world, he or she has made a significant difference in the life of another. This article presents a few of the many volunteer ideas for different age groups.

1. Volunteer with Pre-school Aged Children

One tip to keep in mind is to tailor the volunteer activity to your child’s personality, abilities, and interests. For example, if your child is very young, volunteer activities that require hours of physical work may not be a good fit. If she loves to be active and would prefer to be outdoors, participating in a park clean-up or riding a tricycle or bicycle in a bike-a-thon might be a fun way for her to help others.
You may also want to consider activities that allow you to volunteer together as a family. Working together as a family to help others is not only a great way to set an example for your child, but it’s also a wonderful way to spend time together and have fun doing something that benefits others.

2. Volunteer with Elementary School Children

Encouraging kids to get involved in the community and volunteering to help those who are less fortunate can cause children to develop a sense of gratitude and self-worth. The value of doing charitable acts for others is terrific, and kids will feel a sense of pride when they know that their actions are making someone else's life happy. Plenty of volunteer opportunities are available for kids, as long as you know where to look! When you begin to teach your kids about giving, talk to your kids to find out what types of activities they are interested in and take their ages and abilities into account. 

The Service Learning process and projects that are ultimately selected and accomplished is a great way to implement volunteering for elementary age children.

3. Volunteering for Middle School Students

Raising children who are civically minded isn’t easy. But you can expose your child to volunteerism and encourage your preteen to give back in a number of ways. When kids volunteer, good things happen. By volunteering or by helping others, your child learns valuable life skills, but he also learns how important it is to support organizations he cares about, and causes that interest him.

There are many ways your child can make a difference.

Start with projects that he or she can incorporate into a preteen’s busy schedule, and then add bigger projects that require more time. You might also want to consider volunteering together. That way you can spend quality time together, and set a great example for your preteen.

One of the great things about raising a preteen is that they are at an age when they can take on more responsibility and even give more to their schools, communities and other organizations. One of the ways tweens can contribute is through service projects. Some middle schools even require that their students give back by participating in community service projects either as a class or on their own.

By participating or volunteering, your child can learn leadership skills, a little about the community in which he lives and even a little about his own interests and passions. He or she may also learn a little more about how organization and support groups operate, and how challenging it can be at times to work through the proper channels to get the job done.

4. Volunteer Ideas for High School Students

In High School, volunteering takes on the potential of a new purpose. Not only does it allow the student to gain insights, be productive and participate within the school and community, it provides a venue for resume building, material for college applications and completes a well-rounded picture for one’s application.

Students in high school are able to accept more challenging volunteer positions and larger group volunteer activities.

5. Volunteer Ideas for College Students

College students fill the void between high school and adulthood in volunteerism. They are capable of adult responsibilities, very large group activities and volunteering through travel, either domestically or internationally. National volunteer efforts such as AmericaCorps or the Peace Corp are also options for college students.

6. Volunteer Ideas for Parents and Families

Modeling volunteering is the best way to get your family involved for a lifetime of volunteering and community service. Always keep the needs of the youngest child in mind, particularly if the adult is otherwise distracted.

Family volunteering allows your family to learn the importance of charity and giving of one-self. It encompasses, perhaps, the broadest area of needs.

7. Older Volunteers

Older volunteers have the time and resources to give freely of their time and talent. Encouraging them to share their skills is a great way to place skilled volunteers in non-profits or agencies where their lifetime skills may be well utilized.

After retirement, however, it is important to know if an older volunteer desires to share their skills or try something completely new and different. A thorough volunteer interview allows for the best potential placement.

Contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley for more information about volunteer placements at (319) 272-2087, information@vccv.org, or visit www.vccv.org.

A Successful MLK Day of Service

Over 50 people were engaged in activities for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on January 18 sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley and First Presbyterian Church. 

Participants of all ages worked together to make blankets for the Salvation Army shelters, decorated non-skid socks for the elderly, made bird feeders and bird houses for nursing homes, and literacy kits for the families of our emerging English learners. 

AmeriCorps members from the ISU Extension of Black Hawk County had participants make bowls for the Northeast Iowa Food Bank’s Empty Bowl fundraiser, and EMBARC AmeriCorps members had children make welcome cards for Burmese families new to the community. 

At the end of the morning, many asked when they could attend another day of service.

Any agency who wishes to provide a project station for their agency is welcome for 2017 and should contact Jean Seeland at the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley, 272-2087 or Jean_Seeland@vccv.org by December 1, 2016.

UNI Service and Leadership Council Coordinates MLK Day of Service

A HUGE thank you to everyone who signed up to volunteer at the January 18^th MLK Day of Service event with the UNI Service and Leadership Council and Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley! The event was SOLD OUT with 250+ volunteers!

It was awesome to see University of Northern Iowa students, faculty and staff volunteering to support the Northeast Iowa Food Bank!

MLK Day – A Day On!

Dr. King stressed volunteer service as a means to social justice. As he famously said: “Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

Legislation was signed in 1983 creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."

Millions of Americans will come together on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, January 18, 2016, in a day of national service and dialogue to honor the memory of Dr. King. Dr. King had a dream that one day all people would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as called for in the Declaration of Independence. Dr. King called for social justice and opportunity. He asked that we bridge differences and come together in unity.

According to the Points of Light Foundation, we have a unique opportunity to unite as in volunteer service and issue a call to action to do what we, as Americans, do best – lend a hand, help our neighbors – and build better communities. Since Dr. King was assassinated, tremendous social progress has been made, but much remains unfinished. Americans believe that people have the power to make positive change – in cities struggling with poverty and high unemployment rates – in families where people are going hungry – and in school districts where more than half of our children aren’t graduating from high school.

With many communities struggling to access financial and human services, volunteer service can be a powerful force. Neighbors helping neighbors, young helping old, employees offering skills and companies investing in communities where they do business. We dream of a day when everyone is actively involved in making a better America. This year, Points of Light, in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service and sponsored by the GE Volunteer Foundation, will create new and meaningful ways to harness the passion of our nation’s citizens in honoring the memory and promoting the vision of Dr. King

MLK Day is a great opportunity to get hands-on in your community. You might have a passion for service. Dr. King’s life and legacy was about his commitment to service and social justice. If you would like to connect your service project specifically to Dr. King, below are a few ideas:

•        Poverty: Organize a canned food drive for your local shelter. Expand the drive to include donating blankets, gloves, etc. to keep the homeless in your community warm during the winter months.

•        Education: Organize a school supply drive.

•        Community: Learn about the history of the community where you live. Identify cultural and religious groups in your community that might be neglected. Discuss how you can learn about their culture and help support them in preserving it.

•        Youth: Organize a toy drive to provide less fortunate children in the community with toys and games.

•        Military/veterans: Assemble care packages for military members overseas. The Community Blueprint is a set of tools and practices that provide a framework for communities to produce positive, measurable outcomes for veterans, military members and their families.

•        Women’s empowerment: Identify gaps in your community where women don’t have equal opportunity. Develop a plan to provide literacy classes, teach English, offer vocational skills, or train on financial literacy.

You can also join local volunteer initiatives. The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley and First Presbyterian Church will once again sponsor a Martin Luther King Family Day of Service. 
 
Families are invited to participate Monday, January 18 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 505 Franklin in Waterloo. Participants will complete projects that will be donated to community agencies. Projects may include making fleece scarves, making cat and dog toys for the Humane Society, making bird feeders for nursing homes, and other worthy projects. 
 
Families are encouraged to volunteer together on this important day.
 
For more information on this event or to learn more about service, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087, email or visit www.vccv.org.

The MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a “day on, not a day off.” It’s a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community action that helps solve social problems.

MLK DAY, January 18

The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley and First Presbyterian Church will once again sponsor a Martin Luther King Family Day of Service. 


Families will be invited to participate Monday, January 18 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 505 Franklin, Waterloo. Participants will complete projects that will be donated to community agencies. Projects may include making fleece scarves, making cat and dog toys for the Humane Society, making bird feeders for nursing homes, and other worthy projects.  

Families are encouraged to volunteer together on this important day. 

For more information on this event or to learn more about service, contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley at (319) 272-2087, email or visit www.vccv.org.