Hello! I'm wanting to get my 4 y/o son involved wtih volunteer and/or charity work. Does anyone know of anything in the Fort Worth / Keller area that would welcome young volunteers? And do you think that he is too young?
Thanks!
This weekend is Stroll for Epilepsy at the Dallas Zoo. You could sign up to walk and and have him help you collect donations?
One idea, if you can't find a group that welcomes young volunteers (I found most don't), is to get a list of supplies needed at homeless shelters, grab a wagon and go through your neighborhood collecting donations. A neighbor of ours did this with her kids and I thought it was the coolest idea. They just handed me the list and I donated any of the items I had on hand and her kids put them in the wagon.
Hi T.-
I am not sure what is in your area, but check out Meetup.com to see if there are any groups in your area that volunteer with their children. I have a 3 and 6 yr old. I assistant organize a group. See: http://www.meetup.com/theMomNkidClub/about/
I have also had affiliation with a group Mothers 4 Others here in IL.
They are on Facebook and may have some info for you: http://www.facebook.com/pages/mothers4others/85188784751
Good luck! He is definitely not too young. Start small, make it fun and you won't go wrong!
We discovered when my grandfather was in an assisted living facility that the residents there really, really looked forward to kids visiting. There were several families who would come and visit frequently, and they were not there to see anyone in particular. They would play games with the seniors in the rec room, bring drawings and pictures to share, or just sit and listen to the seniors tell their stories. Many people who live in assisted living don't have family nearby, or even if they do, their families have busy lives and so they don't get visitors frequently. If your son is an outgoing kid, this might be a great way to give back to the community?
Good for you!!! I'm not sure about opportunities in your area, but he is definitely not too young. Both my kids started volunteering with me at 4 y/o.
I started both of them at a Thanksgiving food drive where they helped pack food in boxes. We've also helped clean up our city parks and nature trails.
My kids love it and it's always been a positive and enriching experience for them!
Try this site:
volunteermatch.org
Good luck!!
Hi T.! Do you have a local chapter of Kids Against Hunger? I don't think that age 4 is too young to fill bags with fortified rice and such. He would probably really enjoy it.
If you can't find anything in your area, I recommend having your son pick out something for the food shelf every time you grocery shop. When he gets a full bag of groceries, you can help him deliver them to your local food shelf. Our kids love doing that!
I wish you luck! I tried and tried to find something for my kids but never could find anything until they were at least 10 years old. We now go to the North Texas Food Bank a few times a year. As a family with some friends, you could organize cleaning a small park. Our Cub Scout troop cleans a park every year. I think you would just need to contact your local parks & rec. You could do Meals-On-Wheels and have her accompany you - we do that with our boys. That really shows them the difference between the haves and have-nots and helps teach compassion. I don't know if there is too young of an age to begin volunteering but in reality, there isn't too much for that age. The best you may be able to do is be a role model. If you do volunteer work just make sure she is aware of your service, tell her all about it and eventually she will be able to join you.
visits to convalecent homes. We would take a stuffed animal or other favorite toys and show them to the residents. They LOVE children- their eyes light up. It is one place that desperately needs the light of a child.
