Good morning! I love Mondays. It’s always nice to start from fresh and look forward to a great week.
Last night I read an article about volunteering as a family. It talked about the link between volunteering and increasing children’s EMPATHY.
I wasn’t surprised by the following quote:
Kids as young as three can learn empathy, tolerance, and respect by helping the disabled.
This was also a good reminder….
The key is to do it as a family. Research shows that kids with at least one parent who volunteers are three times more likely to participate in a do-good activity versus those whose parents don’t get involved.
Source: parenting.com March 2012
The article talked about The Volunteer Family, a website to help families find charitable opportunities they can do together. Making Spirits Bright, a non-profit my friend and I started a few years back, works at finding events in the area that people can volunteer at. Here’s the deal, now adays, people donate their money (which is really great) but not always their time. There are still groups out there that need volunteers to be successful in helping the less fortunate. We found Forgotten Harvest to be a family friendly group where volunteers of all ages can participate.
This fall, our family would like to attend The Special Olympics State Soccer Finals. We are going to take the girls to cheer on the athletes in the event. I can’t wait, considering my 3 year-old has enjoyed tuning into the Olympics over the last few weeks. I think it will be a memorable experience for her to support a team while at the same time developing empathy and respect.
What are some volunteer activities you have been involved in? Do you think it would be appropriate for the entire family? Please share in the comments section below!
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