A Parent’s Guide

to Family Service
Opportunities

Clark County School Districts

Project Service Leadership

 Written by
Kate McPherson, Director
Project Service Leadership

Funded by Shinnyo-En Foundation

Printed in January, 2010

Many thanks to...

Kama May, who provided
major support for this publication.

Thanks also to
Anne Digenis
Linda Herrington
Bobbi Casanova
who shared their love and knowledge
of service in support of this project

Graphic Design by
Kathleen Hibbs Design
hibbsdesign@comcast.net
Table of Contents

The Value of Service........................................................................ 2

Modeling Service at Home.....................................................................
Service on the Job..............................................................................
Identifying a Focus ............................................................................
Planning Family Volunteering..........................................................
“Everyone can
Service Ideas ...................................................................................... be great because
Reflections ......................................................................................... everyone can serve.
Supporting School-Based Service-Learning ................................... You don’t have
to have a college
Local Opportunities .......................................................................... degree to serve.
Tips for Success ................................................................................. You don’t have to
make your subject
Resource Materials ............................................................................
and your verb agree
to serve. You only
need a heart full
of grace. A soul
generated by love.”
—Martin Luther
King, Jr.
“You must be the The Value of Service.
change you wish to
see in the world.”
Many families served together during last year’s Martin Luther
—Mahatma Gandhi King Day of Service.
Many teens help their families by caring for younger siblings after
school. They understand that this is essential for their younger
sister to be successful. Since many parents work, they serve a
critical role in the family.

Every year Girl Scout members and their families provide food for
hundreds of Clark County families in need by participating in Clark
County’s annual Walk’n’Knock.

Teen parents are engaged in service as they provide daily care and
support for their own children. Some also help other teen parents
by providing childcare and support and by advocating for better
resources and support for young children.

Grandparents and their grandchildren can help provide cheer and

health meals for the elderly through Loaves and Fishes.

These are just a few of the many ways that young people and
families in Clark County are helping build stronger communities
and families through service.
Parents hope their children will have fulfilling
lives. Service can help this dream come true
for it helps strengthen both academic and
social skills by enabling children to develop
these skills in a community setting. Family
service has the added benefit of providing
a shared experience where every member
of the family plays an important role. With
parent support, even young children can
experience the awesome feeling of being
needed.

2
Contributing to the community and serving
others helps children...
• Develop a sense of belonging to their community,
• Develop a sense of compassion for others and a
stronger sense of social responsibility.
• Better understand how the community works and
how they can participate,
• Practice leadership and problem solving skills,
• Strengthen their self-esteem and mental well
being,
• Increase their chances for scholarships and college admission,
• and Clarify career and community plans.

Volunteering strengthens your family by helping

you to…
• Meet new friends,
• Share your talents,
• Help your school, community or religious/spiritual community,
• Put religious/spiritual values into action, “People can be
• Have something to talk about with friends and family, divided into three
groups: those
• Build a sense of confidence, pride, and connection with the
who make things
community,
happen, those
• Relieve stress in your daily routine, who watch things
• Spend more quality time together, happen, and those
• Foster a sense of appreciation for what you have, who wonder what
happened.”
• Teach children or parents how to share with others, and
—Woody Allen
• Develop civic skills and understanding of how to play an active
role in the community.

3
 Service can help youth thrive through
adolescence.
Many young people struggle to feel valued in our
current culture. According to the Search Institute,
service to others is a “gateway asset” because it
helps them develop competencies, build meaningful
relationships and contribute to the larger community.
Peter L. Benson, creator of the Developmental Assets
and president of Search Institute, describes in his
new book- Sparks: How Parents Can Nurture the
Hidden Strengths of Their Teenagers (2008)- recent
research that shows that when students are able to
identify their spark and have caring adults who know
about and nurture that spark, wonderful things can happen.
Ironically, by having youth develop and share their Spark through
service youth benefit multifold. To learn more check out: www.
ignitesparks.com

Model Caring Behaviors at Home

There are many ways parents, grandparents and neighbors can
model the behaviors they hope youth will develop. You can
reinforce the value of service through your conversations with
children as you:
• Share ways you are personally involved in serving the
community, whether it is at home, at work, through your
religious organization, or through a community organization.
• Discuss a problem that needs solving and ask for their ideas.
• Attend cultural and recreational events to discover what
community ideas bring people together.
• Describe how friends, relatives, or colleagues have gone out
of their way to be helpful to you and why you appreciate their
assistance and how good that feels.
• Describe ways you have personally helped your friends, family
and/ or company.

4
• Discuss different ways your family would like the school or
community to be a better place.
• As you watch TV or movies, discuss ways that people in those
programs are helping others. You might also discuss how you
and your children feel about issues or conflicts that occur in
books, film or video.

Jobs That Make a Difference

Find out if your employer has a community giving or volunteer
program. By contacting your employer’s Community Relations
office or the company web site you can learn what ways your
organization supports the community.
Encourage your children to seek jobs like coaching at the
local Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs or assisting at the local Head
Start program. This provides a deeper understanding of the
community and it provides a close view of a variety of careers in
nonprofit and civic organizations.
• Corporate Service: Many companies organize volunteer events Every October Comcast
and encourage employees and their families to participate. employees and their
families can participate in
Comcast, Keller-Williams and Starbucks are just a few of the
Make A Difference Day.
many companies that have organized service events.
• Corporate Philanthropy: Most companies in
one way or another support the community
through financial contributions. For example,
in 2005 McDonald’s Corporation contributed
more than 60 million dollars to the community
through Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Discover how your employer contributes to the
community and let your children know.
• Matched Giving: Many companies encourage
employees to give time and/or money to
support a community organization by matching
every dollar their employees contribute. You
and your children might decide together what
organizations to support.

5
 Serving as a Family
Service strengthens families and research demonstrates that
youth are less likely to engage in risky behavior (i.e. teen
pregnancy, drinking, smoking) when they are involved in quality
volunteer opportunities.

Identifying the Focus of Your Service

While there are many worthy causes, taking the time to find one
that personally relates to you AND your children is well worth
the time. You can discover a project that will be so rewarding
your family will look forward to going and your children will feel
valued. You can find several activities in this booklet that will
help you clarify the values, interests, and priorities that can guide
your choice of service. Check out the national web site United
“Our lives begin We Serve for it can help you match your skills and interests to
to end the day we service. www.serve.gov. Locally, you can meet with staff at the
become silent about Volunteer Connections to explore the best way to match your
things that matter.” skills and interests with local opportunities. www.hsc-wa.org/
VolunteerConnections
—Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Strengthening your Family or Cultural Ties
Explore ways that you can serve within your family and cultural
community. Do members of your extended family need help or
support in someway? Does your tribe, religious organization or
neighborhood sponsor events that you value? How might you
support or enhance these programs?
Faith-based service.
The majority of people have their first exposure to service
through their place of worship or faith community. The concept
of The majority of people have their first exposure to service
through their place of worship or faith community. The concept
of service and helping those less fortunate has deep roots in most
religions. Congregations, synagogues and mosque often provide
opportunities to serve their members and the larger community

6
 so getting your family Photo at left: Latino youth
Photo: Michael McDermott

involved can be as honor the traditions of

easy as volunteering. their ancestors by sharing
A few Clark County traditional dances.
nonprofits like Open
House Ministries
(www.sheltered.
org) or Friends
of the Carpenter
(www.friendsof
thecarpenter.org)
have the Christian
faith as a central component of their mission statement and
programs. If your faith is a central base for your family you
might seek out service sites that are supported by your faith
community. To learn more about faith based service check out: Does your family,
www.inspiredtoserve.org cultural community,
religious organization or
Some communities sponsor interfaith service opportunities so neighborhood sponsor
families from various religions can serve together and also learn service activities? Are
about the role of service in other cultures and religions. To learn WKHUHVSHFL¿FZD\V\RXU
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7
Using your skills or developing new ones
Make a list of your skills and work with Volunteer Connections to find places where those
particular skills can be tapped and utilized. If you are an artist, musician, muralist, like
to draw, or enjoy drama, you might use these skills by joining an existing program or
creating a project to benefit the community. www.hsc-wa.org/VolunteerConnections
Using your Spark to help others.
Every person, young and old, has a spark—something that gives them a unique
sense of purpose. Sparks come in many forms: writing poetry, making music, helping
people, leading, being a peacemaker among friends and peers at school, making
one’s community better, and taking care of the animals. Whatever form it takes, spark
illuminates a person’s life and give it energy. Below is a list of the more common sparks
identified by teenagers and possible related service activities:

Spark Service-learning Activity

Creative Arts v Create an Art Mural for the neighborhood that tells the story of local
heroes
v Help with the Boy’s and Girls’ Clubs after school arts programs.
v Assist in school after-school music and drama programs.
Athletics v Plan, coach and sponsor a special Olympics track event with the track
team members.
v Assist at Boys and Girls’ Clubs and through Vancouver-Clark Parks and
Recreation.
v Develop a sports program at your neighborhood, school or faith
community.
Leadership v Develop a program at your school that helps more students effectively
transition to the school. Work with students, teachers and administrators
to implement the program
v Volunteer for the Clark County Youth Commission.
v Assume a leadership role in your neighborhood association, school or
community.

8
Spark Service-learning Activity
Your Reading v Help with a reading circle program at the pubic library.
v Record books on tapes that can help young readers or children who are
blind.
v Write a personalized storybook for second graders. Make the young
student the hero in his own story and give him the book to take home
v Develop a book club for middle school guys and involve the high school
boys as reading buddies.
Helping, v Volunteer through Loaves and Fishes, Share House, Stream Teams or
serving RWKHUQRQSUR¿WV
v Provide a birthday party for a child who might not otherwise have a party.
v Gather donations of school supplies and put together Back to School
Backpacks to children.
Religion, v What role does service play in various faith traditions? How are they
Spirituality similar and how are they different? What is your personal belief about
service and how can you represent that is action?
v Organize or participate in a service activity sponsored by your faith
community or organize an interfaith service event.
v Help with younger children in your faith community’s education program.
Living in a v Design a playful activity that will welcome new students to our school.
specific way v Participate or start an improv or humor program with a school or
(caring, retirement center.
humor)
Animal v Develop a new web site that promotes pet adoption to teens.
welfare v Promote adoption for shelter animals.
v Develop a special event that can be donated to the Humane Society’s
annual auction.
Nature, v We are learning ecosystems. Design a way our school can do a better job
Environment of preserving the ecoystems that surround our school.
v Volunteer for Stream Teams, Watershed Stewards or the Vancouver’s
Urban Forests program.

9
 Service can fan the Spark.
Parents can encourage children to share their Spark by
teaching what they are learning to others. For example
– a student who was an excellent flute player decided to
perform at a convalescent center. When she performed
she noticed how several of the residents seemed to light
up when she played. After talking about her observation
with the activity coordinator she discovered that many of
the elderly residents used to be musicians. As a result, she
developed an interactive program that enabled the residents to
play instruments and sing rather than passively listen.
Six Billion Paths to Peace
The Shinnyo-en Foundation’s 6 Billion Paths of Peace initiative “Is
an effort to inspire people to focus on their interconnectedness
and reflect upon individual contributions that each of us are
making to a more harmonious world.” Below are some questions
“When I first that might help you and members of your family discover that
started this project form of service is most reflective of your Path to Peace.
I wanted to quietly Personal Peace
perform and I • By aligning your service with your core values and beliefs you
always thought of can experience a greater sense for congruence and you will find
my playing a self- the acts of service actually increase your sense of joy in living.
indulgent. Now I
• What are your core values? For example, do you value,
see it is a gift to
compassion, creativity, and/or the rights of animals?
give to others.”
• When have you interacted with others in a way that expressed
—student that value through service?
Interpersonal Peace
• How might service bring about greater harmony between you
and others?
• What do relationships feel like when they are in harmony?
Where do you have a sense of uneasiness in your relationships?
How might you develop a program and activity in your
neighborhood, church, community organization, business

10
 or school that would promote greater understanding among
peoples?
• Are there organizations that currently promote greater
understanding across ages, cultures and religious divides? How
might you support their work?
“Choosing to see
Global Peace the world from
• Service can help build cultural bridges. What is needed to foster the perspective of
greater global understanding? service creates the
• What might you do as a family to support existing efforts or fill possibility of great
a gap? joy and peace.”
To learn more about Paths to Peace check out the Shinnyo-en —Shinnyo-en
Foundation’s web site: www.sef.org/projects/six-billion-paths-to- Foundation
peace
Auction Item
You and your children can put together an
auction item for your favorite non profit’s
fundraiser. Items might include monthly
desserts, hosting a birthday party, a day of
garden work etc..
“Growing Up Giving” and “Giving with a
Mission”
Both of these on-line resources can help
families develop a plan for making donations
to the community that are valued by all family
members. Both resources downloadable at:
www.moonjar.com/Philanthropy

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11
 Planning Family Service
Busy schedules, conflicting interests, age –segmented programs
and being unaware of community opportunities can make family
service a challenge. The following questions can help you develop
a plan that is more likely to fit into your life.
• Why is it important for us to contribute to the community?
What personal or family values are we putting into action?
“It is not enough Is service part of my spiritual or religious tradition? Why is
our role important? What contribution will we make to the
to teach our
community/organization?
young people to be
successful (so they • Where do we want to go? What transportation will the service
can accumulate require? Is the site a safe place for parking, walking or bus
the material transportation?
things that this • When do we need to be there? What do our schedules allow,
society bestows). and can we make time on a regular basis?
Students must • What training is required and/or what are we expected to
have initiative; bring? Would we need special skills? What will the organization
they should not supply, and what will you as a family need to provide?
be mere imitators.
• What does the organization require? What special clothing is
They must learn to needed? Are release forms required?
think and act for
themselves-and be • Make sure you understand any special rules or constraints
free.” regarding clothing needs or age requirements for children.

—Cesar E Chavez, Take time to list the positive outcomes of your volunteer project,
social activist and what you hope will happen. You then will be able to
return back to that as you are planning your family volunteer
opportunity.
Neighborhoods Begin Next Door
You might just look around your neighborhood to see who needs
help, if appropriate. Some of the following service projects may
give you something new to think about:
• Maybe a neighbor has been ill and their yard is looking over-
grown. You could offer to help do yardwork or run errands.

12
• Make homemade gifts together and give them to others.
• Develop a relationship with a resident of a nearby convalescent
center who does not have family who visit. Possible activities
include: read-a-long, pen pal, read for the resident or watch and
talk about a movie or television program.

Reflection: Building Connections for Life Skills

Discussions and reflection will help your children get the most “I slept and
from service experiences and sharpen their thinking. It will also dreamt that life
build a bridge between your individual and family experiences was pleasure; I
and reactions. woke and saw
Encourage younger children to recall vivid memories, images, or that life was
thoughts. Having them draw pictures or respond to photographs service; I served
is another way to stimulate discussion. Ask questions such as: and discovered
What happened? What did you notice? How will you think or act that service was
in the future as a result of this experience? pleasure.”
Questions that might stimulate discussion include: —Rabindranath
• What did you do today that you are proud of? Tagore
• What things did you dislike this week? Why?
• Did someone say something that surprised you? Why was that
unexpected?
• In what ways did others help you today?
• In what ways did you go out of your way to help someone?
• Do you think we are having a positive impact? Why or why not?
• How could we have even more impact? Could we do anything
that would prevent or get at the root cause?
Caution:
• Don’t discuss the experience too frequently, or it may begin to
feel like a drill.
• Don’t judge or try to change your child’s reaction to the
experience.

13
 • Encourage your children to expand or carry their conclusions to
some completion.
• Don’t force discussion. Give your child some time to think.
• Ask questions that elicit specific reactions (i.e., in what ways
have you…?).
• If you have shared the service experience with your child, be
sure you engage in genuine reflection yourself.
“In the end, the
goal is not only to
prepare for careers, Supporting School-Based Service-Learning
but to enable Some schools incorporate service into their curricula because
graduates to live student engagement increases as they apply their classroom skills
lives of dignity and to real community needs and provide a valued service to others.
purpose; not only
For example:
to give knowledge
to the student, • Students learning science can use their observation, graphing,
but to channel and classification skills to gather information about water
knowledge to quality;
humane ends.” • Students can reinforce their reading skills as they help younger
—Ernest Boyer students; or
• Writing can come alive as students write and publish stories
about local history.
To learn more about service-learning, check out the national
clearinghouse for service-learning by going to: www.
servicelearning.org or find classroom ideas at www.gotoservice-
learning.org
Explore ways service-learning is already part of the school
curricula and see if there are ways you can help the teachers who
are connecting students to community projects.

14
Parents can help support schools in implementing
service-learning by:
1. Helping teachers make connections to community
organizations and agencies that can provide authentic
service opportunities that are closely tied
to school curricula.
2. Helping your child and other parents
understand the connections between
the service activity and learning.
3. Helping supervise at a service site.
4. Developing an after-school club for
students who want to go beyond their
initial experience.
5. Organizing a volunteer fair so Volunteer
Connections and local agencies can inform students about Personalized storybooks.
community opportunities. Eighth grade students
strengthen their writing
6. Documenting activities through reflective visual art, writing, and technology skills as
photography, and videos enhance learning. they provide personalized
stories for young readers.
7. Attending student exhibitions where students showcase
their learning through presentations, displays, and
assemblies.
8. Helping to write grants or gather supplies and donations.
9. Attending conferences or meetings as part of a school team.
Ask your school principal if there is a service-learning program at
your school and how you can best support this effort or build it
into the building school improvement plan.
Check out the parents’ guide to service-learning; download
link: tinyurl.com/yz28tyv

15
“I don’t know what Encourage Teens to serve in The Community
your destiny will
be, but one thing While participating in family projects is fun and easy, more
I know: The ones extensive involvement will help your teenager develop leadership
among you who skills. Encourage your student to participate in community
will be really happy organizations like cultural groups, Kiwanis Key Clubs, Scouts,
Campfire, and religious organization youth groups that have a
are those who have
strong service component.
sought and found
how to serve.” Contact those organizations or the school activity coordinator to
determine what programs are available. Encourage your child to
—Albert Schweitzer attend club open house so they can discover what programs are
available and meet the students who are involved. Student-to-
student contact is most likely to encourage participation.
Clark County Youth Commission
The Clark County Youth Commission is a youth driven advisory
board established by the Clark County Board of Commissioners
in April 1998. Members ages 11-19 from throughout Clark County
provide a youth-oriented point of view to the work of the Board
of County Commissioners, county departments, and community
organizations.
The Youth Commission informs these groups about issues
important to youth, makes suggestions on how to address the
issues important to youth, and provides instruction on how to
build positive partnerships with youth. www.clark.wa.gov/youth-
family/commission
Culminating Projects
Many high school seniors do projects that
contribute to the community. Taking the time
to find a project that is valued by both the
student and the community is a key to success.
The following web site features students who
have done projects that have contributed to
the community psl.oditech.com and flyers that
describe local opportunities for teens.

16
Local Resources
There are so many ways to serve the community that it is
difficult to know where to begin. Three organizations can
help you to volunteer.
• Volunteer Connections — By registering with Volunteer
Connections you will be linked to more than 250 Clark
County agencies that can use your assistance. You
will also receive emails that update you on current
opportunities. www.hsc-wa.org/VolunteerConnections
• United We Serve — A national database of volunteer
opportunities. www.serve.gov
• Hands on Portland — If you have a special interest in family-
friendly service opportunities you might also check out the
Hands On Portland Web site that features service opportunities
in the greater Portland area. www.Handsonportland.org

A Partial List of Local Opportunities

Many of these programs offer service events that are family
friendly.
• Stream Team: www.streamteam.net Lisa Beranek (360) 992-
Project Codes:
8585 lberanek@clarkpud.com
• Support the Parks throughout Clark County: www. QProjects appropriate
for families with
cityofvancouver.us/parks-recreation/how_to_help or call young and elemen-
(360) 619-1124 tary aged children
• Audubon Society of Portland has a lot of resources for
OProjects appropriate
those interested in wildlife preservation. Some volunteer for middle school
opportunities are also available, however age and skill aged children
requirements vary by project. www.audubonportland.org
VProjects appropriate
Children & Families for high school aged
youth
• Watershed Stewards: www.clark.wsu.edu/volunteer/ws
Jennifer Naas, 397-6060, X7703, Jennifer.Naas@clark.wa.gov X Resource Web site

17
 • Innovative Services Innovative Services NW has 16
different programs that serve the young and the old as well
as children with disabilities. Spend time in their Childcare
Center rocking an infant to sleep; building a block tower with
a toddler; or teaching a science kit to an after-school youth.
www.innovativeservicesnw.org Jaime Yonkers, jyonkers@
innovativeservicesnw.org, (360) 892-5142
• Boys’ and Girls’ Club: Teens can provide homework help and
support a wide range of after school programs. www.mybgc.
org/volunteer
• Care Bags Foundation runs a program that encourages families
to fill bags with essential and fun items for children in need.
Family Service is www.carebags4kids.org
a way to heighten • The Hough Foundation: Provide tutoring and support
families’ sense of for children and families in the Hough community. www.
we-being, reduce houghfoundation.org/volCtr, Barbara Hammond, 313-2107,
social isolation Barbara.hammond@vansd.org
and strengthen • Head Start; Teens can provide support in Head Start
community classrooms. www.eocfwa.org/volunteers/volunteerProgram,
connections, katy@wsaheadstarteceap.com, (360) 896-9912
develop skills and • Operation Fairy Godmother
increase parenting This program allows high school girls to receive prom dresses
skills. through an exchange program. Girls can volunteer to be part
—Family of the OFG team in their school promotes the project in their
Strengthening Policy building. Check with your school administrator to see if your
Center 2006 school will be participating AND which staff member will be
overseeing the project.
Homelessness/Hunger
• Clark County Washington Food Bank has many family-
friendly projects that you can do to help address the issue
of hunger in our community. Bill Coleman, bill.coleman1@
comcast.net, (360) 397-6060
• Walk and Knock: On the first Saturday in December every
year Clark County volunteers hit the streets to collect food. Help
be part of this amazing event. www.walkandknock.org, Stacy
Walters, number3son@dsjmail.com

18
• Share: Help prepare a meal or fix up a room at one of Share’s “There is enough
shelters. www.sharevancouver.org/how-to-help/volunteer, Susan food worldwide to
Oberst, volunteerforshare@yahoo.com, 750-4436 x 309 feed everybody. But
• At Home At School: This program provides academic and not everybody can
arts enrichment activities for homeless and highly mobile afford the food that
children and families. Teens can help during their monthly Arts is available.”
Saturdays. www.athomeatschool.org
—Rehydration
Sharing your Talents Project

Does your family have a talent or skill you could share?

Arts/Culture
• Offer to do face painting or body art for children at a local
community celebration, day care center, or crisis nursery.
• Paint a Mural: www.ccmurals.org
• Project Linus: Provide a sense of security and warmth for
children who have been traumatized. Handmade quilts and
afghans will be distributed by Linus to local hospitals and
nonprofits. www.projectlinusoregon.org, Lys Leitner, 573-9001 ,
lysleitner@earthlink.net.
Singing/Dancing/Playing an instrument
Residents of nursing homes and senior centers love
entertainment.
• Work with the activity coordinator to plan a single or recurring
event where you perform for the residents.
• Plan a performance at your local homeless shelter, a school,
nursing home, or senior center.
Writing
• Write and illustrate a read-a-loud book and give it to a preschool
or shelter.
• Capturing Memories offers a detailed look at how you can help
elder record their life story. www.capturingmemories.com You
can do this in partnership with a convalescent center.

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 Reading
• Library: Help in a reading group and conversation group. Teens
can support the library through the Youth Advisory Boards --
www.fvrl.org/teens/lowdown. Sherry Braga sbraga@fvrol.org,
(360) 699-8812
• Designate a regular time to read with a younger friend or
neighbor, or make reading a part of visits with an elderly friend.
• Volunteer to tutor students at your local elementary school.
Each school varies so you need to see if they have volunteer by
checking with the school directly.
Gardening
• Organize community work parties to take care of the local
school or community garden. You will need to contact the
school or Community Garden in your neighborhood. Jane
Kleiner, (360) 619-1113
• Hazel Dell Garden; Help with the garden by
organizing a work session at the garden. We will
provide tools and gloves. Barbara Nordstrom
Barbara.Nordstrom@vansd.org (360) 313-4725
Coaching
• Coach for a team of younger children for your
school’s club sports team, or at the local YMCA,
Parks program or Boys’ and Girls’ Club
• Start a chess club at your school—teach
everyone how to play and organize tournaments
after school.
Cooking/Baking
• Cook meals as a family to take to an elderly or disabled
neighbor.
• Participate in the Great American Bake Sale to support
children who are hungry. Check out www.strength.org/what/
greatamericanbakesale

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Seniors
Everyone benefits when families spend time
with seniors. Older people have an opportunity
to share their life’s adventures and enjoy the
energy of youth, while younger people profit
from the experience and wisdom that results
from living a full life. In addition, you will bridge
a generation gap and promote understanding.
Visit your local senior center or nursing home
and ask for the activities coordinator—they
always love helpers!
• Loaves and Fishes: Either deliver meals or
help serve meals. www.loavesandfishesonline.org/content/ “Love and care for
getinvolved/volunteer the people who are
• Alzheimer’s Visitors: Take time to visit the Hampton to provide less fortunate. But
companionship for people with Alzheimer’s. www.hampton. have the confidence
com for them to do the
same.”
• Innovative Services Innovative Services NW has 16 different
program areas. Come spend some time in our Adult Day Health —Alec Dickson
Center. Challenge our clients to a game of checkers or a game
on the Wii; help with art projects; or share your musical talents
www.innovativeservicesnw.org, Jaime Yonkers, jyonkers@
innovativeservicesnw.org, (360) 892-5142
Animals
• Humane Society for Southwest Washington has a great
volunteer program for teens 15-17. The program is very
popular and fills fast so sign up. www.southwesthumane.org
• The Humane Society of the United States has a web site that
promotes civic action. www.humaneteen.org
• Oregon Zoo has several family and youth-friendly one-day
to long-term volunteer programs. Check out the Web site for
current opportunities. www.oregonzoo.org/Involved
• Pet Therapy. Learn how you and your pet can be enrich the
lives of the elderly or house-bound. The Humane Society offers
training and certification programs for pet owners.

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 Health
This type of service opportunity can be intensely
rewarding, however, it may be difficult for your
family members to interact with the ill or disabled.
These Web sites offer educational resources and
ideas on how you and your family can support their
cause.
• Red Cross
www.swwashington.redcross.org (Check out their
teen programs)
“I shall pass • Breast Cancer
through this world Susan G. Komen Foundation, www.komen.org
National Race for the Cure, www.raceforthecure.org
but once. Any good
therefore that I can Check out www.mylion.org for specific ideas you can do to help
do or any kindness children with cancer.
that I can show to • Diabetes
any human being, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation www.jdf.org
let me do it now. • Leukemia/Lymphoma
Let me not defer or Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
neglect it, for I shall www.lightthenight.org and www.lls.org
not pass this way • Parkinson’s
again.” Parkinson’s Unity Walk
—Mahatma Gandhi www.unitywalk.org
• AIDS
AIDS Walk, www.aidswalk.org
Pediatric AIDS Foundation,
www.pedaids.org
• Asthma /Lung Disease
American Lung Association
Asthma Walk www.lungusa.org
• Clark County Public Health Tobacco Prevention
and Education Program — Help reduce the access and use of
tobacco by teens. www.doh.wa.gov/Tobacco/youth
Long Vue, 397-8000, long.vue@clark.wa.gov

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• Multiple Sclerosis
National MS Society www.nmss.org
• Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk www.alz.org
• Birth Defects
March of Dimes www.marchofdimes.org
• Heart Disease
American Heart Association www.americanheart.org
“Love and care for
Disabilities the people who are
less fortunate. But
Washington State School for the Blind and the Washington have the confidence
State School for the Deaf are specialized schools which educate
for them to do the
students with these particular disabilities. Students attend
these schools from all over the state, and must be housed in same.”
the dormitories during the week. Like any other children, these —Alec Dickson
students love to socialize. However, they don’t often get the
chance to do so outside of their school culture. A great family
activity would be to organize a game day for students, or to take
them for outings in the community.
• Washington State School for the Deaf
www.wssb.wa.gov/Content/community/volunteer
Adrienne Fernandez, Adrienne.Fernandez@wssb.wa.gov,
(360) 696-6321
• Washington State School for the Deaf
www.wsd.wa.gov/about/volunteers
Sharon Caton, sharon.caton@wsd.wa.gov, (360) 696-6525
Special Olympics Washington offers a variety of volunteer
opportunities available at both a region and state level. Various
opportunities include Day of Event Volunteer, Coach or Assistant
Coach or being a Unified Partner. You can also help with
Administrative Support/Special Projects. www.sowa.org Terry
Babin, tbear06@comcast.net, (360) 608-7789

23
 FamilyCares Tips for Successful Volunteering
Source: www.familycares.org
Family volunteering is a great way to spend real quality time
together, developing strong family bonds, opening channels
of communication and sharing experiences that create proud
family memories for years to come. Debbie Spaide, founder of
FamilyCares, offers the following tips to help you get started and
maximize your family’s success.
Choose hands-on projects that offer children an opportunity
to feel ownership in the giving process. If Mom buys a toy and
Joey drops it in the box at school, the giving ownership is mostly
Mom’s. But if Joey chooses the gift, wraps it and perhaps even
makes a card to go with it, the giving ownership is mostly Joey’s.
Ensure success by using projects that are simple and short-
term. Complicated projects that require long-term commitment
often run short on enthusiasm with children. Choose projects that
require skills your child is capable of managing and that can be
accomplished in a short period of time.
Maximize teachable moments by following your child’s
charitable interests. The most successful family projects respond
to an interest on the part of the child. Listen for clues about issues
that concern your child. Watch the news together and ask for his/
her opinion on current events. Find easy-to-read stories on social
issues such as homelessness, hunger, and aging to share during
family meals.
Build self-esteem by creating caring memories to last a
lifetime. Use a scrapbook to keep photos of your caring projects,
thank you notes, cute quotes from your children, and your own
responses to each project. This memory book will become a
wonderful source of esteem development as your child grows
older.
Keep the tone fun and rewarding. Doing charity projects should
be an experience your child remembers as uplifting and fun. Tell

24
jokes, give compliments, and laugh often as you work
together to help others. Children will remember the
“mood” more than the labor.
Join forces with other families who want to volunteer
together. The more the merrier! Charity projects are
even more fulfilling when you work on them with your
family friends. You can host a “My Family Cares” party
with multiple projects for families to work on, or have a
“Family Care Day: in your community.
Be a good example of caring behaviors. Let your
children see you volunteering. Talk about ways to help
others with adults and in your children’s presence. Avoid
complaining about your volunteer work. Tell your kids
how good it feels to care.
“When you were
Remember caring is a process, not a product. It is the thought born, you cried and
that counts. Highlight your child’s intentions and efforts in charity the world rejoiced.
activities. Try to ignore those times when the final product is less
Live your life so
than perfect. If necessary, you can repair the product secretly
before delivering it. that when you die,
the world cries and
Reinforce your child’s compassion after each project. Have an you rejoice.”
informal family meeting, perhaps over ice cream, to discuss the
project, what you learned, what you felt, and what you will do —Cherokee
next. Talking about the project will put words to the feelings and Expression
give the experience more power.

25
 National Days of Service
These National Days of Service often have
family-friendly opportunities:
• Family Day of Service — November
• Make a Difference Day — October
• Martin Luther King Day of Service — January
• Global Youth Service Day — April
Check out www.disney.go.com/disneyhand/
familyvolunteers to learn more.

“You must teach Conclusion

your children
that all things are These are just a few of the multitude of service opportunities that
await you and your family. There is no end to the possibilities.
connected like
the blood which ENJOY!
unites one family.
Whatever befalls
the earth befalls the
sons of the earth.
Man did not weave
the web of life; he
is merely a strand
in it. Whatever he
does to the web, he
does to himself.”
—Chief Seattle

26
Resource Materials
Family Service Web Sites
Check out these websites for more ideas and resources:
• www.doinggoodtogether.org
• www.familycares.org
• www.volunteerfamily.com
• Shinnyo-en Foundation: www.sef.org

Books and Articles for Parents

• Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment In A Complex
World, Larent A. Parks Daloz, Cheryl H. Keen, James P. Keen,
Sharon Daloz Parks, Beacon Press.
• Teaching your Kids to Care, Diane Siepina, Replica Books.
• The Busy Family’s Guide to Volunteering, Jenny Friedman,.
Robins Lane Press.

Books For Youth

• The Kid’s Guide to Social Action. How To Solve the Social
Problems You Choose—And Turn Creative Thinking Into
Positive Action, Barbara A. Lewis. Free Spirit Publishing: 1991.
• 50 Simple Things You Can Do To Save The Earth, The
Earthworks Group. Earthworks Press: 1989.
• The Kid’s Guide To Service Projects, Barbara A Lewis. Free Spirit
Publishing: 1995.

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 Project Service Leadership

www.projectserviceleadership.org

© 2010 Shinnyo-En Foundation