7 Ways Busy Families Can Volunteer
Volunteering together is a fantastic way to spend time as a family. Volunteering --teaches kindness, compassion and respect. --deepens family relationships. --gives kids a sense of empowerment. --promotes learning about areas of interest, such as hunger, homelessness or human rights. --doesn't require a lot of time. --is fun. --changes lives. An excellent resource for finding volunteer opportunities is "The Busy Family's Guide to Volunteering" by Jenny Friedman (Robins Lane Press). Visiting www.volunteermatch.org can help you locat volunteer opporunities in your area. Here are my favorite family volunteering opportunities: 1. PREPARE A MEAL FOR A HOMELESS SHELTER OR SOUP KITCHEN. Even young children can help with shopping, washing vegetables, pouring and mixing. Older children and teens can handle more complex tasks. Our family loves this one because it's personal. Get large-quantity recipes at www.angelfire.com. 2. WALK, RUN OR SWIM FOR A GOOD CAUSE. We like our local CROP Walk, which fights hunger in our area and abroad. Other events fight such diseases as cancer and cyclic vomiting syndrome. Kids can ask aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and neighbors to sponsor them -- just don't sent kids door-to-door without you! With hats and sunscreen, little ones can ride in a stroller or back-carrier. 3. ENGAGE IN E-ACTIVISM. Many organizations' Web sites help you write to government officials or heads of corporations to support a cause. Examples include www.aiusa.org (human rights), www.cec.sped.org (children with disabilities) and www.maketradefair.com(helping farmers get fair prices for such crops as chocolate and coffee). Young children can make phone calls, help send a fax, or dictate while parents or older siblings type. Enjoy great family discussions, too! 4. CLICK FOR CHARITY. One-click charity websites let you "donate" by clicking a button. For each click, sponsors featured on the page contribute to a charity. Examples include www.rainforest.care2.com, www.povertyfighters.com and www.clearlandmines.com. You can find one-click charity ratings at http://kimberlychapman.com/charitycheck/list.html Make the charity your home page, or add it to your favorites and click when logging on or off the Internet. 5. CLEAN UP TRASH ON YOUR BLOCK OR AT A LOCAL PARK OR BEACH. Pick a day with pleasant weather and put on protective gloves. Treat the family to a picnic or ice cream afterwards. 6. HAVE A BACKYARD CARNIVAL FOR A GOOD CAUSE. Invite neighborhood kids for simple games and fun activities (www.familyfun.go.com/parties has great ideas). Put out a can on the refreshment table for donations. 7. JOIN THE BOX PROJECT. Sponsor a fmaily in need in the rural U.S. Each month, send a box filled with clothes, school supplies, food and other essentials. You can exchange letters, too. Visit www.boxproject.org for details. THERE'S A VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY TO FIT EVERY FAMILY. It may take a few tries to find the best fit, but the effort will pay off. Enjoy! (c) 2004 Norma Schmidt, Coach, LLC Norma Schmidt, Coach, LLC, specializes in helping women who are both professionals and parents to create balance. She offers teleclasses,workshops and individual and group coaching. Norma publishes "The Balance Point," a free e-zine, every other Friday. Visit http://www.NormaSchmidt.com
MORE RESOURCES:
New class at North Shore Yoga designed for childrenChattanooga Times Free Press, TN - 11 hours agoA children’s yoga class unravels more noisily than adult versions of this ancient Indian practice. “There are a lot of active poses,” said Claire Mooney, ... |
Something in the way he livedNewsday, NY - 8 hours agoBY ROBERT KAHN | robert.kahn@newsday.com A Hofstra University professor who studied yoga with George Harrison leads a tribute concert to the late Beatles ... |
Teacher uses yoga to inspire studentsSun-Sentinel.com, FL - 8 hours ago"Yoga is a powerful tool to help students and teachers relieve stress and gain inner strength and concentration," she said. "The sessions are brief, ... |
Yoga in a chairLouisville Courier-Journal, KY - 7 hours agoBy Darla Carter • dcarter@courier-journal.com • November 20, 2008 If the idea of getting down on the floor to strike a yoga pose makes you say, "Ouch! ... |
Ventura Harbor Village hosts outdoor yogaVentura County Reporter, CA - 10 hours agoBy Alex Wilson 11/20/2008 Yoga enthusiasts mix their routines with sunshine, ocean air and views of sailboats gliding by during a series of “Gentle Outdoor ... |
Yoga Could be DangerousKUTV, UT - 18 hours agoAt first glance, yoga may look hard, even painful. And if you are not careful, you could really hurt yourself. Studies show that yoga can help you gain ... |
Yoga - Google News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Role Models for Your Teen
By the time your children reach their teens, there is only a limited amount of time left to influence them and get them started in life in the right direction.The teen years are a critical time for role models in your children's lives.
Hurting from the Outside - In: The Rise of Self-harming
Ask any teacher or adolescent counselor what the most disturbing trend they are seeing in teens today is, and they are likely to tell you it's the growing number of "cutters".By cutters, they mean people who hurt themselves or "self-injure" a term that is more encompassing of the many types of behaviors that are actually involved.
Top Ten Ways to Raise Emotionally Intelligent Kids
Having a high level of emotional intelligence in your children is the best way to ensure that they live a happy, successful, and responsible life as an adult. Here are ten ways to help your kids attain a high degree of emotional intelligence:1.
Get Down (On The Floor!) And Play With Your Children
When was the last time you and your kids rolled around on the floor together laughing yourselves silly? If you're like me, it may have been a while! Sometimes I get caught up in household chores, give errands a priority or answer the phone when I know I should let it ring, instead of making time for my two daughters. It's not that I don't play with them; just the opposite is true.
Overscheduled Kids
Time devoted the better part of an issue to it. Newsweek featured an article titled "Busy Around the Clock.
Should The Dad-To-Be Attend The Birth?
Not so long ago a dad-to-be would pace up and down outside the labor room and would be admitted only after the birth. Modern practice is to assume the dad-to-be should be at the birth to offer support.
When Parents Disagree
Moms and dads, are there times you think that parenting would be easier if you didn't have to make family decisions? Having a partner that is not in agreement with your parenting ideas or discipline approaches is more than just frustrating. It can be a cause of division in even the best of relationships.
Childs Play: Treating The Insanity of the Mental Health System
In today's mental health system there is a pattern of fraud and coercion that takes way the freedoms and dignity of children and their families. Children are receiving stigmatizing labels and being prescribed psychotropic drugs with many untoward effects.
Whos Your Daddy? How to be a Great Dad in 5 to 7 Minutes
I am a dad. I have been now for over 8 years.
Awesome Dads Top Ten Ways To Be The Foundation of Your Family
Part of the responsibility of being a father is to establish a strong foundation for the family. Just like a building foundation, much of this work goes unseen and rarely gets acknowledged, yet the strength and integrity of the entire structure relies on it.
Nanny 911 and Disciplining Your Child
Nanny 911 Interview with Montel WilliamsI saw an interview with Nanny 911 with Montel Williams and I have to say I was really impressed.One of the clips that was shown was Nanny 911 going into a home with 3 or 4 boys.
Entering Their Imaginative World
In dealing with children with autism spectrum disorders, its all about relationship. These children are within a realm where they feel and respond much differently than others.
Potty Dolls to Accelerate Potty Training Success
Sometime the most effective training tool in rapidly accelerating the rate of your child's training is a potty doll. This is drink-and-wet a doll with the internal plumbing that simulates the potty process for your child.
Helping Your Child Make and Keep Friends
What Children Look for in a Friend?Is this child fun to be with?Is this child trustworthy?Does this child help me achieve my goals?Does this child make me feel good about myself?Is this child similar to me?Social Tasks Involved in Peer RelationshipsJoining a group or activityCoping with successDealing with conflictDefending selfCoping with failureStaying involvedMaking a friendSharing/cooperatingSticking up for a friendCoping with rejectionResponding to requestsMaking requestsHelping othersMaintaining a conversationCoping with teasingBeing supportive of othersAlthough rejected children differ in many ways, there does seem to be something they have in common:A large proportion of rejected children are lacking in positive interaction skills, such as beingcooperative, helpful, refining non-verbal communication, timing, spatial awareness, verballanguage appropriateness and inappropriate dress or poor personal hygiene.This suggests that it should be possible to help these children by teaching them positive ways to interactwith others.
Books Around the House Make A Difference in Literacy Rates
We need a grass roots campaign targeted towards parents to have books around the house. Reading times where TV is turned off and kids are reading.
How Effective Is EEG Neurofeedback Training in Treating the Symptoms of ADHD?
Many research studies have shown the overall effectiveness of stimulant medication, such as Ritalin and Dexedrine in their various forms, in treating the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders in children, teens, and adults. Even though stimulants are not the only effective option in the treatment of the disorder, stimulants may be a good choice, and their use should be discussed with your physician.
Family Meetings 101
Family meetings provide opportunities for feelings to be aired and validated. They also allow younger children to feel they are an important part of the decision-making process when it comes to family vacations and other major and minor family functions.
Detox To Help Conception
Detox To Conceive..
Whine Oh Whine Am I The Only One?
I thought I was the only one in the world with a whiny 5-year-old. All the other 5-year-olds that I know of are either well-behaved or are total monsters! My elder child is a cross between the two - most times he's well-behaved and sometimes a total monster.
Teenagers and Stress: What Parents Can Do to Help
More and more parents are expressing their concerns about how to support their teenagers who are complaining about the stress in their lives.What parents may not realize, is that what they do every day by providing healthy food, support, and a comforting home, provides the very stress-antidotes their teens need.
|
