Volunteerism and Kids: The New Golden Rule

It’s the “Age of Easy Altruism.” As our lives become busier and volunteering becomes harder, we sometimes opt for the easy way out. Instead of giving time, we give things. A canned good gets stuck in the backpack for a class food pantry drive, or we simply write a check to the local education fund.

But there’s something to be said for offering time instead of money, and more importantly, what children can learn from it. With the election of President Obama, volunteerism is back in the spotlight. But is it worth the effort to get your kids involved? Of course.

“Service and volunteerism is an important part of teaching students how they can give back to their local community,” says Jim Woell, principal of Attea Middle School in Glenview. “Whether it’s helping rake the lawns of seniors in the local community or run various campaigns to raise money or collect supplies for third-world country communities, volunteerism helps our students learn how to give to others without personal incentive or gain.”

Perhaps more important is the impact volunteering has on a child’s self-worth. The Volunteer Center of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff executive director Nini Lustig has seen it firsthand.

“It raises their self-esteem in a huge way,” says Lustig, who created a program, Little Hands, Big Hearts, in conjunction with the Westmoreland Nursing Center and Open Lands that offers younger children an opportunity to experience volunteering for themselves.

“I think kids get turned off when they don’t feel welcome or are treated as a nuisance,” Lustig says. “[With our program], they can just go and feel welcome. Some of the kids might not feel like they’re the smartest in their classrooms, and you should see how proud they feel when they spend time volunteering.”

Before you drop your do-gooders, though, make sure you and your kids understand why you, and they, are making the effort. “What concerns me is when a parent calls and says ‘I’d like my child to help in a soup kitchen so they can see poverty and appreciate what they have,'” says Barb Tubekis, director of the Volunteer Center of New Trier Township. “Volunteering is not about us. The best volunteer projects are when our North Shore kids work side by side with another group, for example, youth in the inner city, visiting senior centers or people with disabilities. That way, our kids recognize that other youth can help, too, and it doesn’t take money to make a difference.”

Looking for opportunities for your child? Consider these suggestions:

For younger, elementary age kids:

  • Visit with a senior neighbor
  • Bake a batch of brownies for the local fire department
  • Offer to help with yard work for a senior citizen
  • Participate in food and clothing drives

For middle/high school kids:

  • Volunteer at a local nature center
  • Participate in special senior center/nursing home programs
  • Work with kids in local day camps
  • Assist at a local animal shelter
  • Offer help with people with physical disabilities in recreation programs

Or, try these links below:

The Volunteer Center of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff

The Volunteer Center of New Trier Township

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