United Way’s Volunteer Center For National Family Volunteer Day Is Saturday

  • Thursday, November 20, 2014
  • Kelley Nave

Please join United Way’s Volunteer Center on Saturday, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Hamilton Place Mall to celebrate National Family Volunteer Day.     

 

This special day is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving to “kick off” the holiday season with giving and service.  It showcases the benefits of family volunteering and provides opportunities for families to work together to help communities create supportive environments for their children.

 

On Saturday, take your family to the JC Penney Court on the lower level of Hamilton Place Mall.

There will be several projects available, which children and their parents can make together.

 

These volunteer projects are simple but can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Some projects families will be able to make include:

  • Soup Cans to Flower Pots: Family volunteers will make decorative flower pots out of empty soup cans, filling them with dirt and flower seeds.  The finished pots will be donated to residents in local nursing homes.
  • Blessing Bags for the Homeless: Families can make “Blessing Bags” for the homeless which will contain snacks, hand warmers, combs, fingernail clippers, and mittens.  These bags will be distributed to the homeless to help them during the cold winter season.
  • Adoption Day Kits for Pets: Family volunteers will pack kits for pets which are newly adopted from the East Ridge Animal Shelter. The kits will include a raw hide, a milk bone, and instructions on caring for a new pet.
  • Holiday Mail for Heroes: Families volunteers will work with the American Red Cross to create holiday letters and cards for deployed servicemembers.  These holiday greetings will express thanks for their service to our country.
  • Peace Quilts: Families will decorate quilt squares which will be sewn into quilts and distributed at schools and other agencies.
  • Pine Cone Bird Feeders: Family volunteers can make adorable pine cone bird feeders with pine cones, shortening, and bird seed. The cones, covered in shortening and bird seed, will be hung in local wilderness areas.

For more information about Family Volunteer Day and how your family can be involved, call the Volunteer Center at 423 752-0316 or visit LiveUnitedChattanooga.org/Events. To register as a volunteer, go to iHelpChattanooga.org.

 

Other Ways to Participate 
For other ways to participate on Family Volunteer Day, United Way’s Volunteer Center is posting specific, family-oriented opportunities on its website at www.LiveUnitedChattanooga.org/FamilyOpportunities. You can also use the "Project Planning Guide" and "Reflection Guide" located atwww.LiveUnitedChattanooga.org/ProjectPlan or www.LiveUnitedChattanooga.org/Reflection to guide you.

 

Six Benefits of Family Volunteering  
1. Volunteering as a family provides a fun way for families to make memories together, while making significant contributions to their communities. 
2. Volunteering as a family teaches children the values of kindness and giving back, ideas which complement the holiday season of giving. It also teaches children values like empathy, respect, friendliness and tolerance. 
3. Serving together builds problem solving skills and strengthens communication within the whole family. 
4. Volunteering together strengthens the family by promoting positive values, creating new opportunities to engage and focusing on the importance of teamwork.
5. Family volunteering can help to improve family communication.

6. Family volunteering provides a great way to spend time together in light of hectic work and school schedules.



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