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Mom Turns Volunteering into a Family Affair
Kathy Schank is a busy Naperville mom with three children who has volunteered for Meals on Wheels, DuPage PADS, Feed My Starving Children, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, KidsMatter and a many other local organizations. Whenever she can, she involves her children in the experience with her. "Meals on Wheels is one of the most family friendly service projects around. I've been doing that with my children for eight years. I bundled them up as babies and took all the kids with me. It had been a great way to introduce my children to giving to others," says Kathy. She has actively helped her children as well as other youth learn about the joy of volunteering. She currently is working on a program called "Bridging the Gap" that teams up youth with senior citizens. Kathy feels fortunate to have a husband who supports her volunteering attitude. "I couldn't do any of this without the support of my husband Chip," she notes. "He has made it possible for me to be the kind of mom and volunteer that I am." Kathy shares her ideas about family volunteering for others to consider.
How does a mother and her children get started with volunteering? Start young so they get used to making volunteering a part of life. Then practice what I call the Noah's Ark Theory where you grab two friends to go along. Kids are more willing if their friends are doing it too and you end up opening up doors for other children. Adults should take along friends too. On my birthday, a neighbor girl gave me an essay she wrote about how volunteering with us has affected her life. It was so special that I framed it.
What about age restrictions for groups? Create your own program if you need to. My kids were too young to make lunches as PADS but I called and asked if we could make lunches at home and bring them in and that was what our family did-we made 50 lunches at home and took them to PADS. Make a phone call or send an email and negotiate a way to help.
How can a mother get a child interested in volunteering? Find your child's gifts and talents and use them. My son was very uncomfortable with visiting a homeless shelter but he was very comfortable with animals. I found an animal shelter that would allow my son and me to volunteer together and we did that.
Why is it important for children to learn how to volunteer? The experience of volunteering is the action step to reaching forty developmental assets like honesty, responsibility and restraint. Volunteering allows the walls to come down so your child's gifts and talents can emerge.
Can you share a special memory you have with your children? When we deliver Meals on Wheels together, the look on my children's faces is so amazing. There is a feeling of pure love between the giver and the receiver. In many cases, our faces are the only ones that the seniors see regularly. My kids get that now and they feel good about it. – By Judy Buchenot
