By spending time with your child, in many ways, you are already giving back to society by raising one of its newest members in a healthy manner. With the stress of work and finding a balance to get special bonding in, there isn’t always room to volunteer for organizations to further help your community. If this sounds familiar, consider the win-win combo of teaching your child about giving back while spending time with them volunteering together. 

“Volunteering as a family is a great way to help children feel valued and connected to each other. Possibly even learn a new skill or make new friends,” said Rick Skinner, Vice President, United Way of Greater St. Louis. “It can also bring families together to help solve important needs in your community. Volunteering doesn’t have to be hard or take all day. Many ways exist to fit volunteering into even the busiest of schedules. “

Here are 8 ways to kick-start your quest to give back side by side with your children.

1. Enchanted Makeovers
With a mission to help decorate shelters for women and children, parents can help their child decorate a pillow that will be donated. “Its a handmade pillowcase with a card attached that is made by a child,” Terry Grahl shared.  “We want the child to share whatever is in their heart, a poem or a message of hope its up to them.”
www.enchantedmakeovers.org

2. Guide Dogs
Training a puppy that will eventually be given to a blind person to serve as their guide is a touching way to share all sorts of love. Southeastern Guide Dogs takes it a step further. “Five days a week, community members and vacationers alike come to our Puppy Kennel, sit on the floor, and we let the puppies out to play,” Jennifer A. Bement said. “It's great for the pups because it exposes them to a wide variety of people and it's great for the community because it lets them have a small part in providing independence to someone with a visual impairment.”
To learn more about Southeastern, visit www.guidedogs.org

3. Alex’s Lemonade Stand
This annual weekend event in June raised over a million dollars for pediatric cancer research.  “Lemonade Days is a three day national event that grew out of Alex's front yard lemonade stand, and is held every year over the same June weekend,” Gillian Kocher said. “In addition to being fun and easy, hosting an Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation provides a mini-pack of materials to stand hosts, a fundraising specialist to assist with any questions that may arise and more.”
www.AlexsLemonade.org

4. Girls on the Run
From their site, “Girls on the Run® is a life-changing, experiential learning programs for girls age eight to thirteen years old. The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.” Working to enhance the self esteem of young girls, volunteer duties can include setting up for races, working aid stations, coaching your daughter’s team and more. To find your location to get involved, visit:
www.girlsontherun.org

5. Kids Korp
This program was specifically designed to teach children about donating their time for great causes. As they state on their site, “Our mission is to instill in America’s youth the spirit of giving while providing valuable education in leadership and responsibility.”  From visiting Alzheimer’s Residents to hosting a festival for foster children, Kids Korp has endless opportunities for community service.
http://www.kidskorps.org

6. Special Olympics
With hundreds of offices around the world, find one near you for opportunities to get involved to help, “transforms lives through the joy of sport, every day, everywhere.”  From working events together and more, there’s plenty of ways to get involved.
www.specialolympics.org/volunteers.aspx

7. RedCross Volunteer Match
When disaster strikes, the RedCross is there to help. By clicking on their Volunteer Match link, you can narrow down your search to efforts that involve kids as well.
www.redcross.org

8. United Way
“You can connect with your local United Way to find opportunities to get involved in your community,” added Skinner. For more information visit:
www.unitedway.org

In addition to wetting your feet with the above, Carrie from the United Way of Greater St. Louis also suggested grass roots approaches such as having a garage sale and donating the proceeds to a favorite cause, creating artwork to send to a shelter or hospital, and organizing a food drive in your neighborhood, to name a few.

However your family chooses to give back together, the opportunities are endless and the reward for bonding with your child will extend its reach in more ways than one.