If you don't have a high school student yet, you may be thinking that volunteering is a fun way to teach your little cherubs to think of others. And, you'd be right.  If you do have high school students, you may be thinking that volunteering is a great way to occupy your resident adults and looks good on a transcript. Again, you'd be right. So why don't more of us volunteer? And how do we volunteer? 

As I'm sure you know, my family, one year ago almost to the day, moved from "vacationland" to "the volunteer state".  Why anyone would choose to do such a thing is beyond me, but here we are.  This state that we are in is known for having more volunteers than any other state, or at least that's what the locals tell me. It is something that they are proud of, and I commend them for it.  Also, it is something that convicts me about how little my family actively volunteers.

In order to embrace this idea of volunteering, let's explore the why. Why should we volunteer?

In our literature classes, we teach our students to analyze both sides of an issue using what is called an "ANI" chart.  That is an affirmative, negative, and informational chart.  Let's do this : Families should volunteer 

Affirmative: 

• selfless
• helps others
• gives us a chance to share the gospel
• looks good on college applications
• supports a good cause
• helps us make connections with like-minded people

Negative: 

• it's work
• requires us to think outside of ourselves
• takes time

Truthfully, these lists could be much longer, but I just wanted to give you an idea of how we might analyze this question.  Now that we are fairly convinced that we should volunteer, how do we?

Here's seven things to consider when looking for ways to volunteer with your kids: 

1. consider the involvement required (a few hours a week, or month?) 
2. consider the ages of your children (can everyone do it, or is it more for your older kids?)
3. consider the driving involved (is it local, or does it travel around?)
4. consider your schedule (volunteering may be selfless, but it's not self-induced burnout. Use some discretion to see if it will work with you)
5. consider the mission and vision of the organization (my boys aren't volunteering with the local planned parenthood, sorry not sorry.) 
6. consider the political or college connection the organization might have (especially if volunteering to appeal to certain college admissions) 
7. consider the leadership structure of the organization/group (the leadership can make or break the hard work of its volunteers)

When you find a great organization with a vision that you and your family can stand behind and help make a reality, then volunteering becomes an addictive activity.  Join us this month as we explore the idea of volunteering more in our communities and beyond. 

Found a great organization to volunteer with? Share it with us!