10 Easy Ways to Volunteer with Your Kids

This post has been sponsored by Comcast. All opinions are my own. 10 Ways to Volunteer with Your Kids.

If you want volunteer but just don’t seem to have the time, you’ll love this list!l

When I had only two children, before my triplets were born, I used to volunteer all the time. I’ve always been passionate about helping others. When the triplets were born, and especially after we discovered they have Autism, I did less and less volunteer work. My passion to help didn’t go away, but with so little time, it seemed hopeless. There were plenty of volunteer things I could do that were related to my children, but they weren’t things I could do with my children.

I believe in putting good out into the world. It’s not because good seems to come back, but let me tell you, it does. Simply when you do positive things, you get positive results. The same is true for kind things. It comes back, often when you least expect it. Last week, my children and I received an unexpected blessing! It further deepened my passion for community and volunteerism.

I am a volunteer for Make a Wish Foundation and am also the volunteer Coach for the triplets’ soccer team. My older sons are also volunteers with the team. We get to be together, have fun together, and do something good for our community, together! These are my ongoing volunteer positions. I also volunteer for specific community events and projects as they come up.

Before I tell you all about the unexpected blessing, let’s get to that list of ways you can volunteer with your children.

1. Volunteer to bring care packages to parents with children in the NICU. Since the triplets were micro-preemies, I know how hard it is for a parent to be living out of a NICU unit during the beginning of their new child’s life.
2. Volunteer at a local library. I really hope libraries stay open. With so much information available online, the beauty of a hard copy book is being lost. Let’s hold onto that!
3. Help out a neighbor. Do you have a neighbor who doesn’t have a car? Offer to give a ride. Perhaps an elderly neighbor who has just a bit too much yard work? How about a yard makeover day?
4. Cleanup during a walk about the neighborhood. We should take pride in our community. Taking a walk around the neighborhood is a great way to spend quality time with the kids, get exercise and volunteer close to home. You don’t need to register or get permission. Grab a garbage picker and a bag. That’s it!
5. Donate groceries to a local food bank. You can plan, shop, and deliver together!
6. Spend time at a local senior center. It’s important for our children to learn about the beautiful cycle of life and cherish the elderly in our community. After all, it is our kids who will be caring for our generation in the future. Let’s teach them at a young age and get them started now!
7. Help a friend. Do you have a friend who could use a break? Maybe surprise help catching up on the laundry. Perhaps just a nice dinner delivered when your friend is having a hard day. Maybe you can offer to babysit and your child(ren) wins with a built-in playdate! Let’s teach our children how to be a good friend. It’s a great step towards becoming an asset to the community.
8. Sponsor an child in need. There are many programs that allow you to sponsor a child. There are programs for children who are in need of help. Operation smile is a great organization! St. Jude is a family favorite. There are so many options. Your child gets to learn about empathy and appreciation. There is always a child in need.
9. Fundraise and donate to a local nonprofit. There’s no need to make this complicated. One of the biggest reasons people don’t volunteer is because they feel like there just isn’t enough time. You can make this as simple as you want! Sell some cookies or baked goods and donate the proceeds to your favorite cause. Donate clothes and toys.
10. Volunteer at the annual Comcast Cares Day!

Comcast Cares Day is more than jus a day!

Comcast Cares Day is more than just a day — it is a celebration and opportunity to spotlight our year-round
commitment to volunteerism that began with our founding 55 years ago. From using technology to create
positive change, such as teaching digital literacy skills, to mentoring youth, to beautifying parks, Comcast
NBCUniversal employees volunteer on this day, and throughout the year, to make a lasting impact. This year,
the Company expects more than 100,000 volunteers to participate in about 1,000 projects across the country
and around the world. To date, volunteers have contributed more than 5 million volunteer hours at 8,800
projects. (Comcast Cares Day 2018 Press Release)

After being a part of Comcast Cares Day last year without my children, I knew I wanted them to participate this year. They know how much I love to volunteer and I wanted them to share in the experience. Comcast Cares Day is actually the largest Corporate Volunteer effort in the Nation! It’s breathtaking to see everyone come together and make complete transformations in such a short amount of time. If gives you that anything-is-possible-if-we-work-together feeling.

Not only did my children get to volunteer, but their own school was one of the recipients!

That’s my son with his 1–1 aide. He appreciates her so much and his whole face lit up when he realized that she was there to volunteer as well! In my children’s school the focus was on clean up and gardening.

Of course, playing in the dirt was going to be a first choice for many kids, so they all worked really hard! We all did. While I was onsite helping and taking photos, I had the opportunity to speak with a lot of Comcast employees who where there with their families. Check out a little of the live footage here.

Comcast gave makeovers to 19 California schools and community centers. As a post NorCal fires response, Comcast repaired and remodeled the Santa Rosa Integrated Wellness Center, planted nearly 400 trees in the Fountaingrove ll neighborhood of Santa Rosa damaged by the
Tubbs Fire in 2017 and cleaned and freshen up surrounding areas, beautifying the campus by cleaning, weeding, putting down fresh wood chips at Santa Rosa High School to host graduation ceremonies

During the fires, Comcast was also there, making sure people could connect to internet to hear important news updates and stay informed. They supported the community then, now and always. I am very grateful to Comcast.

Ask me if my internet has ever gone out or had a few moments of slow down. Yes. Just like every other provider out there, sometimes things aren’t perfect. When there is a problem, Comcast customer service and tech support is excellent. I support Comcast, not only because of the great service, but because I’m following Comcast’s lead and supporting the employees and their families who put community first. I am glad to know that my patronage helps to put food on the table for Comcast employees, many of whom live right in my neighborhood.

When I spoke to employees during the event, every single employee, without prompting, said that the customers and their community are the most important part of their job. Every. Single. One. That means that this philosophy is woven into the culture of Comcast.

Check out all the pictures below! Who knows, Comcast just might show up at your child’s school in the future. I was so glad they chose ours and it was a beautiful lesson to teach to my children about giving without expectations of something in return. Sometimes, it just comes back to you anyway. Thank you, Comcast!

About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with two primary
businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation’s largest video, high-speed
internet, and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand, and also provides these
services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers
under the XFINITY brand. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and
Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures
and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.

By: Alicia Gonzalez

Originally published at 24/7 Modern Mom™.