When Sandra Foyt, of North Greenbush, introduced her daughter to community service at the age of 6, the plan was to give Kayla Foyt the opportunity to learn about the world around her. What Sandra didn’t expect is that it would change her daughter’s life.
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“It’s important to learn and experience cultural differences because understanding the world you live in will help you to make it a better place,” said 16-year-old Kayla as she stood at a podium in a packed auditorium recently encouraging her peers to find ways they can change the world.
Sandra Foyt, founder of the local family blog, AlbanyKid.com, says she believes every service project her daughter has been involved with has benefited her in many ways.
“Each activity has been an opportunity to learn about the world around her while gaining an understanding of who she is and who she can be,” she says. “Kayla has gained confidence and an understanding of what is important.”
Robert Clancy, a Capital District resident and author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Soul,” a book about volunteerism, says that by helping others at a young age, it becomes part of who you are.
In a culture where a lot of emphasis is put on materialistic objects, parents are often looking for ways to teach kids about gratefulness and compassion.
Jenny Friedman, author of “The Busy Family’s Guide to Volunteering” and executive director of Doing Good Together, a group that aims to inspire families to volunteer, says volunteering is the answer.
“Volunteering makes kids grateful and gives them perspective of what they have compared to what other people are struggling with,” Friedman says.
According to Friedman, the more time you spend with a diverse group of people, the more you will consider them to be like you.
“We tend to hang out with people who are a lot like us,” Friedman says. “Volunteering is one of the ways we break out of those cells and spend time with different people.”
Denise Parisi, a mom of two in Ballston Spa, says she doesn’t want her kids to grow up thinking the world owes them but rather they owe the world.
“Their generation is all about expectations. They feel like they are owed,” she says.
When Parisi’s 10-year-old daughter, Sophia, asked her how she and her friends could help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, Parisi took advantage of the opportunity.
“We worked with a local fireman to raise money for Haiti, and it went from there,” says Parisi.
After fundraising for Haiti, the group of elementary students decided to form their own charitable organization called KIDS R.O.C. (Reaching Out Club). With the help of two moms, Parisi and Roxeanne Lansing of Malta, the girls have weekly meetings to list ideas, put together fundraising events and make donations for people in need.
According to Concetta Bencivenga, director of youth at GenerationOn, an organization that revolves around the idea of getting kids involved in community service, once kids experience volunteering, they want to do more.
Eleven-year-old Ava Micare from Ballston Spa says volunteering makes her feel good about herself, and she is proud to be able to tell her friends the things she did for people.
“It is cool to go back to school and tell my friends what I did and how I helped,” she says.
Since KIDS R.O.C. started, the group has made cat toys for the animal shelter, fleece blankets for Shelters of Saratoga, and Valentine’s Day cards for Project Angel Hugs, says Parisi.
“I do think volunteering makes a difference,” says Lansing, whose 14-year-old daughter, Brianna, created a card program at Maplewood Manor, a nursing home operated by Saratoga County.
Once a month, Lansing, her daughter, and four of her daughter’s friends play cards with residents there.
“When I am at Maplewood Manor and look at these people all they want is someone to talk to. I think of all the things we worry about and put time, attention and care into. None of it matters,” Lansing says. “Helping people is what matters.”
Lansing says spending time with the residents at Maplewood Manor has made the teenagers realize how lucky they are to have their health, to be the age they are, and to appreciate everything they are given.
Friedman says many families hesitate to get involved in community service because of busy schedules and not knowing where to begin, but she says it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
“You don’t have to spend every weekend at a homeless shelter,” says Friedman. “There are much easier things you can do.”
Make it a habit
Friedman suggests making helping others a regular part of your family’s daily life and not something you need to set aside time for.
“Put a bag in your kitchen and each time you go to the store talk about one item you want to add,” she says. “When you get home stick the item in the bag. When the bag is full, drop it off at your nearest food pantry.”
Friedman says something as simple like that can be woven into your everyday life.
“I know someone who on each of their children’s birthdays makes a no-sew fleece blanket and donates it back to the hospital where the child was born,” Friedman says.
She says doing regular things like those described above can be great for families because they don’t have to carve time out of an already busy schedule.
Keep it simple
Lansing says it can be as simple as making a dozen cards and bringing them to the hospital.
“I don’t think people realize the power of a child’s artwork,” she says.
Friedman calls it “Kitchen Table Service” projects you can do from your own house. Kids can make a difference just by making cards for sick children, writing a letter to a soldier or assembling birthday bags for kids in need.
Lansing says at most of the area nursing homes, especially around the holidays, you can just walk in and drop off a stack of cards at the front desk.
“Kids love to do lemonade stands,” Lansing adds. “They just need to know it does make a difference to put a sign out that the money is going to someone in need.”
Make it social
Kids enjoy spending time with their friends. By creating KIDS R.O.C., the group of girls are having fun together and helping people at the same time. Clubs also are a way to make a regular commitment and make volunteering part of your schedule and part of your life.
GenerationOn gives kids the opportunity to create clubs with their friends online.
Kids Care Clubs are easy to start,” Bencivenga says “All you have to do is go online and register. It’s free.”
Bencivenga says the organization will send step-by-step instructions every month with ideas and activities.
Find your passion
Kayla Foyt says she chooses her service projects based on what is really important to her.
“If you really like what you are doing, then you will find the time,” she says.
Friedman says to focus on a child’s interests.
“If your teen is interested in making money, maybe putting together a fundraiser for a cause,” she says. “If you have a child who likes animals, the shelters are usually looking for volunteers.”
Friedman says a critical component of teaching kids about compassion and giving through volunteering is to focus on what she calls “reflection.”
“Instead of having the project be something you check off your list of things to do, talk to your child about how what they did made a difference to someone,” says Friedman.
Friedman says by encouraging conversation about the value of helping others, it becomes an embedded and lifelong value.
Kitchen Table Service Projects
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Make greeting cards for sick children.
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Draw pictures for nursing home residents.
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Make breakfast bags for Ronald McDonald House.
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Make cookies for a nursing home.
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Send weekly letters with uplifting notes to sick kids.
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Make no-sew fleece blankets for a hospital.
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Decorate placemats for Meals on Wheels.
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Write a letter to a soldier.
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Decorate oven mitts for Meals on Wheels.
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Make cat toys for an animal shelter.
These and more ideas can be found at http://www.doinggoodtogether.org/index.php/dgt/kitchen-table-activities/
Online Organizations
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Send your homemade cards to sick children, Hugsandhope.org
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Draw pictures for kids in need of a smile, www.colorasmile.org
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Make a blanket for a child, www.projectlinus.org
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Make goody bags for America’s First Responders, www.operationgoodybag.org
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Send a letter to a solider, www.amillionthanks.org
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Send a care package to a solider, www.nmam.org
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Send birthday bags to children in need, www.cheerfulgivers.org
Local Organizations
- Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY
www.rfbneny.com/volunteer/volunteer-activities/
- March of Dimes
www.marchofdimes.com/volunteers/teamyouth.html
- Rebuilding Together
www.rebuildingtogethersaratoga.org
- Special Olympics
- Birthright International
www.birthright.org/htmpages/getinvolved.htm
- Meals on Wheels
- CAPTAIN Youth and Family Services
www.captainyfs.com/volunteers.html
- Shelters of Saratoga
- SALT Recovery Schoharie Flood Recovery
- Relay for Life
- Ronald McDonald House Charities