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Generation SERVE is a bridge that introduces families to local nonprofits. Together we can make an even bigger impact on our community. This holiday season find more ways than just our calendar that you can volunteer locally and the reasons that your support is so important.
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[Original size] 2022 HVGG by Hilary Espinosa
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Family Volunteer Day 2022 was a success thanks to the families, sponsors, and Central Texas nonprofits who helped make the day extra special. This year's event included puppies, worms, a DJ, Generation SERVE's Teen Advisory Board learning about how you will change the world, and over 25 volunteer projects that went to 28 partner nonprofits. Together we made an in-kind and time donation equivalent to $17,780! As a community of volunteers, it can be easy to underestimate your impact. It can even feel like you aren't making that big of a difference. YOU ARE!!! Days like Family Volunteer Day demonstrate what we can do when we all do a little. They also show us how an hour and a half can spark hours of conversations and learning. Together we can always do more. Thank you for volunteering through Generation SERVE and continuing to spark the love of volunteering with your children. Sign up for your next event today!  Generation SERVE is on a mission to create a generation of empathetic community-minded leaders. Through our volunteer activities we are often the catalyst for families to begin important conversations. But even when we aren’t, we want to be a resource for parents and families to begin their research so that conversations around the dinner table can be meaningful, clear, and informative.
Common Sense Media, Kids Peace, Learning to Give, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and Sandy Hook Promise are national programs organized to help parents, teachers, and anyone caring for children understand school violence, among other violent tragedies. All of the resources provided emphasize meeting your child where they are when deciding how to address trauma as a family. How to talk to young children:
How to talk to your older children:
Looking to be part of the solution? The following are non-profit partners in Austin that Generation SERVE volunteers support in their efforts to end domestic violence, educate around the impact of bullying, and support the needs of refugees. Hope Alliance One Million Stars of Texas Refugee Services of Texas The SAFE Alliance Texas Advocacy Project, Inc. We are working to improve our resources. What service area would you like to learn about next? Leave us a comment and let us know.  March, 2022- Hi Readers! Welcome back to the Generation SERVE blog! My name is Jaya Mahajan, and I am 17 years old. I am so glad to be writing this blog post for Generation SERVE.
As far as my role in Generation SERVE, I am a member of TAB, which stands for the Teen Advisory Board. As a part of TAB, it is my job to assist with a variety of different things that help Generation SERVE to be the amazing nonprofit organization it is. For one, TAB fundraises for Generation SERVE through Bonfire, which has high quality merchandise designed by TAB teens that can be bought by you all. Fundraising is also done by TAB through GoFundMe, which allows anyone to support TAB with a monetary donation. I highly encourage you all to donate or purchase merchandise if you want to support Generation SERVE’s message “To engage children in volunteerism and empower them to make a difference in their communities”. TAB also aids Generation SERVE with the development of certain programs, such as Project Mentee and the Teen Leadership Academy. TAB members have created the lesson plans for the leadership training the Teen mentors go through to support Project Mentee. Those TAB members who help create the curriculum, lead such leadership training with the knowledge they have gained through being a part of TAB. Project Mentee is a program that encourages young kids to take initiative and become leaders in their community. I believe through Project Mentee and the Teen Leadership Academy we are helping to grow Austin’s newest group of service-minded individuals, and I think anyone ages 8-12 & 13-18 would highly benefit from applying. Applications are open until March 9th for both Project Mentee and Teen Leadership Academy. I encourage you to apply today! The Teen Advisory Board also focuses on spreading awareness for TAB and Generation SERVE’s initiatives, through social media. The TAB Instagram and Facebook handle is @genservetab and I would love for you all to follow it! We post fun content to engage our followers and give them up to date information on everything going on with TAB. I truly think TAB is an incredibly unique and impactful group of teens. The experiences I have been granted due to TAB have been extremely helpful for me to gain an edge over others my age. I have gained skills in writing, leading groups of various ages and demographics, public speaking, and marketing events. I think being a part of TAB will serve me well in my future, college and beyond. Of course due to Covid-19 many of our previous opportunities and activities were moved to a virtual setting, but we are working hard now to make almost all of our activities in person! Our goal is to get involved as closely as we can with the Austin community we love so much. Thank you for reading this blog post! Hopefully through this you have come to understand who TAB is in correlation with Generation SERVE! - Jaya Mahajan  Generation SERVE teens help at a community event in November 2021.
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| We have made many changes to our volunteer programs in response to our current reality, and this includes our upcoming Austin Families Give Back event in November. We started this event in 2017 as a community celebration of volunteerism, held on National Family Volunteer Day. The purpose of this event is to inspire families new to volunteering together to find causes and organizations they connect with, to share with them the joy of giving back together, and to kick off the holiday season with a day of doing good. Though the spirit of this event remains the same, the event itself will be very different this year, and we hope you will join us! |  |
Austin Families Give Back (At Home!) will combine the fun, hands-on, age appropriate activities with virtual events on Saturday, November 21st. Families will order supply kits from Generation SERVE and can pick them up the week prior to the event.
| Each kit will include supplies and instructions for completing various service projects to benefit our partner nonprofits we work with year round. The virtual events will explain more about the projects and will be opportunities to learn more about volunteerism and service. Because of our generous sponsors, this event is free to the community. Spots are limited, and we hope that you join us! Thank you to our event sponsors who have made this possible: NI, Capital One, Maxwell, Locke & Ritter, H-E-B Central Texas Region and Whole Foods, and our media sponsors Do512 and the Austin American-Statesman |  |
You can learn more about this event here.
- Charli Krause, Program Director
- Charli Krause, Program Director
Over the summer months of June, July, and August, Generation SERVE held its 2nd annual Summer Volunteer-A-Thon in Austin and its first Summer Volunteer-A-Thon in Houston. We had over 150 families sign up expressing interest and had many families complete the challenge of volunteering for 10 hours or more over the summer!
We’re so proud of the families who participated, especially with most activities being completed from home or virtually this year. Please take a moment and read a few stories from some of the families who participated!
Hear from LauraLee Daigle’s family below.
We’re so proud of the families who participated, especially with most activities being completed from home or virtually this year. Please take a moment and read a few stories from some of the families who participated!
Hear from LauraLee Daigle’s family below.
| “Like most we’re a little bit at loose ends this summer, stuck at home during Covid-19,” said LauraLee Daigle. “Generation SERVE projects were a great way for us to do fun little activities, while reminding ourselves that there's a big world out there and our problems aren't so bad.” “We were all always in a much better mood after doing a project,” she said. “The Volunteer-A-Thon was fun to participate in and it was nice to have a little bit of a visual tracker of the volunteering we did with Generation SERVE, Meals on Wheels, and the Junior League's Kids Giving Back program.” |  |
| "Probably my favorite was the toys for the dogs and cats,” said Henry Hollis, LauraLee’s 9-year-old. “Because I feel like pets need stuff as much as we do. It was also pretty easy! I like that volunteering helps a bunch of people that need help. It makes me feel tired, but after I feel kind of happy about what I did." "My favorite project was the cards for the kids in hospitals,” said John Clayton, LauraLee’s 7-year-old. “It didn't take up much time, but hopefully made the kids in the hospital really happy." "I liked making the animal toys the best, because the materials were so soft,” said Ned, LauraLee’s 5-year-old. “I like that I'm helping others." |  |
Hear from Rachel Reedy’s family below.
| “I discovered Generation SERVE about a year ago, but it was not until the pandemic that my family started volunteering with them,” said Rachel Reedy. “My children are young (age 3 and 6) so it is hard to find places that allow young children to volunteer, and honestly, it is hard to make the time commitment.” “The virtual service projects that Generation SERVE started offering in the spring were perfect for my family,” she said. “I loved the convenience and how easy they made it by providing all the ideas and instructions and how I could choose the projects that were appropriate for my kids ages. My kids and I especially loved the Little Helpers Stories that introduced the topic in a cute and kid-friendly way.” “Volunteering is important to me because I want to teach my kids the value of service and giving to others. I want them to understand how lucky they are to not worry about their next meal or where they are going to sleep each night and how so many kids and families are not that fortunate. I hope through learning about different social issues that they will also learn kindness, empathy and gratitude.” |   |
“Our favorite service project we did this summer was decorating and filling sack lunches for Kids’ Meals. I had only planned to decorate the bags but when the kids asked if we could fill them with food, I jumped on the opportunity to engage them further into the project. My kids got creative in decorating the paper lunch bags and were really into packing the lunches and making sure every bag had the right items. During the packing process we were having a nice conversation about where the lunch bags go and why the kids need them and I thought, ‘Wow they are really understanding this project.’”
| “Then my son asked, ‘So why are we wasting our money on these people?’ Well, clearly my work here isn’t done! It was a good reminder though how at this age kids are developmentally self-centered and how it is hard to think of the needs of others. It is also hard for them to understand a concept they have not experienced. I also learned that I can’t expect them to finish a project in one sitting. The birthday cards we made took over a week to finish because the kids would only work on one or two cards per day. I also found that if I left the card making supplies or lunch bag decorating supplies out, they would come back to it on their own throughout that day to work on it.” |  |
“I hope we can volunteer in person with Generation SERVE soon, but I also hope they continue offering some virtual options. I love how Generation SERVE gave my family some guidance in how we can help our community during this tumultuous time.”
Hear from Liz Shoss’s family below.
“Alexis and Benjamin started volunteering at Generation SERVE this summer,” said Liz Shoss. “Their goal was to complete 10 hours of volunteer work for the Volunteer-A-Thon. Alexis decided to make cards for SEARCH and read books then wrote book reviews for an organization that wants to empower youth through literacy. The experience was great. She felt so good about helping and was glad she could combine her interests - reading and creating - with doing a mitzvah (good deed). Benjamin bundled diapers for BEARS, put together meals for Kids’ Meals, and made masks and snack packs for SEARCH. Benjamin was glad to help especially during this difficult pandemic when so many need help.”
“Our family made a goal to volunteer once a month together a year ago,” she said. “We were volunteering at Kids’ Meals, Undies for Everyone, Houston Food Bank and Books Between Kids. Once the pandemic hit, we had to get creative. Luckily Generation SERVE had at-home projects that we could all do together and individually. We are so thankful to have Generation SERVE guide and assist us in our volunteer work.”
Hear from Martha Garcia’s family below.
Hear from Liz Shoss’s family below.
“Alexis and Benjamin started volunteering at Generation SERVE this summer,” said Liz Shoss. “Their goal was to complete 10 hours of volunteer work for the Volunteer-A-Thon. Alexis decided to make cards for SEARCH and read books then wrote book reviews for an organization that wants to empower youth through literacy. The experience was great. She felt so good about helping and was glad she could combine her interests - reading and creating - with doing a mitzvah (good deed). Benjamin bundled diapers for BEARS, put together meals for Kids’ Meals, and made masks and snack packs for SEARCH. Benjamin was glad to help especially during this difficult pandemic when so many need help.”
“Our family made a goal to volunteer once a month together a year ago,” she said. “We were volunteering at Kids’ Meals, Undies for Everyone, Houston Food Bank and Books Between Kids. Once the pandemic hit, we had to get creative. Luckily Generation SERVE had at-home projects that we could all do together and individually. We are so thankful to have Generation SERVE guide and assist us in our volunteer work.”
Hear from Martha Garcia’s family below.
| “I really enjoy volunteering over the summer with my kids,” said Martha Garcia. “This summer was the first summer that Julia’s younger brothers, Nicolas and Alex also participated. During this time of Covid-19, it was a wonderful way to connect with my kids while doing something meaningful and helpful for others.” “Volunteering to me was a great way to get out and get to do something for the greater good,” said Julia. “It made me feel good just knowing that somewhere, no matter how far away, I was making someone else feel good too. Whether they were adults in needs, kids who just wanted some reading time or a book read-aloud to them, people in special care communities or, our other fury (or feather-y) friends.” |  |
| “This summer, I volunteered a lot at Generation SERVE and with a lot of other organizations and places; but, every time, it surprises me how much I REALLY enjoyed the experience as a whole,” she said. “It always gave a fuzzy feeling on the inside that I just couldn’t shake… and I didn’t want too! This positive and satisfying emotion, that always made me feel so good inside, makes me want to volunteer again and again, year after year. Just knowing that I was helping, me, an ordinary, 13-year-old girl, being able to make a difference, no matter how small, that is what I strive for, because good things come in small packages!” “I love seeing the faces of pride and accomplishment beaming from the faces of my children,” said Martha. “For them to realize that they can do something that has an impact on others in a positive way, is a beautiful experience to witness!” |   |
“Volunteering is a great way to reuse, reduce and recycle,” said Julia. “It can be taking apart old cardboard boxes and styrofoam all the way to turning an old T-shirt into reusable shopping bag for people who maybe can’t get their own. We were able to give away stuff that might have not been that useful to us, to people who actually might need it. We got the gift of giving out of these projects. Volunteering to me is a way of supporting those who can’t support themselves. I am a very empathetic person so I feel for others and feel like it’s my duty to help.”
“I have volunteered since I was a teenager, so showing my kids the importance of raising up the community through volunteerism is powerful and energy giving,” said Martha. “I love doing this with them. When I was in my 20s, I worked in different non-profits where I was the “Volunteer Manager”. It was always a struggle because we could never accept families as volunteers for the work that we needed. It’s so refreshing to participate with Generation Serve because they provide wonderful opportunities to children and parents to volunteer together.”
“I have volunteered since I was a teenager, so showing my kids the importance of raising up the community through volunteerism is powerful and energy giving,” said Martha. “I love doing this with them. When I was in my 20s, I worked in different non-profits where I was the “Volunteer Manager”. It was always a struggle because we could never accept families as volunteers for the work that we needed. It’s so refreshing to participate with Generation Serve because they provide wonderful opportunities to children and parents to volunteer together.”
by Mahir and Zenith
Generation SERVE Summer Residents
Generation SERVE Summer Residents
| Hi! My name is Mahir and I’ve been with Generation SERVE for a little more than 4 years. I began my time with the organization as just a family volunteer in 8th grade. Previously, I had never volunteered before as I never really knew how. I had a very rudimentary understanding of the effect volunteering could have. Plus, I didn’t know any accessible avenues to provide my time to help the community. It was Generation SERVE, or Little Helping Hands at the time, that provided not only me, but thousands of other families easy access to make their community a happier place. In addition, the organization taught me the impact I could have on others by simply spending a small amount of my free time. It could be temporarily ending the hunger of struggling individuals to just putting a smile on an elderly individual's face. No matter how small the impact, Generation SERVE put the tools in my hands to make our community better, step by step. |  |
A year of volunteering has gone by since my start in the organization. I wanted to offer my services to the organization that had done so much to better our community. So that summer, I enrolled into the Youth Leadership Program. The program did so much more than train me to lead volunteer activities. It showed me the capabilities I had as a 15-year-old teenager to help causes I believed in. Furthermore, it gave me a chance to demonstrate those capabilities. The rest of the teens and I in the program were able to raise around $3,500 worth of school supplies—by organizing a raffle and simply asking for donations—for families experiencing a rough time. The kids who received these supplies now had a better chance to better their education, so they could better the lives of their families. This right here was a crucial lesson I learned from Generation SERVE. Every dollar donated is invested to give someone a chance at a more joyful life. The amazing thing though was that a group of teenagers had the ability to invest that money in the futures of hundreds of school kids.
| From there, I joined the Teen Advisory Board (TAB). This empowered me to have my voice, and the voices of dozens of other teens, to be heard on what we believe we can do to help those in our community. At the start, this included teaching kids at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired on how they could raise funds for the Guide Dogs of Texas, and discussing with Amare our experiences with the status of the mental health of teenagers. From there we moved on to organizing our own Teen Service Days, so teens around the city could see what volunteering is about, selling our own merchandise to invest back into the nonprofit, and even creating our own (TAB) social media account to show the public what we’re doing. Moreover, I was elected Board Liaison of TAB. In short, I was the teen representative on the actual board of Generation SERVE. This gave me the opportunity to speak on how we teens wanted to help. |  |
Now as Summer Resident, I get to be a part of one of many gears that help this wonderful organization run. I get to help work on the material to train the teens and write this very blog post to y’all. As I’ll be attending the University of Texas at Austin this fall, I hope to continue being a part of this organization that has not only given to the community so much, but also nurtured me into a community-minded leader.
| Even with the current state of the world, Generation SERVE does not stop helping our community. Teen Service Days not only make vital masks for our community, but also continue to introduce teens to volunteerism. Whether it be in-person or online this organization continues to engage children in volunteerism and empower them to make a difference in their communities. Being a part of the Teen Program of Generation SERVE has taught me that I, too, have the potential to invest my time into a happier community. I look forward to how I can use my position to help those around me so they can have a well-being that’s a bit more joyful. |  |
| Hi! My name is Zenith and I was the Networking Committee Chair for the Teen Advisory Board here at Generation SERVE. On the Networking Committee, we primarily made Teen Service Days, which were in-person events made by teens exclusively for teens to meet and hangout with each other. Since the start of quarantine, we have shifted from in-person Teen Service Days to virtual Teen Service Days, which are now weekly and a booming success since they focus on current issues and how to help the community during these difficult times. My terms as the Networking Committee Chair and TAB member had ended in May and since then, I am now a Summer Resident for Generation SERVE. What does that mean? Well, if I’m going to be honest, it’s my way of extending the time I’ve had with Generation SERVE and stubbornly refusing to say goodbye, even though I will eventually have to in August. |  |
Generation SERVE has been important to me for one reason: the people. Volunteering enables me to have an impact on whoever I meet wherever I go. Before Generation SERVE, I was unsure of everything. I couldn’t even begin to imagine my future, let alone think about my career and networking. I was scared and terrified of what my future could entail. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted to make a difference. It wasn’t until I met a current lead at Generation SERVE who encouraged me to apply for the Youth Leadership Program. The rest, as you can already tell, is history. Now, I am a leader in my own community and have an opportunity to expand myself. I have been able to learn and adapt in a safe environment while still growing, and meeting with other people and organizations.
| I have grown a lot since joining this organization; I am stronger, more outgoing, and am able to speak up on my own ideas because of the various opportunities I am given. Generation SERVE delivers their promise to help teens develop passions and feel empowered enough to finally take on a leadership role in our communities, and I am a prime example of that. After joining Generation SERVE, I joined the TEDxYouth@Austin team, where the team holds an annual youth conference with TED talks. This past year, we had one of the largest Austin youth conferences at the Long Center this past year. Additionally, I took a huge role of leadership when I joined the Texas Future Business Leaders of America State Officer Team as a Vice President. It was my responsibility to guide schools to competition and prepare workshops for them, much like the training Generation SERVE does during the Teen Leadership Program. All of this, thanks to the guidance and help from the Generation SERVE team and mentors. It feels so weird to be saying goodbye to a volunteering era from behind a screen. It almost doesn’t even feel real, as if I’ll converse and interact with the TAB members, the mentors, and Generation SERVE after next month, when I’ll only see glimpses. |   |
In the upcoming school year, I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin, studying Management Information Systems at the McCombs School of Business. Since I will still be in town, I know my ties and connection to Generation SERVE will only get stronger as I continue to utilize and grow upon the skills I have learned in my time here.