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Generation SERVE Blog

Hello. We are so happy to have you here! 

A Summer of Service

9/17/2020

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​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.
“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.”
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​"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."
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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.”
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“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.”
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“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.
​“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.”
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​“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!”
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​“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.”
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Perspectives in Teen Volunteering

7/16/2020

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by Mahir and Zenith
​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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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My Experience as a Teen Leader

3/16/2020

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by Krupali Kumar

Generation SERVE Teen Leader

When initially joining Generation SERVE, I was very excited about participating in service projects to help my community. There are a multitude of issues plaguing our society and getting involved in service is a great way to help raise awareness and advocate for these issues. I was particularly looking forward to helping the people in the homeless community, since Austin has a very prevalent homeless population, especially in urban centers. I wanted to not only participate in these projects myself, but also extend my knowledge of volunteering and advocacy to more kids and teenagers. Essentially, I wanted to create change by getting more kids involved in service work so they could understand how to actively make a difference in their communities.

The Teen Leadership Program provided me with exactly this opportunity!
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Overall I was very excited about becoming a Teen Lead, but I was also extremely nervous about some aspects of the program. One thing I was anxious about was the interview stage of the application process. This was a face-to-face interaction and my ability to present myself well in the interview determined whether or not I would get accepted into the program. Ultimately, with a lot of preparation and practice, I was able to convey my passion for volunteering and social advocacy during my interview and I was accepted into the Teen Leadership Program.

Once I got into the program, I was nervous about leading my first volunteer activity. Even with all of the training I received during the summer program, I still wanted to make sure everything would run smoothly. So, I looked through all my notes about what to do as a Teen Lead, while also reviewing the techniques for engaging with family volunteers. The feelings of nervousness, whether it was during the interview stage or when I was about to lead my first activity, all expressed my passion and care for volunteering and helping other people!

I have now been volunteering with Generation SERVE for around two years and I have gained a lot through my experiences as a Teen Lead. I have been exposed to multiple nonprofit organizations, which has allowed me to gain experience in volunteering with different types of people and helping with a multitude of issues. This has given me a better idea overall of the issues that I want to strongly advocate for in the future.

Generation SERVE has significantly improved my communication skills. I have had to frequently interact with parents, kids, and other Teen Leads, which has helped me become better at developing my interpersonal skills. Being able to lead volunteer activities without supervision and take on the responsibility of making sure these activities run smoothly has allowed me to take on the role of becoming a reliable, responsible, and influential leader in my community.
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LOOKING AHEAD ANOTHER 10 YEARS: MAKING OUR MISSION A MOVEMENT

1/30/2020

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​By: Jeff Hobbs, 2020 Generation SERVE Board President

All throughout 2019, we celebrated our 10-year anniversary of pioneering the youth volunteerism movement in Austin. Over the past decade, I’ve had the pleasure of watching what started as Little Helping Hands grow into Generation SERVE. I’ve witnessed our organization’s growth from one Family Volunteering Program into many unique opportunities for youth of all ages to serve — including Little Helpers Learn & Play where our youngest volunteers start the habit early, our Service Learning Program in which upper elementary schoolers take a deeper dive into specific community needs, and our Teen Leadership Program where teens hone their leadership skills. Beyond all of these achievements, we also set our sights even bigger in 2019 — officially launching a pilot of our Family Volunteering Program in Houston! Thank you for partnering with us to make the past decade one of success, discovery and growth.
 
Last fall, some of our staff were speaking with a like-minded, peer organization based in Ohio. Only a couple of years into their founding, they ended the call by saying, “we want to be Generation SERVE when we grow up.” While that might sound like a silly phrase made in jest, it’s how communities across the country have come to see Generation SERVE: as pioneers in the youth volunteerism movement. Thanks to YOU, Generation SERVE doesn’t just shape leaders — we are one.
 
You may have heard our leadership use the phrase “making our mission a movement” over the past couple of years. Although it may have started out as an aspirational catch phrase, we are now boldly claiming it as our responsibility. On behalf of the Generation SERVE Board and staff, we stand before you committed to MAKE OUR MISSION A MOVEMENT. As part of living out those words, I want to share three big steps we’ll be taking around inclusion, impact, and expansion over the next decade to fulfill this vision.
 
Inclusion: We believe that volunteerism is a right, not a privilege. Yet we acknowledge that we may not be reaching every young volunteer who wants to serve their community. We’ll be exploring the barriers to our programming and the communities we ARE and ARE NOT serving. We want to engage those communities in conversation, focus groups and brainstorming. We’re committed to making Generation SERVE more inclusive.
 
Impact: Next, we want to take a step back to measure the full impact of our unique “Service Pathway.” As the ONLY organization in the country engaging kids from age 3 through 17, we have a responsibility to add to the research and best practices around youth volunteerism. We’re committed to leveraging our 10 years of experience and data so that more communities can benefit from our challenges, successes and lessons learned.
 
Expansion: And finally, as we’ve started with our efforts in Houston, we want to give the gift of Generation SERVE to other communities across the country. Each new site will be ultimately supported by that community— as was the case with Houston. But thoughtful expansion requires infrastructure support here in Austin. We’re committed to maintaining the quality and integrity of our programs here in Central Texas, so we can more effectively share that with others. 
 
I’m honored to carry the leadership mantel in 2020 as your Board President, doing my part to give back to a wonderful organization that has done so much for my family, for so many other families and for our incredible community partners. The past decade is one to celebrate because of YOU. With your ongoing support and generosity, I believe the next decade will be even bigger and better.
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Jeff, his daughter Lily and his son Ellis volunteering at Austin Diaper Bank.
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Jeff and his son cooking King Ranch casserole for families with kids staying at Ronald McDonald House Charities.
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Jeff and his family (center) with a Generation SERVE volunteer group at Austin Diaper Bank.

Interested in helping Generation SERVE make our mission a movement?
Check out our new multi-year giving society, SERVE Society, which is focused on moving the needle around impact, inclusion and expansion! Members pledge a minimum of $250 annually over three years. Learn more about this giving opportunity and see who has already pledged their support here.

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SPARKING AN INTEREST IN COMMUNITY SERVICE

10/30/2019

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By: Mary K. Gershon, Generation SERVE Board Member

When our children were young, my husband and I were very focused on a variety of volunteer activities – from school-related ones to those with the Daisies and Cub Scouts – and community engagement was a natural fit. Yet, as we grew up into a family with two very active middle schoolers, we quickly fell into a time trap. It was then that actively volunteering fell by the wayside. Between the demands of homework, competitive sports and a variety of after school and weekend activities – with their own host of parental “engagement opportunities” – we didn’t feel like we could cram in one more thing.  

After being involved in a variety of programs in the past, I wanted something different. I wanted activities the whole family could engage in, as well as variety so we could explore the passions of each family member. And I needed to find something that was flexible, where we could choose the days and times that worked best with our schedules. We had been involved with Little Helping Hands in the past and – after researching the organization under its current name, Generation SERVE – I was thrilled to learn that they had evolved to engage teenagers. After speaking with some friends about Generation SERVE, we decided to attend their annual Family Volunteer Day service fair together. At Austin Families Give Back, our family got to engage with many different nonprofits and participate in hands-on activities, like braiding leashes for Austin Pets Alive!, putting together books for prisoners with Inside Books Project and making seed balls with Keep Austin Beautiful. We were so impressed with Generation SERVE and inspired to get more involved!

The more I learned about Generation SERVE, (the commitment of the Program Directors and staff, their desire to enable children and teens to be actively engaged in the community...) the more I became hooked. One of the things that I appreciate most about Generation SERVE is that the organization provides significant value for both their nonprofit partners and their volunteers. The nonprofits are able to focus on the important work they’re doing instead of recruiting, training, scheduling and engaging volunteers. And volunteers can easily choose which community service opportunities fit their needs best, with a variety of time commitments and causes, and the option to do direct service or behind the scenes work.

As I hoped, Family Volunteer Day sparked an interest in our teenagers and served as a catalyst for community engagement as a family. Since then, we became Family Sponsors, we participated in a variety of activities and I joined the Board of Directors! In addition, our teenage son participated in the Teen Leadership Program this summer. He joined a cohort of like-minded teens and learned more about Generation SERVE, participated in a variety of service projects and trained on the skills needed to lead volunteer activities. 

I’m thrilled to be part of such a great organization and to have the opportunity to participate on many different levels. I hope that wherever you are in your cycle of community engagement, you come check out Generation SERVE during Family Volunteer Day and see what inspires you!
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The Gershon Family: Mike, Sophie, Mary K. and Ted
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Ted Gershon (bottom left) with fellow Teen Leads
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Ted volunteering at Trinity Child Development Center
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Ted (center) participating in a team building activity as part of the Teen Leadership Program

Get Involved in Family Volunteer Day
Austin Families Give Back is a great opportunity for families to introduce their children to the tradition of volunteering right in time for the holiday season! This year, it will take place on November 23rd. Here’s how your family can get involved:
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  1. Register Your Family - Sign up to attend Family Volunteer Day so you can engage your children in a variety of service projects, just like Mary K did!
  2. Tell Your Friends - This is the easiest time of year to get your friends involved in Generation SERVE and a super fun event to enjoy together!
  3. Support the Event - Help us share the joys of volunteerism with other families by considering an individual sponsorship or underwriting a service area!

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SUMMER OF SERVICE

8/30/2019

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By: Generation SERVE Summer Volunteer-a-Thon Participants

All summer long, we have been encouraging youth to volunteer for 10 or more hours as part of our Summer Volunteer-a-Thon for our 10th birthday! To recap their summer of service, we spoke to five of our youth volunteers: 9-year-old Mae Villarreal, 12-year-old Julia Garcia, 11-year-old Jewel Kinvig, 7-year-old Cannon Ignal and 10-year-old William Beaver.

Why did you decide to participate in Generation SERVE's Summer Volunteer-a-Thon?

Mae: I thought it would be pretty cool to volunteer over the summer. I volunteered during the school year with Generation SERVE and had a lot of fun and learned a lot.
Julia: I really enjoy volunteering. That’s why I wanted to participate.
Jewel: Happy Birthday to Generation SERVE! I wanted to do the Volunteer-a-Thon because Generation SERVE is turning the big 1-0. After volunteering during the school year, why stop for summer? I love to volunteer year-round. 
Cannon: I wanted to participate because I like helping people.
William: Because I think it is fun.

What community service did you do this summer?

Mae: I volunteered at the Good Neighbor Settlement House. They help people who are seeking asylum in the United States. I did different things like help make King Ranch Casserole so people who don't have homes can have food. I served the food to people who are coming to the United States seeking asylum and helped make hygiene bags for them. The hygiene bags had deodorant, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a towel, and some shampoo and conditioner. We also made snack bags for people who were going on a bus or a plane to somewhere else in the United States to see their families.
Julia: I volunteered at the Austin Diaper Bank, cleaned up Bartholomew Park, recycled many recyclables, created dog toys and brought them to the animal shelter, created leashes with Austin Pets Alive! and made LifeBooks with STARRY.
Jewel: I was in Canada this summer, so I decided to volunteer in Nipissing Village. It is the tiny community that my mom grew up in. This summer, they did their second annual Pie-Fest. People bake pies and donate the pies to the museum, then on Pie-Fest, people come to buy a slice of pie, with all of the money going to the museum. I love to bake, so I baked two Key Lime pies to donate, and also volunteered as a waitress to serve pies. 
Cannon: I made a thousand sandwiches for people that don't have food or money to buy food. I got to load the truck with all the sandwiches I made. I donated lots of soap and food to the food pantry. I helped my mom make birthday boxes for foster or homeless children so they can have a special day. I played bingo at the nursing home with the residents.
William: I worked at the garden, read to shelter dogs, made cat toys for shelter cats, volunteered at Austin Creative Reuse sorting donations and participated in the Summer Volunteer-a-Thon.

What was your favorite volunteer experience from this summer?

Mae: My favorite experience was all of it! I liked making the hygiene bags. It was nice to help other people who aren't from this country. I liked serving the food because it was nice seeing the smiles on people's faces when we served them. They didn't have a lot of food when they got there and so a lot of people wanted seconds.
Julia: My favorite experiences were making LifeBooks for STARRY and making dog toys.
Jewel: I loved doing the Pie-Fest. I love to bake, so this was a way to do something I love and help a new organization. It was neat that some people knew who I was, even though I didn't know them, because of my family. I got to meet new friends while waitressing and I got to help the Nipissing Village Museum, which I had never done before. I thought it was neat that they reached out to me as a helper because of knowing how much I volunteer in Austin and knowing that I love to bake. 
Cannon: My favorite volunteering was playing bingo with the elderly at the nursing home. They get happy when they see children because many of the residents don't ever get visitors so it makes them smile to see kids.
William: My favorite part was working on the garden. I liked that we got to work with plants!

How did you feel after volunteering?

Mae: After volunteering, I felt happy because I knew that I helped a bunch of people. It made me realize how lucky I am to have the stuff I have like my toys and friends. Some people had to leave their friends and their stuff behind. It's hard going through all of that trouble when you're just a little kid or baby.
Julia: Volunteering makes me feel good inside. This summer made me feel so inspired that last week, when I heard that two of my friends had a rough summer with a genetic disease called Friedreich’s Ataxia, I decided to help in anyway I could. I love finger knitting so I decided to raise money and knit from the heart to help support my friends. I call it Knitting to KNOCK Out FA. I turned 12 at the beginning of August so I used my birthday money to buy yarn and all the money I collect from selling my beanie hats, blankets, scarves and bags will go to FARA (Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance), an organization helping those living with FA. They help my friends with research to find a cure!
Cannon: Volunteering is good. I like doing it.
William: It made me feel very happy.

What did you learn from your volunteer experience?

Mae: I learned that we should be thankful for what we have because some people in other countries have nothing and work really hard. These kids are really brave for going through what they're going through because it's definitely really hard to go through what they did. We should treat them kindly and be good friends.
Julia: When I put volunteering into motion, it inspired me to keep going, keep giving and keep spreading small acts of kindness through my volunteer work everywhere I go.
Jewel: I learned that no matter where you are, even in another country, there is alway volunteer work to do and ways to help others!
Cannon: I learned I can make people have happy days like I like to have.
William: Doing little things can make a difference and affect everyone.  

If you would like to support Julia’s Knitting to KNOCK Out FA initiative by purchasing one of her handknit goods, email her mother Martha at martha_b_a@yahoo.com.
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Mae Villarreal serves food to asylees at Good Neighbor Settlement House in Brownsville, Texas.
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Julia Garcia wears a knitted beanie she made for her Knitting to KNOCK Out FA initiative.
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Jewel Kinvig shows off the Key Lime pie she made to support the Nipissing Village Museum.
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Cannon Ignal with a birthday box he made for Happy Birthdays.
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William Beaver tending to Adelphi Acre Community Garden.


​Thank you Shearman & Sterling, our exclusive Summer Volunteer-a-Thon sponsor, ​for making this summer-long celebration possible!

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BECOMING A ROLE MODEL

7/30/2019

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By: Sebastian Lopez, Generation SERVE Teen Leader

I joined Generation SERVE's Youth Leadership Program at the end of 9th grade. After my first year in high school, I was tired and all I wanted to do was hang out with my friends and rest. Having to wake up in the morning to go to a training didn’t sound particularly appealing to me, especially considering it was summer. Coming into it, I didn’t know what to expect and I was nervous on the first day of teen lead training. 

My first time entering the Generation SERVE building, I was greeted by very friendly staff members and older teen helpers, who played icebreaker games with us which facilitated a rise in comfort level among most of the kids. It took no time at all for me to loosen up and begin enjoying my experience, and it was all because of the staff and teen helpers at Generation SERVE. They shared their enthusiasm with me and the other for volunteering and helping our community. 

This summer, I have been helping the teen leads and co-leads in the very same program I came into, except now I am the one who is in charge of creating a comfortable and fun environment for training. Being able to be a role model and knowing that you are giving back to the community is very rewarding and brightens my day. 

Even on my first day this summer as a teen lead and co-lead trainer, I had some butterflies in my stomach. But, once again, the atmosphere of Generation SERVE was welcoming and I got into the groove of things without trouble. When the kids first came in, they were all very shy and quiet, which was expected, but they got over it within the day. I found it kind of easy to train these kids because, while they may have low attention spans and difficulty focusing on a long presentation, I was in their position not that long ago. I can relate to them and I know what improvements and little changes I can make to engage the teens and make it an enjoyable experience for all of us.
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Sebastian (bottom) with fellow teen leads at Whole Foods Kids Club in 2018.
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Sebastian leading a team building activity with teens this summer.
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REMEMBERING OUR TOP 10!

6/27/2019

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By: Generation SERVE Staff

We’re turning 10 on June 28th, and there’s no better way to celebrate the best decade ever than by remembering our 10 favorite moments in Generation SERVE history!
#1: Our First Activity (2009)
 
When Marissa Vogel founded Generation SERVE -- then Little Helping Hands -- to engage her daughters in volunteerism, it was the height of the financial recession. Throughout the summer of 2009, we partnered with Dream Dinners to prepare three months' worth of meals for families hit the hardest.
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#2: The Governor's Volunteer Award (2011)
 
In 2011, we were honored with the Community Leadership Award, presented by the OneStar Foundation and the office of the Texas Governor to one outstanding nonprofit each year!
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#3: New Office Space (2014)
 
We finally moved out of our founder's home and into an office space of our own in 2014! A dedicated headquarters allowed us to pilot programs like Service Learning and Youth Leadership, host new volunteer opportunities, identify new partners and, ultimately, serve more youth!
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#4: Launching the Youth Leadership Program (2015)
 
As our organization grew, so did the kids we were serving. Teens were asking for more challenging opportunities to give back and lead...and we answered their call! Our inaugural class of Youth Leadership Program engaged 8 high schoolers to lead our volunteer activities over the summer.
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#5: Presidential Service Awards (2015)
 
By 2015, our programs had grown significantly and some participants had racked up enough hours to be honored by the President! We became a certifying organization to give our volunteers the recognition they deserved. That year, we honored 7 kids with Bronze Presidential Service Awards.
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#6: Launching the Service Learning Program (2016)
 
We heard from our upper elementary-aged volunteers that they were itching to dive deeper into service, too. In response, we piloted a program to teach 3rd-5th graders about how they could help the environment. Today, our Service Learning Program offers seven service topics!
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#7: Visit from Texas' First Lady (2017)
 
First Lady Cecilia Abbott visited our Youth Leadership participants as part of her "Texanthropy" initiative, which encourages Texans to get involved through volunteerism and philanthropy. The First Lady spoke to our middle schoolers about her passion for service and was even made an honorary Junior Leader!
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#8: Generation SERVE (2017)
 
We started off as Little Helping Hands, but as the organization grew...so did our volunteers! We needed a name that better represented who we were and how we had evolved. Generation SERVE emphasizes our vision of impacting generations of kids who are passionate, engaged, and community-focused leaders.
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#9: Family Volunteer Day (2017)
 
In November of 2017, we hosted our inaugural Austin Families Give Back event, celebrated in conjunction with national Family Volunteer Day. This massive service fair brought together over 200 families to complete service projects for dozens of nonprofits across Central Texas!
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#10: Our 10th Birthday (2019)
 
We have spent the past decade serving our community and building a movement to involve youth and families in volunteerism. In the past ten years, we have engaged over 40,000 youth and their families in over 90,000 hours of community service...but we're just getting started! Thank you for helping us make this the best decade ever!
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In celebration of our 10th birthday, please consider a donation of $10 to launch us into the next decade of service! Your gift will help us bring the youth volunteerism movement to even more kids and families. #10for10
MAKE A BIRTHDAY GIFT
The Miura Group is generously matching up to $2,500 in donations, so your gift goes twice as far!

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SUMMER OF SERVICE

5/30/2019

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By: Generation SERVE Staff

School’s out for summer and we’re ready to kick off your summer of service with a ton of great opportunities to give back!

Volunteer with Generation SERVE

  • Register for our Summer Volunteer-A-Thon - In celebration of our 10th birthday, we are challenging kids to complete at least 10 hours of service in the summer months of June, July and August. These hours can come from Generation SERVE volunteer activities, volunteer service through other organizations or volunteer projects you come up with on your own! We will be in touch throughout the summer with tips and ideas. Sign up here.
  • McKinney Falls Dedicated Family Placement - We still have open spots for teens and parents to provide life-saving water safety education to visitors of McKinney Falls State Park! Teens (age 12+) and parents will complete a mandatory training on June 1st and choose at least three outreach dates to teach families visiting the park about drowning prevention. This placement is a great fit for teens who like to meet new people, spend time outdoors and gain leadership experience. Register here.
  • Family Volunteering - As always, we will continue to offer our year-round family volunteering activities on our calendar all summer long. Since school is out, we’ll be hosting special summer-specific opportunities, like cooking in the Central Texas Food Bank kitchen, facilitating games at Sammy’s House Splash Day and serving food to clients of Caritas of Austin. Check out the calendar here.

Volunteer with Other Organizations
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  • Austin Humane Society - Join AHS for their popular Summer Kids Series where kids age 12 and under will learn hands-on about animals and how to care for them. Some of these events are service-oriented, some are educational and some are just plain fun. Keep an eye out for our teen leaders, who will be facilitating some of the Summer Kids Series events! View all the sessions and sign up here.
  • Austin Parks Foundation - APF is hosting a family-friendly service day the first Saturday of every month this summer. Join them to clean up Austin’s parks, trails and gardens all summer long! Their first volunteer shift is on Saturday, June 1st, for National Trail Day and they’ll be mulching and enjoying the trails of Gus Garcia Park. View their calendar and sign up here.
  • Family Eldercare Summer Fan Drive - Every summer, Family Eldercare collects box fans and oscillating fans from the community to provide their senior clients with relief from the Texas heat. Learn more about how to donate fans here.
  • Meals on Wheels Central Texas - Every summer, Meals on Wheels has a special demand for delivery drivers as their regular volunteers go out of town for summer vacation. This opportunity is a great activity for the whole family where you get face-to-face interaction with MOW’s clients. Apply to volunteer here.
  • Recruit a Team to Walk to End Alzheimer’s - Support the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual fundraising event to end Alzheimer’s by recruiting a team to participate in the walk. Learn more here.
  • Williamson County Animal Shelter Rescue Readers - WilCo’s shelter opens its doors to kids of all ages every Sunday at 1pm as part of their Rescue Readers program. Come read to rescued dogs and cats to socialize them for adoption. Learn more here.

Volunteer on Your Own
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  • Make Pet Toys for a Local Animal Shelter - Many local animal shelters accept donations of DIY dog and cat toys, blankets and rice sock warmers. Call your favorite shelter to ask what they need, they may even send you specific project ideas!
  • Organize a Food Drive - Help alleviate hunger in Austin by organizing a drive for non-perishable food items to support your favorite local food pantry. The largest food bank in the area is Central Texas Food Bank, but there are plenty of smaller local pantries to support as well.
  • Organize a School Supply Drive - Help Austin’s youth prepare for the school year by hosting a school supply drive for essentials, like paper, pencils, folders and backpacks. Youth-serving organizations in need of school supplies include Foundation Communities, Communities in Schools, Austin Independent School District, SAFE Alliance and more.
  • Plant Native Trees or Flowers in Your Yard - Add to our local ecosystem by planting native plants in your yard at home. Planting wildflowers in your yard can attract butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. Learn what flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds here.
  • Donate a Wish List Item to Your Favorite Organization - Nearly every organization has a wish list posted on their website calling out their most needed items. These in-kind gifts can make a big impact in helping organizations achieve their mission. Go to your favorite organization’s website to see what they need! See our full list of nonprofit partners here.

View our full list of project ideas here.
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Teens and parents provide drowning prevention education at McKinney Falls State Park.
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A teen volunteer poses with kids at Sammy’s House Splash Day.
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A teen volunteer helps kids with teddy bear surgeries at Austin Humane Society.
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A youth volunteer reads to rescued dogs at Williamson County Animal Shelter.
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A mom and daughter make cat toys at Austin Animal Center.
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A Generation SERVE volunteer poses with the donations she collected for the food drive she organized for Micah 6 Food Pantry.
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THE CORE OF GENERATION SERVE

4/30/2019

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By: Generation SERVE Staff

Our Mission:
To engage children in volunteerism and empower them to make a difference in their communities.

Our Vision:
Generations of youth who develop into community-minded leaders.

These important statements provide us with a goal to work toward each day. They help us understand our impact and keep our team focused on what we set out to accomplish at Generation SERVE.

With this mission and vision in mind, we have worked fast and furiously to put our stamp on the next generation, and we have grown to a formidable sized organization – with a staff of 10, a Board of Directors of 15, and an Activity Lead team of 45! As we have grown, an organizational culture has emerged that we are proud of and that makes Generation SERVE very unique. So recently, our team defined our core values to ensure that we stay true to who we are, even as we expand our organization and our reach. 

Our Core Values

Trust: Trust binds our work with each other, our volunteer families, and our community partners.

Our Program Director Charli Krause explains, “Trust is integral to what we do. I’m honored when our nonprofit partners trust our families and our team with their projects. They have faith that we will get everything done and done correctly, and the families know that what they are doing is important and meaningful.”

Collaboration: We embrace the interconnectivity of our work.

Marketing Director Allison Johnson points out, “The interconnectivity of Austin’s nonprofit community and the extensive network of partnerships organizations have with each other is what allows our community to continue moving forward on issues like homelessness, animal welfare, environmental stewardship, literacy and so much more. We love being part of that big web of passionate people making Austin better every day!”

Innovation: We are resourceful and creative in achieving our mission.

Barbara Lundquist, Youth Leadership Programs Manager, elaborates, “Innovation is essential to Generation SERVE because youth are eager to make a difference, and we are here to ensure they are fully equipped to do so. We are working alongside the next generation of creative problem solvers, and they have big ideas. We push ourselves so that we can continue pushing them. We are always asking questions and seeking out opportunities to grow in any situation, while building relationships, adapting to change, and learning from every experience. Every youth volunteering activity is an opportunity for a young mind to notice a new solution so we want to make sure we have the innovative programs to allow for their ideas to flourish.”

Inclusivity: We are committed to creating and fostering an environment where everyone can engage with our mission.

Arielle, our Marketing Manager, explains, “Generation SERVE was founded on the idea that community service is for everyone. We have challenged the idea that quality work can only be done by adults by bringing volunteers as young as 3 years old into organizations across Austin to alleviate the workloads of organizations’ staff, provide a friendly face to their clients, and help them focus on the real work of achieving their respective missions. Providing opportunities to volunteer as a family makes service more accessible to parents, especially working and single parents, because they no longer have to worry about childcare and can instead share the experience with their loved ones. Since our Family Volunteering program is free and activities take place in just about every neighborhood in the greater Austin area, we see families from all walks of life and all demographic groups participate with us and enjoy the benefits that service can provide to both youth and adults.

“Our team is always thinking about inclusivity, whether it’s about fee assistance for families unable to pay the cost of our fee-based programs, tools for accessibility (like ASL interpretation or MetroAccess transportation for program participants) or Spanish language materials for non-native English speakers. Every day, we look for new ways to make our programs approachable and accessible for families and youth of all backgrounds and abilities.”

Passion for Service: Our staff, volunteers, and organization demonstrate what it means to be community-minded leaders.

Amy Loar, our Executive Director, emphasizes, “It is key to our organization that everyone – board, staff, and volunteers have a strong connection to what we are doing to create community-minded leaders through service. We see this through the parents and community members that donate considerable time to Board service, families that continue to volunteer with us, the kids that volunteer regularly and join our programs to dig deeper into what it means to serve, and our staff who make all of this possible.

“Trust, collaboration, innovation, inclusivity, and passion for service are the values that make Generation SERVE what it is today, and they guide what we will become in the future.”
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Program Director Charli Krause (second from right) presents a plaque to the City of Austin in celebration of 10 years of partnership.
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Marketing Director Allison Johnson volunteering at Meals on Wheels with her son, Carter.
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Youth Leadership Programs Manager Barbara Lundquist facilitates a Teen Service Day in the Generation SERVE office.
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Marketing Manager Arielle Scherr (left) poses with a group of volunteers at Family Volunteer Day 2018.
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Executive Director Amy Loar volunteering at Caritas of Austin with her daughters, Ellen and Cora.
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