Family VolunteeringThe most effective way for youth to learn about community needs and how they can make a difference is through action, helping side-by-side with a parent/caregiver and witnessing the example of community service first-hand. Volunteering is not only good for the community, it is healthy for the volunteer. Research has demonstrated health and well-being benefits to the individual volunteer and we regularly hear from our volunteer families about the positive impact volunteering has had on their children.
Volunteering is a good thing for all families to do. It's important to help others live a better life." |
New to Generation SERVE?
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Family Volunteering is the foundation of our service pathway to lifelong volunteerism, philanthropy, and community leadership:
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How To Get Started
If you are new to Generation SERVE, complete our online registration and waiver for your family. You will then receive an email that will allow you to create your password for our Activity Calendar. You can then visit our Activity Calendar any time, login, and sign up for a volunteer opportunity that works for you and your family.
Our Impact
It can be difficult for parents/caregivers to have a conversation with their children about social and environmental challenges that face local communities. Getting out in the community and being a part of the solution is often the spark that is needed for kids to develop compassion, empathy, and a desire to help.
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96% of parents surveyed shared that their child's desire to make a difference in the community increased after volunteering with Generation SERVE. |
98% of parents surveyed said participation in Generation SERVE activities had a positive influence on their child. |
87% of parents surveyed shared that their child was more aware of community needs after volunteering with Generation SERVE. |
(After volunteering together) we now have conversations regularly about helping those in need. He includes being a volunteer when he describes himself in school projects. Volunteering is now a part of who he is." - Volunteer Parent
View our partner list to see the variety of causes we support, such as animal welfare, homelessness, senior services, the environment, and children/families in need.
How We Recognize Our Volunteers
We track the number of volunteer activities and service hours completed by each of our volunteers, allowing us to recognize them for their service to the community in several ways!
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Volunteers under the age of 13 are presented with a Little Helpers 12 medal when they complete 12 family service activities with Generation SERVE!
The President's Volunteer Service AwardWe are proud to be a certifying organization for The President's Volunteer Service Award, which allows us to present this very special award to youth volunteers of all ages who accomplish a truly impressive number of service hours through Generation SERVE within a year (September - August). Learn more about this award and the number of hours needed to achieve it.
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Does your child want to track his/her activities?
We track your family's Generation SERVE activities and hours for you so we can recognize Generation SERVE volunteers and report on our impact in the community. You can look in your account profile to see how many hours your child has participated in with Generation SERVE!
If your student needs us to validate community service hours for a school organization, we are also happy to validate their participation in our activities! You can email us a filled out form, and we will respond within 5-7 days.
If your student needs us to validate community service hours for a school organization, we are also happy to validate their participation in our activities! You can email us a filled out form, and we will respond within 5-7 days.
What do I do if the calendar is full?
- Check the calendar throughout the month for cancellations.
- Check the calendar on Thursdays and Fridays, which is when we see a lot of weekend cancellations.
- Become a Family Sponsor to get early calendar access. These sustaining donors help underwrite the costs of our activities so more families can participate!
- Follow us on Facebook or Instagram! We post notifications of open spots on social media.
Can I participate in your activities with a group?
- As a general rule, we don't organize activities for groups. Certain Family Sponsorship levels and Business Sponsorships come with the benefit of custom, private activities for groups. Contact us at director@generationserve.org to learn more.
- Check out our Group Resource Guide or our Project Ideas page for ideas to plan your own group activity.
More questions?