Lynne Harper remembers tagging along with her mother to deliver meals to the elderly. She may not have loved every minute of the experience, but what the mother of two does remember is the joy she felt when she was able to put a smile on an aged face. That’s one reason why she and her family now spend time together making a difference in their community.

And summer, according to Harper, is the perfect time to reach out to others. Your kids are out of school and need something constructive to do. The days are long and you seem to have a little more energy and time. Your whole family spends more time outdoors and so do your neighbors. Put all that together and you have the ideal mix for volunteering together as a family.

Too often we save much of our goodwill and community spirit for the holidays, a time when we’re extremely busy with a long To Do list. It’s also a time when organizations can be overwhelmed with offers of help, says Harper. Perhaps we should put some of that holiday cheer and goodwill toward others to work when we actually have the energy to put into it…during the lazy days of summer.

Why Volunteer?

There are three groups who directly benefit from families volunteering together, according to Heather Jack, founder of The Volunteer Family: kids, parents, and the organizations to whom they give their time.

Your kids can gain so much from serving others. “Volunteering,” says Ms. Jack, “teaches compassion, understanding, and new skills while building self esteem.” Also, because summer is loaded with free time for kids, it’s the ideal season to explore each child’s interests and talents and target their volunteering time as a growth opportunity.

Parents can benefit from volunteering on many different levels. If you’re a working parent, you want the time you spend with your children to be maximized. Volunteering with your kids is a “great way to spend time together and do something for the community,” Ms. Jack explains. And if you’re a parent whose work is primarily at home, you’ll find that volunteering is a neat way to meet neighbors and community members and make new friends.

And of course, your neighborhood, your community, and any organizations for which you work will benefit greatly. By spending a little time volunteering, your family is not only improving your own lives and learning important lessons, you’re also making life better for other people all around you. And isn’t that a great way to spend a summer?

Getting Started Volunteering as a Family

Volunteering is really just being a helper, a good neighbor, and a part of your community. And the way to get started, says Harper, is to just start talking as a family. She suggests that you take the time to sit down and discuss what needs each of you see in your neighborhood. You may each see a different need that is being unmet. What your kids see as they walk to school is going to be different than what you may see as you drive to the grocery store. So discuss how these needs could be met, and either start working on your own to meet those needs or join an already established movement that could successfully make a difference in that area. Afterward, make sure you discuss together as a family how things went from each person’s perspective.

Need some help getting started? Here’s a list of some summertime projects that your family can easily jump into during your summer vacation:

• Do a sunscreen or sunglasses drive for a shelter in your area.
• Simply carry your elderly neighbor’s garbage cans back on trash day.
• Clean up a local beach or park.
• Plant a garden at a nursing home.
• Bring flowers from your yard to grace a nursing home indoors.
• Join in an already existing walk-a-thon or bike-a-thon to support a non-profit organization.
• Pick up trash around your neighborhood.
• Play games with residents of a shelter or nursing home.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there, make a difference, and have your best summer ever!

These organizations can connect your family with the perfect volunteering opportunity:

• United Way: www.liveunited.org
• Doing Good Together: www.doinggoodtogether.org/
• Volunteer Match: www.volunteermatch.org
• HandsOn Network: www.handsonnetwork.org/
• Meals on Wheels: www.meals-on-wheels.com/family