Families Across the Country Make a Difference on National Family Volunteer Day, November 19

WASHINGTON, DC (November 14, 2005) — Families across America are building healthier communities by volunteering to help others on National Family Volunteer Day, Saturday, November 19 . Sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, National Family Volunteer Day is designed to demonstrate the power of families who volunteer.

Since its inception in 1999, more than 250,000 volunteers have participated in this National Day of Service. Celebrated the weekend before Thanksgiving, National Family Volunteer Day kicks off the season of giving and encourages families to work together and give back to their community. Families will coordinate holiday food and clothing drives, visit residents in nursing homes, coordinate fund raisers and revitalize area parks and schools.

"There are myriad benefits of family volunteering. It strengthens family communication and increases shared time among family members while addressing key issues in local communities," said Robert K. Goodwin, president and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network. "It helps create a culture of caring that connects families, communities, businesses and nonprofit organizations."

In addition to individual families, Volunteer Centers, nonprofit agencies, corporations and businesses around the globe, spearhead projects.  In groups as small as four and as large as 500, families are gathering to celebrate National Family Volunteer Day.

Examples of volunteer projects across the country include:

Denver, CO — Coors Brewing Company
Employees and their families will assemble and decorate food boxes for needy families in a project to benefit Family Tree, a local United Way organization. Coors is supporting multiple family volunteering projects across the country as part of its MVParents initiative.

Washington, DC — Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority
Rho Mu Omega Chapter of AKA is hosting, "The Triple T Café" (thanksgiving, togetherness, tea) at a local senior community. Eighty volunteers will gather for team and artistic performances, as well as companionship for seniors. Nationally AKA supports projects across the country.

Dublin, CA — The Holt family
The Holt family is partnering with the Blue Star Mothers Chapter to create care packages for men and women serving abroad in the Armed Forces. This marks the third major event that the Holts have been a part of during 2005—earlier this year, they volunteered at a baseball tournament for handicapped children and lent a hand with a coastal cleanup.

National Family Volunteer Day is one strategy the Points of Light Foundation supports as part of its efforts to build strong families and communities. The Points of Light Foundation also partners with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to help improve outcomes for low-income children and families. Volunteering is a highly effective strategy in transforming even the toughest neighborhoods into supportive places where families can thrive. Volunteering, especially family volunteering, builds strong families and helps vulnerable families connect to neighbors and critical community resources they need to do well.

To support families and organizations in the development of National Family Volunteer Day activities, Family Cares, a program of the Foundation, offers an on-line resource, www.familycares.org designed for families interested in strengthening their local communities through family volunteering. Familycares.org features hands-on project ideas, resources and games. Many of the project ideas can be adapted for National Family Volunteer Day.

The Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network also honors family volunteering through the National Family Volunteer Award.  The award recognizes significant family volunteering activities that have taken place over the previous year by families, Volunteer Center, nonprofit agencies and businesses.

“When families of all types and sizes unite in service to together, we all benefit,” Goodwin adds.

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