4 Ways to Make an Impact Together this Holiday Season
The holidays are an opportune time to slow down, reflect on the past year, enjoy quality time with loved ones and contribute meaningfully to our communities.
From using our purchase power to shop responsibly to exploring in-person and virtual volunteer opportunities, there are myriad ways for you and yours to get more civically engaged this holiday season. Points of Light’s Civic Circle is a framework that helps connect individuals to opportunities and show that doing good comes in many forms.
Here are some ways to get involved this holiday season.
Use your purchase power to make more informed decisions when shopping. Whether it’s shopping local, buying BIPOC-owned brands, supporting small businesses, or seeking out sustainable goods, where you choose to spend your dollar matters. You can greatly impact the causes you care about by doing a little upfront research and selecting products and brands that reflect your values.
Find in-person or virtual volunteer opportunities. Volunteering around the holidays can benefit everyone involved – the volunteer, the recipient, the nonprofit organization and the larger community. While some may opt to use their time and talents in person, like at a local food bank, others may feel more comfortable volunteering virtually. Fortunately, there are plenty of formal volunteer opportunities out there – and don’t forget about informal ones too, like shoveling snow on your neighborhood sidewalk or grocery shopping for an elderly neighbor.
Contribute with monetary or in-kind donations. Donating is one way to support the welfare of others, and donations don’t have to be large to be meaningful. You can choose to give money, goods (like coats, toiletries or food items) or services (helping with childcare, cleaning, car care or cooking).
Listening and learning about issues and cause areas is a year-round effort, but the holidays typically provide some extra opportunities. First, consider using some of your downtime to research the issues you care about. Listen to podcasts, read the news, watch conversations with experts. When you gather with friends or family, don’t avoid these topics. Dive in and discuss what you’re learning, listening to others’ perspectives respectfully as well. Often, it’s those times around the table that can help move us forward on an individual level, which then naturally extends outward.
, we’ve included a personal action plan. These worksheets are tailored to each facet of the Civic Circle and they help readers discover which causes they care most about, research organizations helping to solve these issues and then plan and prioritize their involvement.
Whatever ways you choose to get involved this year, sharing your light inspires others to do the same, and that collectively light can transform the world.
Ways to Celebrate Family Volunteer Day 2021
Collaboration among the generations is one of the most meaningful ways we can drive social change. And if we can take part in service opportunities with those we love most, we have an opportunity to impact each other and our communities for the better. Families bond through civic engagement — whether that be through donating, volunteering or simply learning about social issues together.
, a global day of service that celebrates the power of families who work together to support their communities and neighborhoods. The current landscape — from the ongoing pandemic to social unrest to climate change — offers opportunity after opportunity to meaningfully engage with causes we’re passionate about.
Here are some ways you can participate in Family Volunteer Day 2021 based on some of the elements from Points of Light’s
It’s crucial that before we dive into any volunteering or service opportunity, we take the time to fully understand the issue at hand. This also means understanding the community we’re walking into, and the best way to do that is through listening to the perspectives and lived experience of the people within that community.
, we can better come alongside those we’re seeking to help, involving and empowering them in the process. With your family, pick a cause that’s important to everyone. Spend time doing research on the cause and getting to know what work is already being done on it. Have conversations with your family members about it, sharing your thoughts and opinions. Then, find a local organization in your community addressing this cause in some way and reach out to them to see how you can best make a difference.
Volunteer
Once you’ve identified a cause area and are actively learning about it, you may find that you can get involved by
your time and effort. Volunteering gives you the ability to use your skills and talents to benefit other individuals and the community as a whole.
Volunteering is an activity that can be done in-person or virtually, so even if you’re unable to be on-the-ground with others this year due to the pandemic, you can still find longer-distance opportunities. Check out
, an extensive database of volunteer opportunities that allows you to filter and search within your geographic location, interest areas and preferred method of delivery.
Donate
Of course, donations go a long way when it comes to making an impact. Whether you
money, services, or goods, the act of contributing to a cause you care about can help drive change while also teaching family members some valuable lessons.
Ensure you do your homework before deciding to donate to an organization or cause. Donations have the potential to cause harm if not done well. For example, if you feel the pull to donate after a natural disaster like a
or an earthquake, you might be scouring the house for clothing, goods and personal care products. But did you know that the most effective way you can help in these types of crises is by donating money? Unless relief organizations are specifically asking for goods, these types of donations can cause a distribution bottleneck and may even go unutilized. Donating cash allows the relief organization to purchase exactly what’s needed and do their jobs more efficiently.
There are numerous ways to participate in Family Volunteer Day this year, even in the midst of a situation that presents challenges with traditional in-person volunteering. Don’t limit yourself and your family just because things might look different — see how you can best get involved, make a plan for impact and enjoy the bonding that comes from collaborative civic engagement!
3 Ways Your Family Can Donate on Family Volunteer Day
is rapidly approaching, and while things might look a little different this year due to social distancing, there are still plenty of ways to get involved.
is Donate, and that doesn’t always mean a large financial contribution. Here are a few ways you and your family can donate as we celebrate Family Volunteer Day on Nov. 20.
Hold a non-monetary donation drive for a cause you care about.
Donating goods and services is an excellent way to make an impact without needing to raise money. If you’re interested in fighting food insecurity in your community, for example, you might consider holding a canned goods drive for a local food bank. Maybe you’re passionate about helping single mothers, and can hold a diaper or formula drive. If you’re donating clothing, furniture or electronics, ensure that they’re gently used, remembering the rule of thumb that if you wouldn’t use it, it’s best not to pass onto someone else.
Help a child donate a small portion of their piggy bank money to a cause they care about.
Donations don’t need to be big in order to make an impact. Getting younger kids involved can mean asking them what cause or issue area they want to donate to, and allowing them to give from their piggy bank or allowance money. This is also a perfect opportunity to explore the issue together, doing research on it and finding an organization to donate to. Have a discussion as a family about the issue and ask how your children feel and what their visions for a solution would be. This is all part of
Raise money for a cause you care about through a lemonade stand.
Combine donating with entrepreneurship and hold a lemonade stand! If you don’t feel comfortable mixing and selling lemonade to others, consider purchasing bulk quantities of canned or bottled lemonade, and then selling them at a markup and donating your profit.
Donating is an extremely impactful way to support the causes you care about. You can also look for great DIY projects and search for in-person or virtual volunteer opportunities. We hope you’ll get involved in Family Volunteer Day this year, and don’t forget to tell us about it on social using #FamilyVolunteerDay or #VolunteerTogether.
Take Action on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
As many communities continue to social distance, we at Points of Light encourage people to view this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as a day of service to the worldwide beloved community. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often used the term, “the Beloved Community,” a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth.
While volunteer and service activities may look different this year, there are many ways for everyone to impact the people, communities and environment around us. Civic engagement can come in so many forms; here are a few ideas and stories to get you inspired.
Find a Volunteer Opportunity Near You. On MLK Day, millions of Americans honor Dr. King’s legacy by coming together for a national day of service and dialogue. Make it a day on, not a day off. Find an MLK Day opportunity near you. You can also find a Points of Light Global Network affiliate near you; many are hosting virtual volunteer opportunities that benefit the local community!
Volunteer Virtually. Many of us are used to being in the community and in person for hands on volunteering projects on MLK Day. Our Virtual Volunteering Toolkit, sponsored by KPMG, can help you plan an impactful day while adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Donate. Is there a group or nonprofit that is doing great work and you want to support them? Consider collecting funds on their behalf and donating it to them so they can continue their efforts. One of our Points of Light Youth Council members, Sanya Pirani, set a goal to raise $10,000 for her local food bank and met the goal!
Purchase Power. You can also use funds to purchase items for those in need. It’s always best to research and speak to others to understand what they truly need, just like Avi Gupta did when he started Project 32, an initiative that helps purchase dental hygiene supplies for those in need. Learn more about using your purchase power in our most recent issue of Civic Life Today.
Listen and Learn. Points of Light’s new initiative, Listen. Learn. Act to End Racism focuses on having brave conversations and providing tools for everyone to take action to end systemic racism. Martin Luther King Jr. lead this work during his life, and we continue to move this work forward. Listen to one of our past conversations.
Use Your Voice. When schools and activities began to shutter due to COVID-19, Adom Appiah, Points of Light Youth Council Member, Daily Point of Light Award honoree and founder of Ball 4 Good realized his organizations model of raising funds through sports would no longer work. He decided to use his social media pages to focus on his passion for music and launched Music4Good. Music4Good are 2-hour DJ sets where he spins music to bring attention to the needs of children impacted by COVID-19. So far, he’s raised almost $14,000 for organizations supporting communities impacted by COVID-19.
Points of Light’s Youth Council Provides Your Family Volunteer Day Playlist
Music can make any task into a party. This year, as we celebrate the 30
th
anniversary of Family Volunteer Day, we thought while we can’t be together, we can share the joy in giving back by sharing some great music! In honor of this major milestone, we asked the Points of Light Youth Council to handpick their favorite songs to listen to with their families while doing their service projects.
Here are some of the songs they’ll be listening to on Family Volunteer Day. What else would you add?
Be A Light -Thomas Rhett
Wings – Little Mix
This Mountain – Faozia
HandClap – Fitz and the Tantrums
Happy – Pharrell Williams
Can’t Stop the Feeling! – Justin Timberlake
Better When I’m Dancin’ – Meghan Trainor
Happy Anywhere – Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani
I Don’t Need Anything But You – Jaime Foxx, Quvenzhane Wallis
to choose from one of our DIY project guides or virtual volunteer projects that you and your family can perform anytime during the month of November. And while we know sometimes it’s difficult to get younger kids involved, our
Nominate a Family for a Daily Point of Light Award
Millions of families act on their power to do good every day, using their hearts, hands and minds to help strengthen communities and solve persistent problems. We recognize their stories, and lift them up to inspire others to make a difference. If you know of a family that is making a difference in their community, nominate them for a Daily Point of Light Award. Each day, an extraordinary volunteer or family is recognized for their service work.
Here at Points of Light, we’ll celebrate Global Volunteer Month in April – and with good reason! We’re
all
part of a global community and when we volunteer, we make that community stronger. Of course, our global community includes everyone – children, adults and families – and when families volunteer together, they share a special experience with a very special impact.
As anyone who’s tried to plan volunteering events for young people or for families knows, it can be hard to get it right! Making time is tough for busy families. You have to make sure there’s something for little ones, teens and adults to do. You have to make the most effective use of time – and resources – that you can. And you have to communicate, communicate, communicate so that everyone knows where to be, what to expect and how they’re making a difference.
I’ve definitely been there!
I was once tasked with putting together a service project showcase for students in Chicago. I needed a space for 2,000 students and their families, their teachers, chaperones and volunteer judges. I also had to develop an on-site service project for the group to complete while they waited to be judged. My team and I had to be creative about programming and about budgets. (Hint: If you plan for an outdoor event to save on rental costs and don’t have a rain plan, it will rain.
It’s just a fact.)
There were several times during the three years that we put on the event that I could have benefitted from some guidance. Creating meaningful events for young people and families requires a different approach and a different set of planning considerations.
At Points of Light, we also know in addition to the different needs for family volunteering projects, this can be an even larger challenge to smaller schools or nonprofits, or those who are new to working with families.
Mother and daughter volunteer in Hong Kong on Family Volunteer Day 2018.
With that in mind, Points of Light recently partnered with Disney Parks to create a guide for small organizations for working with family volunteers. We interviewed 1,000 participants of organizations under a $1 million revenue who have participated in the Disney Family Volunteering Rewards Program to understand how to encourage schools and non-profits to engage families in volunteer activities. We wanted to know how to create programs that work for families, how to recruit families to participate and how to make it easy – and fun! – for them to volunteer.
Here’s what we heard from project coordinators we surveyed about how to engage families and young people in volunteer efforts:
Include Youth Voices in Planning: Talk to young people about why volunteering matters. Let their excitement help make it a family priority. Let them describe what they’re doing – they use simple words – and can quickly explain how they’re having an impact.
Communicate via Multiple Methods Well in Advance and with Reminders: Send an email and a text. Remind volunteer families several weeks before, a week before, day before and the day-of. People are busy and reminders help to ensure they fulfill their intention and their commitment to volunteer. If you can, keep your events at the same time of year – so families can plan.
Create a Family-Friendly Environment: Ensure families know that their children of all ages are welcome. Make plenty of age-appropriate activities available and create opportunities for little ones to help. Make sure there are plenty of kid-friendly refreshments as well.
Reward Volunteers: Create incentives for your volunteers to want to come back, and make sure they know about the impact they’re having. Offer student volunteers extra hours if they bring a parent or feature students with families who volunteer on social media.
Start Early, Plan and Be Organized: Make sure people feel as if their time is being used well. If they have a great experience, they’re more likely to return. The organization I worked with didn’t have a lot of success doing several small family volunteer events throughout the year in a city where there were so many competing interests. However, doing an “end of the year” project where students got to show off their work and win prizes combined with the group volunteering experience resulted in higher attendance and participation each year. We used their time – and ours – efficiently and it worked well for everyone.
Family and youth volunteer projects are so impactful – and getting them right makes a huge difference for families and for the people and organizations who benefit from their service!
. And to learn more about the Disney Family Volunteering Reward Program – which rewards eligible schools and nonprofits with up to 20 Disney Parks tickets per year for hosting family volunteer projects – visit
Charissa Townsend is the vice president, Recognition and Youth Programs at Points of Light. Her career focus for the past 20 years has been on out of school and out of work youth, experiential education, and social justice. She has completed this work through nonprofits, local government and colleges and universities.
Meet the Aguirre Family: The First-Ever Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year!
The Aguirre family from McAllen, Texas, were announced today on Good Morning America as the first-ever Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year!
The Aguirres were surprised live on-air with a special visit from Mickey Mouse and GMA’s Will Reeve, who invited them to a week-long vacation at Walt Disney World Resort, where they will be the guests of honor at a super celebration for Family Volunteer Day. Plus, they received $10,000 for the organization that nominated them, San Juan Diego Catholic Regional High School — and a surprise additional $10,000 for their own nonprofit, Emily’s Meals.
The Aguirres, parents Coni and Rick and daughters Emily and Erica, started their volunteer journey four years ago when a then 6-year-old Emily saw a homeless person for the first time and asked her parents how they could help. That question prompted the family to create Emily’s Meals,
which now provides food to 40 homeless people every day. Learn more about the
, were featured on Good Morning America ahead on an online vote to find the winner.
Today the other finalist families were surprised with the news that Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Bob Chapek — so impressed with their volunteer work — is inviting them all to Walt Disney World Resort, too! In addition, Disney will give each of the families’ organizations $5,000 to continue their important work.
All five families will join Points of Light and Disney parks and resorts around the world in celebrating
on Nov. 18 for more information on Family Volunteer Day global celebrations and how you can join in, and tune into Good Morning America on Friday, Nov. 29, to catch up on all the excitement of the families’ trip to Walt Disney World.
If you and your family would like to get involved with family volunteering, you can
and earn Disney Parks tickets by hosting volunteer family events.
Meet the Bell-Wallaces: Finalists for the Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year!
The Bell-Wallace family from Pickerington, Ohio, were announced this week on Good Morning America as one of the five finalists in the running to be named the Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year!
The Bell-Wallace family’s volunteer story began 17 years ago when Kevin and Carey Wallace approached
to ask if they could offer a therapeutic horse program for their 4-year-old daughter Morgan, who had been diagnosed with autism. Kevin and Carey were so impressed with Morgan’s progress, they have been dedicated to supporting the program ever since. Morgan’s grandparents, Darlene and George Bell, also joined as volunteers, with Darlene going on to create a new program to help support veterans experiencing PTSD. Now, every event at Dreams on Horseback features the volunteering efforts of all three generations of the Bell-Wallace family!
The Bell-Wallaces were one of thousands of families across the country nominated for the
featured on GMA this week, sharing the stories of their incredible volunteer work, followed by a nationwide online vote starting on Oct. 11 where you will be able to vote for your favorite family!
The winning family will be announced on GMA on Nov. 1 and will receive a dream vacation to
on Nov. 23. The nonprofit or school that nominated the family will also receive $10,000 to continue their important work in the community.
Make sure to tune into every day this week to meet the rest of the incredible Top 5 families, and stay tuned for more updates on the competition and details on how you can vote!
If you and your family would like to get involved with family volunteering, you can
and earn Disney Parks tickets by hosting volunteer family events.
Meet the Nepolas: Finalists for the Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year!
The Nepola family from Pembroke Pine, Florida, were announced this week on Good Morning America as one of the five finalists in the running to be named the Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year!
The Nepolas have volunteered with
since 2015. Parents Justin and Jackie, with daughters Mia and Ava, work tirelessly for the projects they volunteer for, whether they’re building gardens, distributing school supplies or packing meals for families in need. Recently, the family took on two big events as project leaders, Night On The Streets and the Florida AIDS Walk. Due to inclement weather, the two events were rescheduled to the same day and, without hesitation, the Nepolas kept their word to handle both, despite the extra work this would require. This example, and many more like it, shows the family’s dedication to serving their community and making the world a better place!
The Nepolas were one of thousands of families across the country nominated for the
featured on GMA this week, sharing the stories of their incredible volunteer work, followed by a nationwide online vote starting on Oct. 11 where you will be able to vote for your favorite family!
The winning family will be announced on GMA on Nov. 1 and will receive a dream vacation to
on Nov. 23. The nonprofit or school that nominated the family will also receive $10,000 to continue their important work in the community.
Make sure to tune into every day this week to meet the rest of the incredible Top 5 families, and stay tuned for more updates on the competition and details on how you can vote!
If you and your family would like to get involved with family volunteering, you can
and earn Disney Parks tickets by hosting volunteer family events.
Meet the Jeevanayagams: Finalists for the Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year!
The Jeevanayagam family from Suwanee, Georgia, were announced today on Good Morning America as one of the five finalists in the running to be named the Disney and Points of Light Volunteer Family of the Year!
The Jeevanayagams have been volunteering with
for more than six years. Parents Nicky and Jacob, along with twins Luke and Hannah, exemplify what it means to give back and are always the first to show up whenever there is a need in their community. Including their son, who has autism, in their volunteering work not only provides him with valuable experience, it also helps others see that everyone has the power to make a difference, regardless of ability. The Jeevanayagam family’s volunteer work includes fundraising, organizing events, recruiting new volunteers and leading the way by inspiring others in their community with their commitment to service.
The Jeevanayagams were one of thousands of families across the country nominated for the
featured on GMA this week, sharing the stories of their incredible volunteer work, followed by a nationwide online vote starting on Oct. 11 where you will be able to vote for your favorite family!
The winning family will be announced on GMA on Nov. 1 and will receive a dream vacation to
on Nov. 23. The nonprofit or school that nominated the family will also receive $10,000 to continue their important work in the community.
Make sure to tune into every day this week to meet the rest of the incredible Top 5 families, and stay tuned for more updates on the competition and details on how you can vote!
If you and your family would like to get involved with family volunteering, you can
Listen and Learn
