Does your family volunteer together?  November 21st is Family Volunteer Day and may be a great day to start!  Volunteering is a great way to teach kids about giving back and grow together as a family.  Volunteer Arlington wants to make it easy for your family to get connected, so we have marked volunteer opportunities available to families with this icon:  

If you're wondering how to get started or how to choose an opportunity that is right for you consider these questions:

• What are we interested in?  Each member of your family will probably have their own interest or cause.  Animals, the environment, a sick child or a lonely senior?  Find out what each member is passionate about.
• What do we like to do? What are our skills or talents?  Sports, arts and crafts, cooking, gardening, working with computers?  Alls of these interests and more can be shared with those in need.
• What projects fit the ages of our family?  Try and choose a project or a variety of projects where all can participate in some way.  Even babies and toddlers have something to offer to the elderly living in nursing homes.
• What is our availability?  Do you want to try a one-time event such as a local walk-a-thon to raise money for a cause or make a long-term commitment such as tutoring at an after school community center?
• What do we want to get from our volunteer experience? Would you like to meet other volunteers who like the same things as your family? How about meeting a more diverse group with different cultures and economic situations?  How about problem solving and teamwork, or knowing that your efforts have made a difference even if for just a day?

(from Family Cares, www.familycares.org)

Perhaps you or your kids have seen your favorite TV stars volunteering recently.  Well at iparticipate you and your kids can get ideas for volunteer projects like the ones they saw on TV!

Also, If your family enjoys volunteering, maybe you would like to do it again in 2010 to be rewarded with a day at Disney!  Disney is sponsoring the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program starting in January 2010.