Once you have introduced your child to volunteerism and you have convinced them to try it with you, there will come a time when the child will be ready to go out and do some volunteering on their own – with adult supervision, of course.

It is important that you do not allow them to volunteer at the first place that comes to mind. You want the volunteering experience to be in an appropriate atmosphere, with responsible adults, and you want the child to be doing something that he or she has a special interest in. This allows them to actually enjoy the activity and assures their physical and emotional safety.

Make It Appropriate For Your Child’s Age And Skills

Make sure the child has a say in the final decision, but always be prepared to tell them no if they want to do something that you feel is not appropriate for them. As parents and guardians, we should make sure that the child is participating in a volunteer activity that is both appropriate for their age and inline with their social skills. For instance, if your child is only 5 or 6 years old, they should probably not be volunteering in a hospital or hospice environment where they could possibly see things that 5 year olds simply shouldn’t see.

Also, make sure that the activity you decide on will fit in with the child’s physical and emotional skills. For example, if they are good readers, perhaps they could volunteer to read for the elderly or smaller children. If they are comfortable around handicapped children then there are many opportunities available, however a lot of children are not emotionally ready to work with special needs children. You need to give it a lot of thought and make sure the opportunity fits the child well.

Make It Interesting And Fun

The volunteer activity you choose should also be consistent with your child’s interests.

Look for things that your child can relate to. If they enjoy using their hands, perhaps they could volunteer for cleaning work or landscaping help. If they play a musical instrument, perhaps there are opportunities at your local performing arts center or performing arts academy. If they love animals, they could volunteer at your local animal shelter.

The more your child can relate to the work, the better the chance of them enjoying their time and gaining the momentum most kids require to continue volunteering.

Some Ideas To Get You Started

Here are a few ideas to get you started looking for that perfect volunteering opportunity for your child. Remember that you don’t have to volunteer at a major facility or organization. There are hundreds of smaller, more focused volunteer opportunities available all over your area as well.

• Community Volunteering – Check out your local museums and libraries for child volunteer programs. You can also search for local food pantries to help stock, prepare and/or serve the food to the needy. Or, you could seek out local retirement facilities where your child could visit the elderly and help out around the facility.


• Volunteering To Help Animals – Does your child love animals? If so, there are many opportunities out there. Give a call to your local Humane Society. They are usually excited to bring in volunteers who can help with the animals or simply provide some temporary companionship. You may also think about calling your local Wildlife Foundation for information on their volunteer programs.


• Sponsor Someone Special – There are programs available to let you sponsor a family, a soldier or another child who is in need of help in some way. This will not take a lot of time, but can bring so much joy and happiness to the lives of everyone involved.


• Join Child Volunteer Organizations – Organizations such as 4-H, The Boy Scouts of America and Kiwanis Key Club are always encouraging and helping their members volunteer in the community. Many of them will also help foster beneficial, ethical values that can remain with your child for life. For parents who do not have the time available to help their kids to the fullest, these organizations are a blessing.

There are also many volunteer websites online that will facilitate finding that perfect opportunity for your child. Visit your favorite search engine and do a search for volunteer opportunities in your local area. You can also check out Volunteermatch.com who can quickly find opportunities in your area. Click on the “Advanced” search and you can search for specific skill sets, age groups and more.
If you haven’t read parts 1 and 2 of this blog series, make sure to go back to the beginning and find out the major benefits that volunteering can bring to your children and how to introduce them to volunteerism without seeing them run for the door.

– Teaching Kids And Teens About Volunteering – Part 1: The Benefits – Teaching Kids and Teens About Volunteering – Part 2: Introducing Them To Volunteer Work

Finally, we’d like to hear what you think! Have you successfully persuaded your child to volunteer? What were the hardest things about it and what do you, as a parent, get out of it? Let us know by leaving a comment in the field below.

Howdy 4-H’ers! It’s hard to believe another week has gone by already. I remember when I was a child, it seemed like the closer we got to Christmas, the longer the weeks became!

Either way, as the holidays draw closer, please do not lose sight of your 4-H values and your future education. Always be on the lookout for a grant or scholarship opportunity that can further your education or improve your 4-H experience.

Get those applications submitted and good luck to everyone!

 

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture 4-H Grant

If your 4-H Group can provide 18 hours of activities annually which contribute to the advancement of agriculture or agribusiness, then you could be eligible to apply for a grant from the P.D.A. in the amount of $2,000 all the way up to $9,000.

The activities may include training and instruction in grading livestock and poultry, breeding and raising livestock or poultry, grading eggs, marketing, public speaking, packaging, holding agricultural contests for premiums or ribbons, planting, demonstrations, planning, fitting or another phase of agriculture or agribusiness.

Visit this page to find out who is eligible and how to submit your application – P.D.A. 4-H Grant Opportunity.  

Harry Burcalow Endowment for Innovative Grants (Washington State)

This grant program facilitates short-term needs such as new innovative programs, seed money, emergency or unanticipated shortfalls. Suggestions could be focused on things like education of youth and adults, expanding 4-H experiential learning to youth and adults, and promoting diversity. These are only suggestions, of course. Click on the link below for details.

Grant awards are usually between $100 and $1,000 and are given twice per year.

If your Group could use some extra money to get an innovative project going or to support and existing one, click here – Harry Burcalow Endowment for Innovative Grants.  

Wisconsin 4-H Foundation 2011-2012 Scholarship

The Wisconsin 4-H Foundation and other donors offer educational scholarships to outstanding Wisconsin 4-H students. The scholarships are offered as a way for the Foundation to show their appreciation to these students for accomplishments as a result of 4-H experiences, and to support their future educational goals.

All applications must be postmarked by February 25th, 2011. But don’t let that stop you from getting started. It is always better to have it ready early, than to wait and scramble to get it completed just before the deadline.

Take a look at this page for a list of current available scholarships – Scholarships – Wisconsin 4-H Foundation.  

Michigan State University 4-H Youth Development Scholarships

Michigan State University, Michigan 4-H Youth Development and the Michigan 4-H Foundation are offering scholarships to help support the educational goals of 4-H students in Michigan.

The qualifications for most of the scholarships are: 4-H involvement at county, regional, state, national and international levels, Outstanding achievement in 4-H, Scholastic excellence, Broad range of 4-H experiences and project involvement, Leadership and citizenship contributions within and outside of 4-H, and financial need in some cases.

If you meet these qualifications, there is a good chance that you could obtain one of these scholarships to help further your education.

Find out what scholarships are available to you and more about how to apply here – Michigan 4-H Scholarships.

 

Remember there are literally thousands of scholarship and grant opportunities for 4-H students all over the country and right there in your local area. If you can’t find something up your alley, simply contact your college of choice’s financial aid office or your high school counselor and they will be able to help you find something to fit your needs and financial status.

That’s it for this week. Don’t let the cold weather slow down your grant and scholarship search, you may miss out on a great opportunity!

If you know of an opportunity that we haven’t featured here, please tell us about it in the comment field below!

Hey 4-H’ers! We’re back with our 4-H Week in Review and we’ve found some great stories to share with you below.

Our latest Sweepstakes came to and end this week and two lucky 4-H Groups won coupons for Custom T-shirts at ClassB. Check out who won here – ClassB 4-H Sweepstakes Winners – and stay on the lookout for future promotions and contests!

As always, if you know of a newsworthy 4-H story, don’t be shy! Post it below in the comments section.

• Venison donation is nothing new to Oklahoma hunters. Every year, over 40,000 lbs. of venison is donated, processed and distributed to the needy in Oklahoma alone. But a young lady in Sapulpa, Oklahoma is taking the entire concept a huge step forward.

  Chelsea Blevins has teamed with local butchers in her area to not only boost venison donation, but to bring in younger kids, teach them some skills and educate them on how and why donations are made.

  Chelsea and her Club held a processing workshop in October and are using every means possible to get the word out that they are taking donations for a “processing work party” which they are holding later this month. All processed meat will be going to charity.

  Super idea Chelsea! You guys and gals are doing a great thing – Bostian column: Local 4-H club helping worthy cause.




• While we’re on the subject of food donations, we thought we’d let you know about a 4-H Club in Indiana who are making a difference in their community as well.

  The Crothersville Helping Hoosiers 4-H Club recently collected food items to donate to the Crothersville Clients Choice Food Pantry. But they didn’t just drop it all off! Instead, they stuck around for a while and received a guided tour of the facility and learned how the entire food donation and distribution process works. They also learned how those in the community can help.

  What a neat experience and what a great way to help their community! Way to go Helping Hoosiers! – Helping Hoosiers 4-H Helps Feed Community.




• A great relationship has been created in New Jersey between 4-H and a group called ReRun, Inc., who run facilities to foster ex-racehorses.

  During tough economic times, more often than not, when racehorses end their careers, they find themselves on a trip to slaughter. But ReRun is able to take many of them and the 4-H members are offering their time, energy and TLC to help take care of the horses.

  Each day, a different 4-H member is in charge of one of the horses. As one of them say in the story linked below, it is like having a horse for a day. Very cool!

  This was a great idea and we’re glad that you are there to help these magnificent animals! Read the whole story here – ReRun and 4-H: A Great Combo for Recycled Thoroughbreds.




• The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Allen County 4-H Shooting Sports program are hosting a free, two-day hunter safety education class at the Allen County Extension Office. The program isn’t until February, but class size is limited and pre-registration is required. If you’re interested in this opportunity, check out this page as soon as you can – Free Hunter Safety Course.

  And this Sunday beginning at 9am, The Texas AgriLife Extension Service will host a free regional livestock clinic for South Plains youth and their families. If you’re in the Texas Tech area and you want to learn about the principles of livestock management, then check this one out – Texas AgriLife Extension offers youth livestock clinic.

Well, that’s it for this week everybody. We know there are some stories and announcements that we missed, so if you have a story or news event you’d like to share, just leave it in a comment below.

Now It’s Your Turn! Leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week!