Looking for ways your kids can help others? You don't have to look far.
From large, volunteer-organized opportunities for service to smaller, more localized efforts, the choice is yours.
» Help the Falcons build a Habitat house without lifing a hammer
Check out these five ways to teach your kids to serve others:
Family Volunteer Day at Egleston. 1405 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, Ga 30322-1062. 404-785-5437. www.choa.org
Get everyone involved in Family Volunteer Day, which provides an opportunity to work on service projects and learn about the patients and families served at Egleston. Parents and kids of all ages are welcome to participate.
Because of the hospital's infection control policy, however, no patient interaction is allowed.
Family Volunteer Day will be 9:30-11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 5. Volunteers must apply in order to participate. Applications open Oct. 5, and the deadline to apply is Oct. 21.
For more information, contact Ansley Johnson at Ansley.johnson@choa.org.
The Great Lake Allatoona Clean Up
Lake Allatoona is a natural resource enjoyed by thousands of families in metro Atlanta annually. You and your kids can help keep the lake beautiful by participating in an annual cleanup effort, which is open to all ages.
The 31st Great Lake Allatoona Clean Up is scheduled for Sept. 24. More than 3,500 volunteers have participated in this effort in previous years. Registration is required; you can register online, selecting your specific site, schedule and tasks. Lunch will be provided at Riverside Park.
For more information, contact Dean Bourne at 770-367-9898 or Dean@MariettaMarine.com.
FurKids
If your kids want to help Atlanta's four-legged residents, Furkids offers many opportunities. Atlanta's largest no-kill animal shelter, Furkids is one of the only shelters in Georgia that welcomes children of all ages to volunteer at its locations in Doraville, Norcross, Alpharetta and throughout Atlanta.
Kids of all ages and their families can provide temporary homes for dogs and cats. If that's not an option, consider fund-raising efforts, such as dog washes or lemonade stands, to raise money for the shelter. Other hands-on opportunities are available. To volunteer or for more information, go to furkids.org/volunteer/youth-opportunities, or contact FurKids' volunteer manager at volunteer@furkids.org.
Hands on Atlanta
Hands on Atlanta sponsors monthly Family Service Saturdays, a volunteer program designed especially for families with children ages 5-12.
Each project exposes young volunteers to a different community need, such as hunger, homelessness and senior citizen assistance.
Approximately 40 families can participate in each project. Families must have at least one child, and all children within the family can attend.
Next month's project is 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Sept. 17, and is slated to serve senior adults at A.G. Rhodes Health and Rehab with a variety of enrichment and therapeutic activities, including arts and crafts, bingo and other games. Kids who are 16 can volunteer without adult supervision. Registration is available online. For more information, contact Nichole Harris at 404-979-2790 or nharris@handsonatlanta.org.
Other opportunities for families include: assembling teacher appreciation kits so that students throughout Atlanta can succeed in school. For more information, contact Harris.
Hands on Atlanta updates its online volunteer opportunities regularly.
Day in the Dirt/Green Team at Piedmont Park 400 Park Drive, Atlanta, Ga. 30306. 404-875-7275. www.piedmontpark.org
Piedmont Park's Day in the Dirt projects are typically 9 a.m. to noon or 1-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Weekend projects are available by special request. These projects are for groups, so grab some friends and check it out. Children should be 13 or older.
Green Team volunteers keep Piedmont Park beautiful year-round, and all projects are outdoors and based on the park's current needs. Projects include pruning, weeding, mulching, trash pick-up and more. Projects are 9-11 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
To participate in Day in the Dirt or become a Green Team volunteer, contact volunteer@piedmontpark.org, or call 404-875-7275, Ext. 242.
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