Brandi Voss Franklin is a frequent volunteer in her local community. As a wife and mother, Brandi Voss hopes to instill a love of charity work within her own family, which is why she feels it is so important to share these special moments together. In the following article, Brandi Voss discusses how volunteering together helps to build familial bonds, while helping the community at large.
Volunteering may not be the first activity that springs to mind when parents ponder their next family outing. However, it offers surprising rewards for both adults and children that would otherwise remain uncovered.
From spending quality time together to encouraging compassion and motivation in the next generation to providing households with consistency, volunteering, in whatever form it takes, has often-unexpected advantages.
Brandi Voss Franklin Says Volunteering Together Boasts Surprising Benefits
Enrichment and an abundance of feel-good emotions await on the other side of the family volunteerism door, alongside:
More Quality Time
Today’s parents are seemingly busier than ever before, bemoaning stressful workdays and hectic schedules for taking their time away from their children. But it isn’t just moms, dads, and guardians who feel this way; kids feel it too. According to the Good News Network, 73% of children want to spend more time with their parents, especially outside the house.
Volunteering is a brilliant way to bridge this saddening quality time gap. Each side of the parent-child coin spend intentional hours together in a setting designed to nurture.
Values, Traits, and Skills
Brandi Voss explains that children are sponges, soaking up everything in their environment — traits, values, skills, and behavior included. They learn through observation, and when parents or other relatives show compassion, children will quickly learn that it’s a behavior with positive consequences.
Compassion isn’t the only trait passed on to young people during family volunteering. They’ll receive life-improving values like selflessness, gratitude, and responsibility, while adopting skills that will benefit them in professional and personal settings (e.g., self-motivation, task management, collaboration, and interpersonal communication).
Boosted Happiness
Brandi Voss says that it’s no secret that “doing good” directly staves off stress, anger, depression, anxiety, and other negative methods, while increasing empathy and self-esteem. Brandi Voss Franklin also notes that the lesser-known fact is the chain reaction this sets off in the human brain, ending with the imperative release of serotonin. Put simply, volunteering increases happiness within family units — and there are plenty of studies that back this up.
Research into the effects of high well-being markers conclude that other health outcomes improve, continually boosting overall happiness as time goes on. For both the individuals within a family unit and the family itself, this brings a cornucopia of advantages, such as improved life satisfaction, enhanced family and friend relationships, heightened daily purpose, and boosted physical health.
A Chance to Learn About Loved Ones
Volunteering together ignites conversations about themes or problems family members are interested in/care about — environmental issues, animal rights, veterans’ affairs, food security, and more. Many of these topics are likely to present brand-new learning opportunities for others in the group, giving relatives a fresh perspective on the world and their loved ones.
Brandi Voss Franklin says that through tackling volunteer opportunities, families get to grips with what each member is enthusiastic about, forging closer bonds.
Instills Consistency
Consistency is a cornerstone of healthy childhood development and family management. Structure powers parents and children through hectic weeks, allowing the latter to learn commitment, time-management, and responsibility, while the former achieves a better work-life balance.
Households looking to increase the consistency in their lives can turn to volunteering. Brandi Voss explains that it adds routine without eliminating life’s fun factor.
Family-Friendly Volunteering: The Best Opportunities
Volunteering opportunities perfect for families exist across the country. However, the brains at Volgistics and Galaxy Digital consider these the most suitable for children, teens, and adults:
Animal Shelters
Animal rescue shelters rely on volunteers to play with, walk, and care for their residents, and donations for food, supplies, and awareness events. Families can take part in the routines at their local shelter by helping once a week. Some locations even offer family-friendly days geared toward parents and their children.
Neighborhood Campaigns
Local councils often have a dedicated volunteer website showcasing the various initiatives in their area. Families can find these directories or contact community liaison officers to participate in campaigns like:
- Street/park cleanups
- Providing farmer’s market assistance
- Walking neighborhood dogs
- Helping out during street festivals
Elderly Care
Many volunteer programs look for people to combat loneliness amongst the elderly. Families are perfect for this — children find bringing joy to others heartwarmingly easy. Brandi Voss Franklin explains that they can learn to connect with people of all ages while spreading happiness to those in nursing homes or hospitals.
