5 Ways to Get the Family Involved in Summertime Volunteering
Summer is here, and with warmer weather comes our favorite, highly anticipated outdoor activities. With a mission to help those in need, and a strong emphasis on health and wellness, The Goulden Touch believes summertime is also the perfect opportunity for families to head outdoors and get active together—all for a good cause!
Established in 2011 and founded by Chicago Bears Kicker Robbie Gould, The Goulden Touch teaches the importance of giving to others while also making charitable giving fun. As an associate partner of the Together Counts™ program, The Goulden Touch took the pledge to help improve the lives of Chicago children by selecting Take the Field as the primary beneficiary of their 2nd Annual Goulden Touch Golf Invitational.
Led by the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation, the Take the Field initiative builds state-of-the-art artificial turf athletic fields in underserved and geographically diverse Chicago parks to encourage community residents, particularly youth, to engage in sports and healthy activities, and to make outdoor recreation easily accessible at all times. The hope is to not only encourage Chicago students to partake in a more active lifestyle, but to also to participate and achieve social projects of their own.
See also The Value of Volunteering.
Take the Field and other initiatives could not be made possible without the support of its numerous sponsors and volunteers. Listed below are five ideas to inspire your family to spend time together by giving back this summer.
- Register your family for a local 5k walk/run. Encourage your family to share a training schedule in order to spend even more quality time together while working towards your fitness goals.
- Volunteer at charitable races. Visit a race’s official website to gather information on how your family can volunteer leading up to, or during the race. Many organizations seek help with passing out food and beverages, setting up tents, decorating and taking photos at the event, for example.
- Contact your Park District as a resource. Reach out to your local park district or community center to learn about events in your local community, or use the Together Counts service locator. Weekend events, such as breakfast benefits and ice cream socials, could be great (and yummy) opportunities to introduce your kids to charitable giving.
- Get in the gardening spirit. Help your own neighborhood plant trees, flowers and seeds, or evaluate opportunities to lead a community garden.
- Volunteer at local summer camp or YMCA. Many youth groups host day events and overnight trips for kids to participate in and often are in need of parent volunteers.
How does your family plan on giving back this summer? Share in the comments below!
The Goulden Touch wrote this blog post on behalf of the Together Counts™ program. Founded by Chicago Bears Placekicker Robbie Gould, the mission of The Goulden Touch is simply put – to help those in need. The intent is to balance the importance of giving to others while making charitable-giving enjoyable. To learn more about The Goulden Touch and its initiatives and events visit www.gouldentouch.org.