Resolve to Give Back | Service Projects for Each Month
The New Year has arrived, and with it, excitement and a likely array of resolutions; odds are, "volunteering" or "helping others" has made your list! As 2012 revvs up (and starts to fly by), take time to check out ideas for every month of the year below, get together with your friends, peers, teammates, classmates, or other group members, and TAKE ACTION to start making a difference in your community!
January
Baby it’s cold outside! Collect gently used coats, and jackets for local organizations who help those in need receive them. Suggest this "after-holiday drive" to groups you participate with, like scouts, team sport groups, or office pals.
February
Love is in the air! Make Valentines or candy grams for a local shelter, celebrate your child’s teacher with heart-shaped muffins in the morning, or surprise a favorite volunteer leader in your life with a ‘date’, take them out for coffee or hot chocolate!
March
Care for those who march! Gather your friends, peers, team, scout or faith group members and prepare care packages for the troops. Semper Finest and HugsforHeroes are a couple of examples, and Military.com brings you an even bigger list of resources for preparing and sending care packages and cards.
April
Go Green! From Earth Day to the full swing of spring, April is the perfect time to "get back to nature." Plant a tree, plant a community or school garden, or commit to a recycling service project with your troop, team, or class. Enlist help from your community by placing an ad in the paper to ask for aluminum can donations, hundreds to thousands may show up!
May
Save play! Can the playground use some work at your school or church? Don’t have a playground, get a group together, contact a local daycare and ask if they would like a play makeover! KaBoom is a great resource for putting together a project dedicated towards play.
June
Get some sun while serving and having fun! Get outside and organize a clean-up, whether for the local river or stream, park, neighborhood, or street. A great group and a picnic lunch will make this service project spectacular!
July
Summer Vacation! Do you tutor or teach? Kids are out of school and it is a great time to offer your own knowledge and skills with free music lessons, sports sessions, or school subject tutoring. Make a difference in the life of a child!
August
Back to school! Time to sign up to help – in the classroom, library, lunchroom, recess – there are places your school needs you. Use VolunteerSpot to organize your school volunteers, helping everyone save much-need time and energy!
September
Literacy! Organize a book drive, book collection, or literacy promotion event. If your school or local library is planning one, volunteer to help! Find tools, resources, and literacy program ideas from a "Books Make It Better" leader, Myrdin Thompson.
October
Fall into Action! Random acts of kindness go a long way like raking a neighbor's leaves, preparing cider and cookies for the teacher breakroom at school or sending surprise thank you notes to your volunteers (or volunteer leaders).
November
National Family Volunteer Day! Find ways to give back with your family from the hobbies and activities you already take part in! As the holiday season gets underway as well, plan to donate or organize a drive for collecting food for the local shelter or foodbank.
December
Holiday Giving! The ways to help during the holidays are countless. Get specific come December and connect with community groups who can provide a list of needs for a family to adopt; organize a giving tree and make the holidays truly special for a deserving family.
How are you planning to give back this year? Come tell us over on facebook!
