Joker Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 My 12.5 yr dd really wants to volunteer and we've both spent this past week calling and asking everywhere. No one will allow a 12 year old to volunteer here. :confused: I have found one place (a food pantry) that will allow her as long as a parent is with her, but the times/days won't work because I can't bring my 10 yr old (even if she just sits nearby). Where do your kids volunteer? I've called vet offices, animal shelters, animal resuces, nursing homes, libraries, food pantries, homeless shelters, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 My 12.5 yr dd really wants to volunteer and we've both spent this past week calling and asking everywhere. No one will allow a 12 year old to volunteer here. :confused: I have found one place (a food pantry) that will allow her as long as a parent is with her, but the times/days won't work because I can't bring my 10 yr old (even if she just sits nearby). Where do your kids volunteer? I've called vet offices, animal shelters, animal resuces, nursing homes, libraries, food pantries, homeless shelters, etc... You aren't likely to find much, if anything, for a couple more years. We see the same thing around here.... not until they are 14-15, without a parent.... and no younger than 12-13, with a parent.. Exception is with groups, like scouts or church, but there are still adults from the group with the youth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 (edited) You aren't likely to find much, if anything, for a couple more years. We see the same thing around here.... not until they are 14-15, without a parent.... and no younger than 12-13, with a parent.. Exception is with groups, like scouts or church, but there are still adults from the group with the youth. Yep, Most organizations just aren't set up to supervise children. They will want the parent to be there. My dc volunteer in a school for children with special needs, but dh works in that district. They have also worked with me at the "soup kitchen", clean up trash and other projects with ds' Scout pack, and working with the preschoolers at church. A good option is to make something to donate. Meals on Wheels accepts tray favors, you can make blankets for Project Linus, and they always need items for Newborns in Need. You also see articles about very motivated young people starting their own fundraisers for various charities. Edited June 21, 2012 by angela in ohio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Look for group opportunities or make your own opportunities. Maybe she could pull together a yard sale by asking people to give stuff and then donate the money to a shelter. Or start of community wide kids penny drive. Or collect new pjs for foster kids or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrulySusan Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 My dd12 is volunteering at the library this summer (summer reading program/they take rising 7th graders). Once she turns 13, she will apply to volunteer at the local zoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 If you have a Challenger (special needs) sports team nearby, that could be a possibility. Your son is the right age to be a "buddy." Some other organizations organize other events for special needs kids and want age-peers to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 local library takes volunteers at 12. local farm park takes volunteers at 12. animal shelters want volunteers to be 18, however, people who foster or who have rescues based in their homes may need help. My daughter fixed toys for a boxer rescue group as part of her bronze award project when was 9 or 10. It was just one woman and a lot of boxers in her house. She had people who helped walk the dogs, she probably needed help with her yard. She gave a job to my dd that was age appropriate and could be done away from her home. Currently, dd volunteers with a guine pig rescue. We do not foster, my neighbor does. dd helps clean the cages and cares for the guinea pigs when neighbors are away. She also does adaptive aquatics volunteering, but that's because I work at the facility--most places would require a volunteer to be 15. Our local parks and home owners groups have "weed warrior" projects for volunteers. A couple times a year my homeowners association has butterfly, dragonfly, and birdcounting. You have to go to an education session and then spend all day on a Saturday doing what you were taught at the education session. I believe you can do this at 12 without a parent. dd and I did it when she was 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Thanks for all the ideas. I see the library mentioned several times, but our local library system told me they had to be 16. I don't mind going with her if I can find evening or weekend times, but I've only found one place that will even allow her to help with me there. She's working on a list of things that she could maybe do on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasia Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 My 11 year old has volunteered with the Special Olympics Young Athletes program and the Little League Challenger Division. For both of these, a parent didn't need to be present. He's also helped out with a few Special Olympics events and did need a parent present. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 My dd12.5 anf her friend (same age) both volunteer at nursing homes; not the same one. They both have been doing it for a year now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 We started last weekend as a family at the SPCA an hour from us. We will be going every Saturday. DD12 had her interview on Tuesday for a placement in a counsellor in training program at the YMCA in the city. She has a week of training the first week of July, and then the last 2 weeks of July she is helping as a CIT in the preschool daycamps at the Y. She is very excited. In the past the kids have delivered the phone books for the town as volunteers. We have served hot meals to the homeless and hand delivered paper bag lunches that we packed (myself and another woman organized teh whole event years ago in the city we lived in). I am hoping to find a few more opportunities for us to do as a family(most places here will not allow them to volunteer alone until age 14), as well as a few other service projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Do you have any young mothers in your neighborhood or church that could use a mother's helper? Even if they are home she could entertain the toddlers/preschoolers for a bit to give mom a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Thanks for the SPCA and Special Olympics ideas. I just found out our SPCA is going to soon start a junior program and it starts at 12, so I sent an email hoping for that. I also sent an inquiry to Special Olympics. She is adamant that she does not want to babysit. She doesn't mind working with kids in a group setting, but doesn't want to do it on her own. I think it scares her since we're not around littles that often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 One food pantry by us will allow 12 year olds to volunteer and the other requires that they be 13. Our library lets 12 yo help out with the summer reading program. When my kids were little, we did Meals on Wheels together. My son volunteers at the cub scout camp. He is a boy scout, but you don't have to be. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashfern Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 It took us months to find a volunteer opportunity for the older two kids. They have to do volunteer work to earn their black belt in karate. We finally found an assisted living facility that would allow them to come in. They go once a month and read to the residents in the "memory" ward. We go in mid-morning and spend about 30 minutes there. I've just recently started taking the younger two with us and sitting in the lounge area while the older two are reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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