Volunteer vacations
Bring back more than souvenirs from your next family vacation

The reward of most family vacations is a scrapbook full of photos, some tacky T-shirts and a medley of overpriced souvenirs. But for families who participate in a “volunteer vacation,” the rewards aren’t measured by how much sand is in the suitcase, but by what is forever felt in the heart.

“A family that takes a volunteer vacation together often has a powerful bonding experience,” comments Jenny Friedman, author of “The Busy Family’s Guide to Volunteering.”

“It makes the family a real team, and they often see each other in a whole new light,” she says. “It also enables parents to send a powerful message about compassion, citizenship and tolerance.”

For five years now, Kathy Hardie and her two teenage sons, Kyle and Corey, have trekked to the Appalachians to live and work with the residents of the tiny coal-mining village of Beards Ford, W.Va. As part of a volunteer team working with Youthbuild, the mother-son trio from Avon by the Sea, N.J., has tackled everything from roofing to plumbing to teaching.

“Volunteer work was something I’d always felt strongly about doing with my children,” comments Hardie, whose sons had volunteered locally helping their father on Habitat for Humanity projects. “Unfortunately, with our busy schedules during the school year, we just had trouble fitting it all in. Taking our summer vacation time made sense.”

According to Barb DeGroot of Global Volunteers, the St. Paul, Minn., organization that coordinated the Hardies’ trip, the Hardies aren’t alone in their sentiments about volunteer vacations. Families are a growing segment of their business.

“Approximately 10 to 15 percent of our volunteers are families – meaning small families or parent-child combos,” says DeGroot, “The number of our volunteers who are under 18 has increased by 73 percent over the past five years."

Across town or across the country  

If you’re interested in the benefits of a family volunteer vacation, consider the type of work, the duration of the vacation, the location and the costs. The first step is to decide if you want to plan it through an organization or on your own.

Volunteer vacation opportunities can be found right in your own backyard or in the midst of your regularly planned vacation.

“Look to your own community,” says Friedman. “I know of one family that took part of each day of their spring break to do service. Each day they volunteered in a different way to expose their children to all the different ways of serving. This kind of experience really helps you to know what you may be interested in as a family and what you and your children can handle.”

If you’re looking for volunteer opportunities near your vacation destination, Friedman suggests contacting charities and organizations in that community ahead of time. Another great source for information may be your local church, synagogue or faith group, which can link you up with mission trips or sister groups in other cities.

Organizations that coordinate volunteer vacation experiences offer work ranging from conservation and construction to teaching and trailblazing. In most cases, no experience is necessary, although people typically choose destinations that will be a good match with their family’s skills and interests. On-site instruction and supervision