Family Volunteer Day

Family Volunteer Day

BY RENÉ ROBERS, PRESIDENT

It’s said that volunteers don’t always have the time, but they have the heart - and our families are at the center of our hearts For the dedicated time we as members spend volunteering with the Junior League, our families support our passion and interests in giving back - but they do not always have the chance to see what we do and understand the work and the impact we make. This spring, we brought back Family Volunteer Day, an annual initiative we practiced pre-COVID, for a fun day with our families at Columbia Center to experience the magic of the Junior League together!

On a Saturday morning in April, members met at Columbia Center with their children of ages varying from 3 to 12 years old to learn more about the JLC and our community partners We welcomed our “Little Leaguers” by introducing ourselves and sharing a fun fact, to break the ice and also help them see what connection and meeting new people is like, just like for members! We grounded ourselves in the mission and values, and talked about who we are - volunteers, helpers, leaders, friends - and what we do - training, collaboration, community service, fundraising and having fun!

The highlight of the event was the hands-on volunteering activities Attendees had the opportunity to decorate snack bags for Family Nurturing Center with cool stickers, fun designs and kind words, to be donated for kids who have visits with their parents or to take home as a special treat; we then packed the bags with juice, crackers, pouches & more Additionally, we created “Milestone Moments” cards for children at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Cincinnati - these are used to provide a way for families to celebrate moments in the health and healing journey with their critically ill children, reminding them that people they haven’t met care about them The surprise and joy on the faces of the volunteer staff at Ronald McDonald House when we delivered these beautifully creative cards was so touching!

Following our volunteer activities, we enjoyed playing upstairs in the new “Little Leaguers Loft” followed by snack time and sharing our experiences of what we learned and enjoyed that day.

As the first JLC president who is a mom in 5 years, it was important to me to showcase to our members that we understand how important it is to meet them where they are in this season of life, with littles bedtime routines falling during the same hours as GMMs or committee meetings, and why it’s important to for us to make it meaningful and worth their time at the JLC when they are away for their families. We are hopeful that this fun and engaging experience helped their children better understand what it means to volunteer and give back to the community, to understand what Mom is up to when she says she is at the Junior League, and to build a sense of pride for their parents in the work that they do as civic leaders.

We look forward to continuing to bring back this tradition next year, and welcome ideas for ways in which we can engage our children and support our community partners together.