When I was growing up in upstate New York, my parents dragged me along to various volunteer activities, from serving pies at the local rescue squad's annual fundraiser to handing out blankets at a shelter after a flood hit our small town. I never really had a choice in the matter and I wasn't always an enthusiastic participant. It sometimes made me feel uncomfortable and took away from time with my friends. Now that I'm older and wiser (read: over 40), I can say without cringing that my parents were right. The experiences they exposed me to helped foster my compassion and desire to help others as an adult. My 5-year-old daughter, Ruby, is wonderfully caring and sweet with her friends. However, she hasn't yet figured out how to turn her toy-sharing tendencies into contributing to the greater world. But Henry, my 9-year-old, has recently exhibited an interest in giving back to others. This past summer, he and a gaggle of neighborhood kids ran a lemonade stand to raise money for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf and the Humane Society of Chittenden County. They made more than 80 dollars to support those organizations. Who knew selling really watered-down lemonade could be so lucrative? I wanted to keep that lemonade-stand momentum going, so I decided to find another place where my family could volunteer. A quick Google search for "volunteering opportunities in Vermont" yields an abundance of results. The challenge is finding a place where kids and adults can volunteer together. Some organizations have a minimum age requirement for participating. Enter the Ronald McDonald House of Burlington. The beautiful brick "house that love built" (upon seeing it, my kids called it a mansion) has been operating at 16 South Winooski Avenue since 1984. Before visiting, I didn't know much about it, except that it helped families of sick children. My daughter knew even less, and wondered if there would be Happy Meals available. After some online research and correspondence with volunteer and guest relations coordinator Deanna Cameron, I learned that the Ronald McDonald House offers families a place to stay while their children receive necessary hospital treatment. It's one of more than 350 similar facilities around the world run by Ronald McDonald House Charities, a nonprofit that counts McDonald's as its largest corporate partner. Guest rooms and common areas are stocked with amenities that families would normally find in…
When I was growing up in upstate New York, my parents dragged me along to various volunteer activities, from serving pies at the local rescue squad's annual fundraiser to handing out blankets at a shelter after a flood hit our small town. I never really had a choice in the matter and I wasn't always an enthusiastic participant. It sometimes made me feel uncomfortable and took away from time with my friends. Now that I'm older and wiser (read: over 40), I can say without cringing that my parents were right. The experiences they exposed me to helped foster my compassion and desire to help others as an adult. My 5-year-old daughter, Ruby, is wonderfully caring and sweet with her friends. However, she hasn't yet figured out how to turn her toy-sharing tendencies into contributing to the greater world. But Henry, my 9-year-old, has recently exhibited an interest in giving back to others. This past summer, he and a gaggle of neighborhood kids ran a lemonade stand to raise money for the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf and the Humane Society of Chittenden County. They made more than 80 dollars to support those organizations. Who knew selling really watered-down lemonade could be so lucrative? I wanted to keep that lemonade-stand momentum going, so I decided to find another place where my family could volunteer. A quick Google search for "volunteering opportunities in Vermont" yields an abundance of results. The challenge is finding a place where kids and adults can volunteer together. Some organizations have a minimum age requirement for participating. Enter the Ronald McDonald House of Burlington. The beautiful brick "house that love built" (upon seeing it, my kids called it a mansion) has been operating at 16 South Winooski Avenue since 1984. Before visiting, I didn't know much about it, except that it helped families of sick children. My daughter knew even less, and wondered if there would be Happy Meals available. After some online research and correspondence with volunteer and guest relations coordinator Deanna Cameron, I learned that the Ronald McDonald House offers families a place to stay while their children receive necessary hospital treatment. It's one of more than 350 similar facilities around the world run by Ronald McDonald House Charities, a nonprofit that counts McDonald's as its largest corporate partner. Guest rooms and common areas are stocked with amenities that families would normally find in…