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  doing good togetherHandsOn Twin Cities Day By Robin Sauerwein As summer rolls in, do something memorable with your grandkids: Volunteer! If you haven’t any place in mind, check out HandsOn Twin Cities. Considered the central source for volunteerism in the Twin Cities, HandsOn Twin Cities has been around for 90 years. It is the oldest and the first volunteer center in the country. Its mission is to connect volunteers with volunteer opportunities, to build partnerships with local agencies and to develop meaningful volunteer projects so the volunteer will have a deeper impact. They concentrate on key areas like the environment, school, and poverty and will even manage volunteer projects for some non-profits. According to Kristin Schurrer, an Executive Director at HandsOn Twin Cities, the Twin Cities has the highest volunteer rate in the nation. You can contact HandsOn Twin Cities directly, go on the website and search their database for family friendly volunteer opportunities or participate in one of their annual events. The 4th Annual HandsOn Twin Cities Day will occur Friday, June 12. This event is modeled after their Chicago affiliate, Chicago Care, where thousands of Chicago residents come out one day every year to help the community. Although HandsOn Twin Cities is still in its infancy compared to Chicago, (250 participated last year) the Twin Cities event has been successfully growing in size each year. Volunteers choose from one of three projects. Last year a group of volunteers helped the St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department and The National Park Service move piles of buckthorn, an invasive species, at Indian Mounds Park. This was to allow the native prairie species to renew and spread. Another set of volunteers worked with the Friends of the Mississippi River stenciling, “Please do not pollute” on street corners of St. Paul to remind people not to drop trash in storm drains. Another group partnered with the Neighborhood Involvement Program to help seniors living in their homes by doing yard work in Minneapolis. This year’s event will be on a Friday afternoon. Schurrer hopes it will bring out more volunteers than ever since they will not have to give up a Saturday for the event. Last year’s HandsOn Twin Cities Day attracted plenty of grandparents and grandkids. To ensure a good experience for both of you, Schurrer recommends talking to your grandkids first about what they are passionate about. What have they been talking about in school? Sometimes opportunities to volunteer may also be limited by a child’s age or ability but don’t let that keep you from volunteering. All you need to do is think outside the box and try different things. Schurrer remembered a birthday party where the child asked guests to bring, instead of presents, one new art supply to donate to a nonprofit organization. Or, if the kids are too young to volunteer at a homeless shelter for example, help them set up a lemonade stand, with 100% of profits going to a homeless shelter. You can call the organization directly and come out with the contribution. Often they’ll take pictures and put it in their newsletter. “It’s an exceptional thing to see when families are teaching this to kids. Nonprofits really value that,” Schurrer said. Last year a grandmother and her two granddaughters helped with the storm drain stenciling. Later they went back to their school and educated their class on how just one drop of motor oil is enough to kill a fish in the Mississippi. “We try to do an educational component,” she said. It is something the kids can really take back with them. HandsOn Twin Cities Check out the website for this year’s specific projects and start times for the Friday, June 12th Hands-On Twin Cities Day event. |
