The summer between graduating from high school and starting college, I volunteered with the National Park Service in southern Nevada. Most of my time was spent at the Lake Mead Visitor Center handing out brochures to tourists and selling items from the Center’s gift shop. I also had the opportunity to go on several Park Ranger-guided hikes around the local area. My favorite part, though, was being allowed to help with organizing and documenting artifacts found in and around the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The collection was not very big, but it had a variety of items: fossils, arrowheads, animal bones, plant specimens – even a few embalmed wildlife! I have very good memories about that summer and am so glad I decided to apply to be a volunteer.
I bring this up because April is National Volunteer Month. If you have the desire and the time to help out, volunteering can be very rewarding. And becoming involved in the community isn’t limited to adults – kids can participate, too. The books in today’s volunteer-themed reading list are intended for children, and they offer multiple suggestions for how young voices can make a difference and give back to their neighborhoods, communities, and the world.
- “101 Small Ways to Change the World” by Aubre Andrus.
- “Be the Change: The Future is in Your Hands: 16+ Creative Projects for Civic and Community Action” by Eunice Moyle and Sabrina Moyle.
- “Home Sweet Neighborhood: Transforming Cities One Block at a Time” by Michelle Mulder.
- “Kids Who are Changing the World!” written by Sheila Sweeny Higginson, illustrated by Alyssa Petersen.
- “Philanthroparties!: A Party-Planning Guide for Kids Who Want to Give Back” by Lulu Cerone.
