Top: Brothers Bobby and Cody McDonald (left),
join parents Kelley and Dave, to volunteer together
on behalf of Volunteers of America. Above: John
Buttz (right) says it's much more enjoyable to
volunteer with son Evan.

Volunteering together as a family – whether the unit is the traditional mom, dad and 2.4 children, a husband and wife, or a significant other and significant other – adds another dimension to the satisfaction gained when giving to those in need.

That’s the consensus of Volunteers of America supporters who have made donating time and effort on behalf of Volunteers of America clients a family affair.

“It is much more enjoyable to volunteer with my son,” said John Buttz, who followed up his volunteer debut during Volunteers of America’s Wrap It Up! event in December, with multiple stints at Volunteers of America’s seasonal Winter Shelter with 13-year-old son Evan. “The chance to provide him with the life experience, and for the two of us to share it, makes it much more valuable. I can’t think of anything more valuable for a family to do together than to give to others.”

That’s a sentiment shared by Kelley McDonald, who has been a repeat Wrap It Up! volunteer (with son Cody) for some four years. This year, Kelley and husband Dave were joined by Cody and his older brother Bobby at the Winter Shelter, where they added to their volunteer résumé.

“My motivations for getting Cody and Bobby involved in volunteering is simply that I know the feeling that it gives you to help others is really second-to-none,” said Kelley. It is a feeling that cannot be bought, or simply given to you – you must earn it. My family is very fortunate, and I never want my children (or me) to forget that.

“Sometimes it takes seeing what others don’t have to really appreciate what we do have!”

Helping a child realize how fortunate they are, was what prompted Dawn Cornell to bring 13-year-old daughter Erin Lindner to help out at the Winter Shelter this year.

“When Erin was a couple of weeks old, we were having money issues and Erin’s dad lost his job and we ended up in a homeless shelter for families,” said Cornell. “I have talked to her about it a couple of times, but I wanted her to see firsthand that not everyone may be as lucky as she is at the moment, and that just because you may be in a certain situation doesn’t make you a bad person or mean you have to stay in that situation.”

As grateful as parents are for the opportunity to work with their children in service to the community, their kids – ranging from sixth-graders on their Christmas holiday to college students off for spring break – report being equally glad to pitch in.

“Volunteering … was a great way to spend three hours of my day,” said Tammy Arnaiz, who accompanied her parents Cynthia and Francis, as well as brother Francisco to Volunteers of America’s Bannon Street Shelter to serve Christmas Eve dinner. “Normally, I would be on the couch watching TV in that amount of time, but instead, I was given the opportunity to lend a helping hand, meet a lot of grateful people, and feel good at the end.”

Young couples sans children also are finding volunteering together to be a more fulfilling experience than going solo.

“I believe that when you serve others, even during the hard times in your life, your troubles may not disappear, but will somehow miraculously appear minimal,” said Phanh Maksong, who this year became a regular dinnertime fixture at the Winter Shelter with boyfriend Eric Morales. “Eric and I, just like other couples, will have days when we will not like each other very much, but heartwarming moments such as last Saturday night will help us remember the love that exists in the world; a love that so many people overlook because they are too scared to reach out and embrace it. And the memories will help us overcome whatever obstacle we encounter.”

For information on how you can volunteer on behalf of Volunteers of America, please visit www.volunteersofamerica-sac.org, or contact Volunteers of America Community Relations Manager Kim Castaneda at (916) 442-3691 or KimC@voa-sac.org.