How to Volunteer to Help Sick or Homeless Children
Every day all across the country, kids are living with illness and homelessness. If you want to help them, there are many ways to volunteer. You can provide support to a child living on the street, send a hopeful letter to a child in the hospital or help raise funds for cancer research. You can even send toys and games to kids who are battling terminal illness and help bring some much-needed joy to a difficult time.
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Instructions
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Help homeless children with StandUp for Kids. Founded in 1990, StandUp for Kids is a non-profit organization that assists homeless children and street kids with programs nationwide. You can volunteer to work directly with the kids, volunteer goods like clothing, hygiene products and bus passes or you can make a monetary donation. StandUp for Kids holds fundraisers throughout the year across the country and relies on volunteers to organize these events. You can volunteer to assist with a fundraiser in your area -- the events are listed in a directory by area and services needed. According to their website, 94 percent of donated funds reaches the kids directly -- thanks to the efforts of volunteers. You can volunteer to work with kids if you are over 18, or if you are between 16 and 18 and have your parents' written consent.
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Hold a fundraiser to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. In 2000, a 4-year-old cancer patient named Alexandra "Alex" Scott announced a seemingly simple idea -- she was holding a lemonade stand to raise money to help "her hospital" find a cure for childhood cancer. The idea was put into action by Alex and her older brother, Patrick, when they set up the first "Alex's Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer" on their front lawn in July of 2000. By her death in 2004, Alex had raised over 1 million dollars for childhood cancer research. You can volunteer to raise funds for Alex's Lemonade Stand simply by holding a lemonade stand fundraiser in your area. You can also volunteer at events held by Alex's Lemonade Stand nationwide, as an office volunteer or as a social media volunteer. You can volunteer at any age, although you must be over 13 to be a social media volunteer.
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Write letters for The Hugs and Hope Foundation. Every day, children across America suffer from illnesses like AIDS, cancer and cerebral palsy. To these children, each new day brings a new struggle and they often have nothing to look forward to but needles, pain and endless medical tests. The Hugs and Hope Foundation for Sick Children is dedicated to putting a little more joy into the lives of these kids. The charity's web site features stories and photos of children who have little to smile about. Visitors to the site are asked to send cheery cards or small gifts to the addresses listed. Receiving "happy mail" can make a sick child's day, and waiting for the daily mail to arrive gives them something to look forward to. You can also volunteer to correspond with the parents of sick children.
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Donate toys and games to Child's Play. Since 2003, gamers and volunteers worldwide have helped Child's Play distribute over 7 million dollars of toys, games, books and funds to sick kids. The donated goods help kids in over 60 children's hospitals around North America and the world. You can donate new items through online retailers or direct funds you raise from selling used goods online to Child's Play. You can also donate funds to Child's Play online, or you can volunteer to assist with fundraisers in your area.
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Tips & Warnings
If you would like to volunteer to work directly with kids for StandUp for Kids, you must consent to a background check.
Child's Play does not accept donations of stuffed animals, as they can carry disease and are not recommended in hospital environments.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Christopher Robbins/Valueline/Getty Images
