There is something magical about volunteering during the holidays.
The energy feels different — hopeful, generous, and full of possibility. And one of the most memorable holiday volunteer experiences my husband and I shared was helping with the Lava Love holiday giveaway event in Morristown, New Jersey.
Held at a local church, the space was filled wall-to-wall with toys, coats, clothing, and food supplies, all waiting to be distributed to families in need. The sheer volume of donations was inspiring, but even more powerful was the spirit of community behind it.
This event was organized by POWER Changes Lives Inc., a nonprofit whose name truly reflects its mission.
POWER stands for People Organized Working Evolving Reaching, and their work centers on supporting low-income, minority, and underserved communities while helping build sustainable futures. Their programs address a wide range of challenges, including food insecurity, housing instability, education access, social justice reform, and family wellness.
What makes POWER Changes Lives especially meaningful is that its leadership understands adversity firsthand.
The organization’s President and CEO built POWER from lived experience, having faced poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity as a young single parent of four children. That journey shaped the organization’s mission: to not only help people survive, but to create opportunities for individuals and families to thrive.
As volunteers at the Lava Love event, my husband and I joined others in organizing and distributing items to families preparing for the holiday season. Parents searched through clothing racks, children’s eyes lit up as they spotted toys, and volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure everyone felt welcomed and supported.
Moments like these remind you that something as simple as a warm coat or a new toy can carry tremendous meaning.
Beyond this holiday event, POWER Changes Lives runs an impressive range of programs designed to create long-term impact, including:
• Operation Holiday — Helping donors adopt families in need and provide gifts and essential supplies • Project F.E.E.D. (Friends Ensuring Every Dinner) — Providing over 100,000 meals to individuals experiencing food insecurity • Power Play — Supporting social justice reform by helping remove barriers within the legal system • Senior Connect — Providing free technology to seniors to help them stay connected to healthcare and loved ones • POWER Village — Building tiny homes to provide shelter to those without stable housing
One of their most innovative programs is LavaLove itself … a 29-foot custom-designed mobile hygiene trailer equipped with showers, laundry facilities, and resources for individuals without reliable access to basic hygiene services. \
It’s a powerful reminder that dignity begins with meeting basic human needs.
What stayed with me most from this experience wasn’t just the scale of the event. It was the feeling of shared purpose. Volunteers from all walks of life came together, united by the simple goal of helping families feel cared for during the holiday season.
Volunteering alongside my husband made the experience even more meaningful. Giving back together created memories we’ll carry long after the decorations were packed away.
As I reflect on this experience, I’m reminded that the holidays are about celebration and connection. Making sure that every family, regardless of circumstance, feels seen, supported, and valued. Events like Lava Love show what’s possible when communities rally around one another.
And they reinforce one of the lessons I continue to learn throughout my #52WeeksOfCharity journey:
Warmth isn’t just something we wear, sometimes it’s something we give.
Our family hosted a Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party, and what began as a simple gathering with old jeans turned into something deeply meaningful — helping create protective shoes for children in Uganda vulnerable to a painful parasitic infection called jiggers.
Before learning about Sole Hope, I had never heard of jiggers. They are tiny sand fleas that burrow into bare skin, usually in the feet, causing a condition known as tungiasis.
The infection causes swelling, open wounds, and severe pain. Many children cannot walk, sleep, or attend school because of the damage these parasites cause.
But the impact goes beyond the physical.
Children suffering from jiggers are often teased, isolated, or believed to be cursed. Families face shame and hardship. A tiny parasite creates enormous consequences affecting education, health, and dignity.
The good news is that this is a preventable problem.
And sometimes, prevention begins with something as simple as a pair of shoes.
That’s where our shoe cutting party came in.
Sole Hope provides kits that allow volunteers to upcycle old denim into shoe components. These denim pieces are shipped to Uganda, where local shoemakers assemble them into durable, closed-toe shoes. The shoes are then distributed to children during medical clinics and follow-up visits, helping protect healing feet and prevent reinfestation.
Hosting the party was surprisingly simple and incredibly impactful.
We gathered family members, spread out old jeans, traced templates onto the denim, and began cutting. It took about an hour, but the conversation and sense of purpose made the time fly. There was something powerful about knowing that every piece of denim we cut would one day become protection for a child thousands of miles away.
This wasn’t a craft night.
It was participation in a proven prevention model — one that combines medical care, education, and protective footwear to break the cycle of reinfestation.
By the end of our gathering, we had completed five kits, which translated into materials cut into patterns that would result in ten finished pairs of shoes once assembled in Uganda.
Ten children. Ten pairs of protected feet. Ten opportunities to walk, learn, and play without pain.
What struck me most about this experience was how accessible it was. We didn’t need specialized training, expensive materials, or a large space. All it required was old denim, willing hands, and a shared desire to help.
Sole Hope has spent more than 16 years working to end jigger infestations through treatment, education, and prevention. Their work includes medical care, community education, floor improvements, and locally made shoes — all focused on restoring dignity and opportunity to children and families.
At the heart of their mission is a simple belief:
Every child deserves to walk in freedom.
As part of my #52WeeksOfCharity journey, this experience reminded me that meaningful service doesn’t always require travel or large-scale events. Sometimes it starts with gathering people you love, sharing a purpose, and turning everyday materials into something life-changing.
A pair of scissors, a piece of denim, an hour of time can help carry a child toward a better future.
In the challenging world of pediatric healthcare, where young patients face not only physical ailments but also emotional stress, the power of interactive theater is proving to be a transformative force. Only Make Believe, a remarkable organization dedicated to bringing joy and distraction to children in hospitals, has been at the forefront of this movement. Through the magic of live performances and interactive theater, Only Make Believe is making a significant impact on the lives of young patients, fostering resilience and hope during difficult times.
The Healing Power of Play:
Children, by nature, are curious, imaginative, and full of energy. However, when illness strikes and hospitalization becomes a reality, these qualities can be overshadowed by fear and discomfort. This is where the unique approach of interactive theater becomes a beacon of light. Only Make Believe understands that play is not only a means of entertainment but also a powerful tool for healing.
Interactive theater engages children in a dynamic and participatory way, encouraging them to explore their creativity and emotions.
Through storytelling, music, and interactive activities, the organization creates an environment where young patients can momentarily escape the confines of the hospital and embark on imaginative journeys. The transformative power of play allows children to experience a sense of normalcy and joy, crucial elements for their mental and emotional well-being.
Only Make Believe’s Mission:
Only Make Believe was founded in 1999 by Dena Hammerstein, inspired by her belief in the healing power of theater. The organization’s mission is to bring interactive theater and creative arts to chronically ill and disabled children in hospitals and care facilities. By partnering with professional actors and artists, Only Make Believe designs and performs interactive plays that cater to the unique needs of each child and their specific medical condition.
The Heart of the Program:
What sets Only Make Believe apart is the personalized and interactive nature of its performances. Trained actors visit hospitals armed with scripts that allow them to adapt to the needs and preferences of each child. The children become the stars of the show, with the actors incorporating their suggestions and even enlisting them as characters in the play.
The Only Make Believe actors bring a trunk full of costume pieces (hats, caps, masks, scarves and other pieces) and props. Children participate by creating characters and choosing their favorite costume.
In one example of an interactive play, an actor playing a Space Detective works with the children to solve a mystery – finding a lost key to a gold storage room somewhere in space!
At the end of the show, the children get to keep their costumes and can continue to play with them and wear them whenever they want.
The interactive theater program not only serves as a welcome distraction but also fosters a sense of empowerment among the young patients. Through the magic of storytelling, the children are transported to fantastical worlds where they can be anything they want, if only for a little while. This experience goes beyond entertainment; it provides an emotional outlet and a sense of control that is often lacking in a hospital setting.
Volunteering:
My co-worker, Alla, and I volunteered at Only Make Believe’s New York City headquarters one afternoon to help create caps and masks that would be used during the shows. We also looked through existing costume parts and props to fix anything that needed fixing and also to add jewels, colorful bobbins and lace, and other “bling” to existing costumes. It was a chance to get to learn about the organization and also to add creative fun to our day!
The volunteer coordinators explained everything we needed to know about working with the costumes and props. Glue, lace, jewels, glitter, markers, paint and all sorts of craft supplies were available for us to use and we were encouraged to let our imaginations roam!
We volunteered in person at their NYC headquarters. They also have a headquarters in Washington DC. You can also volunteer as a group remotely from anywhere. They’ll send you all the supplies and instructions and you can host your own costume collective design and creation event! Participants will be creating one-of-a-kind masks, hats and tutus – costumes children will use during the performances, and which they keep afterwards.
It is a great teambuilding activity for all ages! Great for corporate events, team activities, school activities, family reunions, etc. Any age can participate (young children with parental oversight).
No sewing or artistic talent required! Just the willingness to create something colorful and imaginative.
Impact and Success Stories:
The impact of Only Make Believe’s work is evident in the countless success stories that have emerged from their programs. Children who may have been reluctant to engage in other therapeutic activities find solace and joy in the interactive theater experience. Parents and healthcare professionals alike have noted improvements in mood, decreased anxiety, and increased cooperation among the young participants.
The organization’s commitment to inclusivity is another aspect that sets it apart. Only Make Believe recognizes the diverse needs of the children it serves, tailoring performances to be accessible to those with various physical and cognitive abilities. This dedication to inclusivity ensures that every child, regardless of their medical condition, can benefit from the healing power of interactive theater.
Conclusion:
In the world of pediatric healthcare, where resilience and hope are as crucial as medical interventions, Only Make Believe stands as a shining example of the transformative impact of interactive theater.
By bringing the magic of storytelling and play to children in hospitals, the organization is not just providing entertainment but also contributing to the emotional and mental well-being of these young patients.
As Only Make Believe continues to expand its reach and touch the lives of more children, it serves as a beacon of light, proving that in the face of illness, there is always room for joy, creativity, and the healing power of play.
To learn more about Only Make Believe, make a donation, or to volunteer, please check out their website at Only Make Believe
It is a warm, humid, drizzly mid-June Saturday morning with a hauntingly beautiful view of the New York City skyline across the river, shrouded in fog and low-hanging clouds.
It’s as if we’ve been transported into a romantically nostalgic poem.
Volunteers are setting up tents and registration tables for a 5K Run/Walk. At one end of the lawn is a children’s station complete with temporary tattoos, a cotton candy machine, a coloring area, and a bounce house.
The DJ has started the music, the thump-thump-thump dancing up and out across the fog.
The event is a fundraiser for Children in Conflict (CIC), a non-profit focused on providing aid and support to children and families living in conflict, war, and crisis-centered areas of the world. They work in tandem with their sister non-profit, War Child UK (WCUK).
When conflict and crisis happen, CIC and WCUK are one of the first NGOs on site and the last to leave, prioritizing the type of aid and the programs they support based on the specific in-country circumstances. They work with local partners and hire field staff so they can deliver aid in a culturally cognizant manner while also providing employment opportunities for local, skilled individuals whose livelihoods were affected by conflict.
iStock 140394946 Credit: MirAgareb (purchased with credits)
In Syria, for example, they arrived soon after the devastating earthquake that struck in February 2023 and remain there today distributing critically needed supplies (food, clothing, blankets, mattresses, heaters), creating and providing safe shelters, helping to rebuild homes, and providing psychosocial first aid for children with signs of trauma.
In Afghanistan, where the humanitarian crisis grew exponentially after the economic collapse of the country (2022) in the wake of the Taliban takeover, over 90% of the population is food insecure and skips meals daily.(1)
Almost 400,000 people have had to flee their homes in search of safety and are living in makeshift shelters with little access to food, water, and hygiene.(2) CIC and WCUK works with local organizations to secure food, hygiene kits and psychological first aid. In one area of the country they also provide a shuttle bus to and from kindergarten for children being held in prison with their mothers so they can safely access school.
iStock: 1489543142 Credit: Lalocracio (purchased with credits)
In Ukraine, where war continues to claim lives and destroy homes/cities as well as vital infrastructure and services, CIC and WCUK work with partner organizations to provide essential provisions like food, clothes and psychological first aid to displaced families. They work to stop children from being abducted and/or trafficked when crossing borders. They also set up temporary learning centers so children can continue their education and regain a sense of normality.
Their “Can’t Wait to Learn” online learning platform enables 210,000 Ukrainian children to continue their studies. The Ukrainian Ministry of Education has chosen the program to be their primary online education intervention for children from grades 1 to 4 and all Ukrainian children can access the Ukrainian curriculum online from wherever they are in the world so they can learn in their own language.
CIC has also been supporting “Step by Step” – a Ukrainian program which rehabilitates shelters and uses them as kindergartens where children can receive non-formal education as well as socialize, play and feel safe. Parents can also relax and find some respite while their children play in a safe, secure space.
CIC and WCUK also work in Iraq, Yemen, Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their model is “Respond, Recover, Rebuild.”
Respond projects deliver critical emergency aid where that is needed first, as primary priority. Recovery projects provide mental health support for children to effectively process their trauma in constructive ways. Rebuild programs are focused on rebuilding infrastructure – schools and learning places, and developing child protection initiatives.
They focus on each of these in different ways depending on the needs and environment in-country. You can read more about their important work in those countries here: https://childreninconflict.org/where
As I set up the registration table for the 5K and read through the CIC’s latest Impact Report, I notice over 150 runners are registered to take part in the event and I feel an existential conflict.
There is a shocking incompatibility between the experience of a 5k in a beautiful location, filled with music, raffle prizes and a bounce house, and the lived experience of children and their families, half a world away, who are desperately in need of the essential aid provided by the non-profit.
I find myself asking, do the funds from this 5k have meaningful impact? Does my volunteering here support meaningful change?
The answer to both is YES – as part of a bigger whole. This local 5k is one small piece of a global aggregate of fundraising to support the organization’s mission and on the ground actions. Together, across a myriad of events at local and national levels, the funds have the momentum to achieve goals. Local events are a chance to be part of something larger.
Most organizations will also tell you that local fundraising events are important for raising awareness which is just as important as raising funds because it opens people up to new information and new ideas and can possibly fuel a previously unknown passion to get involved in the cause. Expanding awareness can lead to greater numbers of supporters which builds momentum to effect change. And at the local level, participants and volunteers can have great impact in spreading awareness by helping the organization get the word out about their cause. That seed of awareness can blossom into other hearts and unfold into actions and contexts never even imagined.
I believe local non-profit fundraising events also nourish hope. They provide a conduit for individuals to live in generosity and share that experience with each other. To build community. To nourish the kindness of the human spirit, which often gets lost in the busy-ness of day to day and the in-the-moment focus of our lives.
I won this cute summer orange slice clutch at the raffle
Maria Popova, in one of her articles on her blog The Marginalian, writes “nothing broadens the soul more than the touch of kindness, given or received…” (3) Local charity events provide the opportunity for the growth of shared kindness. A pathway for living with a perspective of love and kindness.
Local charity events also let you connect with causes that interest you and touch your heart. If you have a passion about something globally, there are always ways to get involved locally. And to get involved at whatever level you are motivated to be involved. Volunteering is an opportunity to remember that all humanity is tied together, and we can support each other across the globe. Ripples of kindness seeding the world – imagine if we prioritized that perspective first as humans? What would the world look and feel like then?
I am reminded of Carl Sagan’s book, Pale Blue Dot, where he reflected on the last photo taken by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft as it left the solar system in February 1990. Just as it left our solar system it turned its cameras back to snap one last photo of Earth, which looked like the tiniest imaginable speck of dust caught in beam of light in a vast, incomprehensible emptiness. In his book Carl Sagan wrote:
“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there–on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam [….] The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet [….] To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.” (4)
Imagine the world if everyone, across the globe, decided to deal more kindly with one another. Prioritized kindness. What would we create?
If you have a passion for a specific cause, do a search for a local chapter or supporting organization. You can also check out your local charities or look for volunteer opportunities through such on-line portals as Volunteer Match: https://www.volunteermatch.org/ or EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/. I find many of my volunteer activities on those two sites.
The first time I purchased a book of my own I was 8 years old. My grandfather had given my brother and I $3 each as a holiday gift and my mom took us to the local Toys R Us Superstore and told us we could buy whatever we wanted with our money.
8 year old me with my brother…. and my two favorite books
Money of our own for the first time – we felt like millionaires! I spent .95 cents on “A Cricket in Times Square” and $1.75 on “A Wrinkle in Time.”
The books were a little ahead of my reading ability, but I loved them anyway. I was so proud of them!
I carried them with me everywhere and read them over and over again as soon as I could. I still have them displayed proudly on my shelf today.
Books opened a world of imagination, curiosity, learning, and adventure I am still passionate about.
Project Cicero fuels that kind of love and passion in children across the 5 Boroughs of NYC through an annual, free for teachers, massive book distribution event.
Leading up to the event, Project Cicero collects new and gently used book donations and co-host book drives run by over 100+ New York City independent, public, and parochial schools.
They also accept larger book volume donations by local organizations and have an Amazon WishList for anyone looking to donate specific books.
The books are transported to a distribution site where hundreds of student, parent, and teacher volunteers unpack and sort the books, then get them ready for display. Tens of thousands of books are collected for the event.
NYC public school teachers register to attend. At the event, the books are laid out by category and/or reader age (board books, geography, foreign language, reference, STEM, young adult fiction, etc.).
Ready for the teachers!
Teachers can spend as much time as they’d like perusing the tables and racks, and they can take as many books as they can carry back to their classrooms and schools. All the books are free.
Over 2,000 teachers registered for this year’s event, most of whom come with rolling, large-sized luggage and other wheeled containers they can completely fill with books for their students.
Teachers come with lists in hand of subjects, book titles, and genres of books they’d like to have for their classrooms/school libraries. Some of the board members of Project Cicero, and many of the volunteers, are either current or prior educators and are available to help teachers make good choices for their students.
Project Cicero is a non-profit aimed at solving inequality of resources in New York City public schools. Their event is aimed primarily at providing books to teachers at Title 1 Schools. These are schools where at least 40% of their students come from low-income families.
There are over 1800 public schools across the 5 boroughs of NYC and over 1200 of them receive Title 1 funding (1)
We learned that teachers do not only bring books back for their classroom and school libraries. They also will select books to use as rewards and incentives since many children’s families cannot afford to buy books. And they often choose books to supplement curriculum or to provide new experiences for their students.
I volunteered one of the days leading up to the event and spent my shift sorting, unpacking and repacking books.
There were boxes of donations piled high and tables were already pre-filled with books for the upcoming event.
Project Cicero encourages groups of volunteers from companies and even groups of students to come volunteer together and make a difference.
In addition, students can help organize and work at their own schools’ book drives.
Since its inception in 2001, Project Cicero has distributed over 4,000,000 new and gently-used books to tens of thousands of New York City classrooms, reaching over 1,000,000 students!
Donated books not good for use in the event (because they are too worn/damaged, or are textbooks that are too outdated, etc.) are recycled.
After the event, any books remaining that were not chosen and are of good quality are donated to local organizations for their use and distribution. They try to bring in all new stock every year.
Project Cicero was one of 33 organizations included in the NYC Materials Exchange Development Program’s inaugural study and continues to be recognized as a major re-user/recycler in New York City.
In 2020 alone, Project Cicero reused 68,308 pounds of material — saving it from landfills.
The organization is named in honor of the Roman writer, statesman, orator, and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero, who created extensive libraries in the first century BC.
He shared his love of literature and learning, just like Project Cicero seeks to do. Cicero is credited with the quote, “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
Project Cicero is helping improve reading skills and reading levels, introduce students to new subject matter, increase enjoyment of reading, and inspire the love of a good book…. their goal to ensure every student has access to books is inspirational!
What was your favorite book as a child? Let me know in the comments below!
Would you like to learn more about Project Cicero?
The dog days of summer are the perfect time to help your child give back by volunteering and participating in charitable activities. There are TONS of opportunities… but who has time to look for the right ones, right?
Here is my list of 8 super-fun and super-meaningful opportunitiesto get children of all ages involved in volunteering. Each of these ideas are super-easy, can be completed from anywhere at pretty much anytime, and can be done by an individual child, a group of children, or with the whole family – whatever works for you!
Looking for a way to keep kids busy for an afternoon? What about on a rainy day? Looking for something for the kids to do when they visit grandparents? These ideas have your back. They are even great for birthday party activities, boy/girl scout activities and family picnics.
Volunteering while traveling allows you to peek behind the curtain of a community to get to know its inner heart. It provides a uniquely un-touristy look at the local culture through the eyes of residents who are passionate about supporting, protecting and enhancing their corner of the world and the humanness that exists within it. For a brief moment in time you participate in their story and become part of the strength, compassion and resilience which makes their community thrive. Read more
“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves” reads a quote in the volunteer kit. I was reading up ahead of my scheduled day at Mane Stream, an adaptive horsemanship and equine therapy center in Oldwick, NJ. I would quickly learn that Mane Streamwas much more than a therapeutic program. It is a community of joy and healing. The special staff, therapists and volunteers who work at Mane Stream light up the lives of their patients and their families.
One day in the not too distant future the world will belong to our children. They will make decisions on the environment, policies on poverty and social services, and be responsible for making decisions about resources, war, and peace. They will be the problem-solvers (and problem-creators) responsible for the well-being of future generations.
How can we support our children and young adults so they become their best selves in a global society? How can we fuel within them a sense of service and civic engagement? How can we expand their minds to include causes bigger than themselves?
Most importantly, how can we help them develop the resolve and confidence they will need so they believe without a shadow of doubt they can make a difference, effect change, and improve the world?
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