EVERETT — For Olivia Burley, volunteering is a family affair.
Burley, 32, gave birth to her son, Carson, 22 months ago. An active volunteer, she missed going out into the community and helping where she could.
However, volunteer opportunities that included her infant son were nil.
So she did the next best thing: create a volunteer network of families with children up to 16 years old.
“After I had my son, it was hard to get out into the community and volunteer, and most places won’t let you bring your child,” Burley said. “Other families felt the same way, so what we did is create a volunteer opportunity to take the kids along with us.”
And take them along they have.
The group cleaned up McCollum Park in Everett, visited a women’s and children’s shelter, and threw a party for the kids staying there.
“It’s a challenge to find a good fit for the nonprofit and the families, but once we can educate the nonprofit about what we can do, they are more open to it,” Burley said.
The group comprises 15 families who volunteer, with any given project seeing three to eight families offering help.
“We have enough of a group that the job always gets done for the nonprofit,” Burley said. “And that’s the bottom line: We get the job done.”
Burley feels that bringing children along, at any age, shows them the benefits of volunteering.
“The kids actively participate in every project, but it’s low-pressure volunteerism. When you have kids, it’s one less thing to add to your stress,” Burley said. “I want my son to grow up in an environment that makes sense to do things for other people, even if he’s too young to be a part of it.”
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