After participating in the second annual Washburn Games, our family is ready to sign up for next year!

This was the first time I’ve involved the girls in fundraising for an event like this. They enjoyed helping me setup their fundraising webpage while we talked about what the Washburn Center for Children does. Of course, I had some difficulty helping my Little Miss understand what it means to have an emotional or behavioral challenge to overcome. She kept saying, “like a broken leg?”

Still, they were both excited to help an organization that helps kids be successful. Miss First Grader knew at least one friend that has some behavior troubles in the classroom, so in her mind, she was supporting an organization that might be helping her friend. Since the Washburn Center has three locations in the metro and serves thousands of families each year, she might be right.

Thanks to our generous family, the girls competed their fundraising efforts rather quickly, ending their role as givers of help. Then last Sunday, they showed up at Bryn Mawr Meadows, where they received a full afternoon of help from more than a hundred cheerful volunteers.

The friendly facilitators of the Washburn Games taught basic techniques in everything from hoola hooping to sit ups, from lacrosse to karate. This gave them great exposure to so many activities they might never see otherwise. Plus they spent the afternoon out in the community with friends and neighbors all supporting the same cause.

This was definitely a wonderful way to do good together.

Tags: Building Community, Charitable Giving, Strengthening Our Family

About Sarah

Sarah Aadland is striving to make family volunteering a meaningful habit for her family of five. Join the conversation as she ponders what they may (or may not have) learned and looks for helpful information about raising compassionate kids.Though she plans to one day put her Masters in Public Policy back to work for social justice, she sees family volunteering as a way to build a stronger community, a better world, and a more connected family. In addition to her children, Sarah tends a large garden, a small flock of chickens, and a habit of mindfulness amid the necessary rituals of parenting.

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