Volunteermatch.com lets you sort opportunities by age. You could also get involved with scouts, since they have established relationships with charities and offer structured opportunities that might not be available to individuals.
You can ask your priest/pastor if anybody in the congregation needs help. We recently helped an elderly couple at our church who needed help to get their house sale ready. We mowed the lawn, weeded, painted, and hauled donations—all things they physically couldn’t handle but required no special skills. Enlightened churches are moving away from labor-based mission trips to do trips that bring skills people need and can’t get locally (like tech support, doctors, agribusiness, etc). Nobody wants to be a part of poverty tourism. And doing free labor may prevent locals from earning a living. |
You might be able to bring kids for something like DC snow patrol.
https://servedc.galaxydigital.com/agency/detail/?agency_id=80477 BestBuddies might involve kids as peers to program participants. Anacostia Watetshed Society does cleanups with families. Other places to look: https://tinybeans.com/dc/places-where-you-can-volunteer-with-your-kids-dc/ Kidsthatdogood.com |
Deter her? Her kids are too young for the kind of mission she's looking for. In the mean time people have made suggestions. |
Another local organization that welcomes help from kids
https://families4families.org/ |
14:10 made suggestion directly Addressing her stated desire to volunteer abroad with family on vacation but in way that does not harm Local cultures or ecosystems - OP did not bother replying to that - but thanked everyone for local Volunteer ops. So maybe she does not want to see and do more after all. |
Living in Upper NWDC snd talking about missionary trip … I mean talk about being so devoid of self awareness! Anacosria too scary for you op? |
Go watch Avatar op. Take your kids too. That will be a better teaching experience than your bs. |
OP, check out Chevy Chase UMC. Once a month the Sunday school kids (all ages) do a service project such as preparing food for the homeless, making centerpieces for seniors in assisted living, etc. |
And the cost of their flights could be put to better use to pay for or train locals to do the work. |