Have you heard about the Havens Family?

What an amazing family! In 8 days, they are leaving on an incredible journey and they have invited everyone in America to come along with them.

I'm excited to say I have decided to go with them and document the journey. Yesterday I met the entire family, and the son, Jayden, who is seven years old, is very curious about life and is hooked on Minecraft. All he talked about was Minecraft and just wanted my attention so I could watch him play. I asked him was this his favorite game and he said, "Yes, but I also like this new game called Plants vs Zombies and Paceman championship edition deluxe. It has the most ghosts ever. Instead of just four, there can be any amount." I laughed and loved seeing the world through his eyes. It made me remember being his age where nothing else mattered but playing with my friends.

His sister, Raine, was more reserved but also excited about the journey their family is preparing to take. I hope you can join us as this is going to be something we will all remember forever.

Always dream big!

A Family that Volunteers Together, Stays Together

GUEST POST by Andrew Rebchu

They say that kids are born with a natural ability to give and that even at a young age, they're able to grasp concepts such as empathy, compassion, gratitude, and community responsibility according to Parents.com. To teach children about generosity and philanthropy, parents ideally should introduce family volunteering as a chance to spend quality time together as well as help those that need it the most.

Something as simple as donating one dollar a day to UnaKids has made a huge difference for young kids in countries suffering from civil unrest, so imagine the impact you and your family would leave when you choose to spend your time off from work and school helping underprivileged communities. Rather than jetting off to Disney World this summer, here are a few new ways that your family can bond over some volunteer work.

Stay at a nonprofit "storybook" resort in Florida

If visiting an amusement park is what your kids are really after this summer, take them to Give Kids the World Village in Orlando. It's a wonderful resort that caters to children with life-threatening diseases and their families, a place where the staff and volunteers can provide them with magical and memorable experiences at no cost. Helping create these beautiful memories for these families will give your own kids a new perspective on life.

Go on a Reading Road Trip in the West Indies

The Sandals Resorts group started the <a href Sandals Foundation that would allow guests to participate in some community service during their stay in any other of their hotels. Projects range from community health care programs to education initiatives. Take your kids on morning outings, organized by the resort, and volunteer at schools in the area. This will give them the opportunity to see what school is like for students in different parts of the world.

Build homes in New Orleans with YRNO

A lot of construction-related nonprofits are really strict with age due to liability, but a group of teenagers defied this restriction and started their own foundation, Youth Rebuilding New Orleans (YRNO), that lets youths give back on their own terms. The area has plenty of distressed and foreclosed homes that you and your family can fix up while engaging with local youths to build a better city.


Author Bio: Andrew Rebchuk
Andrew is an 11th grade sociology teacher that introduced several community service programs at his school. He plans on taking his son on his first family volunteer vacation this July.