Handson volunteers make a difference at Cresthaven Elementary

POMPANO BEACH – Volunteers as young as three years old recently participated in Family Volunteer Day projects to help a local elementary school.  A total of 110 family volunteers joined hands to benefit Cresthaven Elementary School in Pompano Beach. 

The project, organized by HandsOn Broward, was made possible by the global youth service organization, generationOn, through funds from Disney Friends for Change and Embassy Suites. 

For more than two decades, Family Volunteer Day has been held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to “kick off” the holiday season with giving and service.  During the event at Cresthaven Elementary, families from throughout Broward participated in several volunteer projects to impact issues surrounding health, the environment, hunger and seniors. 

Volunteers packed meals for the hungry, created uplifting holiday cards for seniors, painted garden markers for the school’s vegetable garden and participated in landscaping projects to beautify the school’s campus.

Fifty-two families provided 345 hours of service on the national day of service.

“Volunteering provides a fun way for families to make memories together while making significant contributions to their communities,” said Dale Hirsch, president and CEO of HandsOn Broward.  “There is no better way to spend Family Volunteer Day than to join loved ones in making a positive impact on others’ lives.”

 During the event, HandsOn Broward and the Points of Light Institute also honored one local family of volunteers with the Daily Point of Light Award.  Tim, Patty, Sydney and Jonathan Howard were recognized for their ongoing commitment to service in Broward County.

The Howards have been volunteering through HandsOn Broward for the past six years and have volunteered a combined 1,761 hours. 

 Mom Patty says she’s beyond proud: “Proud doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about my children. I’m proud, humbled and so fulfilled by what they’ve done. They never quit. They find a new project, and they just run with it.”

With more than 5,000 awards distributed nationwide to date, the Daily Point of Light Award is given to individuals, alone and working together, who find innovative ways to meet community needs; efforts which often lead to long-term solutions and impact social problems in their local communities.