Chummy: FAQs + Fun Facts
In honor of Chummy turning two this summer, I’m answering some questions I get asked regularly (plus a couple extra ). Two+ years and 30 volunteer projects - I’m thrilled we are still going strong. Happy birthday, Chummy!
Why did I start Chummy?
After I had my first child, I began thinking about how I could instill empathy in his tiny little head. He was a toddler when I started looking around my community for ways to get him to think beyond himself. Unfortunately, I didn’t find much. Many organizations don’t provide volunteer opportunities for kids under the age of 12 or 16, if at all. So we decided to “create” our own volunteer opportunities for our kids. We found the best way to do this was to reach out to organizations and offer a donation in exchange for a chance to learn more about, and perhaps participate in, their mission. Why not let other families take advantage of these opportunities alongside us?
Where did the name Chummy come from?
I thought the word chummy was fitting because we are a group of friends being friendly to others, natch. But also because I pictured all of us, the kids and families, coming together like a group of fish to make a difference. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts and all that. (It turns out that chum is actually chopped up fish, but we’ll ignore that detail.)
Why is volunteering so important to me?
I spent some time as an adolescent volunteering with a group of people - kids and adults - who made giving back truly rewarding. We worked hard and laughed a lot. The adults guiding us were sincere and selfless people who have remained in my heart for decades. Knowing we were helping others in true hardship was an unparalleled feeling at that point in my young life. As I grew into adulthood, my focus on volunteering declined. When I was able to regain that focus in my late 20s, I realized how important it was to me. I want my kids to know those feelings, too, and to be able to keep it up for a lifetime.
I’ve harped on this before, but I’ll say it again: I believe that the next generation is going to need practice working alongside each other towards a common goal. Our current society has such a strong partisan structure - politically and otherwise - and I would like our children to learn how to work together and communicate as a team in order to fix the problems of the world.
Which Chummy events do my kids like best?
I’ll be honest - my kids are not always eager volunteers! But over the past couple of years they’ve begun to understand that it’s part of our regular family activities, and it’s a responsibility we have to our community and to our fellow humans. Their favorites are meal preparation for Healing House, boxing food at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, and anything that takes place outside (e.g., Heartland Farms Sanctuary and our annual Lemonade Stand for Charity)!
What are my ambitions for Chummy’s future?
My biggest goal is simple: to get families volunteering at least a couple times a year. The research I’ve done suggests that it’s not only good for those we are helping, but there are myriad benefits for the volunteers, too - especially when they are children. We are all so busy and we feel so busy and it’s easy to keep the focus on ourselves and our own families. But I want our kids to look beyond themselves on a regular basis. What a world it could be if we all did this!
A pie-in-the-sky ambition for my family, and possibly for a group of Chummy volunteers, is to complete a service project abroad. Maybe someday!
