Nearly every weekend of the year, hundreds of Chicagoland families volunteer by preparing home-cooked meals at shelters, making toys for adoptable animals, building nature trails along the Chicago River, and more. These meaningful opportunities that impact Chicagoland are made possible by The Honeycomb Project, Chicagoโs go-to organization for family volunteering and philanthropy.
โFamilies are not just giving back, theyโre helping transform the quality of Chicagoโs communities for the long term,โ says Kristina Lowenstein, executive director and co-founder of The Honeycomb Project.ย
To date, more than 40,000 kids and families have volunteered with the organization that serves 50+ local organizations big and small.
Q&A with Kristina Lowenstein of The Honeycomb Project
What inspired you to start The Honeycomb Project?
In 2011, Lowenstein and her friend Catherine Tannen were on a road trip, and the two got to talking about issues that were important to them and how they wanted to lead by example raising their kids. They thought about volunteering, but quickly discovered that finding family-friendly projects wasnโt so easy.
โWe came up with the idea quickly. We launched The Honeycomb Project to mobilize families across Chicagoland to learn about and tackle important local issues like housing insecurity, environmental protection and community health,โ Lowenstein says.ย โThese meaningful projects help kids see that they can be part of the solution.โ
Why is family volunteering so important?
When Lowenstein and Tannen founded The Honeycomb Project, they saw that it was something their families were longing for, and realized it could help other families, too.
โWhen it comes to volunteerism and giving back, it’s about the value of being civically engaged, helping the community and caring about your neighbors,โ says Lowenstein. โYou can talk about those things, but if you can’t show your kids by example, are they really going to grow up with those values?โ
Lowenstein says research shows that kids who volunteer with their parents are three times more likely to be philanthropic and volunteer as adults.ย
โThat modeling around volunteerism and civic engagement is so important when it comes to inspiring young people to be involved later in life,โ she says.โ
How can families find volunteer projects that suit both their interests and schedules?
The Honeycomb Project removes barriers around participation by doing all of the planning with an array of volunteer programs posted on their website. Families can sort by date and category (health and wellness, hunger and poverty, environment) and just sign up and show up.
โWhatever your interest and schedule is, we provide different opportunities across the city to find the best option. We then provide families with everything they need in advance to prepare for the project,โ says Lowenstein.
Are there any upcoming holiday volunteer opportunities for families?
Over the holiday season, there are more than 25 in-person projects from Thanksgiving to New Years and six high impact drives with nonprofit partners.
โA lot of those organizations have a huge surge in demand during the holiday season, especially during the onset of winter,โ Lowenstein says. โWeโre leaning in by doing everything from hosting book, pajama and coat drives to stocking community fridges throughout the city and preparing healthy meals at different shelters.โ
The organizationโs signature seasonal project is the Holiday Cheer Challenge, offered on Sunday, Dec. 8.ย During this downtown event, teams of four to six participants race around downtown spreading kindness across the city โ giving thank you notes to city workers, welcoming tourists with bouquets of flowers, caroling on the Chicago River and more. Interested families can sign up here.
Fast Talk with Kristina Lowenstein
To-go coffee order:
I’m basic โ dark roast. Black.ย ย
Favorite place to eat out with your family?
Itโs a tie! 5 Rabanitos for their incredible moles and Same Same for Thai
Personal saying:
In giving to others, we find pieces of ourselves.
Your secret obsession:
Campingโitโs my way of unplugging.
If you could change anything about your life, what would it be?
Spend more quality time with my family. Kids grow up so fast!
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