Young volunteers grow into community leaders

Not only is volunteering good for communities, but it may also have a big impact on young people who volunteer, according to 2023 research by The Journal of the American Medical Association. Compared to children who hadn’t volunteered in the past year, children who had were 34% more likely to be in excellent or very good health and 66% more likely to be considered flourishing.

With a mission to engage children in volunteerism and empower them to make a difference in their communities, Generation SERVE has believed in this positive correlation for a long time. Its goal is to create lifelong volunteers and community leaders through early exposure to volunteer opportunities. The nonprofit’s approach seems to work, with 96% of parents surveyed agreeing that their child’s desire to make a difference in the community increased after volunteering with Generation SERVE.

Similar core values

When Kingspoint Insurance Agency heard about the work Generation SERVE was doing in Texas communities, the team felt an immediate kinship. Kingspoint prides itself on demonstrating the core values of innovation, teamwork, respect, integrity and excellence, and they recognized all of these and more in Generation SERVE’s mission.

“When we’re able to partner with local businesses, it allows us to do so much more than we could on our own.”

– Kelli Savage, chief development officer at Generation SERVE

It wasn’t long before the two organizations joined forces in a big way. Kingspoint Insurance Agency employees started participating in volunteer days, and the agency began donating office space and sponsoring Generation SERVE’s events. Terri Le, of Kingspoint Insurance Agency, even became co-chair of the Houston Site Committee for Generation SERVE and activity lead for various volunteer events.

Bonding through service

One of Le’s fondest memories is when the two organizations hosted an event for Harris County Pets, a nonprofit that provides a safe haven for lost, neglected and abandoned animals. Kingspoint opened up their office and invited the community to make care packages and toys for dogs and cats awaiting their forever homes.

“It was a powerful reminder of the profound impact we can have when we come together as a community and extend our compassion and care to those in need.”

– Terri Le, vice president of operations and marketing at Kingspoint Insurance Agency

“Witnessing our team members and their loved ones come together with enthusiasm and dedication to make a positive impact was beautiful,” said Terri Le, vice president of operations and marketing at Kingspoint Insurance Agency. “It was a powerful reminder of the profound impact we can have when we come together as a community and extend our compassion and care to those in need.”

Partnership gets us further

For Kelli Savage, chief development officer at Generation SERVE, collaborating with local businesses like Kingspoint Insurance Agency makes all the difference. “We have tremendous engagement from citizens in our community — our signups for volunteer days fill up really quickly,” said Savage. “So when we’re able to partner with local businesses for extra support and infrastructure, it allows us to do so much more than we could on our own.”

The nonprofit doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon — in fact, it’s got big plans for the future! A Make More Happen Award from Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance would allow Generation SERVE to create welcome packets as well as hire a new employee to manage its Service Learning Program. One of the most pressing responsibilities of that role would be to create more opportunities for service-minded summer camps.

“That’s what we’re all about,” said Savage. “We don’t want volunteerism to be just one day of a child’s life. A whole season would be great, but a lifelong commitment is the goal.”

Help Kingspoint Insurance Agency win $10,000 for Generation SERVE by clicking the vote button. Get them an extra vote by cheering them on in the comments below by October 31, 2023.