Our family has been volunteering together for many years, and continue looking forward to our next opportunity! We are the Sauer family; Melina, Kevin (parents), Ethan (15), Davis (13), and Lydia (12).

We started volunteering within our local community for Boy Scout and Girl Scout service projects. We learned the value of helping others, developed new skills, met wonderful people, and had fun! Our family also realized that this was an opportunity for us to spend time together… productively! With demanding work and kids schedules, we found that volunteering together as a family was actually carving out time to have fun together as a family.

When we moved to North Bend in 2011, we learned about Encompass and their multifaceted impact on our community. We quickly engaged with Encompass to offer our time, and connected so well with their staff and mission.

With Encompass, we have had experiences helping with fundraisers, local fairs, block party, tree lighting, a Seahawks game, Dirt Fish rally race, and summer camps. In the capacity in which we have helped, our kids have been encouraged to learn good communication and initiation skills. They have learned how to work with children, and have grown in ways that are immeasurable. Their participation has also led to employment opportunities.

It is fun to see this growth (real-time!) as us parents are volunteering along with them. Volunteer hours continue to be a requirement for Scouts and school, but given how valuable this time is to our family, we would be volunteering anyway!

~Melina Sauer

Become a Family That Volunteers!
Encompass is so grateful to the Sauer family and all of our volunteers. Contact Volunteer@EncompassNW.org to get involved in our mission of nurturing children and enriching families in the community. You can also check out www.encompassnw.org/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities for more information and a list of current opportunities.

We also recommend the Big Hearted Family website for great family volunteering tips.