Build stronger friendships together! With the holiday season approaching, we’d like to challenge all our readers to find a volunteer opportunity, grab a girlfriend, and get involved. Volunteering makes a great theme for a girls night (or day) or girlfriend gathering. Volunteering with a friend offer a built-in excuse for girl time; plus, you’ll experience a more focused and meaningful time with your friends. Last but not least, you’ll feel better about yourself. Read on for some real-life stories and suggestions for how to get started.

Why now? Even though November and December are super-busy for many of us, they are also months loaded with stress for many girlfriends. Helping others is a great way to fight stress, and gain the sense that you are doing something that matters–as opposed to mindless errands and chores of the season. These are also the months when many charitable organizations simply need more—more money, more resources, more help.

Why volunteer? If you want your friendships to last, adding meaning to your girlfriend gatherings is vital. Girlfriends who don’t spend meaningful hours together tend to lose their connection after a while. Becoming involved with a charitable organization is a great way to bolster your friendship with a common cause.

Our girlfriend Gabi relates this story:

Another girlfriend, Shawn, became involved with an infant-needs pantry, providing supplies for children ages 0 to 3. She brought the idea to her mom’s group as an opportunity for anyone who was interested, and her friend Lisa signed up to volunteer as well. Volunteering with a friend “gave me more confidence to try something new,” Shawn says. “Having a friend there made it more fun. I got to know Lisa better too.  I really enjoyed my time there.”

If you are new in town, volunteering is also a great way to meet new gal pals.  

Convinced? Good, because we have a GirlfriendCelebrations Volunteer Challenge for you: We challenge you to pick a charity to work on with your girlfriends this holiday season. Enjoy the experience, then share your story with us, and we will publish it in a future post. 

Don’t know where to start? Here are just a few ideas:

-Make sandwiches for a local homeless shelter. Our girlfriend Carly did this with her girlfriend group.

-Collect toys or wrap presents for a children’s charity.

-Knit, crochet, or piece blankets for the NICU at a children’s hospital.

-Raise funds for a women’s shelter, breast cancer research, or ovarian cancer research.

-Conduct a food drive for a local food pantry

-Collect warm winter clothing such as coats, hats and mittens and deliver to a charitable organization such as Snug Hugs for Kids

-Check Volunteermatch.org to find the right opportunity for you and your girlfriends.

-Take a look at our Out of the Cold party for ideas on how to plan a fun girls night that is focused on helping others.

Tina and I have been involved with several volunteer organizations separately, and now we are excited to work together to benefit one on behalf of GirlfriendCelebrations. We’re not ready to unveil our choice just yet…but you will be the first to know, girlfriends. Meanwhile, share your thoughts, volunteer experiences, and favorite charities below.