SDMB Cares – Teaching Small Acts of Kindness

Before the inception of SDMB Cares, this initiative was a Facebook group called BAD (Building A Dream) Moms, which I launched a year and a half ago. Volunteering and community service is near and dear to my heart because of the experiences I had with my mom volunteering together from a very young age. The thought was simple: I wanted to recreate that for my daughter in the hopes that she would have the same passion for community service I did, and I didn’t want to do it alone. I wanted a tribe of mamas volunteering with their children so we could have a GREATER impact in San Diego. 

I had the most sincere pleasure of meeting Alma Lucy Fisher at our very first BAD Moms event a year and a half ago, and since then she has come on board to support SDMB Cares and the San Diego Moms Blog in so many ways. She shared an Instagram post that really touched my heart and I asked her to share with us how being involved in these monthly volunteer events has transformed her children’s hearts and their outlook on life. 

I hope this serves as a source of motivation to get involved in our monthly SDMB Cares events, because you’ll be able to just imagine a world in which all of our children have this same desire to serve our community. 

Written by Alma Lucy Fisher:

My passion for community service runs deep, but compassion has become one of the top values I hope to teach my kids. I find the best way to teach them this is by modeling it. Last year when I came across the opportunity to be a part of a new group of moms who had the same interest, I was excited. From our first outreach event of making cards for Veterans and Active Military, to our most recent at St. Paul’s PACE, there is always an opportunity to reflect on the impact any small act of kindness can make on the recipient. In the midst of the busy season I find us in, I have become intentional about making the time to show my kids what it means to be kind and caring. Every month they ask, “Mommy, when is our next community activity?” It has become part of our routine and something that we look forward to doing together.

At our most recent volunteer event at St. Paul’s PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) this past weekend I saw the fruits of our efforts in attending these monthly events come together. 

When we arrived on Saturday morning, my 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter were greeted by very friendly seniors who were excited to have little visitors. Throughout the morning I watched as they smiled and showed interest in the kids and joined in on the activities, but the thing that filled me most with joy was watching my son interact with the seniors. He carefully made ornaments and gave one to each of them, and even carried on a conversation with one of the residents. I watched quietly as he smiled when she shared stories with him. I thanked our new friend for spending her morning with us as we wrapped up and she quickly said, “I would spend all day here if I could.”

As we left, my daughter handed an ornament to our new friend, Don, who was moving about in his walker. He grinned from ear to ear and began to tear up. One of the volunteers said to him, “Now Don, don’t tear up, you will make me cry, too.” A few hours with this group of residents meant more to them than we will probably ever comprehend.

This was a great reminder of why we are committed to serving our community. I admit, I raced out of my house Saturday morning with a sink full of dirty dishes and a pile of dirty clothes creeping out of the laundry room, thinking for a moment that I was irresponsible for not staying home to get the house ready for the week. But seeing how my kids and all of the kids and moms that showed up to serve our community last weekend for a few hours were able to bring a smile to the faces of the seniors we spent time with was well worth it. We may not have unlimited hours to give back to others, but even a few can go a long way.

St Paul’s Senior Services provides comprehensive care for seniors who live at home, but still need some services that they would otherwise receive from an assisted living facility.

SDMB Cares is a new initiative of the San Diego Moms Blog. Our mission is simple: to support and connect families to local non-profits through volunteering, fundraising and raising awareness. We are committed to giving back to our local San Diego community and teaching our children the importance of volunteering and community service. In this section you will find some amazing non-profit resources, services and volunteer opportunities available for families.

Stay tuned for upcoming SDMB Cares events. We host these events each month and partner with a different non-profit to provide a volunteer experience that is great for the entire family.