VolunTOTS finds ways for the littlest of volunteers to ‘be a real-life superhero’ good starts
Growing up in Cleveland, Cami Teacoach volunteered monthly with her mother at a churchbased lunch program for the elderly and people with disabilities. At age 3, she squirted down tables and filled sugar bowls, adding more complex tasks as she got older, continuing until she left for college.
But when she looked for something similar in Pittsburgh to start doing with her own 3-year-old — during the COVID-19 pandemic, no less — she couldn’t find anything.
So Ms. Teacoach, of Marshall, decided to start something herself.
Rather than manage a 20person text chain of friends who might be interested, she created a Facebook group. And that Facebook group “just blew up,” she said. “It was a need that I didn’t even know needed to be filled.”
She created the group on Friday, Feb. 12, and by the end of the weekend, it had 450 members. Membership in VolunTOTS now stands just short of 1,000 people. “I
quickly realized that this was a lot bigger than I could have ever imagined,” she said.
For now, because of COVID-19, she is focusing
on volunteer activities that can be done from home. In February, the group sent Valentine’s Day cards to nursing homes. Last month, they put together more than 3,000 thank-you baggies for health care workers at 14 Pittsburgharea hospitals, stuffed with a snack, candy, a child-created thank-you card and a gift card donated by Discount Tire in Ross.
Ms. Teacoach and a steering committee that she assembled as the organization grew have planned monthly volunteer projects designed for kids ages 3 through 5 through September. In April, they have divided into four regions and will collect hygiene supplies for North Hills Community Outreach in the north, diapers for Genesis of Pittsburgh in the south, donations for the Free Store 15104 in the east, and furniture and housewares for Off the Floor in the west. The next month, they are planning a new toy drive for the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh to mark the end of Ramadan.
Trained as a social worker, Ms. Teacoach is currently a stay-at-home mom to Bennett, 3, and William, who just turned 1. She completely understands why it is hard to find volunteer opportunities for preschoolers. “A lot of people hear the word toddler and run … and rightfully so,” she said. “They’re unpredictable; they’re emotional messes.”
But she believes that, as in her case growing up, it’s important to plant the seed of volunteerism even when they can’t be that helpful, so that it can be ingrained when they are more able to contribute. She also thinks that it’s possible to make it work. “In our model, it’s always one to one, and they’re always with their parent. You’re not trying to herd 10 3-year-olds.”
Because her son Bennett is so interested in superheroes right now, she has explained the concept of volunteering to him as being a superhero in his community. “This is how you can be a real-life superhero,” she told him. “Pack a bunch of baggies.”