5 Life Lessons We Learned from Volunteering with Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation

Although we are only six months into our yearlong partnership with the Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation, we have already gained so many unique life lessons that are sure to have a lasting impact on the Renewal by Andersen team!

Here’s a look at five valuable lessons we have taken to heart as a result of our monthly volunteering activities with this amazing organization.

1. Organization is everything!

CCRF has a warehouse of literally thousands of toys for every age-range and it is meticulously organized to make pulling and shipping inventory as efficient as possible. While this level of organization is impressive, to say the least, we quickly learned why it had to be. Keeping track of inventory and finding what you need, when you need it, would be impossible otherwise.

After helping to organize this massive inventory, we hope to apply these skills to some of those junk drawers and cluttered closest we have at home!

2. Spending time together outside of work really helps you to get to know one another.

The Renewal by Andersen team has always felt like a family, but since we have partnered with CCRF to volunteer with them at least once per month, we have found that those family ties have grown even stronger. The conversations we shared while packing toys and writing thank you notes allowed us to catch up with one another on a much more personal note. Plus, when you work together for a greater cause, you really experience a deeper bond!

3. Put forth your best effort, regardless of what is asked.

During one particular volunteer event, we were asked to move and clean a bunch of odd items like paintings, purses and antiques. Surely these weren’t going to be shipped to children, so what was their purpose? We found out that these items were going to be sold at a community yard sale to raise money for CCRF. What a great way to repurpose these items! This experience taught us not to question or underestimate the purpose of a task. It’s important to trust the person leading you and to do your best, regardless of what is asked.

4. Offering a helping hand is so simple, but can accomplish so much.

The time we spend volunteering with CCRF is merely an afternoon out of our month. Plus, we truly enjoy helping this wonderful organization! The life lesson we learned from this was that helping someone, even if only for a few hours here and there, can have a profound impact. Without our help, some of the shipments may not have been fulfilled on time, meaning there would be children who would not receive a new toy to help lift their spirits when they need it the most. We hope that this spills over into other parts of our lives as we continue to offer a helping hand to our families, friends and community.

5. Some of the smallest people are heroically fighting huge battles.

The final life lesson we learned from partnering with CCRF was the devastating reality that there are small children who are fighting the biggest battle anyone could imagine fighting – the battle for their lives. This really put into perspective that some of the problems we feel we are facing, really aren’t that big after all. It changed our attitude and made us grateful for all that we have, including our health. It also gave us a deeper calling to continue to help CCRF and the many children it benefits!