Spending time as a family is what Give Kids The World Village is all about. Meet the Perlinski family – who volunteers all together. Mom Hayley, her husband Kent and their kids enjoy making memories for themselves and for the wish families who stay at the Village.

With four kids ages 11 to 15, their schedules of extracurriculars keep them busy, but they still make time to volunteer at the Village. We got to ask Hayley about their experience, here’s what she has to say:

Q: How did you find out about the Village?

A: A few years back, my husband Kent decided for Father’s Day that he wanted to take the kids shopping and purchase items to donate to a local charity. After doing some research we found Give Kids the World. We spent the week before that Father’s Day shopping for toys and other donations to drop off to the Village. It was our first time visiting, so we were given a tour and learned about volunteer opportunities. At the time our two youngest kids couldn’t volunteer, so we started with the older two. Now that they are all old enough, we have started to come more as a family.

Q: What’s your favorite volunteer shift?

A: We love serving ice cream!

Q: What is one of your favorite memories from volunteering at the Village?

A: One of my favorite memories is when I, my husband, and our two oldest kids volunteered at the Winter Wonderland parade. My husband and son had to wear tights. Lots of laughs that evening.

Q: How does volunteering make your family feel?

A: It definitely has a positive effect on our family. It’s really shown the kids how precious life is and helps us all to appreciate the time we have.  It’s also allowed some fun bonding times for our family.

Q: The final and most important question … what is your favorite type of ice cream?

A: I’m a cookie dough girl, but most of my family would choose cookies in cream or mint chocolate chip.

Looking for a fun way to spend quality time with your family and make an impact on the kids and families we serve? Sign up to volunteer!