United We Serve: PTA Call to Service Toolkit

A Call to Service | June 22-September 11, 2009

PTA® members have a strong history of volunteer leadership. As the nation’s largest, volunteer child advocacy organization, the PTA has had a significant impact on improving the education and well-being of America’s children for 113 years. During this time, National PTA and its volunteers championed the efforts to defeat polio, led the campaign for child immunizations, supported school desegregation, and worked to improve the nation’s juvenile justice system.

Now, PTA units and volunteer members have the opportunity to continue to lead the nation in volunteering this summer and year round through President Obama’s United We Serve Initiative (June 22-September 11, 2009). The President’s initiative encourages all Americans to get involved in their communities on projects focused on education, health, and serving military families. Millions of people will be introduced to volunteering throughout this summer-long initiative, becoming inspired to continue a lifetime of service to the schools and communities where we live. PTA’s leadership and involvement in the President’s call to service and beyond will further PTA’s commitment to serving all children with one voice.

Important to these efforts is to be able to sustain the spirit of volunteering all year. Service projects have the potential to launch powerful new programs, policy changes, and sustainable service programs to create a culture of engaged communities. PTA members are encouraged to continue their volunteer efforts throughout the year in their schools, neighborhoods and communities.

Leading the Charge
PTA members are encouraged to coordinate service projects to:

Support education, specifically focused on literacy, book distribution and library card registration.
Improve the health of children and youth through back to school health drives.
Serve military families.

Using the Toolkit
This Toolkit is designed specifically for PTA members and leaders to provide tips, techniques and ideas to:

Plan your own service project.
Find and volunteer with an existing volunteer project.

This Toolkit is a guide to create successful and thoughtful service projects. It can be used as a complete package, or can be used as needed to provide guidance on a specific aspect of the service project. The examples, sample timeline, and questions asked throughout this toolkit can provide guidance and a framework to brainstorm and keep track of your progress.

Involving Youth
PTA leaders and members are encouraged to involve youth as leaders and as participants in planning and implementing their service projects. Young people bring unique perspectives and energy to a project. This Toolkit can be used by both youth and adults to lead service projects in their communities.

Third Party Resources

Share Your Success Story with PTA

Learn More About United We Serve: www.serve.gov

Additional Resources

PTA Call to Service Toolkit
A guide to creating successful and thoughtful service projects.

Call to Service Toolkit - Spanish Version
Kit de herramientas de llamada al servicio de la Asociación de Padres y Maestros

PTA Call to Service Flyer
Overview of the PTA Call to Service Toolkit and the United We Serve initiative

Areas of Focus
Focus areas for the President's call to service