Be a Volunteer
Step Up for Kids. Your Time can Change a Child's Life.
Every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and hopeful about their future. At Kids Above All, volunteers play a vital role in making that possible. By showing up—whether for a few hours or through consistent volunteer engagement—you help young people in need to build better lives.
Kids Above All offers hands‑on opportunities for individuals and groups of all sizes to get involved. We’ll work with you to find a meaningful way to support the children, teens, and young adults in our programs.
To learn more about volunteering with Kids Above All, contact Zulma Colon, Vice President of BLDC, at [email protected] or (773) 949-7991.
WHere Volunteers Make an Impact
Kids Above All’s Better Life Distribution Center
In 2023, we opened the Better Life Distribution Center (BLDC) in Des Plaines, an 8,000‑square‑foot space that has become a hub for helping kids and families meet basic needs. It’s where volunteers sort, organize, and prepare essentials like diapers, clothing, hygiene items, school supplies, and books, so our young people and members of the community in need have what they need to thrive.
The BLDC also serves as our home for our annual drives, year-round in‑kind donations, and community volunteer projects. It’s one of the easiest ways to get involved and help.
Kids Above All’s DuPage County Group Homes
Our Group Homes Program in DuPage County helps youth ages 12-18 who have experienced trauma to thrive through family-style living environments. Our staff ensure residents have the necessary support to finish high school, learn life skills, and participate in trauma-informed counseling, so they can become independent, empowered adults.
We offer individual and group impact opportunities that will make a difference in our teens’ lives.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Are you or your organization looking for a fun, hands-on way to make a difference while strengthening team unity? Consider a partnership with Kids Above All on impactful volunteer opportunities that build better lives for our children.
Program Kits: Assemble kits, either at our Better Life Distribution Center or your location, to provide the young children, youth and families in our programs with the essentials they need to build a strong foundation for the best possible life. Kits vary based on program and availability.
Beautification projects: Bring a group to volunteer at one of our three DuPage County group homes for teens who have experienced trauma. Activities can include: removing weeds, planting flowers, mulching, painting (interior and exterior), installing new curtains, and building bookshelves and tables. Please note: these projects are usually available twice per year at each location.
Mentor: Make a positive impact in the life of a teen in our group homes or formerly homeless young adult in our Emerge program by providing academic or career guidance.
Activity sponsor: Fund a monthly outing or an evening of fun for the teens in our group homes.
Share your expertise: Host a workshop or seminar for our early childhood moms, group homes youth or young adults in Emerge, educating them on a particular topic or teaching them a skill. Topics may include online job searching, resume writing, financial literacy, budgeting, etc.
Sponsor a Child: Make sure the holiday wishes of a child in our care come true by donating new toys, clothes, and books during our Holiday Gift Drive in early December.
Toy Room Volunteer: Assist with sorting, organizing and packaging presents for the children in our programs during KAA’s Holiday Gift Drive. Weekend and evening hours are available.
Blanket-Making for Babies — Make flannel or plush blankets that babies can use for tummy time during visits from an early childhood educator or with their family as they start to grow up. A lot of babies in Kids Above All’s programs live in low-income apartments so a warm, clean blanket to play on is a big help!
To learn how to make blankets, please visit: https://www.dltk-holidays.com/xmas/eblanket.html
Make a Valentine, holiday stocking, Easter basket for Babies – Create a Valentine card with a positive message to show our children you care. Provide a basket or stocking filled with items needed for a baby, like a pacifier, onesie, baby board book, baby wipes, diapers, and a small stuffed animal. You can even decorate the stockings or baskets for additional fun.
Brown Bear Bags – Fill a gift bag with a brown bear book and a matching picture game. Create the game by coloring and cutting all the images: brown bear, red bird, yellow duck, blue horse, green frog, purple cat, white dog, black sheep, gold fish!
Baby Bathtime Basket — Build a basket for babies coming into our foster care or early childhood programs. Baskets can include: baby shampoo, hooded towel wrap, lotion, key ring rattle, and a baby brush comb set.