OFM_Impact - HANDS - ON - ORLANDO_0520 . qxp_DEPT 4 / 22 / 20 2 : 18 PM Page 1 profits and organizations , Hands on Orlando is ble to provide activities that are not only enjoyable a but are family friendly . A lot of their projects involve planting , landscape work , building garden boxes , organizing classrooms and more . Their hands - on activities not only bring together families , but also corporate businesses that have utilized the organization as a team - building opportunity . “ We work with businesses and we say , ‘ Hey , if you’re going to give your employees X amount of hours a year to serve , let’s put together a program that is going to really maximize that , ’ ” Trager says . “ Not just in terms of quality employees that are going to serve , but also making sure that your employees know how much your company gives , cares and shares about the community and how it’s making an investment in their employees to do that . “ We had a project last year where we had over a thousand corporate volunteers , at three different sites , ” Trager says . “ One site they were putting together 100 bicycles for children in need for Orange County Public Schools , another site they were renovating a facility for men who were dealing with drug addiction issues and another site where they were building a park and it was all happening simultaneously within three locations Creating in Central Florida . ” And families gravitate toward the cause because it allows them to come together , regardless of age , and create a special bond while making a difference . In fact , Hands on Orlando prides itself on only Brighter Days working with organizations that do not require an age restriction of 18 years or older . Hands on Orlando focuses its volunteer experience to help make an impact in Central Florida and across the globe . By Sydney Kerelo S THE NUMBER OF DISASTERS , HOMELESSNESS AND THOSE GOING , the desire to change the world has grown as well . HUNGRY RISES AThat is where Central Florida’s Hands on Orlando comes in . For 21 years , this nonprofit has encouraged giving back to the local community by creating projects that have impacted thousands of lives while also putting a strong emphasis on the overall volunteer experience . egation and risk management . The network is part of a larger , international They are in charge organization called Points of Light that dedicates of making sure that every volunteer has a task , time and effort to increasing volunteerism across they have sufficient supplies — which Hands on the globe . Locally , Hands on Orlando has been Orlando personally purchases — and that the job is instrumental in making the connection . completed within a reasonable amount of time . “ We really have made that commitment over “ The network really plays a vital role in con - “ We focus on the volunteer experience and the years to provide family - friendly opportunities , ” necting everyday people to very high - quality vol - partner with all these different organizations that says unteer experiences , ” says Kyle Trager , corporate are pursuing those goals of improving people’s Trager . “ A lot of times I hear from folks that citizenship manager . “ The way that Hands on stations , whether they’re homeless or hungry or we were one of the only organizations that they Orlando does it , is by identifying , planning and [ by saving the ] environment , etc . , ” says Trager . found where they could volunteer as a family unit managing lots of different volunteer opportunities “ We take care of all the identification , planning and that’s really important to us . ” for everyday people to get involved with . We also and management of all these projects . We break Every person who volunteers with Hands on provide leadership on the ground to partner orga - down the barriers of volunteering , provide a Orlando leaves their projects with something nizations that we’re working with . ” certain level of quality to the volunteer experience gained , whether it’s a sense of accomplishment or Every month the organization schedules around and in turn that helps us recruit and retain learning a new skill . 20 - 30 projects that are run by highly trained volunteers to go out into the community and “ Some of our younger folk have been able to project leaders who go through a rigorous training hopefully change the world . ” get into Ivy League schools and military academy program , learning about public speaking , task del - By partnering with local charities , other non - programs [ thanks to ] our unique program , ” Trager 14 ORLANDO FAMILY may 2020 ORLANDOFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM