Serving Fresno, at any age

FRESNO, Calif.

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13-year-old Seth Casarez takes cleaning the windows of the Ronald McDonald House seriously. He's one of several dozen kids 12 to 16 whose parents signed them up to volunteer one a day a week for seven weeks this summer.

Jessica Packer was initially reluctant. "The first time I came we were helping a little old lady with her yard and I thought it was pretty fun so like, I decided for this week that I would go because I wanted to go instead of someone making me go."

Learning is happening here. Vicky Guerra of Visalia is a guest at Ronald McDonald House. Her preemie son is next door at Children's Hospital. Guests here have cleaning duty in the kitchen. But these volunteers freed this mother to visit her son sooner. "I thought it was a great thing to do. Getting the youth involved and teaching them how to serve."

And their work drew praise from the staff of the Ronald McDonald House too. This volunteer job was in Madera not Fresno but coordinators of the 'Serve Fresno' campaign suggest the purpose is larger than its goal.

Nicole Traverso, Volunteer Connections Director said, "It's really an opportunity to learn and give back and really engage them while their young so they'll continue to be volunteers throughout their life."

At the end of the summer these young volunteers will have contributed about 15-hundred hours toward that 1 million volunteer hour goal.

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