With a declining economy and growing With a declining economy and growing number of families in need, RVers are finding ways to help while they’re on the road. By traveling the country, they are able to help people wherever their travels take them. Many notable charities work with RV enthusiasts such as Habitat for Humanity’s RV program called Care-A-Vanner enabling RVers to build homes for those in need while traveling the country.
Appealing to nature lovers, the National Park Service and US Forest Service have volunteer programs to clean up parks and forests. A low-key approach to helping out can be found with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service who are always looking for volunteers to conduct fish and wildlife surveys, assist in lab research, photograph natural and cultural resources and lead tours for schools and group visitors.
With so many opportunities available to lend a hand, just about anyone’s interests are complimented by a cause that needs volunteers. Notable RV companies and associations did their part to help in 2011. Keystone RV Company donated $140,000 for the United Way campaign last fall. Go RVing Canada partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant a 10-year-old boy his dream RV vacation by donating a Class C motorhome fully stocked with food, gas and reservations at campsites through Alberta.
The Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) has several chapters throughout the country helping out in many ways such as raising $500 in disaster relief funds for an Alabama family devastated by a tornado, donating $7,298 to a children’s hospital in San Antonio, and taking up a collection for stuffed animals for disadvantaged children at an RV rally.
