Skyler O’Hara applies spackling compound to a wall prior to painting in one of the classrooms Saturday at Stepping Stones child care center. O’Hara was part of the National Family Volunteer Day, organized locally by Roger Hill Volunteer Center.

Nicholas Dvorske, left, and Alex Culbertson help fill leaf bags at Schwegler School as part of the National Family Volunteer Day.

The Roger Hill Volunteer Center has established a national Family Volunteer Day Saturday. Parent volunteer Jenny Skillman cleaned tape residue off the wall in a classroom at Stepping Stones Day Care.

When Amy and Chris Phalen go into the community to volunteer, their kids usually stay at home.

But not on Saturday morning as Andrew, 6, and Danny, 4, sat next to their parents decorating gift bags at Stepping Stones child care center, 1100 Wakarusa Drive.

The family was one of about 20 that came out for National Family Volunteer Day, organized locally by Roger Hill Volunteer Center. The day was an opportunity for the Phalens to show their children what giving back to the community was all about.

“It is important that they have the understanding of doing it and the understanding that it takes everyone to help everywhere,” Amy Phalen said.

The bags the family was covering with glitter and pom-poms are going to be gift bags given to the staff during the child care center’s holiday party.

Later in the morning, Amy Phalen had the not-so-fun task of scraping off caulking around the center’s toilets.

“That is what gloves are for,” she joked.

Other families at the center were joined by Kansas University and high school students as they painted doors, scrubbed walls and made Christmas decorations.

The child care center was one of three sites across Lawrence that families went to as part of the family volunteer day, which always falls on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Tracie Howell, director of Roger Hill Volunteer Center, located in the United Way building at 2518 Ridge Court, had brought her 6-month-old son along as she helped out at Stepping Stones.

“It’s really just to show (children) at an early age about volunteering. That it is fun, but at the same time they are helping out,” she said.

Over at Schwegler School, families were raking leaves, trimming bushes, sweeping sidewalks and pushing bits of rubber cushion back into the playground. In the process, they recovered pencils, gloves and even a soccer ball.

Out in the school’s courtyard, moms Jen Nigro and Juli Connolly were supervising their group of four boys as they gathered leaves.

“They were ready to go at 8:30 this morning,” Connolly said. “We talked about volunteering, and to clean up their school is even cooler.”

Nigro, who coordinates volunteers for the Audio-Reader program, said Saturday was an opportunity to teach her two boys about volunteering.

“I work with so many great volunteers, and I want them to be volunteers,” Nigro said.