Cultural Happenings: Holiday Volunteering

LifeTRAVELED exchange visitors in Denver, Colorado and Orlando, Florida gathered this December to bring holiday magic to their community.

In Denver, participants volunteered at Mile High United Way’s annual Children’s Holiday Party, welcoming and checking in more than 500 community volunteers who helped distribute gifts to over 1,200 children and their families. The festive event, complete with crafts, games, and photos with Santa, ensured that local kids went home with wrapped presents and warm holiday memories.

In Orlando, exchange visitors supported the Toys for Tots initiative by sorting thousands of donated toys by age group and interest so they could be matched with families in need across Central Florida. Working side by side with local volunteers to organize these donations helped them see how a simple toy can brighten a child’s entire season.

Treats are an integral part of the holidays – swapping cookie tins with neighbors, stuffing stockings with chocolates – so we made sure each exchange visitor left with a special takeaway treat after their shift. In Denver, we packed a tin full of seasonal delights like gingerbread cookies, hot chocolate squares, and peppermint candy canes. In Orlando, we gifted snowman shaped chocolates and whoopie pies, an American dessert originating in New England, from a local bakery.

These experiences highlighted the generosity at the heart of American winter traditions. For many of our exchange visitors, giving back together was not only a chance to celebrate the holidays, but also a meaningful way to feel connected to their new communities.