Interest in voluntourism continues to grow as a means of supporting sustainable tourism and benefiting local communities, while also enhancing meeting attendee experiences. Northern Kentucky provides many opportunities among its local organizations for which event attendees may volunteer, fostering a sense of purpose, personal enrichment, and community.
“There are so many amazing organizations to partner with in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region,” said Stacy Howell, senior destination engagement manager at meetNKY - Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau. “At meetNKY, we are partnering with Visit Cincy to host three events this year that are voluntourism projects for our hospitality partners, so that we are well connected to the options that we have here locally.
“We have so many wonderful and flexible organizations that will partner with each event to find a way that they can give back to this local community based on their individual size, time needs, travel needs, and more,” Howell added. “For example, you can host a food or supplies drive during your meeting and then donate the supplies at the conclusion of your event, or you can travel onsite to an organization and take on a project.”
For instance, during KTIA’s (Kentucky Travel Industry Association) 2024 Annual Conference, meetNKY worked with DCCH Center for Children and Families in Fort Mitchell to create an experience.
“The meetNKY group hosted an outstanding event for our kids in the gym, which started the day with breakfast from Chick-fil-A and led to bracelet making, a visit from BB Riverboats, Newport Aquarium, and more fun,” said DCCH Volunteer Coordinator Vicki Boerger. “Activities like this bring outside interests to our kids who may not otherwise get to experience these things and allow them to use their imaginations to dream big.”
Hotel Covington and Madison Event Center (both owned by the Salyers Group) partner with a local shelter and charity to donate food.
“We prefer to source our food from local suppliers as much as possible, as we deeply value our relationships with the employees and love supporting small businesses,” said Madison Event Center’s General Manager, Brittney Lee. “With our hotel and event center located adjacent to each other, we have numerous options for our event clients to keep everything in-house, thereby reducing travel for their attendees.”
Northern Kentucky organizations are eager to help meeting planners fulfill their voluntourism goals and enhance the overall meeting experience for their attendees. Here are a few examples of volunteer opportunities planners can incorporate into their event:
A Kid Again serves families who are raising a child with a life-threatening condition by providing free, year-round programming where families can attend Adventures and take a time-out from the daily stressors that are part of having a medically complex child.
One such outing is the annual September Cincinnati Reds Adventure, for which the team donated over 1,000 tickets this year.
“This is an opportunity for groups to have a hands-on interactive experience: help with registration and check-in; pass out gifts the families receive, like the Red’s foam fingers; and distribute snack packs for the families,” said Amanda Witt, development manager with the Southwest Ohio Chapter. “Volunteers can stay for the game, and it is a great team-building activity and opportunity to connect with the families.”
Located in Covington’s Devou Park, the Behringer-Crawford Museum focuses on preserving and maintaining Northern Kentucky’s cultural heritage.
Event planners will find many opportunities for tailor-making a volunteer experience, from helping with genealogy projects and digitizing collection information to working in the gardens and cleaning up NaturePlay—an accessible green space where children and their families can play, discover, and engage in heritage and natural history. Additionally, volunteer opportunities exist with building an addition to NaturePlay, planning a cleanup day, inside or out, planting flowers or trees with the White Oak Initiative, painting, and more.
Opportunities to volunteer can also be completed on-site at a meeting or event, where attendees can assemble items for the homeless, such as hygiene packs or rolling blankets.
“You create memories together through volunteering and make a connection to this region,” said Laurie Risch, executive director. “That personal interaction, knowledge gained, and feeling that you were welcomed and made friends brings an impact to your time here.”
DCCH Center for Children and Families also has opportunities for corporations to give their time, including both direct and indirect care. The organization serves children in all 120 counties throughout the state of Kentucky, and even though it receives a reimbursement for each child served, DCCH still faces a daily deficit.
“With the cost of food, clothing, and utilities constantly increasing, it is a tremendous help when groups like meetNKY host an event or activity for our kids,” said DCCH Volunteer Coordinator Vicki Boerger.
Other organizations meeting planners may wish to consider include Be Concerned-The People’s Pantry, Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, Brighton Center, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Kentucky, Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky, and St. Elizabeth Healthcare Foundation.
Incorporating volunteering into an event isn’t just a great way to give back—it’s an opportunity to create lasting memories and connections that extend far beyond the conference room. Start planning today and make your meeting in Northern Kentucky a meaningful one.
