Did you know that young kids can spend volunteer time with the residents at Glacier Hills Senior Living Community?

It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it totally makes their day.

My daughter, Belle, and I headed over there one recent morning to help about a dozen residents of the assisted living facility with their weekly game of seated volleyball.

I had arranged the appointment with Glacier Hills Volunteer Coordinator Priscilla Johnson as the third installment of my "volunteering with kids" series. When I first called, Johnson was a bit surprised at my daughter's age — she's 6 — but quickly came up with the volleyball idea.

Belle was a bit hesitant when I told her what we were going to do. For our previous volunteer jobs (we call them our field trips), we sorted food at Food Gatherers and cleaned pens at the Great Lakes Rabbit Sanctuary. This one would require interaction with people — and elderly people at that, which is unfamiliar territory for her.

As we drove up to the building, I reminded Belle that our job was to brighten their day. "So it's important to be friendly: look them in the eye, talk with them, and speak up. OK?"

She nodded.

I knew she'd gotten the message when, as we walked in and started talking to Priscilla, Belle answered every question with a nervous stream of chatter. She was really putting herself outside her comfort zone.

We went upstairs to the room where the volleyball game would take place. Two rows of chairs were set up, facing each other, with a net in between. Several beach volleyballs were in the corner.

We introduced ourselves to the residents as they filtered in. A gentleman named Henry struck up a conversation with her about shoes. A particularly energetic woman named Eleanor took an immediate shine to Belle, and made sure that Belle sat next to her. During the game, she frequently chased after the ball and then handed it to Belle to serve, and praised her with "good girl!"

The game lasted about 45 minutes, and was followed by refreshments.

Priscilla noted that since they don't usually get very young volunteers, it was interesting to see the reaction to Belle.

"It was wonderful to see how their faces lit up," she said.

When I asked Belle what she thought of the experience, she said she loved it, then remarked: "They may be old, but they sure are nice!"

For information on how to volunteer at Glacier Hills, visit their website.

Jen Eyer is on the Community Team at AnnArbor.com. She leads the Parenting and Pets sections, and writes feature stories, blog posts and opinion pieces. She can be reached at 734-623-2577 or jeneyer@annarbor.com.