Volunteering was never a passing activity for this nine-member Emirati family — it became a way of life and a family value that brought father, mother, and children together around a single conviction: that giving grows greater when it becomes a collective effort, and that community service begins at home.
Since last year, the family of Nasser Mohammed Al Hantoobi has been on a volunteer journey under the banner of the "Shukran Li Ataaik" (Thank You for Your Giving) volunteer team, offering an inspiring model of an Emirati family that regards volunteering as a humanitarian and patriotic mission, and an extension of deeply rooted values in UAE society — values of solidarity, cooperation, responsibility, and love.
The family comprises father Nasser Al Hantoobi, a retiree, and mother Shamsa Al Dhanhani, an Arabic-language teacher, along with their children: Mohammed, 19, Ahmed, 18, Ghasaq, 17, Zayed, 14, Mayed, 13, Reem, 12, and Sultan, 2. Family members of all ages come together in a single human experience in which the young learn from the older, and everyone contributes what they can.
The Al Hantoobi family's experience reflects what is known as "family volunteering" — where community service is not limited to one member of the household but becomes a collective practice that brings parents and children together in arenas of giving, strengthening family bonds and instilling in children from an early age values of responsibility, initiative, and community service.
The family's participation has spanned social and humanitarian volunteering, community initiatives, orphan care, and charitable drives. Among the most notable activities they took part in was the "Zad Al Ilm" (Provision of Knowledge) initiative, aimed at supporting orphans and providing them with school supplies — reflecting the family's belief that supporting education and assisting those in need represents one of the finest expressions of generosity.
The Al Hantoobi family says that volunteering does not give only to the community, but gives the family itself values and experiences that remain in the memory. Their volunteer participation has helped develop teamwork and cooperation skills among family members.
It has also reinforced values of giving, social responsibility, and human solidarity, alongside the acquisition of planning, organisational, and event-management skills, and the development of the capacity for effective communication and engagement with diverse segments of society.
This experience embodies the highest meanings of giving and community solidarity, drawing inspiration from the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, in cementing values of goodness, tolerance, and service to humanity. Through their participation, the family affirms that volunteer work is not merely an individual effort, but a culture that can grow within the home and become a beautiful heritage passed down from one generation to the next.
The family's journey was crowned with the receipt of the Corporate Social Responsibility Award and the Distinguished Family Award, in recognition of its role in spreading a culture of volunteerism and reinforcing the presence of the Emirati family as an active partner in creating community impact.
The Al Hantoobi family expressed appreciation for the support and encouragement of Mohammed Ibrahim Al Balushi, Vice Chairman of the "Shukran Li Ataaik" volunteer team's board of directors and the originator of the "A Family's Story… A Tale of Giving" initiative, which shines a light on distinguished Emirati families in the fields of volunteer and community work.
The family affirmed that this initiative has helped highlight inspiring family models that embody values of giving, belonging, and responsibility, and reflect the spirit of UAE society, which is founded on cohesion and service to the nation.
The Al Hantoobi family stands today as testimony that giving, when it begins at home, becomes more deeply rooted and warmer, and that the Emirati family is capable — with a team spirit and sincere intentions — of creating inspiring stories worthy of being told, stories that remain in the memory as the tale of a family that chose to make goodness a path, volunteering a mission, and cooperation a daily value pulsing with life.