Awesome Website.Check This Out.!!!?

Question

Want to make a difference (a HUGE one) in some one's life.Just go to this website www.soldiersangels.com and volunteer, you'll be a better person because of it.

To make this a question, what kind of volunteer work are you doing now or done in the past?!?

Answer 1

First, thanks for sharing the website.  I have been looking for something like this and I am going to spend some time now reading about this site.

I have spent years volunteering in public schools, elementary, middle and high schools in an urban community.  My children attended these schools so that's how I got connected initially, however, once I started, I saw the tremendous need and the impact I could have in other children's lives.

I have seen too many children entering kindergarten  already behind in many areas.  They haven't had the advantage of parental help, are poor, haven't gone to pre-school or had proper day care, and had so many ills done to them that they have no control over.  None of these ill is their fault either.

They have no social skills, so they don't know how to play nice, work together with other children, raise their hand to ask a question, or even how to sit still.  

They are also way behind in learning since they havent had the advantage of an adult teaching them colors, or the alphabet, or beginning phonics, or even ever had a book read to them.

Some have one only set of clothes to wear to school and often have not been taught personal hygiene.

Some have no food at home and sneak crackers and ketchup from the cafeteria to take home.

Some can't get their parents to fill out the free/reduced lunch forms.  Since they can't pay for lunch, I have seen children sneak cans of tuna from home so they have something to eat at school.

Many are being raised by grandparents because parents are gone, or in jail, or on drugs, or one or more parent is dead.  Older grandparents raising grandchildren brings with it all kinds of other challenges for the children.

The result of all of the above mentioned situations is devastating for the children:

They are identified as "trouble-makers" early in school. They struggle with learning and are so far behind they get discouraged and identified as "slow" and, worse, get put in groups together and pronounced as the "slow group".  

They are poor, don't have nice clothes and smell and get made fun of.  They come to school hungry and are not able to learn without food.  They come back to school to go through the same thing each day, growing further and further behind their peers.  

No wonder so many children from urban public schools can't read by the time they get to middle school, are angry and drop out.  (Obviously this is not all students from this type of backgroud, but it is true for the majority of students I see.)

Help for our public school children ages 0-5 is desperately needed if we are going to eradicate so many ills in our society.   All one has to do is volunteer once in one of these schools and they see the overwhelming need.  

To learn more about what you can do to meet this need, just contact a local public school ISD and ask for the volunteer department, or contact a school directly to speak to their PTA or PTO.  If there is no volunteer program in a school, work with the principal and teachers to start one.  If you are in high school, you can talk to your principal or a teacher about starting a mentoring or reading program for these children.

Whatever you can do you can make a difference for a child, you will reap more than you sow, and your heart will be full for all you give.

My best,  Teresa

Answer 2

I serve food at homeless shelters