Living Without

Sometimes words fail me as I try to express what I see.
Today I had the opportunity to drop off a beautiful 9 ft Christmas tree to one of the shelters we work with.
I was not away of the how different a shelter was from a group home.  The shelter is supposed to be temporary until the child is placed with a family or in a group home. 
When a child arrives at the shelter, they have nothing, no family, no clothes, nothing, just what they are wearing at the time.  Their rooms are bare, just something else to tell them they have nothing.  Nothing that reminds them that there is hope, that they can dream.  Nothing but blank walls and no doors.

This just reminds me of the need.  These young people need people they can count on.  People to help change a house to a home. 
Is that person you? Not sure? Here are a few steps to see if this is a fit for you.

Volunteering

The first step requires in an honest self evaluation to determine the amount and depth of your involvement.  Ask yourself, “How do I want to get involved?” The answer to this question will assist you identifying the amount of time and effort you are able to provide within the time frame of your current work and personal life schedule.
–        What are your strengths?
 –        What are your passions?
–        What does your current schedule allow?
–        What can I do to make the most impact?
 An honest evaluation of these questions and your ability to identify these areas of involvement will be every foster care and every non-profit agency’s greatest ally. The goal is to match your passions and strength with the agency of your choice or individual child’s greatest corresponding need. This will also keep you from over committing, leaving a lack in services provided, resulting in a bad experience for everyone involved. The reality is that the need always outweighs the availability of caring adult volunteers, resulting in volunteers being stretched to thin or placed in an area you feel uncomfortable in or unqualified for. Be upfront in communicating, this is where I would like to get involved and the amount of time I have to volunteer. 

Sound like something you are interested contact us at ocj1@offcampusjams.org.