Schools, students and Sparrows

Sparrow Club (www.sparrowclubs.org) was introduced to our school a few years ago by my Language Arts colleague, Laura Queen.

The organization itself started several years ago when a Washington teacher’s son was diagnosed with cancer, and his insurance was unwilling to cover the cost of the treatment to save his life. When one of his students, a misfit boy with health problems of his own, emptied his bank account of fifty dollars to give to his teacher, it started a chain-reaction, and kids throughout the community eventually raised a quarter of a million dollars to pay for the treatment to save the life of their teacher’s son. Tragically, the misfit boy who started the whole thing died shortly after.

In the years since, it has flourished, giving schools the chance to ‘adopt’ a single child (their Sparrow) and do all kinds of things to raise money for him or her. But it isn’t so much a fundraiser as it is an opportunity for kids to think beyond themselves and perform community service to aid a single ailing child in need. When Laura first introduced the club to the staff, I was skeptical, especially since it had been my experience that the kids at my school were largely indifferent to anything beyond themselves.

How wrong I was. When we were first introduced to our Sparrow, a 13-year-old with leukemia, the outpouring was enormous. How the club works is this...kids go out into the community to perform community service (i.e. volunteering, cleaning up parks, etc.), and for every hour they work, sponsers contibute $10 help help the Sparrow’s family with medical costs, travel, etc. In addition, we held several events at the school (staff vs. students basketball, bake sales, car washes), and all the proceeds went to this single child we adopted. All told, we raised over $15,000, nearly all of it through the initiative of the students at our school, who thought beyond themselves and rallied for a welfare of a single child. Best of all...our Sparrow was eventually cured!

D.M. Anderson
http://www.dmanderson.blogspot.com

Where Do You Volunteer?

Volunteer work.

It holds a special place in my heart (as corny as it sounds). And I'm not trying to brag or anything, but people who know me are always questioning how I'm able to volunteer so much. People act like it's impossible to find the time to volunteer, but it's honestly extremely easy to do.

Each week, I volunteer a few hours of my time to help out my local hospital. And it's not difficult to do! I simply help by doing little assignments here and there that greatly help the staff in the long run.

But one thing I think that people misunderstand about volunteer work is that they believe it's boring and a waste of time. But here's the catch: It doesn't have to be! It is so easy to find a volunteer niche that is perfect for you! For me, volunteer work isn't a chore, but a pleasure!

I have volunteered time at my school with my fellow friends and classmates as a part of an organization talking about the effects of bad decisions while on the road and why people should choose to drive safely and filled with awareness. And I would really like to think that it made a difference.

There are so many different ways you can volunteer in your community. For a teen, like myself, there are many options available for you to volunteer in your community.

-Volunteer your time at a sibling's school helping out in the classroom. It really does help the teacher to have an extra helper!

-Volunteer at an afterschool program, such as the Boys and Girls Club, to help kids with their homework. It is so important that kids receive the help that they need in school!

-Volunteer to help clean up your park sometime! It's important that kids have a safe and clean environment to play in!

So, as you can see, there are many easy ways for you to volunteer! And if you don't want to be alone, bring a friend with you! Not only will you have someone to talk to as you clean up the park, but double the amount of work will be done!

And, as I finish up, I know that there are endless possibilities of ways you can volunteer in your community. How do all of you volunteer?

Alyssa Montgomery
http://amontgomery99.blogspot.com/
Author of Where Are You?, Mr. Mysterious, and 9:53 PM (from the Heat of the Moment Anthology).