Project Link-Meredith

·   I volunteered at Teen Reach on 4/2/213 and 4/4/2013.

·   With more than 2/3 of Americans living pay check to pay check, teen reach is a great program for families that do not have extra money for child care. Working poor families need programs like teen reach because it allows the children to have supervision while the parents are working. I have learned through my FCS classes, that community programs are lacking especially in low economic areas. 

·   During my volunteer work I connected with the head of the program and had offered to contact the community service chair from my sorority to set up a volunteer sisterhood. He stressed the need for volunteers because it is run on the support of the community. I also learned how much the volunteers mean to the kids. The kids are able to create meaningful relationships with the volunteers by providing the kids with help and guidance in school and their daily lives. This experience has allowed me to learn how important community support is for programs like teen reach. Community support allows programs like these to be used by families and needs, which is so important to have.

·   Programs like teen reach can provide our youth with the opportunity to better their lives. Teen reach provides homework help, to improve the child's grades in school. It offers counseling services for the child if needed. These services are sometimes not in the budget for families, which can be extremely beneficial if a family is going through a lot of hard times. Teen reach also provides career exploration for the children in the program to spark interest and motivation in the children for the future. Another great aspect of the program is that it provides transportation to the child, so that their care givers do not have to worry about them getting there and back.

·   Even after two days of being there I was able to make connections with the kids that were there. They were so excited to see me the next day, which made me realize the importance of this program. We went bowling one day, and the kids were leaping out of their chairs to go. Even a simple trip to the bowling alley made their day and allowed them to be a kid and hang out with other people that they have made connections with. I hope that more communities of all economic status have a program like teen reach because there is a lot of need for this positive impact on our youth.