Open hearts and big smiles were the main attractions a group of youth volunteers exhibited during a recent community festival.
Thomas County Central High School Chorus students volunteered at the recent Thomas Grady Service Center Fall Festival. The group was invited to assist with the event by leading games and activities for the center’s consumers – community members with special needs.
Thomas County Chorale Director Nicole Davis wanted her young singers to have an opportunity “to share their hearts and time in a hands-on way” and thought assisting with the festival would give her students such an occasion.
“I hoped that they would enjoy themselves and begin to value the people they were serving,” Davis said of her decision. “It was a chance for us to look outside ourselves.”
Shaletta Pierce, a social worker with the center, was happy to invite the students. She felt “it would be a great experience for them” because it would expose these students to special need adults within their community. This interaction, she explains, would teach students about respecting these persons and remind them that the special need students they attend school with now don’t disappear after graduation.
Pierce said the TCCHS students gave more than anticipated.
“They were so kind, caring and eager to help the participants,” she said. “Ms. Davis did a wonderful job choosing some of the best students. It was like she matched their personalities to fit every aspect of what was needed….”
Festival activities included basketball, face painting, fingernail painting, snow cones, rock painting, fishing for goodies, and “corn hole.”
Senior Ariana Warren enjoys giving back to her community and said she appreciates her festival experience.
“The consumers were so happy and kept thanking us for helping out and hoped we are able to do it again next year,” she said. “Sadly, I'm a senior, but if I wasn't, I'd definitely do it again! I gained a happier day and many smiles were put on faces that day.”
Junior Nicholas Hales participated in order to have fun and help others have fun, too. He assisted in the set up and operation of the “corn hole” game.
“I taught people how to play the game, and helped them out, and gave them prizes,” Hales said. “I learned that helping out, even just a little bit, can make someone’s day be a lot better.”
Davis feels her students “had some truly vulnerable moments where they were able to show love and receive it in return.”
“When we were returning from the trip, they were talking about the people they met and how they wanted to serve again,” she said.
Pierce said the best part of the kids’ visit is how they treated the center’s participants: like there was nothing different about them.
“Not only did it make the participants feel good, but it also gave them an experience to be respected by people in the community that sometimes they don't receive,” she said. “Many of the people we serve have dealt with bullying in some fashion – many during their school years. The children didn't show pity toward them at all. They were available as needed and the participants enjoyed it. They continued to be hands on with them throughout the entire visit.”
Pierce hopes more student volunteers will assist the center in the future.
“It was great to see such young students have such great character,” she said. “They were so respectful to the participants, patient and kind. It meant a lot to me as a social worker to know that these are children of the future. Thomas Grady Service Center looks forward to more student volunteers coming through our doors.”