service

Week 31: The Wilkinson Center

lakehillprepLeave a comment

July 30, 2018

Nothing says “back-to-school” like a new pair of shoes. But for many families, it’s an expense they just can’t afford.

Wilkinson Center volunteer Carlin Morris saw need in East Dallas, and in 1985, started a shoe drive to help provide children with new shoes to start the school year. Since then, this volunteer-founded and volunteer-led program has supplied more than 36,000 children with new shoes and socks.

I have met the dynamic Carlin Morris before, and for many years have wanted to participate in the event that she started and continues to coordinate for the Wilkinson Center, an agency that combines food and emergency assistance to families with multi-generational educational opportunities that can change their lives.

I was thrilled this week to finally participate in the Carlin Morris Shoe Distribution, and to have my son Anders, and my husband Johan, with me. I love it when the three of us volunteer together, and think we will make this one of our annual projects.

We arrived at the Payless Shoes store where we were greeted by Carlin. After a brief orientation, we were ready for our assignment. Once families checked in, and the children received socks and were measured for their shoe size, we led them to the stacks to assist each child in selecting the perfect pair of back-to-school shoes. For many of the children, these are the only shoes they will receive during the entire school year.

We loved chatting with the families, hearing about where the children went to school, and seeing their faces light up when they found their new shoes.

During this 32nd annual shoe distribution, volunteers helped to give away more than 1300 pairs of shoes for children in need. According to the Wilkinson Center, over the course of the distribution, 120 volunteers gave more than 300 hours of service this year–a gift that allows this event to continue year after year.

Volunteers are vital to the success of Wilkinson Center, serving as partners with the organization and assisting in their goal to provide quality programs and services to their clients. I have taken several Lakehill Preparatory School groups to volunteer over the years, and have worked on a variety of projects. My Community Connections campers love partnering with the Wilkinson Center to work in the food pantry or in the resource center.

Individuals or small groups may sign up for volunteer assignments in the Wilkinson Center’s various programs, including food and emergency services, adult education, and family enhancement programs. Corporate and large group should inquire here about projects.

Week 30: Community Connections Camp

lakehillprepLeave a comment

July 23, 2018

This week was my second Community Connections Camp of the summer, during Lakehill Summer Camps. This one was for students in third grade through high school, and we had 32 students! Each day of the camp, we partner with two different organizations (one in the morning, one in the afternoon). Many of these organizations have already been covered in my blog (and are linked to my original posts), while a several others I am writing about for the first time.

I love returning to volunteer with favorite organizations, as well as introducing campers to new places to channel their altruistic energy. I was honored to have Sue Stretcher with me again for this camp, and Rob Vaughn and John Trout helping to get us around town in the big Lakehill bus. Many of our campers return every year to volunteer with us, and they often return with friends. This year, the camp sold out in 45 minutes. I really wish I could lead a camp every week of the summer!

In the morning, we visited The Brady Center, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of seniors through daily meals, information, exercise, and social activities. We visited with the seniors, played 30 rounds of highly competitive Bingo, and passed out prizes. We even did a little dancing at the end of our visit (picture a giant, slow-moving conga line with our 30 campers and more than 100 seniors!)

In the afternoon, we traveled to Crossroads Community Services, where our campers did an amazing job sorting shoes and clothing, organizing donations, stocking food, and packing produce. Crossroads provides much needed services to those living below the poverty line in Dallas. They are always needing donations of men’s and boys’ shoes and clothing – please think of them when clearing out closets! We also learned that as the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) makes its move to the Perot Family Campus in Plano, Crossroads Community Services has been chosen to operate a regional hub for Southern Dallas out of the Pollock Campus on Cockrell Hill Road.

On Tuesday, we began our day at Hope Supply Co., where our campers packed 2250 diapers and 475 bags of children’s paints to be distributed in back-to-school backpacks. Hope Supply distributes over 40,000 diapers each week to more than 65 partner organizations.

In the afternoon, we traveled to The Furniture Bank, an organization that helps families who are transitioning out of homelessness acquire furniture. Their clients actually purchase the furniture at a reduced cost in most cases, thus helping them in their process of becoming more self-sufficient. We vacuumed, dusted, and cleaned furniture. We also made Welcome Home cards for the families who would receive furniture.

On Wednesday, we traveled to Brother Bill’s Helping Hand in West Dallas, to help in their grocery store and with a special project. We bagged produce, sorted shopping bags, flattened boxes and crates, and prepared for the approximately 100 guests who visited the grocery store. We also sorted boxes and boxes of school supplies and helped prepare backpacks for children for a special event next week.

We spent the afternoon at White Rock Lake for a Shoreline Spruce-up at Lakehill’s adopted shoreline through For The Love of the Lake. It was definitely a day of interesting finds: one group found a wallet, complete with ID and credits cards (a phone call did not turn up the owner, so I will try to deliver to the owner’s home tomorrow); a second group unearthed a large traffic cone from the muddy water; and a third group hauled in a not-so-pristine Air Jordan sneaker and a china plate. You never know what you will find!

Our activities on Thursday really centered on hunger, from the “hidden hungry” served by Meals on Wheels, to the “food insecure” served by Hunger Busters.

In the morning, we headed to the VNA Meals on Wheels headquarters for an orientation and to pick up our food. We then traveled to Potter’s House/Primrose Oaks in South Dallas to deliver.

After lunch, we headed to Hunger Busters, where we made sandwiches and packed 280 sack lunches to be distributed to DISD children who are food insecure. This was my first time to work with this organization and I knew this year’s group was up to the challenge of trying out a new service partner. Our campers were amazing – making sandwiches, wrapping each in a special machine, and creating an impressive assembly line to prepare all the sack lunches.

At the end of the day, we voted to add a special project to our week. Dallas has been hit hard by the heat wave. The most vulnerable are the homeless men and women living on the streets. They have limited access to water and no air-conditioning. Staying out of the heat just isn’t an option if you are homeless. For the last several weeks, the SoupMobile has been pulling out all stops to collect bottled water for the homeless, but they need more. We decided to conduct an emergency water drive for the SoupMobile, to distribute to the homeless.

On Friday, we traveled to Bonton Farms. Located in a federally-recognized food desert, the farm grows and provides produce to this low income neighborhood. The farm extension, where we volunteered, is the larger of their two farms, where the eggs, meat, and produce is sold at the Dallas Farmers Market and to local restaurants to support their efforts in the community. We enjoyed a tour of the farm, picked Mad Hatter and Shishito peppers (sampling some along the way), and enjoyed the goats, pigs, hens, and the friendly farm dog. We learned how this community farm is turning lives around for the residents in this neighborhood.

We also visited the For the Love of the Lake (FTLOTL) office and participated in a focus group with the President of the organization. FTLOTL is starting an group called Kids Love the Lake (like a teen board, but for kids 9-13 years old) and wanted input from our volunteers. If your child is interested in becoming a charter member, attending monthly meetings and leaning more about the lake, they can write an email about why they would like to participate and send it to info@whiterocklake.org. If they prefer, they can write a letter and send it to PMB 281 – 381 Casa Linda Plaza, Dallas, TX 75218.

Our next stop was to the SoupMobile to deliver the nearly 2,000 bottles of water that we collected for the homeless. David Timothy, the “Soup Man” himself, came aboard our bus to thank the campers for their generosity.

We finished our week by writing thank you notes to our service partners throughout the week and debriefing on our experiences.

Together, we gave 1,225 combined hours of service to ten wonderful organizations dedicated to the environment and to those affected by poverty, homelessness, and hunger. I can hardly wait for my Community Connections camp next year. Registration opens in February.

 

Week 29: School Supplies in Honduras

lakehillprep1 Comment

July 21, 2018

I confess. I had a hard time this summer keeping up with my weekly service. Not the actual service part; I actually managed to stick to that. It was the follow up that got me–actually writing the blog posts. I am slowly catching up, so please bear with me!

In July, I spent a week in Guanaja, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras in the Caribbean. Many years ago, when I was travelling extensively in Central and South America, I visited Utila, another of the three Bay Islands (the other being the more developed Roatan), and I was thrilled to return to these beautiful islands after 25 years.

My brother recently moved to Honduras, and is managing a charming small resort, Cabanas on Clark’s Cay, located just off the coast of the main island. In preparation for my trip, I needed to find a project I could complete while on the island. After speaking with my brother, we decided that school supplies would be a huge benefit to the local children. I packed the largest suitcase I could legally carry, and filled all the remaining space with pencils, pens, note cards, pencil pouches, folders, and other supplies.

Once in Guanaja, I learned that Bonacca Cay is the municipal hub and home to most of the approximately 10,000 people who live in Guanaja. The other two main settlements on Mangrove Bight and Savannah Bight.

Savannah Bight, with just over 1,000 residents, is the closest settlement to where my brother is living, and is home to many of his employee’s at Clark’s Cay. On my first day in Honduras, we attended a spirited soccer match there. The soccer team we were cheering for is sponsored by Clark’s sister resort, Villa on Dunbar Rock. During a break in the soccer match, we walked around the town, ending up at the small school. We decided that this school should be the recipient of the supplies I had brought with me.

When you are traveling, why not look for a way that you can give back to the local community? You’ll feel connected with the place and the people long after you return home.

Week 28: Ronald McDonald House

lakehillprepLeave a comment

July 13, 2018

At Lakehill, our students have been collecting pull tabs for many years. Saving those little tabs that you pull to open soda, soup, or other aluminum cans, is a small project that can make a big difference for a non-profit organization. A couple of years ago, I took a group of Community Connections campers to visit the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, take a tour, and deliver our pull tabs. Our collection bin at school filled up this summer, and I decided to visit the House again and deliver them.

The Ronald McDonald House of Dallas (RMHD) provides temporary housing in a caring home-like atmosphere to families whose children are receiving essential medical care. The goal is to lessen the burden, reduce stress, keep the family intact, and enhance the quality of life for the families they serve. The program is designed so that families can concentrate on helping their children heal, without having to worry about what they are going to eat or where they are going to sleep.

With approximately 60,000 square feet, RMHD offers 52 private bedrooms and six transplant apartments. There are several playrooms, a library, media room, craft room, chapel, meditation garden, and outdoor play areas. Communal kitchens and a dining room allow families to share a meal, which is provided three times a day by community volunteers, or to prepare their own food if they choose.

Families are asked to contribute $15 per family per night, but no one has ever been turned away because they couldn’t pay. The actual cost per night to house a family is about $130— a cost mostly covered by individual and corporate donors, community organizations, and special events. Since it opened in 1981, RMHD has served more than 38,000 families.

Hundreds of volunteers offer support by serving families, preparing meals, and hosting organized activities. Each month, it takes approximately 140 cooking groups to fulfill RMHD’s mission. Volunteer organizations and individuals host organized family activities on a regular basis, with most activities taking place in the evenings or on the weekends. Groups are typically limited to 12 people, and volunteers must be 15 years of age or older.

Individual volunteers must commit to volunteering at the House for at least three months. There are three main categories that are worked in weekly, three-hour shifts, including Front Desk, Kitchen, and Family Activity Volunteers. All individual volunteers must be 18 years of age or older.

Collecting pop tabs, like we did at Lakehill, is a great way for children, schools, and other large groups to get involved with RMHD. Children of all ages can participate in this easy and fun project. The funds generated from recycling the aluminum tabs help offset RMHD’s expenses.

On my recent visit, I discovered that there is a bin located right outside the entrance to the House, so that tabs can be dropped off any day. Staff members were also happy to give me a large cardboard collection container that was shaped like a house. This will be perfect to keep in our school cafeteria, where students can easily donate during their lunch period.

With 364 Ronald McDonald Houses, in 43 countries and regions, it should be easy to get involved in your area and make a difference!

 

Week 24: Community Connections Camp

lakehillprepLeave a comment

June 11, 2018

This week was the week of my Community Connections Camp  at Lakehill for middle and high school students. It is without a doubt one of the highlights of my year! Each day of the camp, we partner with two different non-profit organizations (one in the morning, one in the afternoon). I love returning to volunteer with long-time favorites, as well as introducing campers to new places to channel their altruistic energy. I was honored to have my colleagues Kaye Hauschild and Jo Cayme-Mosley with me again for this camp. Many of our dedicated campers return every year to volunteer with us.

We began our week at Crossroads Community Services, where our campers did an amazing job sorting linens, stocking food, organizing donations, and shopping with clients. Crossroads provides much needed services to those living below the poverty line in Dallas. They are always needing donations of men’s and boys’ shoes and clothing – please think of them when clearing out closets!

In the afternoon, we visited Voice of Hope, where we worked with their first and second grade students. We led an arts and crafts activity in their classrooms and some competitive games of balloon tennis in their gym. Voice of Hope is dedicated to serving families in West Dallas, focusing their efforts on the children of the community.  Our campers did an amazing job engaging the young students, keeping them on task, and making sure everyone had fun.

On Tuesday, we began our day with CitySquare’s Food on the Move program. We helped set up, passed out food, organized activities for the children, and stayed and played at four different locations in the community. Our campers did a great job interacting with the children we served. CitySquare is a broad community development organization that offers a wide range of social services that address four key areas related to the persistence of poverty: hunger, health, housing, and hope. Their Food on the Move program helps provide free food and fun to impoverished children across Dallas in the summer when school is out.

From there, we went directly to our afternoon project at Jewish Family Service (JFS), a nonsectarian mental health and social services agency that impacts over 13,000 lives a year. We were able to participate in an amazing simulation they call the Food Pantry Experience. Our group was divided into teams and each given a family profile and scenario. They were charged with creating a budget for their family, dealing with unexpected setbacks along the way, and preparing a list of food they could purchase. They then went through the intake process at JFS, filling out the needed forms, before being allowed to shop in the food pantry. It really was an amazing experience, and gave us some insight into the food pantry clients we served the next day.

On Wednesday, we traveled to Brother Bill’s Helping Hand in West Dallas. Brother Bill’s brings not just a legacy of 75 years of service to West Dallas, but hope for a better life to the more than 25,000 people living in the 75212 zip code. This is always a favorite project for my students, as they love getting to help in the grocery store. We bagged produce, sorted plastic bags, and prepared for the approximately 100 guests who visited the grocery store. When the doors opened, our campers were ready to greet the guests, help them with their selections, provide food (and sometimes recipes), sack groceries, and help guests to their cars. This is the first post I have written on Brother Bill’s, and I highly recommend volunteering here. It’s fun, engaging, and always busy! The students were amazing – chatting with the guests, carrying bags of groceries, and making every person feel special.

In the afternoon, we cleaned Lakehill’s adopted shoreline at White Rock Lake (through For The Love of the Lake). The campers did a great job despite the heat, finding a lot of trash in a short amount of time.

We spent Thursday morning at Community Partners of Dallas, an organization that assists CPS caseworkers in helping abandoned, abused, or neglected children who have been removed from their homes. After a tour of the facility, we got to work on a seemingly monumental task – sorting, packing, and shelving row after row of backpacks. Our campers were absolutely amazing – they didn’t take a minute’s break, “power sorting” backpacks into a variety of categories and getting them into boxes and onto the shelves in beautiful order.

After lunch, we traveled to the North Texas Food Bank where we packed cereal boxes for distribution, broke down cardboard boxes, and stacked a lot of pallets.

On Friday, we headed to the VNA Meals on Wheels headquarters for a quick orientation and to pick up our food. We then traveled to Potter’s House/Primrose Oaks in South Dallas to deliver. The campers did a great job greeting clients and delivering meals with a big side of smiles. I loved seeing how they interacted with the residents.

After lunch, we prepared Bingo bags for Austin Street Center to be delivered later in the summer.

Together, our group gave 762 combined hours of service to ten wonderful organizations dedicated to the environment and to those affected by abuse, poverty, homelessness, and hunger. I am so proud of our campers and their engagement with our community this week.

I can hardly wait for my next Community Connections camp later in the summer!

 

Week 23: Community Partners of Dallas

lakehillprep2 Comments

June 8, 2018

This week, I volunteered with Community Partners of Dallas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring safety, restoring dignity, and inspiring hope for the abused and neglected children served by Dallas County Child Protective Services.

I have volunteered with Community Partners of Dallas numerous times over the past 10 years: collecting items at Lakehill Preparatory School for one of their four major drives (Easter basket, Toy, Coat, and Back-to-school) and bringing groups to work in the warehouse. Some of our Lakehill teachers have recorded stories for their Storyline program. Community Partners is the type of organization that makes volunteering easy. There is always plenty to do, and it is always well organized and well managed.

Friday was the first time I have ever volunteered at Community Partners on my own. As always, it was easy to sign up and I was welcomed with open arms when I arrived. My task during my two-hour shift was similar to those I have completed when I attended with a large group: to sort, count, box, and label supplies (pencil pouches this time), in preparation to fill the thousands of backpacks they will need for back-to-school.

I enjoyed volunteering on my own, but am looking forward to being back next week with my Lakehill Community Connections campers. I love the energy when we volunteer as a large group! I’ll be back with them next week and again in July.

Community Partners of Dallas serves more than 20,000 children a year through four unique programs. The Rainbow Room is an emergency resource center providing critically-needed items for children in the care of CPS. The cheerful room is filled with new toys, clothing, and supplies which are available for caseworkers to help children who come into protective care. Founded in 1993, it has served more than 168,000 children. I love that Community Partners only accepts new items for the Rainbow Room, operating on the credo that “abused and neglected children don’t need abused and neglected clothes.”

Other initiatives include Kids in Crisis (provides funds for children’s clothing, transportation, therapy, enrichment activities, housing, and medical expenses); Caseworker Appreciation (events that are held to show appreciation and gratitude to caseworkers); and Storyline (a dedicated phone line, 214-446-2222, that children can call 24 hours a day to hear a story).

With a staff of only 12, Community Partners of Dallas relies on the support of dedicated volunteers. There are several ways to get involved in helping the abused and neglected children they serve. There are opportunities for individuals, families, and groups to volunteer, from one-time events to regularly-scheduled volunteer hours. Be aware that Community Partners of Dallas does not work directly with the children in care of Child Protective Services due to confidentiality and safety requirements.

Teens can join THANKs (Teens Helping Abused and Neglected Kids), a volunteer program that gives them the opportunity to learn more about nonprofit operations and issues facing the community and participate in meaningful community service.

After 10 years in the Wilson Historic District, Community Partners of Dallas is moving to a new location in January 2019. With three times the space available, the organization will be able to continue to grow to meets the needs of abused and neglected children in Dallas Country.

Week 22: Voly in the Park

lakehillprepLeave a comment

June 2, 2018

I have been wanting to attend Voly in the Park for several years to learn more about nonprofit organizations in my community. This year, I signed on to volunteer at the event, held June 2, in Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas. Voly in the Park is an amazing festival dedicated to volunteerism. This year’s event, the fifth annual, featured 75 nonprofit agencies, hands-on volunteer projects, and live entertainment.

The festival showcased VolunteerNow’s proprietary online volunteer matching program, VOLY.org, which connects volunteers with more than 1,000 North Texas nonprofits and 900+ volunteer opportunities.

Area nonprofits represented a variety of causes, including animals, health and human services, hunger relief, environmentalism, and education, among others. Local groups performed on the stage throughout the afternoon, while potential volunteers strolled the grounds—learning more about the organizations represented, collecting information, and signing up to volunteer.

As an Agency Advocacy Team volunteer, I helped nonprofits get settled into their booths and made sure they had everything they needed to be successful. I then checked on them throughout the event. It gave me a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends at those agencies where I had previously volunteered, and to get to know many new ones.

I visited with representatives from all of the organizations as I went from booth to booth. Once my shift was over, I collected literature on numerous opportunities and signed up for several mailing lists. I have already signed on to volunteer at several of these organizations and hope to get more scheduled soon.

I feel fortunate to have been a part of this event, and encourage everyone to take advantage of this amazing opportunity next year!

 

Week 21: Austin Street Center

lakehillprepLeave a comment

May 27, 2018

I can’t believe I am already on Week 21 of my 52 weeks of service! I have worked with 21 different organizations so far (actually more, as Week 5 had multiple projects), and have thoroughly enjoyed every experience. While I have not missed a week of volunteering, I have struggled to post to my blog each week. I am doing my best to catch up, and to have my writing keep pace with my volunteering!

For Week 21, I volunteered with one of my favorite organizations, Austin Street Center. Founded in 1983, Austin Street Center is an emergency shelter that serves men ages 45 and older and women ages 18 and older. Each guest at the shelter is provided a safe place to sleep, showers, clothing, and meals. Austin Street Center believes that once their basic needs are met, guests can begin working on other aspects of their lives that will help them transition out of homelessness.

Austin Street Center offers a variety of services, including specific programs focused on women, veterans, and work readiness, onsite partnerships with local hospitals and clinics; substance abuse support, spiritual guidance, and Pathway House, a special program to help prepare guests for the transition to permanent housing.

There are numerous ways to get involved at Austin Street Center, both for individuals and groups. Individuals might assist at the front desk or in the computer lab, distribute items in the clothing room, sort donations, or help staff check in guests during the intake process.

Groups might help with a morning of cleaning at the shelter or by preparing and serving lunch. All lunches are prepared off-site and served at the shelter by volunteers. Austin Street Center will even provide you with recipes, if needed. Other great projects can be done at home or at school, such as holding a donation drive for clothing or toiletries, or making sandwiches to deliver to the shelter.

I have taken several Lakehill groups to volunteer over the years and have worked on a variety of projects. My Community Connections campers love visiting Austin Street to play Bingo with the guests, passing out the bags they made full of prizes to the winners. We have also cleaned, painted a room (definitely not our strongest skill), held donation drives, and made sandwiches to deliver. Now that I know how to cook for a crowd, I would love to lead a group in preparing and serving a meal.

This week, I volunteered with my dear friend Cathleen. She and I taught together for many years at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas, and share a love for volunteering and helping others develop a passion for service. We signed up to help with the intake process, but because of the high temperatures that day, guests were let in early, before we arrived. The staff had no trouble keeping us busy, and we jumped in to help serve the afternoon meal: delicious smelling brisket, Bar-B-Q sauce, green beans, rolls, and watermelon. Cathleen commented on what I have noticed every time I visit Austin Street: the sincere appreciation from the guests who we served.

Week 20: The Prom Shop Project

lakehillprepLeave a comment

May 16, 2018

Prom season. Some girls might will spend hours selecting their prom dresses – many of which will only be worn once – while other girls won’t even get to attend because they can’t afford a dress. It seems like a problem begging to be remedied.

At Lakehill Preparatory School this spring, the Sisteens (our high school service group for girls) partnered with my friend Kim Peters to collect prom dresses. Kim is the founder and executive director of the Prom Shop Project (website under construction), a grassroots organization whose mission for the past 17 years has been to donate gently used prom dresses and accessories to underprivileged girls.

Peters started in 2001, with just 75 dresses in Dallas, and now gives away thousands of dresses and accessories in cities across Texas. Her hope is to not only provide dresses, but to surround girls in need with positive role models.

Schools participate by hosting a donation drive on campus and dropping off their donations prior to the dress give-away event. I was thrilled for Lakehill to participate, and the response was extremely positive. Not only did girls donate their prom dresses, but parents and teachers went through their own closets to find formals that they could share. I donated several formal dresses that I had kept in my closet for years, reminders of treasured moments and fond memories. I realized it would be better to pass them on, with the hope that they might help someone else create special memories of her own.

Several non-profits conduct similar drives. In Dallas, Comerica Bank has provided dresses to Dallas CASA and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas for several years, and the Dallas Public Library holds its Fairy Tale Closet event to distribute dresses to girls. Becca’s Closet, in Florida, was originally founded to collect and distribute dresses to high school girls with financial need. They have now expanded the foundation to raise funds for post-secondary educational scholarships. Chapters can be found across the U.S.

Conduct an online search in your own city to see how you can get involved. Your donation can help make a prom dress dream come true for someone else.

Week 17: Vogel Alcove

lakehillprepLeave a comment

April 23, 2018

Dallas, with the sixth largest GDP of any American city, also has the highest child poverty rate in the country among cities with more than one million people. Thirty percent of Dallas children grow up in poverty, with more than 3,000 kids in our city currently experiencing homelessness.

Vogel Alcove helps young children overcome the lasting and traumatic effects of homelessness. Their vision is that every child in our community has a home, a self-sufficient family, and a foundation for success. Their new facility, housed in the former City Park School, opened in Spring 2014. They now have the capacity to serve up to 200 children each day, and continue to be specifically dedicated to serving the needs of homeless children.

For Week 17, I collected new books and toys for Vogel Alcove. By providing education and a broad array of therapeutic services, Vogel Alcove is dedicated to helping children who are experiencing homelessness cope with the physical, emotional, and mental trauma so that they might succeed in life despite their circumstances.

I have volunteered at Vogel Alcove many times over the past 10 years. I have enjoyed sorting donations, packing diapers for distribution to families, and playing outdoors with the children. Vogel Alcove is a recipient each year of our Lakehill Preparatory School Toy Drive during the holidays. My Community Connections summer campers love volunteering there. In lieu of birthday gifts for themselves, some of my altruistic campers have requested diapers that they then donated to the organization.

In-kind donations allow Vogel Alcove to provide essential items like clothing, diapers, and shoes, as well as books and toys, at no cost to families experiencing homelessness.

The most urgent needs include:

  • Children’s Clothing (boys and girls sizes 2t-6t)
  • Children’s belts
  • New children’s socks and underwear (2t-6t)
  • New/Gently used coats, rain jackets, ponchos (Size 2T-6T, boys and girls)
  • New Children’s toys
  • Umbrellas

 

Working with homeless children requires highly-skilled staff with specialized training in trauma-informed care. But there are a variety of opportunities for both individuals and groups, such as serving as Backyard Buddies, sorting and organizing donations, conducting donation drives, and preparing Bye-Bye Bags (snack bags distributed to the children at the end of the day).

Find out how to get involved or donate in-kind goods.