September 21, 2018
I recently held a Volunteer Fair at Lakehill Preparatory School. I started this event three years ago to give students an opportunity to meet representatives from a variety of local non-profit organizations. The event was held on Lakehill’s Main Campus, in the Lydia and James Perry Community Room and the Student Commons.
Each service partner manned a six-foot table, set up their display materials. Students were able to move from table to table, depending upon their interests.
The Fair was a great way for our service partners to meet students who are interested in volunteering, recruit for their teen boards and other programs, share their mission with others, and interact with other non-profit representatives.
During the Fair, students were able to meet with 15 different charitable organizations, learning more about their missions and the volunteer opportunities available. The students and teachers enjoyed visiting with the representatives and learning more about their wonderful organizations.
This year’s participants included Bonton Farms, Catholic Charities/The Brady Center, C.C. Young Senior Living, Community Partners of Dallas, Crossroads Community Services, Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Feed My Starving Children, Hunger Busters, Jewish Family Service, Jubilee Park and Community Center, Meals on Wheels, Reading Partners, Voice of Hope, and the Wilkinson Center.
The Fair gave seventh graders through high school seniors the opportunity to broaden their volunteer horizons and find new ways to give back to their Dallas community. Students appreciated the chance to network and communicate with a wide variety of volunteer partnerships and explore many new avenues for service.
I also encouraged the non-profits to keep us in mind for special events and projects. I was thrilled when several of them immediately requested our help on a variety of projects that we could complete on campus. (More about those later).
Together, Lakehill students give more than 15,000 hours of volunteer service each year. Our school is small, but our students are dedicated to making a big impact in their community. A Volunteer Fair is a great kick-off event to help them harness their altruistic energy.
