Volunteers Make a Difference in Children’s Lives

Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. ~John F. Kennedy

In response to my recent newsletter in which I asked if any of the readers had at some time in their life worked as a volunteer, I received so many great responses of all sorts of different ways people can volunteer to make their community better that there’s no way I could share them all. But I did read them all and was heartened by the many ways you people were making your world better by gifting of your skills and time. Many of the messages mentioned being a volunteer to help children. Some of the  volunteer tasks were very serious as those done by Erin and Margie.

Erin reports being there for children when they are going through some tense times in courtrooms.

Since I don’t use either my degree or any semblance of a calling in my occupation (I work for an insurance company), I do enjoy volunteering. I have volunteered as a CASA for the last 21 years off and on. A CASA (court appointed special advocate) is one who spends time with kids who are in foster care and represent their best interests in court. Caseworkers are only required to visit these kids once a month and often before a case has its resolution, the caseworker has changed 3 or 4 times due to the high turnover in that occupation. Kids frequently change foster homes for various reasons as well and so our role is absolutely vital to be one CONSISTENT adult in the life of a child whose world has been turned completely upside down. It is heart-rending work, but I love getting to know and hang out with some of these kids. Kids are so resilient and seeing them come through these awful circumstances is very rewarding. 

Margie also works to help children in foster care and she and her husband have even taken some foster children into their home and hearts.

I have been a volunteer since 1995 with our county Foster Care Review Board…we hold reviews on a monthly basis for children in foster care to make sure they don’t remain in foster care for an overly long time. Before that, we were foster parents to over 20 children and adopted 5.

Thank you, Erin and Margie for making such a difference for children who need a friend and a place to be.

Sharon worked with children too during her young years.

During the summers I volunteered at Children’s Hospital throughout my high school years. I enjoyed working with the children and the families. We wore yellow jumpers instead of candy-striped ones. We did everything from playing with the children in the playroom, to transporting children to the long term healthcare, but the most exciting thing we did was to prepare materials for children to be tested for PKU (Phenylketonuria). It was the first early testing done. The illness could be controlled if found early enough.

Carol was inspired by the book, Christy, by Catherine Marshall.  How neat it would be if some of my stories inspired people to think good thoughts and do good deeds.

52 years ago, when I was 10, I read the book, Christy, by Catherine Marshall.  Set in the Appalachian mountains it told the story of a new, volunteer school teacher.  That story changed and shaped my life. That book was my call to mission. In my teen years I went on work trips with my youth group to the mountains. I was pretty sure I would be working full time in the mountains as an adult. I re-read (and still do) Christy every couple of years. In the intervening years God put a different call on my life and my husband and I have been fostering and adopting special needs children for three decades now. But my heart is still in Appalachia.

Then of course, our churches are a wonderful place to make a difference in children’s lives. Stephanie tells us about a wonderful lady in her church who leaves a lot of happy tracks.

There is an older lady at church who helps out in my daughter’s class. She is such a sweet lady! For holidays like Easter she gives all the kids in her class special gifts and some candy. She even surprised my daughter on her birthday this month and brought over some birthday gifts! She also tells my daughter all about God too! My daughter is always singing the songs she learns with her teacher at church. My daughter misses her teacher at church since there has been no kid’s classes since March.

Linda tells how in years past she has worked with churches in her church.

I’ve volunteered for many jobs in my different churches and always the one to be blessed! Vacation Bible School was always a favorite and breaks my heart that so many churches will be unable to have VBS due to Covid-19!

Like Linda I have been a teacher in many Vacation Bible Schools. I probably volunteered to work in the first one when my oldest son was still a toddler. I loved it and have worked with various ages,  teaching little ones to sing “Deep and Wide” the way Jocie did in Orchard of Hope to trying to engage older children in the Good News of the Bible. No time spent helping a child is ever wasted.

Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Do you remember a volunteer who made a difference in your life when you were a child?  

Thanks to everyone who shared these beautiful volunteer stories. Thanks for reading.