|
.JPG) Sarah Davidson, like a lot of high school juniors, balances a
busy life that includes homework, friends, Advanced Placement classes,
after-school clubs and sports. But unlike some of her peers, Sarah’s balancing
act includes something more: giving back.
Sarah’s cheerful laugh and infectious smile can light up the
faces of anyone around her, and in this case it’s the Boulder County Department
of Social Services that has a reason to smile. It is here that Sarah has
offered her time and energy since she began volunteering regularly this fall.
Social Services volunteer coordinator Donna McCraith describes her as a mature
and lovely young woman who is efficient, bright, and fun to work with. “She
just gets so much done,” McCraith raves. Sarah has provided administrative help
for several major Social Services programs including the Back to School program,
which provides school supplies to kids who cannot afford to buy them, and the
Family-to-Family program, which matches up donors with families in the social
services system to provide the families with gifts and toys during the winter
holidays.
Sarah spends many of her volunteer hours filing, taking care of
paperwork, and other administrative tasks to help the department’s programs run
more smoothly. During the Back to School program, she also helped stuff donated
backpacks with much-needed school materials. With Sarah around to help organize
the packs and match them with each child, kids in the program were ensured age-
and gender-appropriate bags and supplies. In the process of volunteering, Sarah
has come to appreciate just how much dignity can be restored to struggling
families through the kindness of donors and volunteers. She is also impressed to
see how much giving continues year-round – not just during the holidays. She
said, “I think it’s amazing that corporations (and individuals) can give hope to
kids who have nothing . . . They let them know that there is hope. That there
are people who care.”
This March, Sarah plans to help with the department’s summer
camp program, which will allow kids within the Social Services agency to go to
camp and participate in activities they could not otherwise afford. When asked
if she will continue to volunteer after this year, Sarah smiles. “Definitely.”
|
