All of you have been given the opportunity to live and attend school in your local community. Your host family and your school are not receiving any compensation for you to be here. We would like all of you to “repay” this kindness by participating in volunteer activities that will benefit your community.
There are many opportunities to do volunteer work in the U.S. You can commit to giving 1 hour/week at a specific task, or you could choose to commit an afternoon once/month for a specific cause. Some ideas for you to consider:
- Your local library – helping at the desk to check books in & out, reading to toddlers, helping with craft activities they organize for younger children, re-shelving books.
- *Your local church youth group *– may offer volunteer activities such as doing yard work for local elderly people, serving at a local homeless shelter, or general clean-up activities around the church.
- Your school – may have a Key Club or other Service Organization you could join. They may also offer opportunities to tutor younger children. Consider helping the teacher of your native language with classes during your study hall period (sorry, being excused from other classes to make presentations doesn’t count!)
- Your host family – may be involved in an organization that does volunteer work within your community.
- Your local retirement community – may need help serving meals to the residents, or volunteers who are willing to spend time talking with the residents. You could “Adopt a Grandparent” and play checkers, chess, or cards with an elderly lady or gentleman who would be interested in hearing about your home country.
