It's a Good Start...

I just finished my second shift at Grandview Community Center, and I feel it was success. Turnout was a little better than the previous week, but what really mattered is that I think I have finally made a connection with the children, thus creating a foundation where I can be more than just a temporary volunteer.

Shortly after they began trickling in after school, one of the older students asked if I could help him with an art project. Once I started making various sketches, the children began flocking around, in awe of my admittedly rusty talent. They began asking for drawing of various cartoon and comic book characters, to which I happily complied. Once I had their full attention, I offered to teach them some slightly advanced drawing lessons, and soon I had children from the ages of six to sixteen mapping out some fairly complex faces. Once they seemed to have the basics down, we went into more detail, including the mechanics of light and shadow and how it creates depth. I occasionally had to break so I could offer additional help to some of the younger students, but everyone was patient and soon I had some of the better students helping out those who found the exercises more challenging. Even a few of the kids who were normally quite hyper proved attentive and receptive. By the end of my three-hour shift, there were drawings scattered everywhere, with a few children continuing to draw on their own.

I was extremely pleased that I could help these children explore a creative outlet that was extremely important to me when I was young. When some of them became frustrated, saying they simply couldn't draw, I encouraged them by saying that--like anything else--it takes practice, and that they were doing better than I did when I was their age, which seemed to give them hope of improvement. After the exercises, a few of the students were surprised by what they could do, so I'm hoping that I've inspired a few burgeoning artists with natural talent to explore this new avenue of expression.

In addition to what will probably be weekly art lessons, I talked with the supervisor, asking if I could help improve their library. The Center has probably about two hundred books that are made available to the children. Unfortunately, many of the books are in poor shape and in desperate need of being retired and replaced. Additionally, the set-up they have--which amounts to the books being heaped on the various shelves indiscriminately--makes it difficult if not impossible for anyone to find what their looking for without a major excavation. Since I have quite a few years of library experience at my disposal, I will be creating a system in which to organize the stock proper. After recycling the books that are incomplete or completely dismantled, I will be donating a fair number of new books with which to upgrade and expand the existing catalogue. Since many of the children are always eager to help out with tasks around the Center, I will appoint any eager volunteers to be "Assistant Librarians," so the library can be maintained in the days when I am not there. I feel that the more we can get the children involved with helping out the Center, these additional responsibilities will give them a sense of accomplishment and better their self-esteem.

Suffice it to say, my second day at the Center exceeded my expectations, and finally gave me a strong sense of where and how I can help out. Like Mortenson, I've always believed that education is a vital part of personal and cultural development, and knowing that I can help out even in some small way is extremely gratifying. Honestly, I'm hoping that even after this quarter is done, I can arrange my college schedule in such a way that I can continue helping out at Grandview on a regular basis and not have it affect my school performance. Only time will tell.