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A Question of Time
Many people who wish to be contributors may not have the financial means
today to contribute dollars, but they still have the heart of commitment
to help those in need. Some may never have the ability to give dollars,
but wish for the opportunities to make a difference. There are those who
have the financial means to contribute, but want more involvement than
simply writing a check. For all of these people, we created our
Volunteer Department.
For all of the boys in our residential program and for many of the
students in our Self Employment in Arts Program there are needs which
dollars will never fix. The needs of those we care for go beyond giving
food and shelter. The needs of those we care for go beyond providing
school and recreation. The needs of those we care for go beyond
counseling and therapy. One of the most damaging realities of living
disruptive lives is the loss of the simple experiences of living. Can
you imagine?
To be sixteen years old and never spent an afternoon casting a line off
the Belle Isle Shore. To be sixteen years old and never have tried
playing an instrument. To be sixteen years old and never flew a kite in
the spring winds. To be sixteen years old and not be able to read the
Sunday comics. To be sixteen years old and have never learned how to set
a table. To be sixteen years old and not know how to set up a camping
site. To be sixteen years old and not be able to enjoy watching a
sporting event because no one ever explained the rules. To be sixteen
years old and not have a grasp of how to build a model airplane. To be
sixteen years old and not experience all the refinements which make life
an adventure and a journey instead of an obstacle course. They have lost
many chances to make a childhood a place of pleasant memories. We all
can point to the unpleasant memories of our own childhood, but we can
balance them off with the pleasant memories of discovery, adventure and
even learning. The problem with our boys is the opportunities for
building those pleasure memories has been limited by the history of
their lives, while adding an abundance of unpleasant memories. It is the
goal of St. Peter's Home for Boys to give to the boys exposure,
experiences and skills to help them to create as many pleasure memories
as possible. For every boy here in need of making pleasant childhood
memories, we created our Volunteer Department.
It is not a question of money. It is a question of time and experience.
Our staff does not have enough time to give each boy those personal
experiences. Our staff does not have enough personal experiences, skills
or abilities to meet every desire of every boy. We try every day and
every day we know we want to bring to them more than we have time to do.
Here is the need for volunteers. The most precious commodity any person
can give to a child is time, whether the time is spent doing something
with the child, teaching a child, or making his living environment a
better place.
For our staff and our volunteers to succeed they need resources and
support. A volunteer's time given to finding and bringing resources to
the agency are very important and by this effort they are supporting the
child. By helping a boy or helping the agency the volunteer insures St.
Peter's Home for Boys will remain strong in its commitment to the boys
here today and those coming tomorrow.
When a person gives us their time, their experiences and their heart in
service to the mission of St. Peter's Home for Boys, we must recognize
they are in equal partnership with those who work here. Volunteers at
our agency are not extra help. They are people committed to the same
mission we are. When we decided to have a Volunteer Department, we did
not add another program. We do not have a volunteer program. We have a
residential and educational programs, where volunteers work. When we
decided to have volunteers, we redesigned our service programs to
integrate volunteers in servicing the children. We redesigned our
agency' s administrative methods not to accommodate extra hands, but to
integrate volunteers in the task of finding and providing support to
those in service to the children.
A volunteer is not a position in the agency. A volunteer has a job in
the agency. A volunteer is a member of the staff of St. Peter's Home for
Boys.
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