This summer youth at Methodist Children’s Home (MCH) volunteered at several Waco-area nonprofit organizations. Erica Reyes-Rosas, administrator for the MCH Waco campus, said community service shows youth the importance of sharing their gifts, talents and time with others.
“The volunteer services our youth participate in teach them about selflessness and compassion, and it also allows the city to see who we are as an organization from a different perspective,” she said.
Youth served at Meals on Wheels Texas, a nonprofit that home-delivers meals for seniors and adults with disabilities; Fuzzy Friends Rescue, a nonprofit welfare organization that cares for homeless and unwanted animals; Friends for Life, a local nonprofit charity that works to improve the quality of life for seniors and people with disabilities, particularly those who are without family; and The Salvation Army Community Kitchen, a ministry dedicated to meeting human needs without discrimination.
Last year, MCH youth logged nearly 3,000 hours of volunteer service.
Serving in the community gives MCH youth a chance to gain perspective and give back to society, said Dewayne Cady, home parent at MCH.
“It is also an opportunity for youth to support the MCH core value of service: showing compassion through generosity and care,” Cady said. “Volunteering provides our youth with a sense of fulfillment and belonging, and they have pride in their work. It’s a free way to enhance social skills in the community and share their experience with their peers. The life skills MCH youth experience are invaluable.”
An MCH youth agreed, stating, “When I volunteer, I get to give back to others, and I like helping the animals because they need to be shown love too. We get to come here and show that people care.”
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