One of my new years resolutions is to volunteer more. My friend, Sarah, has been volunteering at a place called Small Steps for the past year or so. I have heard her talk about how much she loves it, so today I went to an informational session and tour of one of their campuses. Small Steps is a Christian learning center for underprivileged children ages 2-6. There are two campuses located in very poverty stricken areas of town. The one I went to today is off of 59 right past I-10 on Jensen Street. There are about 150 children that go to school at Small Steps, most of whom don't have many (or any) positive role models in there life. Blake and I are both going to be a part of their buddy program. We will each be assigned 1-2 buddies that we play with and talk to for 30 minutes each a week. I go for my buddy training on Monday!
A couple of things stood out to me while I was there today. 1) How lucky and thankful I am to have grown up in an environment with a fantastic support system. Having parents that cared about me and that gave me so much love and attention, which I often take for granted thinking that everyone grew up that way, is so wonderful. A lot of these kids go home to distant parents who care more about getting more drugs than they do there kids. 2) That so many people in this world go without. After the campus tour and informational session, we got to take a tour of one of the neighborhoods where a lot of the children come from in a Small Steps van. It hit me hard to see the run down houses and prostitutes on the corner while hearing about the crack houses and drug establishments that have recently been shut down in the area. Why do I deserve everything that I have? I am so blessed.
I loved the fact that it is a Christian based organization. The children have "God Play" time in which they learn about basic stories in the bible and Christian principles. Today, the Pre Kers were learning about baptism, and the younger kiddos were learning about Noah's Arc. They also have a weekly bible study for any parents that want to attend. So great!
I cannot wait to be assigned my first buddy and start to help him or her by being a positive role model in their life. I will keep you all updated. They are always looking for more buddies and more people to help out. If you are interested the website is below.
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