In a previous blog (Reaching Out), I talked about reaching out, as a volunteer, to international people here in the U.S., for a variety of reasons. I was involved in volunteering on the domestic scene as well.
About three miles from my home in McLean was an elementary school. Like most of the schools in our country, there is a constant need for volunteers, and this school was no exception. I called the school to sign up "as needed" and they needed reading helpers. I moved from one class to another, three times a week, enjoying every minute of it.
In one of the third grade classes I met a youngster named R___. He had just arrived from a South American country with his diplomat parents and siblings, he being the oldest child in the family. R____ had never been exposed to the English language, so you can imagine his predicament.
R____and I became buddies. With his parents' approval I would take him to the Tysons Corner shopping center on a Saturday. We would walk around looking in the store windows to see new words, then we would have lunch so he could learn words from the menu. It was soooooooo enjoyable for me to see how quickly he could grasp new words and ideas, and, of course, it was a great boost for him in school.
Another meaningful volunteering opportunity for me was at the CENTRAL UNION MISSION, A Christian organization dedicated to reaching the poor in Washington, D.C. There I taught a basic literacy course to men.
More, later.
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