Comments on: Kids Can Help Too!

By: Polly

Polly — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:06:15 +0000

Sounds like you are doing great work in Joplin! It’s so wonderful to get kids involved (even if they don’t like having to wear masks and gloves!). It’s up to us to model a spirit of volunteerism for the youth of today, and it sounds like you’re doing just that! Keep up the good work.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:00:36 +0000

I have been helping down in Joplin, and the family that I have been staying with has several children who are too young to be helping with most of the debris clean-up but old enough to help out in many other ways. I have been spending some of my time cleaning up at a Little League baseball complex. There is one part of the fiel that has not yet been touched. I had two of the kids (ages 11 and 12) join me one day. They had been desperate to get out and do some clean-up. The main thing was picking up trash that had been blown into the field post-tornado (with fewer trees to block the wind, trash does not stay neatly in containers now). They also did a fantastic job helping to pick up shingles and other odds and ends out of the field. They weren’t so fond of wearing masks — have to take precautions, even if it doesn’t seem dangerous — but they were so happy to be doing something to help out other kids.

By: Polly

Polly — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:19:10 +0000

Great idea! The link I put on this post was about some specific kits that could be made and mailed as a unit, but I agree that the more items in them the better. Especially toothbrushes! Thanks for your help and for getting your son involved. As you know this is something he’ll remember forever and carry on with his own children!

By: Donna

Donna — Wed, 04 May 2011 04:17:16 +0000

Just a thought on the kits; worked one of the disaster centers today and one of the coordinators mentioned that the kits had only one toothbrush. These typically go to families, not just one person so more than one toothbrush would be nice. Thanks, everyone! These families really need and appreciate the help.
Oh and btw, my son and I got to go with a group to the coast for Katrina relief to deliver bicycles for the kids! He’ll never forget it and now he’s also helping at the center at 15 yrs. old.