My Kids

My life has been really hard this year. I’ve had some really unfair and challenging things to face and overall, it’s just been hard. Despite the hardships, I’ve found ways to be happy this year: my family, my friends, my future, there are good things happening. But today especially, I experienced something that made me feel really, really good about being me and about the choices and sacrifices I’ve made, as well as our country's future.

Most people don’t really understand what I do, both my National Service and my actual job. I won’t go into much detail as it’s not my main point but basically AmeriCorps is a government-funded program that allows individuals to work in the govt. and nonprofit sectors. It assists the organization by helping to pay for added staff to run many vital programs that support a vast number of social needs. Mine is the Youth Volunteer Corps of Greater Kansas City. We make next to nothing, about $1000 over the poverty line, but it works. We are Team Leaders who essentially run the program under the direction of a program director and a part-time assistant.

For one year we:
A) Cultivate relationships with area nonprofits that have volunteer needs;
B) Design volunteer projects (on Saturdays, after-school, within schools, special holidays like MLK Day of Service and over the summer), these projects are not just working to paint, clean, care for clients, mentor, etc. but also include service-learning components and team and leadership building lessons;
C) We recruit youth (ages 11 – 18) to come and volunteer at the projects; and
D) We volunteer alongside of them while teaching and supervising.

There are highs and lows of the actual job, of course, and it’s a constant learning process whether it’s creating new systems in the office or dealing with a problem kid who doesn’t want to work. The greatest thing about this job, however, is also one of the things that made me commit to the nonprofit sector, both academically and professionally. It's the people who serve.

This morning, we begin accepting applications for our Summer Program. The program consists of 8-weeks (very much like a summer camp). There are five project choices each week at a variety of Kansas City nonprofits. Youth can sign up for one week or all eight and they commit to a max of 24 hours per project (9-3, M – Th). These projects are fun and work for the youth and can often be a huge opportunity for a struggling nonprofit. The amount of work that a group of just 10 youth can get done in 24 hours is incredible, in fact one of our biggest challenges is ensuring that the youth will have enough to do and not get bored! This year we have 40 projects with 560 individual spots for youth volunteers. I don't quite remember the math, but it's about 15,000 hours of service in 8-weeks.

To apply, youth or their parents had to come into the office beginning at 7 am to turn in their application. Last year, we had several early birds so we had been warned to be prepared for a rush of applicants first thing. I arrived at the office this morning at 5:30 am to be greeted by 5 youth and two parents who had proudly claimed their spot to begin the line. By 6:30 am, more than 50 people were in line, by 7 am over 80. By 8 am, after one hour of accepting applications, more than 150 youth had signed up. By the time I left at 6:15pm, 90% of the projects were full. There was no iPad, no concert tickets, no celebrity to photograph. The prize at the end of the line was serving their community…all by people 11 – 18.

How special is that?

People say this country is in trouble. People say youth have no voice. People say that family and community values are lost. They are wrong. This country has its issues, duh, but how incredible is it that kids will wake up hours before school to ensure that this summer, they get to volunteer? To commit to this program, youth are giving a large part of their summer where they could otherwise be working, playing, sleeping, traveling, you name it but they have spoken. They want to volunteer.

This sector that I serve allows that to happen. It houses amazing 501c3s that change bad to good. It gives back. It teaches kids the importance of caring about where they come from and helping those in need for no reason but because it’s the right thing to do.

I’ve had a crappy year, there’s no doubting that. But these kids have changed my life and made me see love in a way that is truly, truly special. Not sure what your summer plans are but I guarantee you, my summer plans are pretty unbeatable.