[nabs-l] Community Service options

Wed Apr 25 22:45:44 UTC 2012

Hi, if you enjoy reading, itis always fun to read to a group of children 
either at your public library, childrens hospital or an elementary school
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Misty Dawn Bradley" <mistydbradley at gmail.com>
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 8:29 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Community Service options


> Hi George,
> You may also be able to look up nonprofit organizations in your area. Many 
> of them look for volunteers. I myself am volunteering with a local adult 
> literacy nonprofit that teaches and tutors adults and also teaches English 
> to immigrants. There are many different types of nonprofit organizations, 
> so there may be some in the area in which you are interested. Also, you 
> could check with hospitals in your area to see if they have programs for 
> volunteering. You could find a cause or area that you are passionate about 
> as far as helping the community and go from there.
>
> Hth,
>
> Misty
>
> Original Message ----- 
> From: "Greg Aikens" <gpaikens at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" 
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 9:15 PM
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Community Service options
>
>
>> Hi Jorge,
>> There are all kinds of opportunities for a person who is blind to 
>> participate in community service.  The adaptations that need to be made 
>> will of course depend on what projects you choose to participate in.  A 
>> good place to start would be getting a list of suggested projects in your 
>> area from your school or by asking around to find out what other students 
>> are doing for their community service.  This will get you brainstorming 
>> about what kinds of things you might be interested in doing and then what 
>> possible modifications you might need to make.  One thing to remember is 
>> that doing service can be fun to do with others, and since everyone has 
>> to complete the requirement, its a good opportunity to work with friends 
>> on projects you might not feel confident tackling alone.
>>
>> Some pretty standard service project ideas are:
>> After school tutoring at an elementary school/community program etc.  You 
>> may not be able to read the student's assignments to them, but depending 
>> on how old the students are, they may be able to read enough for you to 
>> know how to help.  Tutoring a younger blind student in blindness skills 
>> such as braille might work too, but I encourage you to at least try some 
>> things out of your comfort zone.
>> Serving food at a homeless shelter/soup kitchen etc:  Serving the food 
>> might be difficult, but you can always wash dishes.  That's usually where 
>> I ended up because its where I was most comfortable, but you can really 
>> try anything you feel comfortable with.
>> Playing bingo/cards at a local nursing home: Even if you don't have 
>> braille bingo sheets, the point of these activities is generally to give 
>> the residents a chance to relax.  Many would be just as happy to have a 
>> nice person to talk to as have someone to play against them in bingo. 
>> And you can always bring a deck of braille playing cards.
>> Sorting food/clothes at a local food bank/homeless shelter:  Depending on 
>> how specifically they need stuff sorted, this could be a pretty easy job 
>> to do solo.  Sometimes it is as simple as pulling all the cans out from a 
>> load of mixed groceries.
>>
>> You could also spend time volunteering for your local NFB chapter.  I'm 
>> sure there are things your local chapter president could use help with, 
>> whether its technology, proofreading braille agendas for the next 
>> meeting, etc.  Presidents are generally good at finding stuff for people 
>> to do :)
>>
>> Find stuff you are interested in and start thinking of ways you might be 
>> able to serve others in those areas.  And definitely try to work with 
>> friends.  It always makes the experience more enjoyable and it might help 
>> you feel comfortable trying more.
>>
>> Anyway, I hope some of these suggestions got you thinking.  Feel free to 
>> ask more questions on here or on the community service list.  There are 
>> lots of us who get into this stuff.
>>
>> Best of luck,
>>
>> -Greg
>> On Apr 24, 2012, at 6:56 PM, Jorge Paez wrote:
>>
>>> Hello all:
>>> Sorry I haven't been on the list in a while, but its been a crazy year 
>>> academically speaking.
>>> A few days ago, I was made aware of an issue with my current graduation 
>>> requirements, which is the Community Service part of my school's 
>>> graduation standards.
>>> Up to then I had no idea that Community Service was required,
>>> but according to my guidance councilor I believe they require about a 
>>> hundred hours of community service before graduation.
>>>
>>> Does anyone have any experience in Community Service?
>>> If so, what are the possibilities and the adaptions or modifications 
>>> required?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Jorge
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>>
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