Hands On Georiga Day of Service

Brunswick, Georgia (January 31, 2007)…Need volunteers? Don’t overlook the talent and service of children and youth. Four year-olds from the Pre-Kindergarten class at F.A.C.E.S. volunteered recently alongside community leaders for the “Hands On Georgia Day of Service” at United Way of Coastal Georgia, Inc.

Representatives from the Brunswick Police and Fire Departments, Glynn County Police Department, The Home Depot, and several other community volunteers joined them. The event, one of many planned, was designed to promote volunteerism at an early age by allowing children meaningful hands-on activities, as well as learning from adult volunteers why giving back to your community is so important.

Mayor Bryan Thompson, who talked about volunteering also read a book to the children about service to others and said of the day’s events, “I was delighted to spend time with such smart and energetic children. I was pleased to see them planting and painting up to their three foot high necks. I was honored to talk to them about the importance of volunteering and being able to give back to our community. I would like to see and encourage more young citizens to volunteer in the community; what a difference it will make!”

The children not only learned about volunteering but worked with adult volunteers in planting flowers and designing special cards with messages to be sent to community leaders. In addition, local artist Ike Daniels Sr. worked with the children and used their help to begin painting a mural on the United Way building. The children also took home bags containing volunteer opportunities for families, small toys donated by KB Toys, and firefighter hats donated by the Glynn County Fire Department.

When asked if they knew what volunteering means, one child raised his hand and proudly answered, “Volunteering is doing something good for someone else and not wanting anything from it”. By the end of the morning, every child understood what volunteering is and how anyone can help, no matter what age.

Hands On Georgia’ is a statewide network that supports innovative volunteer approaches to meeting Georgia’s critical needs through service and civic engagement. The United Way of Coastal Georgia is a nonprofit organization and is a partner of ‘Hands On Georgia’. For more information about the United Way of Coastal Georgia or for volunteer opportunities please visit our website at http://www.uwcga.org or call 912-265-1850, ext. 307.