by Barbara Blalock

Over the past year I have had the privilege of working with local High School students enrolled in a Job Skills program and this partnership has proven to be a win-win experience for everyone involved.

Every semester three to four students have volunteered in support of  my organization, Treasures 4 Teachers, to volunteer their time.

The student volunteers have a variety of special needs but that certainly didn’t keep them from making a difference!

When the students arrived they were always excited and eager to get to work.

I always let them know how important their service was and what a difference it made for teachers and students in the classrooms we serve.

Over the past year the students that have volunteered have completed the following tasks:

• Sorting cards that come in all mixed up
• Making bookmarks from the cards
• Sorting black and white tile pieces
• Making games from the tile pieces
• Stocking the shelves
• Cutting foam into shapes
• Folding letters
• Stuffing envelopes
• Helping test kits that were being developed for classroom use

Some of the job skills the student volunteers worked on with us are simple, but still important.

Some of the skills the students learned from the experience included:

• Completing an application
• Touring the facility and meeting other volunteers
• Signing in and out each day
• Taking appropriate breaks
• Organization skills
• Completing tasks
• Following directions
• Communicating with each other
• Team building

Without this program these students might never have had the opportunity to learn these skills.

At the end of the school year the students proudly presented me with a handmade card signed by each of them telling me how much they appreciated the opportunity of volunteering and all that they learned.

Needless to say, I had tears in my eyes and warmth in my heart.

I want to encourage other non-profit organizations and volunteer managers to try and find ways to engage young volunteers with special needs in volunteer programs.

It has been a wonderful and fulfilling experience for me.

About the Author
Barbara Blalock is the Executive Director and Founder of Treasures 4 Teachers, Inc. a non-profit organization in Tempe, Arizona that provides vital materials to educators and students through proactive, environmentally-friendly programs. Treasures 4 Teachers seeks out and collects unwanted, but reusable materials and turns these materials into usable classroom resources.