“Youth who volunteer are more likely to do well in school, graduate, vote and be philanthropic,” cites the UCLA/Higher Education Institute.
DeKalb County KEYS (Keep Engaging Youth to Succeed) and Kishwaukee United Way are hosting the first annual Care or Be Square Youth and Family Volunteer Fair for DeKalb County middle and high school youth this Thursday, May 24, at DeKalb County Community Outreach Building’s Blank Slate Room (2500 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb) from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. They have 22 vendors participating in this first time event. Vendors will be sharing information about the youth and/or family volunteer opportunities available in their organizations.
Mary Hess, Asset Specialist at DeKalb County KEYS Initiative says “Not long ago, our research found only 22% of DeKalb and Sycamore youth report they are given useful roles in the community. The youth & family volunteer fair is one way we can let our kids know that they can make a valuable contribution in the communities where they live. ”
The Care or Be Square Youth & Family Volunteer Fair is free and open to students from all DeKalb County middle and high schools. It is designed to facilitate volunteer connections and help ignite the volunteer spirit that has shaped our thriving community. The volunteer fair hopes to provide young people and their families with a myriad of opportunities that will compliment both their interests and schedules. To assist attendees in learning about what volunteer opportunities are available, an information booklet detailing each participating organization will be distributed.
“We were thrilled when Mary contacted us asking what we thought about offering a volunteer fair tailored to kids in our community. We were on board immediately,” says Dawn Littlefield, Kishwaukee United Way’s Executive Director, “We hope that students and families will come out and see us on the 24th.”
Why should youth get involved in volunterism?
- · Youth who volunteer just one hour a week are 50% less likely to abuse drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, or engage in destructive behavior. (Search Institute)
- · Youth who volunteer are more likely to do well in school, graduate, vote, and be philanthropic. (UCLA/Higher Education Research Institute)
- · Out of 13.3 million youth, 59.3% volunteer an average of 3.5 hours per week, versus 49% of the adult population volunteering an average of 4.2 hours. (Independent Sector/Gallup)
- · Youth who volunteer are three times more likely to volunteer as adults. (Independent Sector/Gallup)
- · Teens say the benefits received from volunteering are: Learning to respect others; learning to be helpful and kind; learning to understand people who are different from them; developing leadership skills, becoming more patient, and better understanding of good citizenship. (Independent Sector/Gallup)
To get further information, including vendor registration forms, contact Mary Hess at 815.756.8501 , ext 111 or maryh@bengordoncenter.org.
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