Volunteer Opportunities

We are excited for a new term to start in January. We are looking forward to meeting new volunteers and welcoming back our previous volunteers. We have a great group of volunteers and are always looking for more to add! You may be looking at this site in preparation for coming to Grenada. We are hoping to keep this site updated this term. There are several volunteer opportunities with the SO organization and also outside of the SO organization.

The SO’s currently go to Queen Elizabeth’s Home for Children on Monday afternoons. We leave at 3pm from Charter Hall and return around 5:15-5:30.

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays we run an after school program, called Limes. This is done in the Limes field which is behind the Texaco. We meet at the Texaco (on the Grand Anse bus route) at 2:45pm. The program usually lasts until 5:00pm.

The Orphan Student Organization (OSO) hold beach days with the kids from Queen Elizabeth and Bel Air Home for Children on Saturdays at Grand Anse beach from 10am-12pm.

The Christian Student Association (CSA) goes to Bel Air Home for Children on Saturdays from 1pm-3pm and they allow any SO’s that want to go to ride with them.

We also hold bake sales at least monthly to raise money for various charities. You can volunteer your baking skills and/or your time at the bake sale. The details for the bake sales are on the calendar on the SO website and also sent out in weekly emails.

There are also many more volunteer opportunities available throughout Grenada other than those listed above. We are hoping to get an updated list on the SO website at the beginning of the term.

We look forward to meeting you and if you have any questions, just leave a comment or send us an email @ so.sgu.volunteer@gmail.com.

Here are a few pictures from some of the volunteering we did the last term.

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last week in volunteering…

We had a great kick off for this semester of volunteering!!

We started with Beach Day on Saturday with the children from Bel Air Home

 

Monday we headed up to Tempe to Queen Elizabeth Home for Children.  We had 6 volunteers go and help with homework, read books, draw pictures, and play outside!

Tuesday we had our first day at the Limes After School Program!!   This week talked all about me.  We learned each others names, talked about our favorite things, and what made us special.

On Saturday there was Beach Day with the kids from Queen Elizabeth AND we visited Bel Air Home in the afternoon!

In the next couple weeks we are also arranging a visit to the Dorothy Hopkins Center for the Disabled, so stay tuned for that!!

 

A Home for Limes!

Today is our first day back in our building for the Limes After School Program!!
After 6 months of the program being homeless (due to new management of the building) we are back under roof!

Today we are going to continue our theme of “Getting to Know Me”
Yesterday we tried to learn everyone’s names & today we are going to get to know each other better and learn what is special about ME.

Please join us for some fun and learning!!
We meet at the Texaco on Maurice Bishop Highway at 2:45

Hope to see you there!!

1st visit to Queen Elizabeth Home!!

Monday, the 24th will be our first visit to Queen Elizabeth Home for the term!

We are so excited to get back to see the kids and hear about their Christmas!

There are currently about 20 children at the home ranging in ages from 4-12 and they all love  visitors!  We will help them with their homework, read books, play with toys, run around the yard, and have a great time!

Please join us at 3pm at the bus stop on campus!

A Fresh New Year!!

2011 is going to be a great year for Grenada and the Significant Others Organization!
and YOU can make that possible!!
If you haven’t volunteered with us before, here is your chance to start!

Starting January 24th and every Monday throughout the semester we will be visiting Queen Elizabeth Home for Children.
At Queen Elizabeth Home we spend 2 hours helping the children with homework and playing!
We meet every Monday at 3pm at the bus stop on campus and will return by 5:30pm.

Starting January 25th we will resume the Limes After School Program.
The Limes After School Program is held in the Limes neighborhood (near the Grand Anse housing scheme).  At this point in time we are without a building.  We hold the program outside in a field.  There are about 40-50 children who participate in the program.  These children are from some of the poorest neighborhoods in Grenada.  We offer a safe place for them to hang out after school as well as a snack!  For some of the children it may be their only evening meal.   We have lessons and activities, do crafts, play games, and show these children love.
The program runs every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Volunteers meet at the Texaco on Maurice Bishop Highway at 2:45!

On Saturdays OSO (Orphan Student Association) holds Beach Day with the children from Queen Elizabeth Home and BelAir Home.  We play with the kids on the beach and in the water and have lunch.  Meet on Grand Anse Beach from 10am-12pm.

This term we also want to get more involved with the Dorothy Hopkins Center for the Disabled. The home would like to have volunteers help the residence with field day activities, crafts, and just spending quality time together.   Once transportation issues are resolved we will let you know!!  Please contact the Volunteer Coordinators if you are interested in helping or driving to the home!

Please let us know if you have ANY questions about the programs or how to get involved!!
Happy New Year!!

balloons, lollipops and happy little smiles

Contributed by: Amber Gazo

I know I already wrote a post on here about visiting Queen Elizabeth but I felt it was high time for another one. Last week quite a few people came to the home with us and it was a wonderful time for the kids. Miss Heather and Miss Julia blew up tons of balloons for the children who oddly enough, all wanted to keep them untied. They enjoyed letting the air out and then blowing them back up themselves. It’s amazing to me how independent they can be. I find playing with them to generally be a very relaxing task. They usually just want to show you how they play and have you applaud them and smile while adding words of encouragement.

One boy in particular is extremely proud of the fact that he can now spell his name except he wishes there was an ‘a’ in it and keeps adding it between the letters. I’m not sure why he wants an ‘a’ in his name so badly but he does. I think it’s because it’s the first letter in the alphabet and probably what they’re learning to write at the moment. It’s just imprinted in his brain!

They also received lollipops ( or suckers or light bulbs ) from Miss Julia and couldn’t have been more excited about their tongues changing different colors. I have so many pictures of them sticking out their tongues from that day with gleeful little smiles plastered over their faces.

Some visiting parents tagged along and were treated to some Hannah Montana and Rihanna tunes, all sung beautifully by the kids. They proudly showed off the frangipani ( the local caterpillar ) which I’m completely grossed out by but they seem to love. Two were intertwined on one of the branches and one of the children screamed with delight, “Miss they’re kissing!” 

Getting to know these kids will change your life. It’s already changing mine.

Bake Sale Recipe: Chocolate Macaroons

Contributed by: Sarah Dhillon

The thing about chocolate macaroons is that they don’t always look so great… or maybe it’s just that they’re hard to identify. They’re a slow seller at bake sales because people don’t necessarily know what they are… but once you’ve had them, you know that they’re delicious and you want to eat them again and again. Seriously, this recipe comes with a warning: Chocolate Macaroons are addictive and we are not responsible for over consumption!

I would like to draw an analogy here between chocolate macaroons and volunteering… bet you didn’t see that coming! In all seriousness though, I’ve heard a few people say that they’d like to try volunteering but they’re not sure if they’d like it. They might be unsure for any number of reasons (i.e. no experience around kids or the disabled, don’t know anyone else who volunteers, etc.) or maybe, they’d like to volunteer but just haven’t seen the opportunity that’s right for them. The thing about giving your time to help out, is that it is incredibly fulfilling. I’d really like to encourage anyone, who’s ever thought about volunteering, to give it a try at least once. If you see a project that appeals to you, come on out! Or, if you’d like to see a project or volunteer opportunity in an area that you’re interested in, please let us know so that we can try and set something up for you. Just like those chocolate macaroons, you might just find that once you try out volunteering, you’re addicted.

Hope to see you out there!

Chocolate Macaroons

2 cups sugar

6 Tbsp cocoa

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup shredded coconut

3 cups oatmeal

• Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Add vanilla and remove from heat.
• Stir in coconut and oatmeal.
• Drop by teaspoonful onto wax paper and let set.
• Chill

This picture by Amber Gazo always makes me smile... and reminds me of some of my favourite volunteer experiences at the Limes After School Program.

How you can get involved:

Check out our calendar of volunteer events or visit the volunteer section of the SO web page.

You can also view/join our Facebook group.

For more information on volunteer projects and insights from volunteers, keep on reading this blog!

If you are already a volunteer and would like to write something for the blog, please email us! so.sgu.volunteer@gmail.com