MUSCATINE, Iowa–Students at Jefferson, Madison, and Mulberry Elementary School proved that people of any age can make a difference. Students from each school participated in their own Days of Caring, where they helped with age-appropriate projects at Riverside Park, Weed Park, and at First Baptist Church.
Because volunteering has benefits both for the volunteers and those who receive the help, and because many local organizations rely on volunteers to carry out their missions, United Way of Muscatine Community Engagement Manager Hilary Henke loves getting to work with elementary students to get them volunteering. “It’s important to introduce kids to volunteering at a young age because it helps them learn skills they can use throughout their lives including leadership skills, taking responsibility, following directions, and helping others,” Henke detailed: “Volunteering can provide a boost to their self-confidence and self-esteem. They are doing something good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment.”
On each of their individual Days of Caring, students got to work outside to help beautify their community. Students at Madison helped with trash and stick pickup at Weed Park, and students at Jefferson completed similar projects at Riverside Park. Because of its proximity to their school, students from Mulberry volunteered at First Baptist Church, helping weed their flowerbeds, tidy up their yard, and put down new mulch.
Straightforward but meaningful projects, Henke considered them ideal for the kids, as they could complete them themselves and see a big difference when they finished: “Cleaning up trash and sticks was an age-appropriate project for elementary school aged children. This also allows the kids to make an impact at places they may go to play so they can see the impact of their hard work.”
Though kids may not always like doing chores at home, Henke found they really got into their volunteering work, especially because it could help make Muscatine safer both for people and animals. Henke shared, “the second graders at Jefferson told me that they loved getting to do the Day of Caring event because they were able to help others in the community by cleaning up the parks and that it was good for the environment to pick up trash; they were also glad to remove trash from the parks so it didn’t hurt any of the animals in the area.”
At Each of the Elementary Days of Caring Henke helped orchestrate, she felt inspired by the enthusiasm of the students. “Seeing young children get so much joy out of this opportunity made me very proud and optimistic for our future,” she beamed.
While students of all ages will need to wait until next school year to participate in the next Student and Elementary Days of Caring, kids in kindergarten through 12th grade can still help United Way out by submitting their original Day of Caring T-Shirt designs for their 2022-2023 shirts. Students may draw anything they would like relating to volunteering so long as it includes the phrase “Day of Caring” in it. Henke welcomes parents to email her their children’s designs, or to call her at 563-263-5963 for additional information or ways to submit. The artist with the winning design will receive a $50 gift certificate as a prize.
