Community Impact
Teen League Projects and Volunteer Opportunities
The FBTSL members have worked with the FBJSL core placements: Literacy Council of Fort Bend County, American Red Cross-Southwestern, Fort Bend County Women's Center, Fort Bend Community Partners Rainbow Room and Child Advocates of Fort Bend. In addition, they have served other community organizations such as Keep Sugar Land Beautiful (KSLB) and Grant-A-Starr Foundation Fun Run to make a difference in Fort Bend County.
The following are some examples of the service projects the Teen League has undertaken in its first three years:
Red Cross Whales Tales
Several groups of 4 teens were trained by the Red Cross on their Whales Tales Program that is about teaching young children about water safety. Then the groups of the teens went to various day care centers during the summer and made a presentation to the children. It was very interactive and enlightening for the children. We hope to do more of these presentations on water safety as it is so important especially in the summer months.
Red Cross Nursing Home Visits
Our teens had sensitivity training presented by the Red Cross. The teens then used their training and had several visits to local nursing/retirement homes. The teens would play games, do crafts, paint nails and visit with the residents. Many of the Seniors do not have family in the area and these visits benefit them enormously.
Rainbow Room School Supply Drive
In August, several of our teens went to the Rainbow Room and spent many hours organizing and filling social workers' orders for children for school supplies in order to begin the school year.
Rainbow Room Christmas Sorting Project
The teens organized and sorted all the many gifts that go to the children that are part of social services.
Women's Center Craft Days/Holiday Parties
The teens go to the shelter and put on a Halloween Party for about 30 children living at the shelter. It includes costumes, crafts, goodie bags, decorations, and games. They also have helped to make Valentine's Day and Mother's Day more special for the children and mothers in the shelter by doing crafts with the children and hosting parties for the loved ones of these children in the shelter.
Literacy Council Holiday Event
The Literacy Council invites their tutors, students, and their families to a Holiday Open House. Light hors d'oeuvres are provided by the Literacy League and the Literacy Council provides drinks (punch and coffee). The teens provide the craft/ornament. The teens also had a story time with the children.
Literacy Council Multicultural Potluck
The Literacy Council invites their tutors, students and their families to a Multicultural Potluck. Our teens helped decorate and set up for the event by creating a culture-themed room with the materials at hand. Each room represented a different culture where participants could learn about the culture and sample foods from that culture.
KSLB Events
The teens volunteered for several Keep Sugar Land Beautiful events over the course of the 2008-2009 year. Some of these events included the Recycle for Reuse, Boo Bash, tree planting in Sugar Land's Memorial Park, the Texas Trash-off event, and the Earth Day event. The teens learned and shared information about the importance of recycling and helping the environment.
Grant-A-Starr Foundation Fun Run
The teens provided assistance for the first year of the Grant-A-Starr Foundation Fun Run in February of 2009. They worked at water stations and help with registration and in other areas as needed throughout the day. With many members living in the Commonwealth area, this event was very near and dear to many of our members who know the Starr family personally.