Youth Engaged in Service
"Dancing in service." — Kids Care Club Points of Light
A dance troupe may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of service. But for the girls of the inner city Curiale School Kids Care Club in Bridgeport, Connecticut, dancing is a way to help the community and themselves.
Senior club leaders choreographed a dance, set it to music, and taught it to the younger members. The girls discovered that learning routines requires a lot of discipline: They had to show up for weekly practices and cooperate as a team. The pay-off was performing for appreciative residents at two dozen nursing homes. They also got to dance at a local festival and participate in a city parade, which featured a float dedicated to the volunteer spirit. Representing their school, club members gained new self-confidence and pride.
According to Club Facilitator Arthene Lauzon, another popular service project for the 45-member club was supporting a local soldier and his battalion in Iraq. Club members worked for weeks to make Easter special for these troops. They arrived at school early each day to collect nickels, dimes, and quarters from their classmates. The funds purchased 80 phone cards for the soldiers to call home. The girls made a banner, created 17 Easter baskets, and crocheted 40 bunnies to send to the soldiers.
The Curiale School Club is just one of 1,400 registered Kids Care Clubs in the U.S. and countries around the world. Kids Care, a program of Points of Light and the Hands-On Network, welcomes members as young as five and serves youngsters through age 13. According to the Kids Care Clubs' Web site (www.kidscare.org), a club can be started with a school class, after-school program, a neighborhood, or any youth organization. The national organization in Darien, Connecticut, posts step-by-step instructions online for different service projects each month, provides a start-up handbook, and offers technical assistance from trained program staff (www.familycares.org).
