Volunteer Voices

I'm helping with the Festival of Sport which is being held in the park where we are staying. I'm working with a group of disabled children ages 5-10 with various disabilities. They arrive @ 9:30 and leave at 3:00 each day. We do 4 activities per day, all on the park grounds. The activities are varied and creative:pony rides, canoeing, obstacle courses, target shooting, arts and crafts, wall climbing. Many of the children have never done any of the activities so it is a wonderful experience for them. The days go by quickly and I just have fun with the kids all day, like day camp. They are really active and have to be watched and entertained all the time, so by 3:00 I am pretty tired. But I really love being able to participate with this program. The kids are really sweet, loving, and fun to be with. I know I will be sad when it ends. In the evenings, I have been having a great time with all of the volunteers. It's wonderful to be able to get to know pe! ople and have fun together. Yesterday, we went to a local beach to have a picnic dinner, watch the sunset and then built a bonfire. We stayed at the beach for several hours. singing, telling stories, and relaxing. We had the best time! I bought the ingredients for Smores and we all made them as an American cultural experience. Everyone loved them! We will have a Czech Republic night and a Japanese night as well. It's great to learn about cultural traditions from everyone in the group. It makes this whole experience so much richer and more interesting. I am also helping people to improve their english and enjoying that experience too."

Becky Slatkin ~ Wales 2004