Top 5 Summer Volunteer Projects

School started today and I have already found myself reminiscing about the summer, and boy was it a great one.  I have been volunteering as a YVC AmeriCorps member, and as my service comes to and end, I would like to recap 5 of my favorite YVC projects! 

Gold Cross EMT Mock Scenarios
My first ever service project as an YVC AmeriCorps was in May.  The Gold Cross hosted an EMT training, in which they put together mock scenarios for the EMTs to respond to.  Complete with make up and fake blood.  YVC got to use their acting skills to play out these scenarios, as well as learn how to apply costume make up from the professionals.  This was probably one of my favorite projects because it was my first.  This is when I got to start working with our youth, and see how amazing they are!  They always go above and beyond what they are asked to do, and this project was no different.  Plus, we all got to get quite messy!

Painting Park Discovery
In June YVC set aside an entire week to help maintain Park Discovery in Cedar City.  We spent the week lacquering all the playground equipment and fencing to protect it from the elements and extend the life of the wood.  This also helps to prevent wood slivers for children playing on the equipment.  This was one of my favorite projects because I felt we were truly doing something to benefit the community.  This is a popular park and YVC was able to help the city keep this park nice and most importantly safe.  Multiday projects, like this one, are so fun and are a great way for the volunteers to learn more about each other and learn to work better as a team. 


Henry's Place
In July we went out west of town to a developing summer camp called Henry's Place.  I have put this on earlier blogs, but this has to be one of my favorite projects.  The grounds will be a summer camp for underprivileged and at risk youth coming from Las Vegas.  It is being built in memory of Officer Henry Prendes, who dreamed of a summer camp like this to benefit urban Las Vegas Youth.  YVC spent the day building a trial alongside a river bed.  This was one of my favorite because I love to be outdoors, and I could see each of the youth volunteers learning about themselves and the world around them as we worked on this trial together.  They worked together to make a beautiful trial and proved to themselves that they can do hard things. 

Cedar Breaks Arts Afire Event
This was a two day project in July/August in which we were able to take several volunteers up to Cedar Breaks National Monument and help with the kids craft table at the Arts Afire Event.  Cedar Breaks is known for beautiful wildflowers including, the Colorado Columbine, the Indian Paintbrush, and the Sunflower.  It is also home to the American Pika, and some beautiful humming birds.  At the craft table we helped visitors make their own wild flowers, pikas, and humming birds.  I loved being able to take our youth to Cedar Breaks, and it was the first time I had been there, and it was beautiful!
Check out the video here!

Garlands for Nepal
In August YVC spread their impact beyond our community as we participated in the Students Rebuild Garlands for Nepal Challenge.  We spent some time after our monthly meeting making flower garlands out of recycled materials.  For ever garland we sent to Students Rebuild, the Bezos Family Foundation donated $2 to Save the Children's efforts to rebuild schools and safe play areas in Nepal.  Anyone can take part of this challenge, but you have to mail your garlands by August 31st!  The Bezos Family Foundation will donate up to $200,000 dollars.  Find out more on their website studentsrebuild.org.

Honorable Mentions
Carrying the American Flag during the opening ceremony of the Utah Summer Games, doing manicures with residents at Beehive Homes, socializing kittens at the Cedar City Animal Shelter, putting together a Blue Moon Dance and Canned Food Drive, and finally all of our bi-monthly scavenger hunts to raise food for our local pantries. 

It was an amazing summer volunteering with YVC as an AmeriCorps.  Youth volunteers can truly make a huge difference in their community!  This summer Iron County YVC donated over 1500 pounds of food to our local food pantries and shelters to help feed the homeless and poor.  Together our youth logged thousands of volunteer hours, and helped made a difference in their community!  

YVC Busy Bees

Our blog is now decorated to reflect the lives of our YVC members.  That is, very busy! 
At our last meeting with our leadership committee we were talking about slogans and hashtags we could use.  YVC Busy Bees came up almost as a joke, but we ended up liking it and it stuck!  And boy, is it true!  These youth volunteers have been incredibly busy making a difference in their community this summer.  Here is a glimpse of what the month of July looked like for our YVC Busy Bees!

Iron County Care and Share:
The Iron County Care and Share is a food pantry that helps individuals and families who are in need of assistance.  Care and Share offers opportunities for those in need to increase their stability and self-sufficiency.  Here at YVC we are dedicated to helping Care and Share reach their goals.  We do this through our bi-monthly scavenger hunts in which we raise food and other items to be donated to Care and Share.  In July our busy bees spent many hours, as a group and individually, sorting and stocking food as well as helping customers. 









Reading in the Park: 
This is an ongoing program YVC, along with Foster Grandparents (FGP), started at the beginning of the summer.  Anyone under the age of 18 can go to Main Street Park in Cedar City or Liberty Park in Enoch and receive a free lunch through The Summer Lunch Program.  Every Tuesday and Thursday YVC and FGP are there to read with the kids in an effort to help kids stay interested in reading, and build upon their skills through the summer months. 

Cedar City Animal Shelter:
Back in March, we hosted a Gala and Silent Auction to raise funds to help grow our program and our impact.  At the Gala, we auctioned our volunteer hours for each month of the summer.  The winner, Marylin, won the auction for June, July, and August, asked us to volunteer at several Animal Shelters through the summer.  The kids were of course ecstatic!  What is better then volunteering with animals?  In July we 'worked' at the Cedar City Animal Shelter, walking dogs, socializing kittens, and cleaning cages/pens.

Waterproofing Old Enoch Park:
If you are ever looking for volunteer opportunities, contact your local parks department, there is always something that needs to be done, and often very little funds to do it with.  Old Enoch Park has two buildings and two dugouts that needed to be waterproofed to protect them from the elements.  YVC stepped up to the job and spent a day at the park working to preserve the buildings, all while playing Never Have I Ever. 

Henry's Place:
Henry's Place is a summer camp and retreat center here in Southern Utah with a mission to impact the lives of underprivileged at-risk urban youth.  Henry's Place is being built in the memory of Las Vegas Police Office Henry Prendes who died in the line of duty.  Officer Prendes dreamed of building a summer camp to help at risk youth make a difference in their lives.  His dream is becoming a reality as volunteers work hard and come together to meet the needs of the camp.  In July YVC spent a beautiful day at the camp site clearing weeds and plants, and leveling the ground to build a trial alongside a river bed.


Blue Moon Dance: 
In YVC's continued efforts to help our local food pantries, we hosted a Blue Moon Dance and Canned Food Drive.  The dance was held on the night of the blue moon, July 31st.  We even had a live DJ volunteer his time and talents to make the night really come together. With the community's help we raised over 175 pounds of food to be donated to the local pantries.  That brings our total to 1200 pounds of food we have raised for the local pantries this summer. 

YVC also spent time volunteering at Cedar Breaks helping with the Wild Flower Festival, passing out flyers at the Pioneer Day Parade for Relay for Life, and helping with the Red Rock Summer Kids Camp, among many other volunteer opportunities through YVC and their own interests. 

Iron County YVC is 100% non-funded and we couldn't do what we do without the help of our sponsors: Five County Community Action Plan, Delcore Direct Care, and The Print Shoppe, as well as Cedar City Chili's and their Give Back Night.  Thank you to all who have helped and supported us! We would spend our summer no other way than helping and giving back to the community we live in.