Service Learning Presented by: Ashley Emanuel

What is Service Learning? Service Learning: -a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civil responsibility, and strengthen communities.

Easter Eggstravaganza 2010 The Easter Eggstravaganza is an event held in Drexel Park by the Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation. This year marked its 4 th year hosting the event. They hide over 12,000 eggs for children all over the park. Vendors and local music entertain while parents and children enjoy carnival games, train rides, and inflatables. This is one of the biggest family events around the Easter holiday in Valdosta.

Eggstravaganza cont. Date: Saturday, March 27, 2010 Job: Help operate train ride with personnel. Take tickets and make sure the kids enjoy themselves. Hours: This was an all day event. I worked from 10 am to 2 pm. (4 hours) Taking a break from loading the train.. The train leaving the loading area

Relay for Life (VSU) The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life- changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

Relay for Life cont. Date: April 23, 2010 Walk the lighted path, contribute money to Relay for Life, and have fun Hours: This was an all night event. I was there from 10pm-1am. (3 hours) Taking a break from walking the track/lighted path. Playing the wii with my little sis

Kohl’s Community Day Kohls volunteers are employees of Kohl’s. They decided to have a community day at the Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta on April 12, The club was shut down for the entire afternoon, while the kids and volunteers laid new pine straw in the flower beds and cleaned up around the club. The employees of the club received one hour of community service with our age group that particular day.

Junior Missions The Junior Missions is a youth missions group at my church. (Tabernacle C.O.G.I.C) Every 3 rd Saturday in each month, we visit the nursing home to sing hymms, or we do a prayer walk through our community. During the walk, we pray and pass out tracks. Both of these outings are a way to reach out into the community surrounding our church and spread the gospel.

Junior Missions cont. Date: February 20, and April 17, 2010 Pictures from prayer walk and nursing home. Hours: each outing was from 9am-10am (2 hours total) Singing at the nursing home. Stopping after the prayer walk..

Why is service learning so important? Service Learning is so important to me because it is a way for me to have fun while giving back to the community. It gives off a sense of responsibility, it makes you feel like we are all responsible for each others well being, and to me this is what makes the world go around peacefully. Service empowers others while empowering yourself, it’s an amazing feeling knowing that you are helping someone else.

Benefits ● Opportunity to make new friends ● Experience ● Learn new things ●Fun way to learn subject matter Provides quality education Teaches positive values, leadership, citizenship, and personal responsibility. Invites students to be apart of the community.

Reflection Easter Eggtravaganza: – Participating in this event was a lot of fun. The kids had a ball getting on the train to go up and down the street. I had fun just making it fun for them. I think it made the whole experience fun for both sides. It wasn’t that big of a deal to ride the train to the parents, but the child had fun, and to know that I had fun helping out is all that matters.

Reflection cont. Relay for Life: – Having family members that have passed away due to cancer, participating in this event meant a lot. Everything I did at relay for life was for them. Whether it was walking the track or paying for small keepsakes at booths, I knew all the proceeds were going to the cause. I had fun with my younger sister, and made new friends as well.

Reflection cont. Kohls Community Day: – This event was fun not only because it occurred at my job, but because I made cleaning up around the club fun for the kids. At the end of the day they were ready to clean up everywhere. This made me feel like I impacted their lives further than just laying pine straw.

Reflection cont. Junior Missions: – My faith is very close to my heart, so participating in events where I have the ability to spread my faith to others in the community gave me an even greater sense of empowerment. It feels good that I am reaching out to the community in more ways than one. I reached out with my faith and my lending/helping hand.

FYE Doing community service in FYE, has helped me realize that helping other people is one secret to true happiness within one’s self. I had fun doing it, and I am planning to make volunteering a habit and not just a requirement.