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Community Corner

Families Can Be Community Heroes

The 9/11 Commemorative Youth Service Project offers families an opportunity to make a difference.

The tenth anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, is this Sunday. Most of our younger children were toddlers or younger when our country experienced this event. Regardless, this anniversary presents an opportunity to come together as a family to serve the community and uphold the values our country stands for. 

I often hear parents share that they would like to implement a volunteer project with their children, but don't know where to start. Family volunteerism is an effective way to connect as a family while helping the community. Involvement in community projects help children develop compassion and an understanding for othersall while spending meaningful time together as a family. 

This weekend, in honor of 9/11's tenth anniversary, Serve Rhode Island has organized a commemorative youth service project at Gilbert Stuart Middle School in Providence. Serve Rhode Island's Associate Director, Janice Pothier Pac encourages parents to "be a community hero by bringing your children between the ages of 8 to 17 to help us beautify this city school with landscaping and cleaning projects."

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This project is a great opportunity for families to witness the immediate impact of a community's efforts, and an inspiring way to start your own family's community service. You may even find your children express an interest in making sure their own school grounds are well maintained as a result of this service experience. You may want to consider following up your family's experince with a conversation about how to respect our schools and homes.

Volunteers are needed at Gilbert Stuart Middle School from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. Please note that youth under 13 must have a parent or guardian present on site to participate.

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Sign your family up here, or contact Nora Baynes or Brian Gay at 401.331.2298

Also, stay tuned to this column for information about Serve Rhode Island's upcoming Family Volunteer Day on Saturday, Nov. 19. They plan to have over 15 family volunteer projects available to families throughout the state.

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