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ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE TRI-LAKES EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
EXTRA FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016 • 3TT
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Helping
HANDS
How to give back to kids in your community
People support their communities in various ways. Some back local charities by volunteering or making financial donations, while others may deliver meals
to convalescents who cannot leave their homes.
Helping kids is a popular way to give back to your community. And helping kids is not just for parents.
Young adults with no children of their own, as well as older adults whose children are fully grown, can give back to kids in their communities in various ways.
Coaching
Youth sports leagues rely on volunteers to run smoothly.
Youth sports league coaches are not paid, so each coach is a volunteer. Inquire with your local government office about how to become a youth sports coach in your community.
In many instances, no coaching experience is necessary to coach youth sports. How- ever, prospective coaches will likely have to undergo training before they can patrol the sidelines.
Such training may include everything from coaching pointers to emergency medical training and more.
Teaching
Teaching school is a full-time job, but not all teaching gigs are paid. Adults who have knowledge to pass along to the next genera- tion may want to explore volunteer teaching opportunities.
Successful professionals can share their professional expertise with high school or college students through community-spon- sored programs. Amateur or professional musicians can offer lessons to youngsters interested in learning an instrument, while writers can teach kids about writing.
Volunteer teaching opportunities may be easiest to find by speaking to local boys and girls clubs or through schools that offer weekend or after-school programs.
Fitness
Kids who are not involved in organized athletics may still enjoy exercise, which pro- vides even more opportunities for adults to give back to the youth in their communities. For example, cycling enthusiasts can work
Coaching a youth sports team is one way for adults to give back to the children within their communities.
with local youth organizations to sponsor cycling groups for kids.
If hiking or kayaking is your passion, look into organizing trips to nearby state parks where kids can hike and/or kayak and learn to love the great outdoors.
Mentoring
Many young people benefit from the guidance of mentors. Mentoring can be done through an organization such as Big Brothers Big Sisters (www.bbbs.org) or through local school systems that
connect professionals from certain fields with students interested in pursuing ca- reers in those fields.
The website www.mentoring.org is a great resource for adults interested in mentoring who may not know how to get involved with helping kids in their communities.
Adults who want to give back to the youth in their communities can do so in various ways.
— Courtesy of Metro Creative