Youth Villages Holiday Heroes Workshop Volunteers

During this community service opportunity, I packaged Christmas gifts that went out to the children within Youth Villages. These youth are faced with behavioral and home-bound obstacles, while the Youth Villages Holiday Workshop provides families with Christmas gifts to alleviate the monetary stress. The atmosphere was very welcoming and educational. Ms. Anna Otto, Director of Volunteerism was very thorough in explaining the flow of how things needed to be done. I am definitely considering returning and helping as the holiday approaches and they become busier. I developed my empathy skills and communication skills through this experience.

This was my second time serving with Youth Villages in the Holiday Heroes Workshop! My direct services were aimed at youth and families in low-income households as we hope to have a positive impact on their Christmas celebrations! I was happy to see the same people who helped to direct the volunteers from last time. They gave very clear instructions on what we needed to help with. The volunteers who came to help were so fun to meet; one even brought homemade pastries to share with everyone! I do not think it would be the same if I were volunteering alone. As usual, we helped to "shop" for presents, wrap presents, label presents according to families, and sort labels and bags while listening to Christmas music. :) I hope to volunteer again with Youth Villages soon; helping the youth has always been a passion of mine!

How did your direct service benefit members of the broader community?

Working with Youth Villages at their Holiday Heroes workshop allowed me to complete many tasks that provided service to members of the broader community, specifically hundreds of kids during this holiday season. The purpose of Holiday Heroes is to help with donations and shopping via wish lists provided by hundreds of youth that are less fortunate during this holiday season. Many of these children haven’t had a true Christmas, so our job was to provide them with that.

Describe your service.
If people-facing: Which population(s) did you serve? What was their reaction to you/your group being there?
If environmental: Which park/community did you serve? How do you think your service will benefit the plants/animals/people who utilize or reside in that area.

For my service, I worked with Youth Villages for their Holiday Heroes Workshop. While I did not come face to face with the children for whom I am providing service for, I did participate in many things that will take part in them having the best Christmas. In the Holiday Heroes office, there was an in-house room filled with tens of donated gifts for kids of all ages. We used the kids’ wish lists and shopped in the room, picking out gifts based off either what they liked or what they wrote specifically on the list. After picking out the gifts, we separated them and organized them by child and household, then we wrapped the gifts. This entire process was a special moment because I was able to serve children in homes and communities all over Memphis and provide them with a memorable Christmas. In addition, we are also helping the parents in the case that they are unable to provide their children with everything they want for Christmas.

3 additional reflection questions:
What impact do you think your service had on you personally?
Who was the person overseeing the service opportunity? What is their position?
Do you plan to continue volunteering with this organization? Why or why not?

This service with Youth Villages has placed a large impact on me personally. Coming from a household where I never had to worry about food, clothes, or shelter, this experience showed me that I should never take for granted how blessed I am. While I hate that there are thousands of kids out there who never get to experience the feeling of Christmas, I love what Youth Villages is doing by providing some of those children with gifts to open on Christmas Day even when they are placed in less fortunate positions. The organizer/person overseeing the opportunity, Anna Otto serves as the Volunteer & Donor Engagement Coordinator for the organization and plays a big role in why I want to consistently work with Youth Villages. Every time I see her, she always brings a vibrant energy which is always amazing to be around, and she organizes my tasks in a way that is understandable and easy to follow along.