I have been looking for volunteer opportunities for a while now. I felt as if something was missing and that I needed an outlet outside of work. I also felt called to do something more than myself- to give back to my community. So I was on the hunt. And there are a lot of opportunities working with children. Those were always the first things that would come up. The problem: I don't love kids. I really only like them on a case-by-case basis. :) So my search continued...
Not long ago, I was at Overton Square crawfish fest and they had vendor booths set up. We stopped by the booth for Literacy Midsouth and talked to the volunteer for a little while. Everyone grabbed a koozie and moved on, but I got a bookmark with more information and continued to think about it.
Then I went home to find out more information about it. It is basically a program to teach literacy in Memphis. Most of the learners are adults with a specific goal (to get their GED, apply for a job, get a driver's license, etc.) or ESL adults. I was intrigued and so I filled out the volunteer application.
Last Saturday I went to volunteer training. It was a good training, but a lot of information. I should get an email soon with information about the person that they matched me with and a baseline assessment to get a better idea of their starting level. I'm a little overwhelmed. I'm worried that I'm not qualified to do this- that I won't be patient enough or won't be able to effectively communicate. But I'm also excited about it. I'm excited to be able to help someone else in this way and expand someone's world through words!
I'm also pretty excited about just getting to hang out at the library!
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