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athens business
a benefit for Nuci's Space
What would happen if you
and your co-workers formed
a band and were given a chance
to perform in front of a sold-out
crowd at the world-famous
40 Watt Club in downtown
Athens, GA?
REGISTER
ONLINE
by noon on
January 18th
and receive free
rehearsal time
at Nuci's Space
PREPARE
FIFTEEN
MINUTES
of cover songs
to participate
(about 3 songs)
HAVE
FUN
playing music
while helping to
raise funds
for a great local
nonprofit
organization
&
Wednesday, January 30,
Thursday, January 3 1
and Saturday, February 2
at the 40 Watt Club
Saturday, February 23rd
at the 40 Watt Club
NEWS FROM THE JUICE BOX SET
My daughter had a horrible realization last
month: Not all kids get presents during the
holidays.
I'm not talking about Christmas vs.
Hanukkah. She understands not everyone
celebrates Christmas. But while shopping for
some family gifts, I asked her about possible
presents for another little girl on a separate
list I had. The resulting conversation touched
on kindergarten levels of economics, social
ineguality and the spirit of giving, but here's
the bottom line: Just because the holidays are
(finally) behind us doesn't mean we can take a
break from teaching our kids about doing unto
others.
True, the kindness of Santa Claus is an easy
way to show kids the spirit of Christmas, but
here's a better idea: On Monday, Jan. 21, join
HandsOn Northeast Georgia for the Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. If you
at Clarke Central High School. The key is to
find something your child enjoys and to keep
the act from being a chore.
"Encouraging kids to volunteer is a great
way to start laying the building blocks of com
passion, understanding and empathy," says
Amy Schumann Lasseter, a licensed therapist
and owner of Holistic Therapies and Consulting
in Athens. "Keep in mind, volunteering can
be a pretty big concept for children to under
stand, so it's better to start when their abil
ity to conceptualize the idea won't lead to
complete meltdowns or hurt feelings. While all
children develop at different paces, you can
usually begin the process at age 4 or 5."
Also, think about your child's interests.
Do they like animals? Call up a local animal
rescue group and see where a volunteer who's
your child's age could fit in. Have they out
grown some of their books? Talk to the pediat-
Kids from the North Bluff neighborhood help pick up litter along the street during last year???s Martin Luther King
Jr. Day of Service.
haven't heard of it, it's a day for lots of orga
nizations to put together service projects, like
pulling up weeds, cleaning up roads, painting
or cleaning up nonprofit spaces. In all, there's
more than two dozen places to volunteer on
what's most likely a day off for much of the
workforce, and if you have kids, it also means
they'll be off of school. So, why not teach
them a lesson in giving back?
A few words from the legal department:
Use your common sense and check with the
participating nonprofit before signing up.
Parents must fill out a separate release form,
available on the HandsOn Northeast Georgia
website, where you can also see all the volun
teer opportunities (handsonnortheastgeorgia.
com).
The listings are a veritable goldmine of
places for kids to help out. One of my 5-year-
old's favorite things to do is pick up litter
around the neighborhood???because, you know,
that trigger-picker-upper is pretty cool)???but
younger kids can also help with gardens at
several schools, clean up at Gospel Pilgrim
Cemetery and the Interfaith Hospitality
Network or help cheer on runners at the Dream
to Be Able 5K run. Older kids can help clean
up at BikeAthens (10 and up), dig holes for
fences or paint bathrooms for a special project
rics area at one of the local hospitals to see if
they can use donated books, or check for the
titles on the Books for Keeps website to see
if they can fill the wishes of another Clarke
County child (booksforkeeps.blogspot.com).
While it's great to pitch in during a
larger community effort like the MLK Day of
Service, you can jump in and volunteer with
your kids at any time. Keep Athens-Clarke
County Beautiful, for example, hosts clean
ups throughout the year and also works with
classes on garden projects and littler pick-ups
(www.keepathensbeautiful.org). In fact, for
Global Youth Service Day in April, KACCB puts
together lots of kid-specific events throughout
the county.
As parents, we can claim a little bit of the
benefits of volunteering with our kids, as well.
We're providing a positive role model for them,
and when our kids take part in something like
a litter pick-up, they'll feel more responsible
for the world around them as well. Well, that,
and they'll also be able to spot a discarded
cigarette butt from about 50 yards away. But
that's OK???just give them one of those fun
litter-grabber tools and they'll have it cleaned
up in no time.
Kristen Morales
10 FLAGPOLE.COM ??? JANUARY 16, 2013
KRISTEN MORALES