We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
~Winston Churchill
Today’s sneak peek into next year is all about Volunteer Hours and some of the changes happening with those.
Our exceptional program here at SLO Classical Academy could not thrive without parents who commit their time, talents, and resources to volunteering at the school in many ways. Being part of our school means we have mandatory volunteer hours throughout the school year. If you are returning to SLOCA, you know about the endless opportunities available to complete the hours. If you are new, some of volunteer options include supervising recesses, being a mentor or class liason, distributing jamba juice and pizza, taking out trash, helping organize files, buying supplies for class projects, helping with fundraisers or history day, shelving library books, directing parking at events, watering the plants, and working at Fred and Betty's, just to name a few!
Not only is volunteering essential for helping the school operate and to raise funds, it is also one of the best ways to get to know the kids on campus, to model the character traits that we are teaching them, and to build community by connecting with other parents and staff members. Volunteering improves the life of the school and the life of the volunteer as well!
Track A parent Michelle Dorman was new to SLOCA last year, and shared the following with us about her experience volunteering at school:
Volunteering has been a great way for me to connect with others in the SLOCA community. It has also been a wonderful way to gain a deeper appreciation for the rich education that our children have the privilege to partake in at our school. I have gained a broader perspective on the ins and outs of what needs to be done in order to keep the ship sailing smoothly within our school walls. Volunteering is not without sacrifice, but I've found that the rewards are much greater than the cost.
For the 2014-2015 school year, each family is required to serve 5 of their 15 volunteer hours each trimester either on the playground or at our thrift store, Fred & Betty’s. These are our greatest volunteering needs and they directly help keep our students safe and help raise money to run our program and stay on budget. This is an exciting opportunity to invest in your children and your school!
Today we will focus on Fred & Betty’s, because you can start giving your time there this summer and it will count toward your Trimester 1 hours. It’s actually very easy to help out at our thrift store. Here’s what you can expect:
- Spend any amount of time you have (30 minutes to 3+ hours). The time goes by so quickly!
- Our biggest job for volunteers is hanging up clothing that has been pre-sorted and adding them to our inventory out on the floor. This is a constant need.
- The next biggest job is keeping our clothing section nice and tidy. With clothing being one of our top sellers, it can get a little messy from all the browsing. Our items get sorted by type/style, then by size, then by color, making sure the clothing is all facing the same direction for easiest shopping.
{photo by Lillie Lamm}
- We have a department board in the back office. Each of the different departments are listed and volunteers can choose any department they want to focus on and organize 'til their heart is content.
- Books always need organizing. We constantly have books coming in and going out, so our used book section needs ongoing attention.
{photo by Lillie Lamm}
- Dusting shelves is also a daily need.
- There are even jobs kids can do, if they are old enough to follow instructions and have a good attitude. Examples: searching for empty hangers, organizing hangers, sweeping, dusting, and straightening books. We know sometimes bringing younger kids just makes it difficult for the parent, so use your judgement. Older or mature kids and middle schoolers can definitely pitch in, allowing you to get in those volunteer hours and giving middle schoolers Community Service hours too.
{photo by Lindsey Cheney}
- Another extremely helpful (and easy for the mom on the go!) task is to pick up Goodwill bags from F&Bs and take them to goodwill. This greatly increases our ability to be productive in the workroom.
- We have flyers at F&Bs (and can provide them at school during the year) to be passed out at farmers market. Anytime a family wants to take a stack and hand them out they can get a fun, easy hour of volunteer time!
- One more thing you might not be aware of: you can do a childcare swap with another family. One of you volunteers at the store while the other is babysitting, and you both get credit for the hours!
The overall goal of Fred & Betty’s is to raise money for SLO Classical Academy, and we can all help make this happen by giving just a little time to help out with these simple needs.
You can always contact our store manager, Lillie Lamm, directly for anything regarding Fred & Betty’s. Call 805-593-0255 or email her at [email protected]. Let her know if you’d like to be added to the volunteer email list – she periodically sends out emails for specific help.
We leave you today with some encouraging testimonials from a couple of our regular Fred & Betty’s volunteer parents.
One writes:
Our school opened Fred and Betty's in October 2013. The staff and volunteers have worked extremely hard over the past ten months turning it into a chic store with great finds. Running the store with only staff can be very expensive. Volunteers help keep costs down and will greatly increase the success of our store.
By volunteering at Fred and Betty's you may even become a spokesperson for our school. Who could be a better advocate for our school than the devoted parents? Some of the questions that have been asked include: What is classical education? How does our hybrid model work? How does homeschooling work? etc.
You can get a jump start on your volunteer hours this summer by helping out at Fred and Betty's. It truly is a fun way to help keep school costs down and show our children one example of what being part of a larger community means.
Marisa Luskey (Track B) shares:
This school year I had the pleasure of volunteering at Fred & Betty’s several times a month. The staff was always so appreciative for the extra help and I was happy to complete my volunteer hours in this well-organized, stylishly-hip one stop shop. During my volunteer shifts I was impressed with the steady stream of customers that flowed through the store. As I hung clothes, priced items, cleaned shelves and assisted customers, I couldn’t help but think about how beneficial this thrift store is to our community. Customers get good quality products for bargain prices, and SLOCA benefits from the sales and having its name and mission made public. And volunteers always have jobs to do to help make the store a lasting landmark in our community.
Marisa Luskey
{photo by Lillie Lamm}
Doesn’t it sounds like a great place to work? Thank you ladies, for sharing, and for your devoted service to SLOCA and Fred & Betty’s! We are so grateful to all of our parent volunteers, and know they are what keep our school running strong. Parents, we hope you are looking forward to getting out there and being part of the wonderful things happening at SLOCA by volunteering this year.
Stay tuned for a later blog post about playground duty… an equally important area of need at SLOCA!
For more information about volunteer hours, see the yellow sheet that came in your packet about the upcoming school year, or email the volunteer coordinator at [email protected].
