Over the past five weeks, my co-worker, a dedicated volunteer, and I have been going to a summer camp to teach 6 to 8 year olds about agriculture and the environment. Each week we talk with them about a field crop, a vegetable, do some taste testing, and then have a lesson.
The last week we talked about the environment and recycling. We collected cardboard, bottle tops, and other "junk" for the children to use in an art project. The week prior I spent days preparing the base artwork that the children used as a guide (sorta like paint by number). Here's some of the artwork prior to...
At the end of the lesson about the environment, we broke them up into groups and let them work on the 5 different scenes. They were instructed to create a plan of action, and then use the materials on hand to create masterpieces!
I was so overcome with pride when I saw the finished artwork that I started to cry! Those children worked so hard to turn trash into art and they did a fantastic job!
I was so worried in the beginning that they wouldn't understand what we were asking them to do, but they got it right away.
And, I was SHOCKED when they opened the thank you banner for us! It was the icing on the cake! On it the children wrote all the things they learned the past 5 weeks with us. It was so special! It meant the world to me that someone actually cared enough to say thank you.
That someone who coordinated the banner was the counselor. The lead counselor of the group thought enough to teach the children to say thanks! I was impressed and amazed with this one counselor and the many others with the program.
My point is that it only takes one person to make a difference. Just one person that cares enough to help us get the project done, to encourage the kids, to teach the kids, to help us achieve our goals. If only more people were that caring more things would get done.
We don't do these projects to get thank yous, but this was the biggest thank you that I've gotten in 8 years from working on a program. But, it was the counselor who made it possible. He cared enough. That's all it takes. We need to do more things because it's the right thing to do for the future generation. It takes time, effort, money, and heart to make projects happen. Sometimes we think these kinds of projects are just fun, but those children will remember this stuff when they are my age. They will remember what eggplant looks like, why plastic bag litter contaminates cotton, and what we use soybeans, wheat, cotton, and peanuts for!
So, I hope that these pictures inspire you to take a moment to help someone make a difference. Those counselors helped us, and I am forever grateful!
