WEAVE’s programs and services are made possible through the help of more than 200 volunteers each year. These volunteers include college students who complete internships for a variety of programs including Marriage and Family Therapy, Social Work, Human Services, Human Development, Communications and more. The following reflections were shared from a current intern during her first week interning at WEAVE.
I am always amazed at the generosity of children. Too often when we speak of children it is of their personal needs and sometimes even of how selfish they can seem; “Mommy, I want that brand new toy on television!”
On Wednesday, I was given a glimpse at the selflessness side of children. Four young girls, all in fourth grade at Helen Carr Castillo Elementary School in Elk Grove, came to WEAVE to drop off a donation. This was only my second day as an intern at WEAVE, so I was still very much getting my feet wet when I was asked to tag along at this donation drop off. What I saw was truly heartwarming.
These four girls held a garage sale and raised over six hundred dollars to benefit WEAVE. However, rather than just making a cash donation they took a large portion of the money and purchased fleece material, ribbon and teddy bears. With the materials they made packages of brand new no-sew blankets and teddy bears gingerly tied together with ribbon that will be placed on the WEAVE Safe House beds. Children that come into the Safe House are there to get away from a violent home environment and are often feeling lost or confused. Many will now have a brand new blanket and teddy bear that is all theirs sitting on their bed waiting for them. This will be such a huge help to these children, aiding in their adjustment to an otherwise scary time!
Children are compassionate and giving; often times they just need to be listened to and given the help and encouragement needed in seeing their ideas come to fruition! These four little girls have made a huge impact on the lives of children they will never meet; you can’t get more selfless than that.