Where we spend our days

A significant part of a Service Adventure participant's year is spent volunteering at local organizations. Philippi has been a Service Adventure location since the program began in 1989 so the "Mennonite Volunteers" are well-known in the community and all the work placements. Some have had volunteers nearly every year, and this year we even have a new placement so there were a lot of visits to make!

Heart and Hand
Renee works at Heart and Hand (is a ministry that operates two thrift stores, a garden market, provides food boxes to people in need, financial emergency assistance, among other things) where she helps with the food pantry, making baby layettes and at the thrift store. She also spent mornings at the garden market, though it has now closed for the season.

Heidi also works at Heart and Hand, in the office doing various administrative, bookkeeping and marketing tasks.








 


Myers Clinic

Abby works at Myers Clinic, where she gets to "do basically everything the nurses do except give shots!" But she can draw some, as seen here! Abby gets to do a variety of jobs with hands-on experience of how a health center runs. She has checked in patients (collect information, take temperature, weight, height, blood pressure), performed basic laboratory tests, answered patient calls, contacted pharmacies, worked in registration, filing and scanning.



















World Vision Storehouse

Micah works at the World Vision Storehouse.  The Storehouse operates much like a Lowes or Home Depot with items for construction and around the house, donated from large companies like those mentioned. There is also a Gifts in Kind section that is specifically for churches and other charitable organizations to go through and pick up things like clothing, self-care items and other random things for them to give away. Micah does sorting, stocking, cleaning and whatever else they need done.



Feed My Sheep

Allison works at our new placement, a small Christian school called Feed My Sheep with about 50 students in Kindergarten through 8th grade. Allison corrects tests and homework, leads small-group activities, helps with bulletin boards, decorations and photocopying and has even gotten to fill in as a lead teacher.























Philippi Elementary School

Ben is working at Philippi Elementary School helping the first grade teachers. He helps with small groups, individual students, computers, photocopying and whatever else may come up! The teachers enjoy trying to "fatten him up" and getting him to try new "American" foods! He is also working with the after-school program there called Project Isaac, tutoring, mentoring and helping with recreational activities.

Ben doesn't usually where a sombrero to work, but it was hat
day the day we took pictures!

KidReach
Renee, Micah, Abby and Allison are all also working at another after-school program two afternoons a week. KidReach is sponsored by World Vision and is for kids in Kindergarten through fifth grade. So those two afternoons they ride the bus from Feed My Sheep to Philippi Middle School where they tutor, mentor and play with the kids until parents or buses pick them up.