Monday, June 28, 2010

Rewarding Break

Have you ever wished during a long day at the office that you could get up and have a fun break? Well, basically that was exactly what I did yesterday; I volunteered to help transport children from our program Culmore Safe Youth Project to a field trip at Ultra Zone Laser Tag in Falls Church, Virginia. What a terrific afternoon! The children were so eager to start the game and once we were given the orientation it turned out I got to play too! The giggles were everywhere; Alternative House was the red team, we went up, down, across and even though our team lost, all you were able to hear was the giggles and the laughter. We were only able to offer this outing thanks to a generous donation from the owner of Ultra Zone Laser Tag. For most of the kids that attended it was their first time playing laser tag. It was one afternoon where they were able to just be kids and did not have to face their routine of living in “Culmore” with limited resources, crowded spaces and lack of supervision. Personally, I definitely enjoyed my break and loved hearing the children say this was the best field trip ever!

In the Community Outreach program of Alternative House we constantly try to offer the youth we serve a safe, fun and productive option, whether it be at the teen center, the Safe Youth Project, the Girl World or the Boys Program. In our programs we try to offer a substantial recreational component in addition to the academic and preventive piece. For the mental health and well being of these children they need to be exposed to what is positive out there away from their current situation so they understand that there is much more to life than conflict and struggle. We are very fortunate to receive donations that make these outings possible.

Nandred Navarro
Director, Community Outreach

1 comment:

  1. What a generous donation! The outing sounds like it was a blast.

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