S.O.S.

Since both my spouse and I are educators, we do always look forward to summer break! As I have mentioned in an earlier post, the break also allows us to volunteer a little more. One place we volunteer each summer is with Send'em Off Smiling. This local organization was "established in 1994 by a group of local women who had observed the visible impact of poverty on school-age children in their communities and wanted to make a difference." Their mission is to "set children in need on a more hopeful path, by outfitting them with clothing and school supplies, intended to send’em off smiling on that first day of school each September."

I have had the opportunity to volunteer in several different roles over the last number of summers including 'shopper' and 'delivery person', but lately I have enjoyed spending my time in the warehouse. Here, I help sort through all of the donated school supplies and new school outfits and make sure they get packed and sent off to the right location. This role definitely appeals to my organizational side, plus it's really touching to see how much thought goes into preparing these backpacks for children in our region!

As I mentioned, there are a variety of ways to support Send'em Off Smiling. If that interests you, find out details here. If you'd like to know more about how the whole process works, click here. #365ofgoodWR

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