Shreveport's Lighthouse

Hello everyone,

I am Sherita Donald, a student at the University of Memphis. I am Senior studying Business Management as a major with a Chemistry minor. Today, we served in Shreveport, Louisiana. This was my first time in the city, and I've been excited about visiting since I found out this was a destination on the trip. It was only 3 hours from our first destination in Greenville, MS.

Working with Volunteers of America has been a blessing. Our main contact, Tricia, is really energetic and welcoming. They provided us with breakfast and lunch and were accommodating to our every need. During the first part of our day, we worked at Volunteers of America Lighthouse. This is an after school program that provides homework help, healthy snacks, and educational as well as physical activities for youth. It is free for the students who can be anywhere between the ages of 5 to 18, although most of the students that attend are in grades K-8.

During the first part of our day, we split up into 2 groups. The group I was a part of as responsible for general maintenance. We cleaned and organized the children's library, 2 closets, the maintenance closet, and 3 other rooms. Although our work wasn't elaborate, our group was more than willing to complete any and every task we received and also had a great time bonding with each other as this was our first time all together volunteering in the same group. One thing that amazed me about our time cleaning up was seeing how many resources the center has. One closet is full of games, crayons, markers, workbooks and playing cards. The library is equipped with an illustrious array of books for a child on an grade level to read. There is a community garden outside of the building that allowed the children to eat healthy snacks after they worked on homework.

It is encouraging to see how much the staff and people who donated the resources care about the
children. I sense that they know children are our future and are selflessly motivated to doing whatever they can to make even one child's future that much brighter. Even though I'm not from Shreveport, I am grateful for the opportunity to help this growing organization that is committed to helping our youth succeed. Just knowing that I contributed to a project that might not mean much to children, but helps take some pressure away from the staff so they can have more time helping the children serves as satisfaction in itself. If everyone was motivated and committed to helping people knowing he/she won't get anything in return, in what condition would this world be? Volunteers of America in Shreveport is the light in a dark place. It was an honor to work with this organization.