TEENS IN ACTION
"Think About Others. It's Easy to Get Out in Your Community

-Erika Roth, Saco, Maine

You make a difference in your community when you get involved as a volunteer. And volunteering can benefit you! Find out how from Maine Action Team Captain Erika Roth. Like all captains of the Players Trust and Volunteers of America Action Teams, she recruits other teens to participate in service projects at school and in the community. Supporting the Maine Action Team are Major League baseball players Alex Cora, David Ortiz and Jason Varitek of the Boston Red Sox.


Maine Action Team Captain Erika Roth (far right) prepares to greet guests at an Action Team activity - hosting senior citizens for a performance of a school play. With Erika are fellow Thornton Academy students Kim LeCair and Joe Penna.

Action Team Captain: Erika Roth

School: Thornton Academy, Saco, Maine

Grade: Junior

I volunteer because … "I love knowing that I can make a difference and give back to the community."

Favorite volunteer experience . . . "Last summer I spent a day volunteering at a puppy mill that had been shut down. It was so sad to see the animals but so great to be able to help them!

"The November [theater] activity was so much fun! Before the event [Action Team advisor] Mrs. Martin showed me how to make silk carnations, and I was responsible for making a corsage for each lady attending. It was fun being creative. For anyone considering an event like this, I would highly encourage it! It's great to have time before or after to socialize. The best part is getting to know the [older] people you are working with." (See Service in Action to learn how Erika's Action Team hosted senior citizens for a performance of a school play.)

First volunteer experience . . . "When I was in sixth grade I started mentoring at the local preschool and kindergarten."

How volunteering benefits me . . . "It gives me a great sense of self. And it makes me happy knowing that I can make a difference."

What I tell other teens to encourage them to volunteer . . . "I tell them that it's important to not always do everything that's about yourself. Think about others once in a while. It's very easy to get out in your community [as a volunteer]."

What's in My iPod . . . "Jack Johnson's Sleep Through the Static"

Favorite baseball player . . . "Jason Varitek, of course!"

Make a Date . . . to Volunteer in March

March: Youth Art Month
Sponsored by the Council for Art Education
Youth Art Month promotes the value of art education for children and teens. Among the activities sponsored by the Council for Art Education to observe the month is a student flag designing contest. Click here to learn more about the contest and other ways to promote art in your community during March. And check with a local arts council or art teachers at your school about Youth Art Month activities that you can help with as a volunteer.

March: Music In Our Schools Month
Sponsored by the National Association for Music Education

This annual month celebrates music in elementary, middle school, and high school programs. Click here for more information, including an activities calendar and a program list for participating in the "World's Largest Concert," a sing-along scheduled for 1:00 P.M. EST on March 13. Volunteer to help with music events planned by your school. Or adapt an idea from the Thornton Academy Action Team in Saco, Maine (see Service in Action). Invite a group of senior citizens to attend a school choir or band concert planned during March. Hold a pre-performance get-together with your senior guests and sit with them during the concert.

March-May: Reading with Kids Challenge
Sponsored by Reading Is Fundamental and US Airways

Got a minute to read with children in a local Head Start or other preschool program? You can be part of a nationwide effort to log in one million minutes of reading with children by May 31, 2008. To register, you must be 18 years or older, so enlist a parent or teacher to complete the official sign-up form. (Registering makes participants eligible to win prizes, including a trip to DisneyWorld.) You can check the minutes read so far on the Million Minute Meter without signing up. For activities to do with children as a literacy volunteer, check the March Reading Activity Calendar (available to download in English or Spanish).
Learn about opportunities for volunteering in a Reading Is Fundamental program.

March-September: Easter Seals "Walk With Me" Fund-raising Walks
Sponsored by Easter Seals Disability Services

Spring walks are getting underway this month - March 8 in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Youngstown, Ohio. Most walks around the country are scheduled for April, May, and June, with a few planned for July and September. Check the event locator and get more information on walking to help children and adults with disabilities.

March 15-17: St. Patrick's Weekend and Day

All those traditional parades and other community activities planned for the weekend before and on St. Patrick's Day can be an opportunity to get involved as a volunteer. Check VolunteerMatch.org for teen volunteers needed for activities near you. Or plan a way to make St. Patrick's Day a "lucky day" for those in need in your community, such as by organizing a weekend yard cleanup for elderly or disabled residents in your neighborhood. You and fellow students can also make St. Patrick's Day a true "green" holiday by volunteering to clean up a park, beach, playground, or other public area.

March 16-22: Poison Prevention Week
Sponsored by the Poison Prevention Week Council

This annual week was declared by Congress and signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Since then, it has helped to reduce children's deaths from poisoning. However, there are still more than two million poison emergencies each year, and most involve young children age 5 and under. So get involved to help spread the word about poison prevention to families. There are 61 Poison Control Centers around the country. Look for one in your area and check for opportunities to volunteer. Or offer to help with Poison Prevention Week activities for a local Head Start or preschool program in your community. Make sure all families know the national poison emergency number: 1-800-222-1222. It works anywhere in the country and connects callers automatically to their nearest Poison Control Center. Visit www.poisonprevention.org for more information and materials, including a downloadable guide, "Clean and Safe in the 21st Century."

March 20: Absolutely Incredible Kid Day
Sponsored by Camp Fire USA

This annual day, always the third Thursday of March, is a letter-writing campaign. The goal is for every child in America to receive a letter explaining what an incredible kid he or she is. Camp Fire USA encourages civic groups and others to get involved to write letters. Volunteer with a local Camp Fire council to help promote the day and write letters to children in your community. Learn more.

Here's how the Action Teams work: Major League Baseball players committed to community service work with Volunteers of America to recruit and help train high school students who are dedicated volunteers and eager to motivate others.

These students become Action Team Captains, who spread the players' message about the importance of community service to teens in their area.

To date, more than 8,000 students have made a difference in their communities through the Action Teams, helping over 38,000 people where they live.

What do Action Team members do? They volunteer in ways their communities need--from assisting in local day care and reading programs, to serving meals in shelters and soup kitchens.

With offices around the country, Volunteers of America connects Action Team students with local programs and people who need the help of energetic teens.