How Two Unemployed College Graduates Spent Their Fall in Florida

•Collected coquinas and made coquina stew
•Prayed...A LOT
•CJ finally got me to watch Star Wars for my 1st time…and I loved it!
•Skeet shooting competitions













•Memorized scripture
•Attended a discussion seeking to raise awareness about sustainability issues – Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, was on the panel…a brilliant man!
•I completed about 70% of my current six month semester in a month and a half
•Carved a Cat in the Hat inspired watermelon, oh yeah and a pumpkin

•Kayaked
•Hunted: 2 Florida alligators and CJ got his first deer
•CJ recorded a cd “Line Around the Outside” – the digital files are currently available for sale on facebook and myspace!! Check it out the lyrics WILL make us a more peaceful and united people

•Read – the Bible, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Stepping Lightly, I Am a Strange Loop, Lovely Bones
•Yard work and two garage sales
•Enjoyed Friday night date night
•Swam in the Gulf of Mexico

•Dreaded each other’s hair

•CJ took the GRE and has nearly completed his Grad school applications to six schools!
•Trained for a sprint triathlon but then didn’t participate as we drove to Mississippi that weekend
•Drove to Mississippi to help my Army brother, Kyle, while he was moving from Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX to Fort Bragg in Fayetville, NC

And much, much more...

Help a Young Person in Your Life Grow Into a Caring Adult

As one with a strong desire to help children and youth grow into quality men and women I often think about how kids are raised who care. Care about their own quality of life, care about others, and care about the environment. In my hours of pondering this I have decided that one of the best ways is to encourage young people to volunteer. I have further decided that it is easy…if you lead by example.

The benefits to those who volunteer are countless and quality. Volunteering improves one’s interpersonal skills, communication skills, and job skills, as well as helps individuals learn and develop completely new skills, interests, and hobbies. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Volunteering can help you achieve just that as it improves your knowledge. When we volunteer we help solve problems, we improve the lives of others and our own, and we enjoy the intangible benefits of feeling accomplishment and satisfaction. One of my favorite reasons for volunteering is the incredible opportunity it provides for you to engage with a diverse range of people.

I have heard it said that no person is an island. Though in today’s consumer society as we more and more take for granted the communities in which we ARE a member, many people unfortunately operate within that very frame of mind. Nevertheless, it is necessary for our survival that we co-depend on each other. Volunteering allows you to connect with your communities and give back some of the benefits that your communities give you.

SO HOW CAN YOU HELP ENSURE A YOUNG PERSON IN YOUR LIFE GROWS INTO A CARING ADULT??
• Start them volunteering young
• Involve the whole family in volunteer projects
• Involve their friends in volunteer projects
• Take volunteering on the road – Do it on vacation!

There are SO many ways to get involved volunteering from collecting items for charity and visiting people at a hospital to participating in a fundraiser and mowing a neighbor’s yard. To get started contact public organizations such as a school, hospital, library, or animal shelter or go online and do a search on google.com or 1-800-volunteer.org.

And in case you were wondering…It is not only the young that benefit from volunteering. A study conducted by the John Hopkins Medical Institute found that volunteering as an older adult improves mental and physical health.