#pioutreach

July 31, 2023

Fond Farewell to our Summer Outreach Intern

Welcome to the last of several summer 2023 Project Impact Outreach recaps from our Project Impact ROI intern. Project Impact ROI is an annual program designed to engage local high-school seniors and college-age students in community service, and expand our SHOTC youth summer programming and outreach. In return, the intern gains valuable leadership experience, credit hours (if applicable), and a monetary award. Know a student (18+) who would make a great intern candidate for Project Impact ROI? Click here for information.

My name is Jennifer Coleman, and I am the 2023 Hands On Thomas County Impact ROI intern!

I am a graduate of Thomas County Central High School and am currently a senior at Thomas University. I am also on the Thomas University Track & Field team as a Thrower. I currently hold six school records, which is the most by a female in program history!

I am excited to be this year’s HOTC intern and look forward to the opportunity to not only mentor youth and provide guidance but also give back to a community that has given so much to me since I was a toddler.

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WHAT A SUMMER!

This summer has been filled with many adventures, laughs, and a great learning experience for everyone including myself!

I started my summer with our annual Project Impact Summer Service Camp designed for rising 6-9th graders. Allowing them to earn service hours, have lots of fun, and most importantly make a difference in their community.

Project Impact also served as my first major project with Hands On Thomas County. I believe that it was a good experience for me to learn different ways to volunteer in the community and lend a helping hand where I could. Every day was an adventure and as excited as the kids were to go back home and tell their parents about their day; I had the same enthusiasm!

It was so amazing to see the smiles on each of the camper’s faces, knowing how they can make an impact in their community even if it means getting a little sweaty! I have no doubt that they learned valuable lessons and made some new friends throughout Thomasville.

As the summer went on it was time for me to organize my own projects! I was given the opportunity to work with three different youth organizations – the Boys and Girls Club, Thomasville Community Resource Center and Vashti Clubhouse! As a native of Thomasville, I was very familiar with each youth group thanks to my parents allowing me to be part of those organizations growing up.

My very first project was at the Scott Senior Center with the Boys and Girls Club! The purpose of my first project was to bring awareness to Senior Outreach, allowing each student to understand the importance of the younger generation socializing with the older generation.

It’s always a good thing to make a new friend and lend a helping hand no matter how old you are! Did I mention that bingo was very competitive? I even had several chances throughout the summer to sharpen my bingo skills.

Additionally, as time went on throughout the summer and I was able to work with different organizations and youth groups I took some time to reflect on how much value volunteering holds in the community.

I got so much positive feedback from different event coordinators and participants throughout the summer on how well each project was organized. Even though sometimes I miss being a kid, this experience made me realize how happy I am to be blessed with such an amazing opportunity to give the younger generation a chance to make a difference in the world!

Especially being a student-athlete at Thomas University, hearing the stories from different kids about what they want to be or do when they grow up gave me a sense of acknowledgment to let them know how volunteering in the community can help them reach their personal goals. Going to different stores downtown, picking up trash, making thank you cards; you never know whom you might run into or shake a hand with that changes your life for the better.

I believe that working with the senior citizens at the Scott Senior Center and Woodleaf Senior Care was ultimately my favorite memory. Especially when we had the chance to make the memory collages. It was so beautiful to see how happy the senior citizens and students were to learn more about each other.

Sometimes in life, your hard work may not go noticed or mentioned in the big bright lights but I can assure you that you are making a difference in someone’s life in some way. You never know who might need a laugh, a hug, or just someone to make our community a better place. Always be kind to others and put your best foot forward in everything you desire to do in life!

So, here’s to one final farewell from Jen Coleman!

Thank you for giving me a chance to make a difference in so many lives. You all have made such a difference in my life for the better, and I could not be more honored to serve our almighty God and serve as this year’s Hands On Thomas County Summer Intern.

Take care!

Special thanks to these Diamond Level & above Sponsors, The Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation, and all of our donors and sponsors for making volunteer programs and events like these possible.

Mrs. Robert
P. Crozer

Dr. & Mrs.
Philip C. Watt

Mr. Lyle
Williams IV

Mr. & Mrs. C Martin Wood

July 28, 2023

Outreach 2023 – Week 5

Welcome to one of several summer 2023 Project Impact Outreach recaps from our Project Impact ROI intern. Project Impact ROI is an annual program designed to engage local high-school seniors and college-age students in community service, and expand our SHOTC youth summer programming and outreach. In return, the intern gains valuable leadership experience, credit hours (if applicable), and a monetary award. Know a student (18+) who would make a great intern candidate for Project Impact ROI? Click here for information.

My name is Jennifer Coleman, and I am the 2023 Hands On Thomas County Impact ROI intern!

SCROLL DOWN FOR PICTURES! FIND MORE ON OUR INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK

Hey everyone, it’s Jennifer Coleman checking in one last time with you guys! What a blast it has been this summer!

I had the opportunity to end my summer as the Hands On Thomas County intern with the kids from the Vashti Clubhouse one last time!

It was such a bittersweet moment today after having the chance to go to the Community Teaching Garden, located at the Thomasville Community Resource Center.

The Community Teaching Garden serves as an opportunity for anyone to learn more about different fruits and vegetables, and even get hands-on experience with planting their own things!

Each student got the chance to pull different types of vegetables today like sweet potatoes, long greens beans, and even squash. They pulled so many vegetables today that they were able to take some home to their families!

They also learned about how important vegetables and fruit are when helping you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

It has been such a blast to work with the Vashti Clubhouse and I hope that they learned something new from this experience!

Special thanks to these Diamond Level & above Sponsors, The Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation, and all of our donors and sponsors for making volunteer programs and events like these possible.

Mrs. Robert
P. Crozer

Dr. & Mrs.
Philip C. Watt

Mr. Lyle
Williams IV

Mr. & Mrs. C Martin Wood

July 21, 2023

Outreach 2023 – Week 4

My name is Jennifer Coleman, and I am the 2023 Hands On Thomas County Impact ROI intern!

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What a busy summer it has been for me and so many youth groups! This week I had the opportunity to organize two new projects.

I started off with the Boys and Girls Club close to their headquarters. We were able to do a downtown sweep, learn the importance of doing our part to “Keep Thomas County Beautiful” and just be overall great citizens!

Before we left the teen center, each student was assigned to make a “thank you” card to hand out to different business owners downtown. I believe the owners were much more excited than us for the great surprise we had in “store” for them!!

As we continued our adventure downtown, we made sure to pick up any trash laying around and even swept the front doors of stores.

That’s not even the best part of our day! We also stopped by numerous storm drains throughout our day and learned more about the importance of how we should keep our areas clean to avoid any unnecessary trash flowing down the drains. Sadly, this was my last project with the Boys & Girls Club as the summer winds down and students are preparing to start back to school!

I have learned so much from them and hope they have learned valuable lessons about doing the small things right regardless if anyone is watching.

Each student now has a valuable place in my book of life and I can’t wait to see how they grow into young adults!

Next up, I ended my week with a brand new group – the Vashti Clubhouse! We had such an amazing time with our senior outreach project with Woodleaf Senior Life Care, which is an organization that provides residency and living experiences for senior citizens.

Students started with a nice icebreaker to help ease them into socializing with someone we may not be so familiar with. Many interesting questions were asked and smiles were definitely shared.

We even took a small break in our activities for a dance session and to listen to hidden talents on the piano!!!

We wrapped up our day outside in their beautiful garden and learned more about what you should pull and not pull when you are taking care of a garden.

Each student and resident left full of smiles and a better understanding of how socializing with someone we may not know or even older than us can brighten someone’s day!!

Special thanks to these Diamond Level & above Sponsors, The Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation, and all of our donors and sponsors for making volunteer programs and events like these possible.

Mrs. Robert
P. Crozer

Dr. & Mrs.
Philip C. Watt

Mr. Lyle
Williams IV

Mr. & Mrs. C Martin Wood

June 30, 2023

Outreach 2023 – Week 3

My name is Jennifer Coleman, and I am the 2023 Hands On Thomas County Impact ROI intern!

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Hey everyone! Another week full of service learning and activities is in the books!

I started my week with the Boys and Girls Club at Hands and Hearts for Horses, which is an organization that provides therapeutic riding and hippotherapy to participants with disabilities and challenges. Each student learned more about how horses are used to provide physical and occupational therapy in people’s daily lives.

It was such a cool experience interacting with the horses up close and personal! The Boys and Girls Club participants were able to groom a few horses and learn more about what goes into maintaining the horses to keep a well-balanced lifestyle.

We then ended the day with some truly hands-on experience by side-walking with riders and helping them play games on horseback! Side walking is a term used for people who hold the saddle of a horse for safety reasons while there is a rider guiding the horse around.

After a fun-filled day at Hands and Hearts for Horses, I returned to one of my favorite spots on Wednesday – the Scott Senior Center! This was the first time that the Thomasville Community Resource Center youth has been there and they were ecstatic about the new adventure!

They were able to learn the importance of socializing with seniors in our community and about how one small act of kindness can brighten someone’s entire week.

We started with a nice devotion and headed straight into our exercises – everyone was pumped up and excited about our arts and crafts projects after that!

As groups wrapped up their smile cards, they had the chance to make a memory collage board from magazine clippings of their favorite things. It was a pleasure to see how diverse everybody’s collage came out!

We then had a rotation going outside in the garden that we have been tending for over a month – and let me tell you – there has been so much progress done within the last few weeks!

I believe that my favorite part about the entire week was seeing the smiles on everybody’s faces. Sometimes taking a moment to appreciate the small things in life, feeling blessed to make such a big contribution in several ways within our community, and having fun is very rewarding!

Special thanks to these Diamond Level & above Sponsors, The Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation, and all of our donors and sponsors for making volunteer programs and events like these possible.

Mrs. Robert
P. Crozer

Dr. & Mrs.
Philip C. Watt

Mr. Lyle
Williams IV

Mr. & Mrs. C Martin Wood

June 26, 2023

Outreach 2023 – Week 2

My name is Jennifer Coleman, and I am the 2023 Hands On Thomas County Impact ROI intern!

SCROLL DOWN FOR PICTURES! FIND MORE ON OUR INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK

Hey everyone! I’m back with another blog to tell you even more about the fun I’m having this summer with local youth organizations!

This week, I kicked things off with the Boys and Girls Club at Second Harvest of South Georgia, an organization that operates a variety of programs that are aimed at reducing food insecurities in our local area.

Then, I was able to end the week with the group at Thomasville Community Resource Center! TCRC is an organization that provides educational development by providing afterschool and summer learning opportunities for local youth.

Each day at Second Harvest on both days, we were assigned to pack food boxes with different types of foods such as almonds, walnuts, and stew beef. We also had the opportunity to sort oranges by throwing away any non-edible ones and storing the good ones in plastic bags to prep them for distribution. The Boys and Girls Club and TCRC youth had so much fun being able to work together as a team for an amazing cause!

Additionally, TCRC made such a huge impact by packing a total of 124 boxes in just an hour and a half! That’s enough boxes to feed 124 families for at least a week! We then ended with a nice tour (thanks, Josh!) of the facility and everyone enjoyed “cooling” off after their hard work with a quick look into the freezer!

Overall, we had two great days! I enjoyed watching the kids engage in the project that is giving back to their community. I think it opened their eyes and helped them understand that they can make a difference, even in our small town!

Special thanks to these Diamond Level & above Sponsors, The Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation, and all of our donors and sponsors for making volunteer programs and events like these possible.

Mrs. Robert
P. Crozer

Dr. & Mrs.
Philip C. Watt

Mr. Lyle
Williams IV

Mr. & Mrs. C Martin Wood

August 4, 2022

Last Week of Summer Outreach!

Welcome to one of several summer 2022 Project Impact Outreach recaps from our Project Impact ROI intern. Project Impact ROI is an annual program designed to engage local high-school seniors and college-age students in community service, and expand our SHOTC youth summer programming and outreach. In return, the intern gains valuable leadership experience, credit hours (if applicable), and a monetary award. Know a student (18+) who would make a great intern candidate for Project Impact ROI? Click here for information.

My name is Ella Millere, and I am the 2022 Hands On Thomas County Impact ROI intern. I graduated from Thomasville High School and am currently a rising second year at the University of Virginia studying leadership and public policy. I see this summer as an opportunity to connect with my hometown and to build lasting relationships within the community. Thanks for following along on my intern and volunteer adventures.

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I’m sad to say that my summer of outreach is coming to an end. And what a great last week of volunteering it was! Although the week got off to a rocky start with weather cancellations, we finished off strong with two final projects. On Tuesday, the Boys and Girls Club and I visited Thomasville’s very own Pollinator Garden. Then, we closed out the week on Friday with Vashti at Scott Senior Center.

The Pollinator Garden is located right next to the Rose Garden at Cherokee Lake and is full of native plants that are planted in the shape of a butterfly. These plants are where many butterflies lay their eggs, and each type of butterfly only lays its eggs on a specific plant. Before volunteering, we had the incredible opportunity to learn all about pollinators and our area’s native plants from Ms. Beth Grant. Then, we got right to working hard, weeding the area, and spreading mulch all throughout the garden. It was hot, sweaty, hard work, but these kids did a great job and persevered to get it done!

For my very last summer youth project, I was lucky to be able to take one final visit to Scott Senior Center. Half a dozen boys from Vashti greeted the seniors as they came in and helped pass out coffee and breakfast. It is always a joy to see how happy young people can make the seniors, but also how much youth enjoy getting to spend time with them. This time, we played BINGO together – always a crowd favorite. We were engaged in almost every way, from calling out the Bingo numbers, to handing out prizes and helping the senior center attendees play.

As always, we were sad when it was time to leave. During our closing discussion, many of the boys shared interesting stories or things they had learned from talking to the seniors. This is always by far my favorite part of the youth volunteer projects. I love getting to hear what the youth get out of it and what parts they enjoy the most.

Special thanks to these Diamond Level & above Sponsors, The Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation, and all of our donors and sponsors for making volunteer programs and events like these possible.

August 4, 2022

Summer Youth Outreach – Week 3

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This week was all about the animals! From domestic to wild, each youth organization this week got the chance to help or work with animals.

Both the Boys and Girls Club and Vashti got to go to Hands and Hearts for Horses, a therapeutic riding center for people of all ages with physical and intellectual disabilities. Through hippotherapy, riders can enhance their motor skills and compassionate thinking skills.

Starting off on Monday, youth from the boy’s cottage at Vashti helped out with Hands and Hearts’ kids camp and spent time doing barn chores. The boys really enjoyed interacting with the kids at camp, as they played games with the kids while the kids were on horses. Some of the youth were a little afraid of the horses at first, but they quickly warmed up and had loads of fun. After playing warm-up games with the kids at camp, we got right to work in the barn, where we scooped lots of poop from stalls and raked up the main section of the barn. These boys got the barn chores done in record time and are definitely some of the most hard-working people I know!

The next day at Hands and Hearts, The Boys and Girls Club enjoyed hanging out with the goats the most. After grooming the sensory trail by removing all branches and pinecones and raking it clean, the kids got to get in the goat pen and interact with them. We learned that the stereotype of goats eating anything is 100% true! While we were feeding them pieces of grass and leaves, one of the goats tried to eat a girl’s hair! Next, we got to work in the barn, scooping up poop from the stalls and filling in holes with wood shavings. And of course, we were able to pet several horses along the way!

On Friday, I met youth from The Clubhouse onsite to do a project serving three different kinds of animals. First, we made dog toys out of old T-shirts for dogs at the Humane Society. Many of the kids learned how to braid for the first time making the toys! Then, we made cat toys from old pill bottles to take to cats at Miss Kitty’s Feline Sanctuary. Lastly, we made Cheerios bird feeders to hang on trees around the Vashti campus for native birds to feed on. Usually, when we think about helping animals in need, we first think of rescue animals or strays. But sometimes, we need to help the animals that live right in our own backyards.

Overall, this was a very rewarding week for me, as the kids really seemed to enjoy each activity we did and expressed lots of interest in returning to volunteer with these organizations again.

Special thanks to these Diamond Level & above Sponsors, The Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation, and all of our donors and sponsors for making volunteer programs and events like these possible.

August 4, 2022

Youth Outreach – Week 2

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After a busy first week of outreach, I was excited to get back into it with two more service projects this week. Going with a theme of senior outreach, I took two youth groups to two different facilities that serve seniors in our community: Scott Senior Center and Legacy Village.

To start the week, I accompanied the girl’s cottage at Vashti to Scott Senior Center. We created Smile Cards for the seniors, with inspirational messages or just a little joke to make them smile. When we got there, the volunteers greeted seniors at their tables and helped pass out donuts and coffee.

Next, we assisted the seniors with making memory collages. Memory collages are an easy craft project for all ages that includes choosing a theme, whether it be a place you love, an activity you do in your free time, or a memory, and cutting out images or words from magazines that match the theme to paste on a collage together. This activity allows seniors to think of what truly makes them happy, and the cutting and gluing also helps them keep their fine motor skills in practice.

This youth organization loved volunteering at Scott Senior Center so much that several of the girls asked if they could come back and volunteer on a regular basis! I was also happy to have another HOTC intern, Miyah, along with me on this project!

The next day, I took students from the Boys and Girls Club to Legacy Village, a residential senior living facility that loves to schedule many events and activities for its residents. We were excited to be added to their schedule!

Just like Vashti had done with Scott Senior Center, we made memory collages with Legacy residents. We found out that both the residents and the Boys and Girls Club LOVE food, as almost all of them made collages with a food theme.

Because we had a small group at Legacy, the volunteers had a great chance to chat individually with each of the residents in attendance. The kids enjoyed hearing residents’ stories about their lives, especially ones about what they love to cook and their time in the military.

I love getting to spend time talking to and serving seniors, so I’m glad many of the volunteers from this week now love it too!

This internship has been full of fulfilling experiences so far, but my favorite is the relationships I have built with so many volunteers and those that we serve. Many of the kids have volunteered at more than one outreach project already, and I love how we’ve gotten to know each other over these first few weeks.

I can’t wait for next week’s projects! (Hint: we’re helping those with more than two legs!!)

Special thanks to these Diamond Level & above Sponsors, The Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation, and all of our donors and sponsors for making volunteer programs and events like these possible.

July 26, 2021

Last Week of Impact Outreach

Welcome to one of several summer 2021 Project Impact Outreach recaps from our Project Impact ROI intern. Project Impact ROI is an annual program designed to engage local high-school seniors and college-age students in community service, and expand our SHOTC youth summer programming and outreach. In return, the intern gains valuable leadership experience, credit hours (if applicable), and a monetary stipend. Know a student (18+) who would make a great intern candidate for Project Impact ROI? Click here for information.

My name is Olivia, and I’m the 2021 Hands On Thomas County Impact ROI intern! I am a graduate of Thomasville High School Scholars Academy and a sophomore at the University of Georgia. After graduating, I hope to work for a non-profit as a Financial Planner or Advisor. I am excited to be back in my home town this summer to benefit my community. Thanks for following along on my intern and volunteer adventures.

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I never thought that my summer of community service projects would come to an end, but here we are. While I have two more weeks of my internship, my last service project is in the books.

I completed two service projects with the same volunteer groups I have been working with (and befriending) all summer. Youth from the Marguerite Neel Willimas Boys and Girls Club and I tackled Stencil Art at The Ritz Amphitheater. Well, at least we thought we were going to tackle Stencil Art. Halfway to the amphitheater, though, it started to rain. Typical summer weather! But we remembered our volunteer mantra about being flexible and took it in stride.

Instead of Stencil Art, we did some inside service projects: making dog toys for the Humane Society, and memory collages for Southern Pines Senior Living. Once again, they nailed both projects. They seriously went above and beyond. Farah with the Boys and Girls Club was so dedicated that she even made cat toys which will be added to our roster of DIY project ideas. She told me quote on quote, “I don’t have dogs, but I have cats. Can we make cat toys, too? I don’t want to discriminate…”

Just like Week 2 of Outreach, they didn’t let the rain stop them or their positive energy.

The following day, the Ventures and Connections kids and I went to Southern Pines. We potted porch plants on their patio and wrote positive notes to accompany them, masked up, of course. We planted 60 flowers which were distributed to their residents to bring cheer.

It was supposed to rain, too, but we got lucky! All rays of sunshine for my last service project. This event was truly special; the residents really enjoyed watching us in action, and especially appreciated receiving the final product!

I know I said my first day was my best day, but I think I am going to retract that statement. It can’t get much better than the porch plants. I am sad to think my summer of service and outreach has ended because I loved every moment.

THANK YOU to all of our sponsors, especially our Diamond Level (and above) Sponsors Ashley HomeStore, New Hire Solutions, Mr. & Mrs. Russell Chubb, Mr. & Mrs. Howell L. Ferguson, Ms. Diane W. Parker, and Dr. & Mrs. Philip C. Watt; as well as the Thomasville Antiques Show Foundation for making volunteer programs like these possible.

July 19, 2021

Week 3 – Impact Outreach

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After two weeks of recharging, we are back at it again! I can definitely say it is good to be back. I was able to get right back into the groove and focus on the two service projects I had this week with The Boys and Girls Club and Vashti’s Ventures and Connections.

Both groups did litter pick-ups in partnership with Keep Thomas County Beautiful. Keep Thomas County Beautiful is a non-profit organization that helps our community by promoting litter pick-ups, recycling, and so much more to make our town a lovely place!

On Tuesday, the Boys and Girls Club and I took on downtown Thomasville, while on Wednesday, Ventures and I tackled Cherokee Lake. We swept sidewalks, scraped gum off of benches and trash cans, and picked up all the litter we could see. We are some avid cleaners. Make sure to check out all of our action pics to prove how good we are!

The kids really loved this project because they love our town, our community, and our public areas. Brandon from Ventures even said, “If we use the area, it is our responsibility to clean it up.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!!

If you feel the same way, you can check out your own litter pick-up kits from the Thomas County Public Library, or Keep Thomas County Beautiful can provide you the supplies and even a recommended pick-up route if needed. A big thank you to Julie Murphree and everyone at Keep Thomas County Beautiful!

On a final note about this week, I truly missed these groups and service projects during our break. Helping my community has become such second nature now with these weekly projects. I am so glad I get to be a part of them. I am sad that my last week of service projects is next week but proud of all of the work we have done!

Vashti – litter pick up

Mainstreet Sweep with Boys & Girls Club

Mainstreet Sweep with Boys & Girls Club

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