Night Owls - 3/8/08

I got an e-mail from my Tri Delta alumnae chapter here in Denver about a volunteer opportunity a couple of weeks ago. I have wanted to find some kind of charitable organization to get involved in, but haven't found the right one until now! The program is called Night Owls and is a once-a-month program for children with special needs and their siblings. Parents can leave their kids in a safe environment at the Fisher Early Learning Center on the DU (Univ. of Denver) campus to have a night out (or in!) to themselves - for free! Each child will have a volunteer all to themselves, and can do pretty much whatever activity they want all night.

The person who organized this program had volunteered in Texas doing the same thing, and it was very successful. It's going to be held the first Friday of every month, and they just ask that volunteers try to help out once every two months, more often if they can. For the first 3 nights, they already have 46 kids signed up!

There will be nurses volunteering their time as well, which a lot of programs don't offer. Most programs don't have nurses and these families aren't able to participate because medications can't be given to their kids.

Each of the volunteers has to attend a training session before they can volunteer. I went two Saturday's ago, and was really surprised at how many other volunteers were there! I love kids, so I think this is a perfect way to get involved with something that will be fun, but also very worthwhile.

I know how important it is for Brad and I to find time to spend together, and it's not as easy for parents who have children with special needs to find time to themselves. I volunteered to be paired with an infant since I sort of have some experience with that age :) I know some people aren't comfortable caring for a baby, and I have never worked with special needs children before, so I feel more comfortable, for now, sticking with where I can help out the most. I'm hoping that the more I volunteer, the more I'll be able to learn about kids with different kinds of needs. I'm so thankful that Nolan is happy and healthy, and I want to help those families that don't necessarily have that luxury.

I don't volunteer until May 9, but I'm really excited about it! I don't think I'll be able to take pictures, but I'll definitely keep you updated. Hopefully I'll be able to make it a monthly event!