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CLASS Grants: Project Ideas

• Idea Brainstorm
• Idea Detail: Homeless Children

Idea Brainstorm

These are just a few ideas to get your local started in community service. You can:

• Have a book drive
• Conduct a fund-raiser for school supplies/materials
• Offer after-school tutoring
• Have a clothing drive
• Start a food bank
• Encourage students to pursue higher education
• Work with a center for at-risk children
• Get involved in the DARE program
• Participate in adult learning programs
• Start a literary/library circle
• Promote the teaching profession
• Get involved in Special Olympics
• Have a fund-raiser for March of Dimes, etc.
• Start a recycling program
• Be a Big Brother/Big Sister
• Have skill-building seminars on topics such as baby-sitting, child care, conflict resolution, etc.
• Promote math and science for women and minorities
• Work with Boy and Girl Scout groups
• Work with enrichment centers for gifted and talented students
• Serve as tour guides and field-trip chaperones
• Visit the children's ward at the local hospital and read to patients
• Adopt a classroom

Idea Detail: Homeless Children

The Challenge

Homelessness is affecting more children and families. This presents difficult challenges for school-age youth and creates a huge demand for volunteer activities that can ease the pain and long-term damage.

Forty-three percent of homeless children do not attend school. Those who do find it very difficult to get the special services they need to cope and to succeed. Homeless children confront abject poverty every day and must also often endure the ridicule of their peers. Studies have revealed a life on the streets may inflict deep psychological damage.

Educators and volunteers can meet the needs of homeless children by adapting any of the ideas below to fit your situation.

1. Find out if there are any shelters or hotels/motels housing homeless families in your area. If there are, contact the shelter staff. Discuss the feasibility of having volunteers work with the shelter's homeless children.

2. Arrange to shadow the shelter staff for a day to gain an insight into their responsibilities and how the shelter works.

3. Make a list of school-age children in the shelter and check to see which ones are not in school. Work with parents and shelter personnel to enroll these children. Use volunteers to help improve school attendance. Ask shelter personnel to inform you when a child moves into their facility and to let you know when children are planning to move out of the shelter.

4. Help improve communication between the school and the shelter. Send a copy of all school newsletters, notes, and calendars to the shelter. Advertise in the shelter. Put up posters that describe special programs your local schools offer in areas such as adult and vocational education.

5. Try to work out an agreement with the shelter allowing volunteers from your project to visit parents in order to encourage them to become involved with their children's education. Help parents enroll their children in school, explain school policies, and describe upcoming activities.

6. Work with the school district's homeless liaison/contact. If your local district doesn't have one, try to get one appointed. Encourage shelter personnel, social workers, and homeless families to call the school district as questions and problems arise.

7. Set up a home-reading program in the shelter. Donate books and establish a specified number of volunteer hours to be spent organizing and running the reading program.

8. Provide volunteers to be after-school tutors for homeless children. Work with the children's shelter to organize the program. Ask local libraries to donate space for the tutoring sessions.

9. Sponsor a "materials/clothing drive" to collect school supplies (crayons, pencils, paper, glue) and clothing to start the school year. Homeless parents may not be able to afford these materials. Having these resources available will help get kids off to a good start and help them avoid embarrassment.

10. Help children celebrate their birthdays by bringing treats like cupcakes or cookies to share with their classmates. Homeless children probably will not have the resources to bring in such goodies.

11. Conduct regular after-school activities to help build self-esteem for homeless children.

12. Provide monthly cultural or other enrichment activities for children. Those activities might include a visit to a local zoo or a museum.