Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

'Is there anything I can do to help?'

That question is music to the ears of school staff, who can find a task for any volunteer. Shari Dawson can tell you how a parent benefits.

By MICHELE MILLER
Published August 7, 2006

Shari Dawson got into the parent volunteer gig nine years ago, when her two daughters were starting preschool.

"I just wanted to be involved," said Dawson, 41. "I wanted to know what was going on in the schools and be able to make things happen that couldn't without parental help."

Back then, Dawson was a working mom living in Orlando. Her hours as a telecommunications consultant varied from part time to full time.

"It was hard, juggling all the balls and trying not to drop them," she said.

Still, she managed to be a constant presence in school for her daughters, Rachael, now 13, and Kirstin, 11.

While living in Orlando with her daughters and husband, Mike, 44, Dawson took on all sorts of volunteer tasks: from chaperoning field trips to helping out with class parties and projects.

When her workload hindered her from being at school, she took schoolwork home, such as tracing and cutting construction paper for an upcoming lesson.

She also served as PTA treasurer.

"I did golf tournaments, gift wrap - all that stuff," she said.

When her husband's new job brought the family to Land O'Lakes a few years ago, Dawson, now a stay-at-home mom, didn't miss a step.

She got right on board at Pine View Elementary and Pine View Middle, the schools Kirstin and Rachel attended.

At the elementary school, she helped coordinate the school's cooking club and took care of "odds and ends in the classroom on Fridays."

The middle school didn't have the same need for help in the classroom. But Shari Dawson found a stint volunteering in the school media center after the family dogs got into Rachel's backpack and ate a library book.

"I was there to pay for the book," she said, "and I asked them, 'Do you need any help in here?' "

Of course they did.

"It's been wonderful," said Dawson, who was named the Pasco County Adult Volunteer of the Year for 2005-2006.

"Keeping up with the teachers, knowing my kids' friends. And I guess you could say you get to see things happen - like buying the playground equipment that you helped do the fundraising for."

Volunteering also helped ease the family's move into a new community.

"We were new to the area. We didn't know anyone. We were new to the public schools," Dawson said. Through volunteering, she added, "I got to see how the schools worked in Pasco."

Dawson said she also gained better insight on how her kids were faring in school.

"You get to know the teachers," she said. "It becomes easier to talk to the teacher if you have to talk with them about a grade. Sometimes you get an informal conference when you're helping out with other things. You're more on top of things in general."

And, Dawson said, there's the benefit of that extra time spent with the kids.

Sometimes they enjoy lunch together. Other times, she has an impromptu visit in the media center from Rachael, who wants to tell her mom how she did on a test or stop by for a hug.

"It's neat being able to be there for those kinds of things," Dawson said.

It's also a good way to foster new friendships and recruit other parents to help out with things, such as providing snacks for the volunteer judges at the school science fair.

"You get to know all the kids. Then you see them at honor assemblies and then you get introduced to their parents. It helps build a network," Dawson said. "You tell them, 'I need a snack. Can you help?' "

Parents who want to get started as a school volunteer should try to attend the school open house or orientation, Dawson said.

"Tell the teachers you can help in any way possible," whether it's in the classroom, doing work at home or just dropping off those snacks before school starts, she said.

"Sometimes you have to follow up with (the teachers)," she said. "Just say something at the initial meeting and then follow up after two weeks and ask: 'Is there something you want me to do?' "

TO VOLUNTEER

Whether it's mentoring, helping in the classroom or lending a hand in the office or media center, there are many volunteer opportunities for parents, retirees and young people in Pasco County schools. Those who are interested should contact the school of their choice to pick up an application or call the District Volunteer Program Office at (727) 774-2207 in west Pasco, (352) 524-2207 in east Pasco or (813) 794-2207 in central Pasco.

[Last modified August 6, 2006, 22:42:18]