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Table Talk

By TIMES STAFF
Published April 16, 2007

In the classroom or around the dinner table at home, here's a hot topic to serve up.

Throw something back: Volunteer!

Poet and social activist Dr. Maya Angelou once wrote, "I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back."

Students across Tampa Bay should take her words to heart and participate in the 19th annual National and Global Youth Service Day on Friday. Millions of young people across the country are planning projects to benefit their communities, from tutoring children to distributing material about AIDS prevention. They are also teaching about good nutrition and climate change and helping soldiers stationed in or returning from Iraq.

One local volunteer featured last year in the Times is Natasha Robinson, a Gibbs High School graduate. Here is an excerpt from the story:

"At first, the allure of a college scholarship drew Natasha to AmeriCorps, an organization that connects youth volunteers with community service projects. But after spending 10 months helping Hurricane Katrina victims along the Gulf Coast, the program delivered many more rewards.

Robinson helped build houses in the Jackson, Miss., area; tutored schoolchildren in New Orleans; and passed out food, water and supplies to Katrina victims. She found the experience so rewarding that she joined for a second year."

Like Natasha, you may find that the person who benefits most from volunteering is you!

Classroom/living room debates

How do you give back to your community? What skills and interests do you have that could make a difference for a local organization in need?

Talk Back

Classroom/living room debates 

Go to our blog at blogs.tampabay.com/nie to tell us about your experiences volunteering and what organizations are near and dear to your heart. If you are organizing an event for Youth Service Day, you can also use this blog to share information with our readers. You may see your ideas in the next Talk Back!

Volunteer opportunities

In an effort to promote youth volunteerism and help students complete service projects, the Volunteer Action Center and 2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares has published the Pinellas County Teen Guide to Service Learning.

The guide lists 26 agencies in Pinellas that have volunteer opportunities for teens who need to complete 75 hours for the Bright Futures scholarship or for other programs.

For a free copy of the guide, call 211 or visit www.211tampabay.org. The 211 line has information on health and human services in Pinellas, Hernando and Citrus counties. To reach the information line from a phone that's blocked from making three-digit calls, call 210-4211.

[Last modified April 16, 2007, 01:43:45]