Elizabeth Corteville- Anne Springs Close Greenway Flyers Afterschool Program

1. Where I volunteered my time

                I volunteered my time through the Anne Springs Close Greenway. I participated in their Flyers Afterschool Program at Doby’s Bridge Elementary. Anne Springs Close Greenway created the afterschool program at ten elementary schools in the Fort Mill school district and I was able to choose which school I wanted to volunteer. My responsibilities included attending to the needs of the students and the program leaders.

2. How the service activity reflected concepts learned in the HDFS curriculum

                The afterschool care service reflected the concepts of HDFS curriculum because the service was created to provide families with discounted afterschool care at a place that they trust and by engaging their children culturally responsive and inclusive activities and programs. The program worked for the benefit and convenience of the parents. The program started at two o’clock when the students were released from school they reported to the cafeteria where they can stay until six o’clock. The parents have the liberty to pick up their child whenever it is convenient in those four hours. A concept that I feel is important to HDFS curriculum is the understanding the needs of families and responding to those needs and I feel that is what the Anne Spring Close Greenway does for families in the community. Many parents are not able to be home when their children come home from school and do not have someone they trust who can be there when their children get home. Also, the cost of quality childcare can be astronomically expensive. Anne Springs Close Greenway is a nonprofit organization that was established to better the community of Fort Mill, therefore, they responded to the needs of the community and created the Flyers Afterschool Program. I relate the steps to creating a Family Life Education program to the way and purpose that the Flyers program was created. Beginning with how they responded to the needs of families in the community needing a safe place where their children are engaged in constructive activities until the parent is able to bring them home. They chose the perfect location for the program because the school they attend is somewhere that the students and parents feel is safe and it is conveniently located for easy pick up as well as the children not having to be transported to a second location. The program leaders are trained, and background checked by Anne Springs Close Greenway, so the parents do not have to worry about who is around their child. Even as a volunteer for the program, I was background checked and attended a training program.

3. How I networked with other professionals while participating in the activity and what I gained from that networking

                I have volunteered with the Anne Springs Close Greenway organization before and I have been able to network with many people through those past experiences. Such as the preschool program director, the education director, the volunteer coordinator, and the preschool educators. Through my experience with the Flyers program I was able to connect more with the volunteer coordinator and meet new people in the organization such as, the Flyers program director. She appreciated all the volunteer hours that I spent there and invited me to participate as often as I could. Working with her was beneficial because I feel that she knows my name and my major and if there is ever an opportunity she will feel comfortable contacting me. Through the program I was able to work with the preschool teacher again, who is a wonderful mentor to me and has encouraged me to seek employment with the organization.

4. The potential effect the service activity and/or the service organization can have (or does have) on the community

                Anne Springs Close Greenway has meaningful impact on the Fort Mill community. I do not live in  the Fort Mill community, therefore, when I started volunteering there I was not aware of the expansiveness of their presence in the community. Anne Springs Close Greenway spans across 2,100 acres of Fort Mill and they have many different departments such as, education and recreation which includes youth and adult programs. Their mission is to “provide stewardship to protect the cultural, ecological, and scenic features of the land, while offering recreational and educational opportunities that promote the health and wellness of the community”. They serve as a place where the community can come together and appreciate all the outdoors has to offer. Each season they host events where families can come and spend time together such as the Summer Concert Series and Fall Frolic. At the center some of what they offer is aquatics programs, sports teams, therapeutic horseback riding for special needs children and adults, and they also provide curriculum-based education programs for kindergarten through middle school. The organization is well rounded and has something to offer each family and their programs bring people in the community closer together.

5. A general reflection on the assignment (e.g., reactions, feelings, life lessons)

                The assignment was very worth while to me. I believe that the Anne Springs Close Greenway is a wonderful organization that enriches the lives of families in the Fort Mill community and I was excited to get to work with them again in an additional program. I am thankful for the professionals that met and the ones that I was able to continue a relationship with though the hours I spent. I would love to continue to volunteer with the program if I had more time, which is why this assignment was valuable to me. The assignment required me to make the time and experience something new that I otherwise would not have pursued. Over the summer, I hope to have more time to spend volunteering with their summer programs and I plan on making an appointment to talk with someone about internship opportunities that they offer.