ASB last a lifetime

Returning home from ASB is bittersweet, but as those of us that have had the experience say "Spring break lasts a week, Alternative Spring Break lasts a lifetime" (cheesy, I know). You can view lots of video and pictures from ASB on United Way of Central Iowa's facebook page so check it out. Here is a slideshow of the week, put together by our very own Channel, who is a Drake student and member of Student United Way. (It gets a little long, but you can tell how much fun we had and the great work we accomplished).


After returning from ASB I am even more motivated to continue in my personal volunteering and was excited to hear upon my return that I might have a match as a Big Sis through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, which I applied for a month or so ago. Wednesday evening I met my 'Lil Sis who is nine years old, in third grade, and lives with her grandmother and two younger siblings. I've never in my entire life met someone that was so excited to meet me (this may be for obvious reasons). I had one of those moments where I wondered why I hadn't done something like this before. Just my presence, prior to even really knowing me, made this little girl so happy. While she has a very caring grandmother, she clearly thinks of herself as mother hen to her two younger siblings, and according to her grandmother she just needs to let herself have some fun. Hopefully I can help make this happen.

According to the Iowa Mentoring Partnership, there are currently thousands of children in the state of Iowa on waiting lists for a mentor. If you are interested in becoming a mentor you can search for these opportunities and others on UWCI's Web site.