We've been a little busy lately, so we haven't had a ton of time to blog. We've been working mornings at New Hope for Kids and evenings and nights at Give Kids the World. Even though it's been busy, we've had a ton of fun.
On day 4, Wednesday, we headed out to New Hope for Kids and arrived around 9:45 a.m. We had to finish a lot of outside work from the previous day, so we split up and got started raking leaves, clearing out storage bins, clearing out the garage and much more. We spent the whole morning outside, stopped for a quick lunch and headed back out to finish up our raking. Luckily, the weather was gorgeous the whole day—low 70s, low humidity and sunny—so the work wasn't bad at all.
We headed home around 2:30 for a small break before our next service. After we got home, we all went on a short walk and just sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Then at 5:30, it was time to go to Give Kids the World.
We were all so excited for GKTW on Wednesday, because it was the first party we got to work. Every night of the week, the village throws a themed party for all of the kids and their families, and the events are always so fun for everyone. As we'd been split up all week, we were excited to work the party together as a group. Wednesday night was Village Idol, and it was so much fun to watch and help with.
We were assigned to different jobs at Village Idol. Sydney, Ryan and Sarah M. were judges of the contestants. Sarah R. Abbey, Annie and Sara F. were the hype crew that stood out in the audience and cheered kids on when they were a little scared or needed some support. Zach and Kelsie were the sign-holders that told people to clap and give standing Os. Kaydee was backstage getting the kids excited for their performances. Kelly and Caroline unfortunately got transferred to a new job outside of the event for the night, so they didn't get to see all of it, but they were rockstars at the movie theater, and they were so good about being positive the whole time.
When we were done at 9 p.m., we headed home for snacks and reflection and, later, went to bed.
We work up early again the next day for our final day of service. We went to New Hope at 9:30, and from the minute we walked in, Gloria and the other staff members were so enthusiastic about our last day, telling us how great a job we had done and how much they appreciated our work.
We finished up some of the outside work like raking and picking up trash, we moved some (ridiculously heavy) paint cans and buckets to the garage, and a few people put some gaming machines together. Around 11:30, we went to lunch, and New Hope had ordered in some pizza for us, which was so nice of them. We ate and talked to Gloria and other staff members, and then we loaded up in our cars and headed over to the old center. We'd been working at the soon-to-be new center all week, and Gloria wanted to give us a tour of the current one.
The current one was super cute and homey. Everything about it just screamed welcome. We took a tour of all of the rooms, and then we baked some snickerdoodle cookies for the kids and the families that would be in the center the next week. Before we left, we had a short reflection with Gloria about our thoughts from the week, which was really neat. It's awesome when someone so busy still takes time to see what we learned and how we feel.
On day 4, Wednesday, we headed out to New Hope for Kids and arrived around 9:45 a.m. We had to finish a lot of outside work from the previous day, so we split up and got started raking leaves, clearing out storage bins, clearing out the garage and much more. We spent the whole morning outside, stopped for a quick lunch and headed back out to finish up our raking. Luckily, the weather was gorgeous the whole day—low 70s, low humidity and sunny—so the work wasn't bad at all.
We headed home around 2:30 for a small break before our next service. After we got home, we all went on a short walk and just sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Then at 5:30, it was time to go to Give Kids the World.
We were all so excited for GKTW on Wednesday, because it was the first party we got to work. Every night of the week, the village throws a themed party for all of the kids and their families, and the events are always so fun for everyone. As we'd been split up all week, we were excited to work the party together as a group. Wednesday night was Village Idol, and it was so much fun to watch and help with.
We were assigned to different jobs at Village Idol. Sydney, Ryan and Sarah M. were judges of the contestants. Sarah R. Abbey, Annie and Sara F. were the hype crew that stood out in the audience and cheered kids on when they were a little scared or needed some support. Zach and Kelsie were the sign-holders that told people to clap and give standing Os. Kaydee was backstage getting the kids excited for their performances. Kelly and Caroline unfortunately got transferred to a new job outside of the event for the night, so they didn't get to see all of it, but they were rockstars at the movie theater, and they were so good about being positive the whole time.
When we were done at 9 p.m., we headed home for snacks and reflection and, later, went to bed.
We work up early again the next day for our final day of service. We went to New Hope at 9:30, and from the minute we walked in, Gloria and the other staff members were so enthusiastic about our last day, telling us how great a job we had done and how much they appreciated our work.
The current one was super cute and homey. Everything about it just screamed welcome. We took a tour of all of the rooms, and then we baked some snickerdoodle cookies for the kids and the families that would be in the center the next week. Before we left, we had a short reflection with Gloria about our thoughts from the week, which was really neat. It's awesome when someone so busy still takes time to see what we learned and how we feel.
After finishing up at New Hope and saying goodbye to the staff there, we headed home, but we stopped at a shake shop that Gloria had recommended. The sweets shop made delicious shakes with cupcakes in them. After the past few long, hot days outside, we decided to treat ourselves with a cold dessert. We've never made a better decision.
After arriving home, we had just a little bit of time before our next shift at GKTW. We left for the shift around 5:45, ate a quick dinner and walked to our site. We were all so excited for this one because it was another party and other volunteers had told us that this party—Winter Wonderland—was without a doubt the most fun to work. They were so right.
We all were at different booths and making crafts and playing games with the kids. Then, around 7:30 p.m., all of the kids gathered up for games led by Kelly and Abbey, who did amazing at their jobs. After the games, it was basically a super fun dance party with the kids and their families. We did the Cupid Shuffle, danced around to Happy and more. We were all smiling just as big as the kids were.
When the party ended, we cleaned up, said goodbye to GKTW 
, and headed over to Disney Springs. When we'd gone to Disney Springs earlier in the week, we'd seen a huge air balloon that took you up to see the city and the parks. We'd wanted to go, but the wait was really long, so we decided we'd go back. On our last night of service, we did, and it was amazing. The lights around Orlando were beautiful, the wind was cool and it was just a really cool experience.
, and headed over to Disney Springs. When we'd gone to Disney Springs earlier in the week, we'd seen a huge air balloon that took you up to see the city and the parks. We'd wanted to go, but the wait was really long, so we decided we'd go back. On our last night of service, we did, and it was amazing. The lights around Orlando were beautiful, the wind was cool and it was just a really cool experience. 
Afterwards, we headed home and settled in for our final night of post-volunteering reflection. Around 1:30 a.m., we figured it was time to go to bed so we could get up the next day and head to the beach. We're going to Clearwater for the day, and we're brining burgers and hotdogs to grill and smores for later.
We head home Saturday morning, and we're not too happy about it. It's been such a great week, and we're pretty bummed to leave, but we've had such a fun time. Thanks for reading about our adventures, and thanks to all who donated to make this trip possible! It's truly been an impactful experience.
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