Community

THE VIRGINIA BEACH SPCA: EMPOWERING YOUTH TO SHAPE THE FUTURE
Written by Cindy Gendron

We know that our youth are our future. As such, they have an important role to play in shaping the vision and goals of our community. Young people need venues to express their leadership, community involvement, and positive influence. They need something bigger to think about than whose texting or posting on the social websites. They need positive experiences that shape them into caring, responsible, successful adults.

Do you know a teenager that would give up their Saturday or Sunday to work hard FOR FREE? I do. I know about 150 of them. They are the Junior Volunteers of the Virginia Beach SPCA. They do laundry, clean stinky litter boxes and cages, carry heavy bags of food and cat litter, and spend hours at the monotonous task of “flatting paper”. In return, they get to look into the thankful eyes of the animals whose lives they are improving.

They get to make new friends with peers from different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. They get to build their confidence and social skills by working and communicating with adults outside of their families and schools. They get the empowerment of knowing that they are doing something good and worthwhile, and that they can free themselves briefly of their cell phones, computers, and TVs. They also get to have fun.

The Virginia Beach SPCA Junior Volunteer program is for youth ages 13 to 18. Applications can be obtained at the shelter or on our website www.vbspca.com. The program is run in three sessions each year with training and scheduling done prior to the session start. Junior volunteers work approximately 8 hours per month on their regular shift with additional opportunities for hours at fundraising events, parades, and other special activities. Volunteer hours are tracked and used to support scholarship, college, and job applications, and to fulfill community service hour requirements for clubs, scouting, and religious organizations.

The Junior Volunteer program of the VBSPCA provides support and empowerment for area youth along with boundaries, expectations and a constructive use of their time. We see them develop positive values, social competencies and a sense of purpose. They provide meaningful aid to the people and the animals they serve, and in return, they people and the animals they serve provide them with a positive view of their personal future.

For further information about the Virginia Beach SPCA Junior Volunteer Program, contact Kathy Shambo educationdirector@vbspca.com or Cindy Gendron volunteerliaison@vbspca.com or visit our website www.vbspca.com.