As we kick off a new semester, we’re getting our clubs back into action! After a long winter break, many clubs are gradually regaining their momentum and beginning to host more events. This month however, one club significantly stood out among the rest, and that was Hands of Hope, who initiated an incredible outreach event with MDE, a special education school located in Cobb County. Kids from the school were exposed to fun stem activities that volunteers prepared, which both helped stimulate their brain in areas other than traditional subjects taught in schools, and helped build a bond between the volunteers and the kids. According to one of the members of the club, the event ran well, and “it was really nice to see the bond that they began to form with their buddies” and that it was an extremely “cool and impactful idea”.  

Although the event ended in success, we must recognize the amount of immense planning and dedication behind this initiative. Members of the outreach club began planning these activities before winter break and had to contact the school beforehand and present their activity proposal. After getting the event confirmed, they had to fine tune their activities to fully engage the minds of students with special needs. In the two weeks before the outreach event, details had to be confirmed, and everything had to be thoroughly prepared up until the last second before the MDE students arrived. When the activities first started, each kid was paired up with a buddy, aka a volunteer to help them through the event. However, there was a challenge: the MDE students were extremely shy, leading to awkwardness at first. Nonetheless, volunteers overcame the challenge, and the two groups were able to connect after an hour or two and have fun conversations. This outreach event is truly meaningful, as it showcases how IA students should be giving back to the community. If you’re interested in more outreach events like this, visit Hands of Hope in Club A!