NYFS Is Preparing A Booklet

For Would-Be Volunteers

By Eliza Hallabeck

Students working at Newtown Youth & Family Services this summer are trying to piece together a compilation of 50 ways area residents can volunteer time in the community and across the state.

Newtown High School students Saiful Islam, Jason Sherwood, and Alicia Paliotti began their work Monday, July 12, and by the next day, Saiful and Jason, both rising sophomores, were already working on lists of places for people to volunteer.

Alicia was absent for the day, but Saiful and Jason worked together on a computer in a corner of the NYFS Church Hill Road building.

“[It] sounded like a good way to help the community,” said Jason, taking a break from work to discuss the students’ vision for their summer project. “Right now we are seeing what we can do to help kids and families find activities to do.”

Once the places and ways to volunteer are compiled, the information will be put together into a booklet. This is the second year a row students have created a booklet with the NYFS. Last summer students interviewed local senior citizens about what life was like when they were teens.

Jason and Saiful said they were friends before coming to work together at NYFS, and were enjoying working together so far. The first step in their project was finding the addresses and contact information for places to call where people can donate time or efforts. The trio has six weeks to complete their booklet.

While Jason said he wants to potentially study archeology, Saiful said he is interested in studying finance in the future. Other than working together at NYFS, Saiful and Jason said they are enjoying their summer by hanging out with friends.

One of the skills Saiful said is most important to have while working on the booklet is patience, “because this is a project that is going to last most of the summer.”

Jason said other skills they are putting to good use include research skills learned from projects at NHS, and natural skills, like the ones the students will use to interview people for the booklet.

“We’re trying to be as local as we can,” said Jason, when asked where the students are focusing their search for volunteer opportunities, “but sometimes not everything is that local.”

Volunteer opportunities, like giving blood and giving time as the boys pointed out, are useful things to know about.

“It helps the community,” said Jason, “and it can help people by giving them things to do that are useful and productive.”

Saiful also said the work on the booklet can inspire other students who visit NYFS if they see the group working over the summer.

To find the volunteer opportunities, the students are using maps, the Internet, and phone books.