Our New Community Volunteer Project

Since the first year of being a Girl Scout Brownie, we’ve been given to the idea that volunteerism is good.  We sang to appreciative people in a nursing home!  
 
The new project would be a map/guide for the south side of our big city.  It would help people with developmental disabilities in need, and it would help the need fillers.  We feel great glee!  
 
So far we have had the initial idea and submitted it to our grassroots community council.  It appears they are going to lend their name and support.  They were very pleased and excited!  Then, we spent a couple of hours doing research on the Internet for mapping software and structural ideas.  We also began a project timeline.  Last, we wrote a first draft of the provider application.  
 
Both map and guide projects will run simultaneously.  The map will pinpoint the providers and their locations and will be more widely distributed, especially at local fairs, schools, and churches. 

The second project will be to develop the corresponding guide that would present basic demographic information, as well as present the providers' purpose (mission statement), population they target, number of people they serve per year, eligibility rules of their service, cost of services, available funding, transportation provisions, description of service or program, assessments provided, process of requesting service, and a definition of terms they might introduce.  

Both map and guide will be web publishable.  Next, will come funding decisions.  Grants and fundraising are wonderful, but for now we'll have to figure on provider donations and a small purchase fee.  Oh man!  We’re off to a start!  So much to do! 

Last night we met with Dr. M.  When we were getting up to leave, we couldn’t help but notice his always cheerful face was shining even brighter than normal.  Confused, we asked if he was laughing at us, but he said, “No.”  Then, he volunteered some very kind words about his pride of us!  Although, we hadn’t sought this praise, nonetheless, it was not only satisfying, but as well, as encouraging as the older people's applause!  It's a job worthy of being done, and we can do it!