GRAND Magazine - November/December 2008 - (Page 38) Sophia teaches a Colonial Williamsburg visitor how to play an 18th-century game. “I hope they’re learning that [volunteering] is part of our tradition,” says Westbrook, “and I hope they learn about what things need to happen in our society.” One of the few volunteers who are dressed in costume, Sophia is used to having her photo taken when she’s on the grounds. The photos don’t bother her, unless she’s headed to the cafeteria for lunch; it’s not very authentic to have your photo taken while holding a Pepsi. Sophia has taken to volunteering at Williamsburg, even pulling a “double shift” when she can. When they’re at Williamsburg together, Diehl stops into the James Geddy House to see Sophia spinning yarn or working on needlepoint. In the long run, Diehl wants Sophia to gain a knowledge of history. But, for now, Sophia is excited to get the cookies that the staff saves for the volunteers, to show off her stitchery projects and brag to her friends about her experience. “[My friends] think it’s so cool, and some of them want to do it,” she says, “but you do have to get up early, around 7 a.m., and it does take a while to get your costume on. My friends don’t like getting up that early.” “In our training manual they had a list of words because things were definitely differently worded [back then],” says Sophia. At Williamsburg, “we try to talk in 18th-century stuff, and not say ‘yeah’ or ‘cool.’” On the green, Sophia taught 21st-century visitors old games like Jacob’s ladder, hoops and sticks, and her favorite, trap ball. “You have to step on a lever and the ball pops up, and you have to hit it,” she explains. “It’s hard to figure out how hard to step on the lever.” A few days before Christmas, when they were 3 years old, Wyatt and Madison, Chet Provorse’s twin grandchildren, saw him wrapping presents. When they asked who the presents were for, Provorse explained that it’s important to share with people who don’t have as much as you do. The next year, Wyatt and Madison helped wrap gifts and on Christmas Eve went with Provorse to a bodega in a local barrio. “Who do you give to?” they asked. Provorse explained that he gives gifts to everyone. The twins handed out the presents to every customer, and wished each one “Feliz Navidad.” Since then, Wyatt and Madison—now 9 years old—have volunteered with their grandfather on many other projects; Provorse hopes that the experience teaches them that “there’s a world outside of them that they can impact.” Wyatt especially has taken to helping Provorse at Make a Difference Day—an event that features one-time, large-scale community volunteer projects. On these, Provorse donates his time as a professional photographer. Provorse and Wyatt (Madison has dance class on the weekends) head out with their cameras, and Wyatt uses the skills that his grandfather has taught him to photograph people who are clearing gardens or painting houses. “I ask him to focus on children and people with children when he’s shooting,” says Make a Difference Day, Phoenix, Arizona How to get stArteD Ready to volunteer with your grandkids? Here’s how to find volunteer opportunities that will keep them interested. VolunteerMatch.org is an online community with 1.7 million registered volunteers serving 60,000 organizations across the country. They’ve recently changed the search engine to make it easier to use. You can search for family-friendly opportunities or those that are great for kids by using the Advanced Search tool (www.volunteermatch.org/search/advanced.jsp). Idealist.org (www.idealist.org) has lists of volunteer organizations and a search engine that will let you narrow the search by area of focus (art, sports, seniors) and by age appropriateness (children, seniors). The National Council on Aging (www.ncoa.org) has a volunteer listings board. If you want to take your family on the road, Global Volunteers (www.globalvolunteers.org) offers one-, two- or three-week experiences in the U.S. and abroad. 38 GRAND NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2008 http://www.VolunteerMatch.org http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/advanced.jsp http://www.Idealist.org http://www.idealist.org http://www.ncoa.org http://www.globalvolunteers.org
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