My friend Leigh is a volunteer through her church as a CCD teacher. She is always volunteering in her kids schools. When I was involved in the PTA, she was one of my “go to girls” and never let me down! Thanks for all you do!
Q: What kind of volunteer work do you do?
I volunteer as a Catacist in the Catholic Church. A Catacist is a teacher of the faith.
Q: What inspired you to volunteer?
I am very lucky to be able to be a stay at home mother. I love that this allows me to volunteer in the community. I especially love being able to volunteer in areas that directly involve my children.
Q: Why did you choose this type of volunteer work?
When my children were old enough to understand parts of our faith, it was very important to me that they attend Catacist classes that would eventually allow them to make their Communion and Confirmation. We as a family also wanted to become more involved in our church.
Q: How did you find out about this opportunity?
The church was low on teachers the first year the kids attended classes and I was asked if i would be willing to be a teacher.
Q: How much of a time commitment is it? Is it a long term commitment?
You are in the classroom with the children for and hour and fifteen minutes, once a week. However, it is important that you read the chapters ahead of time so you can prepare a lesson plan that you believe will not only help the children understand the topic, but keep their attention. This does not take that long at all.
Q: Do you work directly with the public?
Yes, I work directly with the children and their families. This is especially true if it is a year that the child will be preparing to receive the sacraments of Communion and Confirmation.
Q: Do you have any recommendations for someone who might be interested in this type of volunteer work?
Be prepared. Walking into a classroom with 10- 15 children who have already been sitting at school all day can be very tiring. It is a challenge to get them to listen and sit still. If you are prepared with fun, interesting activities, they learn more and behave better.
Q: Was there any type of training involved?
The only training is having to be a Catholic, attending church on a regular bases, and being required to take a “Teaching God’s Children” course through the Archdiocese. This course is about 3 hours long.
Q: What is your favorite part about volunteering?
I enjoy working with children. It is always fun and interesting to get a child’s perspective on religion. Many times, their answers allow me to see things in a different way, which I think is wonderful. I think it is so important for all adults/parents to be involved in the upbringing of the children in their community.
Q: Are there any requirements?
Other than being a Catholic, you just need to have a positive attitude and a lot of patience, and a belief that what you are teaching them will help mold them into wonderful, caring, happy adults.