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Volunteering is part of our “work” here at Easter Seals

by Patricia

Mother and son working on communication during an art activity

Mother and son working on communication during an art activity

Easter Seals recently launched a program called Outside In. Outside In will give Easter Seals employees one week “on-the-clock” (paid time) to volunteer for another non-profit organization.

Easter Seals knows the value of volunteers and supports volunteerism among its employees. Volunteers are vital to our own operation, and this awareness of the value of volunteerism is what launched the Outside In program. Our employees can engage in meaningful work and gather knowledge and awareness from the outside and then bring that experience back in to our work here.

I used my Outside In hours to provide consultation and training on the topic of autism to individuals with autism, healthcare providers, educators and parents in the town of Suide in Shaanxi, China with the non-governmental organization The Five Project.

This trip was a little different than other trips I’ve taken to China. We traveled to an area where no formal autism programs are currently available. There are approximately 100,000 people living in the city of Suide. We worked with an active parent support group — with no educational programs available parents are keen to learn about autism to support their children. We covered topics like communication, behavior and social skills and did some lectures, too. Of course the most fun was spending time with children, putting the concepts we talked about into practice.

I have worked with the Five Project before and appreciate how the Outside In program afforded me some additional time to volunteer and support their mission. The Five Project is increasing the capacity of autism and other disability organizations in China to provide effective intervention services.

As always, it was a huge privilege to be welcomed into a community so eager for information and willing to share their culture and life experiences with an outsider. This was my fourth working trip to China, and will hopefully not be my last!


 

Comments may not reflect Easterseals' policies or positions.


  1. Patricia Wright Says:

    July 12th, 2012 at 11:28 am

    Sara – let me know if I can provide any support for your promotion efforts at Crossroads. There are many personal benefits with Outside In but there are also many benefits to Easter Seals!