As a child, Rosie Arbittier participated in walkathons sponsored by her local synagogue and placed flags on soldiers’ graves on Veterans Day.
Rosie’s story is one of those shared on the Points of Light website (www.pointsoflight.org). This week (April 15-21) is National Volunteer Week.
Spirit of volunteerism
Rosie’s spirit of volunteerism continued into her teens, when she started tutoring special needs students at her middle school in York, Pa. The experience was an eye-opener.
“I began to see how isolated these kids were,” says Rosie, now 17. “They spent their whole day with the same students and it was obvious that they just weren’t getting enough opportunities to socialize.”
When she reached high school a few years later, Rosie put her concerns into action by creating an after-school club for the kids. Now in its second year, “Rosie’s Class” meets every Thursday. This year, 10 middle- and high-school students with challenges ranging from anger management to Down syndrome are participating.
Rosie has enlisted nine of her friends so the class runs at a one-to-one student to volunteer ratio.
Importance of volunteers
It seems as if our country would have many challenges to face without the over 20 million volunteers like Rosie who are engaged in service each year.
National Volunteer Week is a special opportunity to thank the many volunteers who give of their time, talent, and voices to make a difference in their communities — including in our Catholic parishes, schools, and organizations.
If you want to help, check out the Points of Light website or go to your local Catholic parish or Catholic organization such as Catholic Charities and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. If you’re not a volunteer yet, start now!