“It's just great seeing the excitement of the kids as they sit down for reading time and then later act out the scenes from the book.” —Sheena Moore
My favorite part about ACEE is getting the opportunity to work with different organizations in the community. My favorite service project was the Annual Children's Christmas Party in downtown Austin. If it had not been for ACEE, I would have never known that this event existed. This event allowed children from low-income families to have the opportunity to meet Santa, make festive arts and crafts, and receive presents for the holidays. A lot of times you hear these horror stories about children never having a real Christmas due to the lack of income in their families. So it was refreshing to know that these families would have a Christmas due to the volunteers, donations, and others who are concerned with the welfare of those in their community.
I love working in the library at Lucy Read. It's just great seeing the excitement of the kids as they sit down for reading time and then later act out the scenes from the book. A lot of times you have kids who are so shy that they barely look at you; however, I found that the shy kids are the ones that enjoy acting out the scenes. Week after week I see their shyness go away and they are able to overcome some of that anxiety they had when they initially started coming to the library.
I believe that ACEE has altered my current career because it has made me want to get involved with other community service organizations when I graduate. Initially, I thought I would just graduate and enter the workforce. However, after this experience I realized that I would like to join the Peace Corps, Habitat for Humanity, or any other organizations that are concerned with the welfare of others.