In between bouts of the flu by various members of the family, I helped to co-lead a mini-course at the kids' school. Mini-courses are designed to give kids a chance to explore something different that isn't part of the normal curriculum. Various classes are offered based on what parents want to help lead and teach. There are generally dance classes, sometimes theatre classes, in addition to lots of sports, and sewing and cooking options.

This is the first year I helped lead a class. My friend Lisa and I offered "Helping the Hungry and Homeless" as a class, taking 13 kids to the Downtown Soup Kitchen to help prepare the meal one day and to do various jobs to help the local food pantry the next day. The mini-course coordinators encourage parents to help "teach something you're passionate about" and this certainly fits the bill for me. That said, you never know how things will go over with offering something new. Will kids want to sign up for it? Will staff get behind the idea? How will it work with the volunteering happening at faith-based organizations? Will the kids be able to work hard to help with the jobs so that the organizations we are helping don't end up in a lurch ? How will the timing work in terms of having enough time to work the jobs that are needed? Alright, so maybe I'm a bit of a worrier in general, but all these things were going through my head and more.

I must say that I was exceptionally pleased with how things ended up though. The kids generally worked hard. The class was extremely popular with many kids wanting to sign up for it. The staff was overwhelmingly supportive. And I really felt like I helped to empower kids to do something about the homeless they see on the streets rather than just feeling bad for them. Even the teacher assigned to come with us on our field trips ended up getting the contact information for the soup kitchen so that she could come back. Feedback I heard was that they were amazed at how the soup kitchen does so much with so little and that they felt warmly welcomed into the building to do their volunteering. I do hope that the experience will help the kids, the Soup Kitchen, and the clients.

All in all, a happy success. Good enough to make us start strategizing for how we can improve things the next year!