Troy Rec Community Helpers
We have discovered our students are begging for ways to be helpful and be valued. Every day they ask, “is there anything I can do at The Rec to help out?” If the staff needs assistance carrying boxes upstairs or sweeping up a mess, there is always a student willing to help.
We also know that the students spend a lot of time downtown and sometimes are not seen as a positive addition to the downtown mix. We strive to utilize the willingness of our students to participate in helpful activities to create a positive vibe between downtown businesses and The Rec students. We have created a very successful group called “Troy Rec Community Helpers” that have been out and about downtown assisting The City of Troy as well as local businesses. We envision this program as a way to instill community service and civic duty in our students as well as building bridges for the kids to the local economy.
The goal of the Troy Rec Community Helpers is to connect the youth that frequent the Rec with businesses and other non-profits in a way that engages them in the community.
Our youth are bright, funny, smart, and looking for a way to be relevant in their world. We hope to offer them a purpose by connecting them to businesses and other non-profits and allowing them to use their time and talents for the betterment of the community.
Staff leaders and volunteers spend time before each activity discussing key aspects of community service and civic duty. A key element of this project is to allow the students to have a voice in what they see needs to be done to improve our downtown and improve relations with downtown businesses.
Activities our Community Helpers have participated in:
We also know that the students spend a lot of time downtown and sometimes are not seen as a positive addition to the downtown mix. We strive to utilize the willingness of our students to participate in helpful activities to create a positive vibe between downtown businesses and The Rec students. We have created a very successful group called “Troy Rec Community Helpers” that have been out and about downtown assisting The City of Troy as well as local businesses. We envision this program as a way to instill community service and civic duty in our students as well as building bridges for the kids to the local economy.
The goal of the Troy Rec Community Helpers is to connect the youth that frequent the Rec with businesses and other non-profits in a way that engages them in the community.
Our youth are bright, funny, smart, and looking for a way to be relevant in their world. We hope to offer them a purpose by connecting them to businesses and other non-profits and allowing them to use their time and talents for the betterment of the community.
Staff leaders and volunteers spend time before each activity discussing key aspects of community service and civic duty. A key element of this project is to allow the students to have a voice in what they see needs to be done to improve our downtown and improve relations with downtown businesses.
Activities our Community Helpers have participated in:
- Stuffing envelopes for local non-profits
- Unloading boxes for local businesses
- Stapling programs for a local musical
- Picking up trash around downtown
- Cleaning The Rec (they get it dirty, so they should clean it up!)
- Cleaning the Barn in the Park (Troy Community Theatre)
- Packing weekend food backpacks (First United Church of Christ)
- Packing weekend bags at The Rec
- Assisting with registration at the Tour de Donut
- Assisting with distribution of leftover food for the Tour de Donut
- Cleaning the downtown Troy information kiosks
- Sweeping the downtown Troy quadrants before events
- Sweeping and picking up trash behind the library
- Assisting Troy Rec staff at the Miami County Fair Milkshake Booth Fundraiser
- Assisting at the Troy Rec Ninja Obstacle Challenge Fundraiser