Teens MakeA Difference (NAPSA)}—American teens have increasingly found ways to give back to their communities. In fact, a recent report from the Corpora- tion for National & Community FOop Bal NK Drop Service showed a surge in volun- teering among young adults ages 16 to 24. The numberof these young volunteers increased by 400,000 nationally in just one year to 8.2 million. Many of these youngsters volunteerto fulfill community service requirements set forth by their high schools, and manyof the students—such as 18-year-old Nicole Burdett, a high school senior—do not know what to expect when Curtis Granderson of the Detroit Tigers is one of many profes- sional baseball players partner- ing with Action Teams of high school students to help encour- theyfirst volunteer. “At first, I was regretting hav- age volunteerism. along with classmates, hosted a nationwide. This year, thanks to a new online initiative, more than ing to go,” says Burdett, who, senior citizen dance at an assisted-living home. “At the end, I was like, I want to keep volunteering. It was so much fun.” ATradition Of Helping For the past seven years, Volunteers of America and the Major League Baseball Players Trust have partnered to foster volunteerism in high schools nation- Last year, the program was active in more than 20 cities 138 high schools across the U.S. are involved. To date, participants have inspired more than 19,000 high school students to help more than 80,000 people in need. Action Teams have participated in service projects at Volun- teers of America programs and other locations coast to coast— Burdett’s. These teams, consist- from sorting donations at food pantries to organizing neighbor- players and student team cap- video games with seniorcitizens. wide through “Action Teams’like ing of Major League Baseball tains, work together to encourage other young people to get involved in their communities. The involvement. of the ballplayers provides much-needed moti- vation and role models for teens to follow. hood cleanups and even playing For more information about the program, or to download an appli- cation to start a new Action Team in an area high school, visit www.VolunteersofAmerica.org/action team. You can also call 703-3415034.
