At Nazareth Academy, a well-rounded student is an individual who encompasses four pillars: Scholarship, Service, Spirit and Unity. Students evolve into scholars by working hard in their classes; spirit is exhibited any time a student supports Nazareth via a vibrant selection of extracurricular activities. Unity, however, proves difficult to define in concrete terms. Achieved when Nazareth students work together to accomplish a goal, unity profoundly manifests as one voice, one student body working toward the betterment of the Nazareth community.

One of the most influential ways Nazareth lives out this pillar of unity is through participation in service opportunities. There are many projects offered to Naz students such as: Hodgkins Tutoring, SMILE, FISH, Caring Place for Kids, and Prairie Restoration. Each school year, the list appears strikingly endless – more so than the previous. This year, a recent addition to this list outstretches its hands to provide Naz students with an outlet to leave their legacies in the lives of others.

The mission of The Helping Hands Center is to assist individuals with disabilities through quality programs and services in order to achieve their highest level of independence. Mrs. Carolyn Kline, Volunteer Coordinator at The Helping Hands Center states, “The most important piece [of the mission statement] is that we really strive to make our clients as independent as they can possibly be.”

Helping Hands was founded in 1955 by a small group of parents concerned about their generation’s lack of attention allocated to helping developmentally disabled children and adults. But, because of their dedication, Helping Hands has grown immensely into the thriving center for service it is today. Currently, Helping Hands offers programs to assist people with developmental disabilities whose ages’ range from three months to eighty-five years old. “We call ourselves ‘service for life,’” says Mrs. Kline, “There are other agencies out there like ours who are not serving the elderly population.” This focus on “service for life” makes Helping Hands Center a unique and valuable asset to incorporate into the Naz community.

Helping Hands is equipped with a devoted, well-trained staff; yet, heavily relies on its volunteers’ generosity of time and effort. Two hundred volunteers are currently registered in the Helping Hands’ database, every name impacting the life of a Helping Hands client. So, what can you expect when you volunteer?

“The biggest area we get volunteers for is the Social Recreation Program…which is special recreation, like an after hours program such as Cooking Class and Music and Art,” remarks Mrs. Kline. Volunteers socialize with clients and encourage them to reinforce their social skills while promoting independence. In addition, the planned activities serve as a way to meet new people and connect with clientele. Events such as Halloween Parties, Valentine’s Day Parties and Pasta Dinner nights have been favorites in the past, according to volunteers. In response to hesitant volunteer applicants, Mrs. Kline assures, “Sometimes kids who come in, and even adults, who are not sure what to expect, might feel a little frightened at first, but by the end they are just so happy to have made connections with new people and to have made new friends.”

Volunteering at Helping Hands provides students with a fun and powerful way to connect and become comfortable with people with developmental disabilities. Ultimately, Mrs. Kline encapsulates the Helping Hands experience in terms of simple humanity, “You can look at somebody and not quite understand them, but then once you get to know them, you just realize we’re all the same. We communicate differently [and] we might look different, but at the end of the day we all have different likes and dislikes. We just want to connect with people.”

What it really boils down to is the importance of being able to connect with somebody who may be different, somebody who has their own unique story to share. Volunteering at the Helping Hands Center enlightens one on the importance of being able to learn from one another. This experience teaches an invaluable lesson: that every person whom one greets, especially those differing from societal norms, possess wisdom that can be transferred to others.