In the Spotlight - North Star Community Services

 

 

Guest Writer, Jodie Muller

 

North Star Community Services’ mission is to “empower each person to realize potential, pursue dreams, and enjoy life.”  What that means is we help men and women who have a disability, to live the life they choose; one that is as independent as possible; full of rich experiences, and the opportunity to live in the community as homeowners, wage-earners, volunteers, neighbors and friends. In the Waterloo and Waverly areas, daytime volunteer opportunities exist in these areas:  adults with intellectual/developmental/physical disabilities, senior citizens with age-related disabilities, or adults who live with a traumatic brain injury.

 

At North Star we are blessed to have community volunteers come to visit. It is a highlight that both participants and staff members look forward to. Visitors are often welcomed like “rock stars;” with cheers and hugs. Once you come here, you will have made friends for life – our participants always remember our volunteers and what they shared with us.

 

Since being a volunteer and helping your neighbors is an important part of being an integral community member, at North Star we turn the tables and give back to others, too!  Each week, we volunteer at the Humane Society, Friendship Village, NE Iowa Food Bank, and in Waverly, Meals on Wheels. At different times we have collected mittens, baby items for moms in Nicaragua, and recently, supplies for a day care. One of our favorite opportunities is when we get to ring bells for the Salvation Army!

 

This past summer North Star’s day habilitation program was excited to partner with Lauren from the Volunteer Center for a special service learning project. Through a series of fact-finding questions, participants were able to identify some areas that they were concerned about. Animal and wildlife neglect became the focus of the project. Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation visited to explain the hardships wild animals face and how we can help. One day we bagged dog food for the Humane Society. Haley Fineran, manager of the program had this to say, “We had a special volunteer this past summer, Lauren from the Volunteer Center. This was a great project that gave our participants a chance to give back to our community. We are very grateful for the experience and look forward to more visits in the future!”     

 

For more information about North Star you can visit our website at www.northstarcs.org.  As John F. Kennedy once said, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”  At North Star, we believe this to be true, and not only is volunteering fun, it feels good too!

 

To volunteer call 272-2087 or visit www.vccv.org