I spent the summer working as a counselor in the three year old division of a summer camp. This ended up being the most stressful eight weeks of my life, but also the most enjoyable. Seeing a child’s face light up when they see you is the most heartwarming experience I have to date, and I’ll admit I chase that feeling. When the opportunity to volunteer at Harding Elementary popped up I jumped on board.

I’m usually at Harding as a lunch buddy, but last week my schedule worked out so I was able to attend recess buddies. I walked on to the playground with Christina, one of our pledges, and we both balked as we realized we were unsure on how to talk to kids that are older than three. Do you go up and compliment their outfits? Slyly push yourself into their game? Stand next to them until they’re forced to acknowledge you?

After much deliberation we joined a couple girls in hula hooping which quickly escalated into a quick-paced game of tag. Unfortunately, I quickly realized my lack of stamina and agility put me at a great disadvantage as I repeatedly skidded past kids half my height. When they all ran behind the building I slinked away, leaving Christina to do the running.

As I walked towards the playground, a bundle of curly hair flew at me. I’d met Ellen the week previously at lunch buddies and we’d had a meaningful conversation about her favorite classes and preferred colors. She wrapped her arms around my waist and exclaimed “I saw you yesterday!” Dubious, I asked her what I was wearing and who I was with. She proceeded to describe in detail my t-shirt and vest combination along with the hairstyles of my friends.

Impressed, I sat on the playground with her and discussed the pros and cons of the ponytail. She borrowed a hair tie and gave me her mother’s favorite hairstyle: the topsy-turvy ponytail complete with braid. I immediately did her hair the same way; we spent the rest of recess running around the playground and showing off our matching looks, Ellen even helping the teachers perfect their hairdos.

When it was time to go I once again stood in the middle of the playground with Ellen wrapped around my waist, demanding I stay “forever.” I held her tight and promised to return the following week.

The younger a child is the quicker they seem to be able to make friends. There are no social norms for them to follow or a fear of being awkward to hold them back. Because of this it’s easy to have an impact on their lives, and in return, they impact yours too. I love how easy it is to bond with kids at Harding Elementary, and how the smallest things can make them the happiest. Working with these kids not only brings a smile to their faces, but also one to mine. That’s why I love service—the feeling of accomplishment and joy you bring to both others and yourself. Seeing the actual impact your work can have someone’s life is amazing, and I love Alpha Phi Omega for giving me the opportunity do to this on a weekly basis.

This post was originally published on the Alpha Phi Omega service blog. See the original post here.

Charles Bolden, a former astronaut and the first African American NASA administrator, stopped by D.C. General on June 30 to teach the “next generation of explorers” the basics of being an astronaut.

Children in our Playtime, Preteen and Teen programs learned some exercises they would need to perfect in order to be a fully licensed astronaut: the “Captain’s Crunches” and the “Pilot’s Plank.” These exercises had children ages three to 14 on the floor preparing their bodies for walking on the moon and tethering themselves to space ships.

The children were entranced as a “real live astronaut!” walked into the room in a space suit, complete with helmet and air pack. Children in superman, policeman, and princess costumes swarmed the astronaut upon his arrival, and she quickly disappeared under a mountain of adoring children.

Space food was a popular topic of discussion: Administrator Bolden explained how astronauts eat many of the same foods we do on Earth, taking care not to let the liquids escape into blobs floating through the shuttle. Like many earth-bound humans, astronauts have a penchant for foods like peanut butter and tortillas because they do not dry out or get old as quickly in the dry atmosphere of space.

Mr. Bolden focused on the importance of staying in school, emphasizing that they are the next generation of explorers. “What do you need for any job? Math and science!” As the youth shared their dream jobs, he looked at each of them and said that anyone who doubts their ability to achieve their dream to “just watch me.” This astronaut literally made the journey from the segregated southto low earth orbit.

“I want them to know they can do anything they want to do if they’re willing to work really hard and study; everyone deserves to dream big dreams and never give up on themselves,” he said.

This is the fifth year of Playtime’s partnership with NASA. The partnership began five years ago when a Playtime volunteer asked her roommate who worked for NASA to send us an astronaut, and Leland Melvin visited D.C. General for the next three years. Upon his retirement, Melvin sent his boss in his place, and for the past two years, Administrator Bolden has continued broadening the children’s horizons.

Playtime Project’s executive director, Jamila Larson, says she gets the chills each time an astronaut descends into DC General. “Here’s a guy who’s been to space four times, commanding two of those missions. Charles Bolden is living black history. He could literally be anywhere in the world and beyond and here he is, descending into the shelter to inspire our children.”

As he left each child with a NASA backpack and an autographed photo and said goodbye, he was met with a flurry of children outside D.C. General. “Bye, Astronaut,” they called to him into the darkening night sky. One little boy ran up to his room and taped the picture on the wall of the shelter above his bed. How many children are going to look up at that sky, and even in the mirror at themselves, a little differently from now on? Thank you, Charles Bolden.

This blog post was originally posted on the Playtime Project website. Playtime Project is a non-profit in DC that works to create equal opportunity and play for homeless children. See the post here.

“Ms. Lindsey, catch me! Catch me!” Naila* excitedly mumbled—the three-year-old never quite grasped the concept of volume control, consistently keeping her voice at the smallest decibel no matter her level of enthusiasm. I made a show of running around the play structure, pumping my arms slowly and kicking my knees up to my stomach. I crouched at the bottom of the slide, and scooped the three year old into my arms as she reached the bottom.

I spent the majority of last summer chasing “Naila” around the playground, working as a camp counselor at a ritzy elementary school in my hometown. It was because of this background that I applied to intern at the Playtime Project: I love children, and wanted to use this passion to work at an organization whose mission coincided with mine (and after interning here for three months, I doubt there’s a group out there who cares more for children than Playtime).

I went to the DC General playground with the intention of interviewing its site manager at the time, Ron. Instead, I ended up spending my afternoon coordinating adventures to the ice cream truck, playing the most intense hide-and-seek game I’ve ever participated in, and learning the proper technique to operate a bubble blower.

After the hide and seek game disbanded, “Jackie” grabbed my hand in her tiny fingers and dragged me across the playground.

“Do you want to watch me go down the slide?” she squealed, letting go of my hand to climb up the playground, leaving me waiting at the slide. Once she reached the top, she looked over to ensure I was waiting at the bottom, and pushed off, sliding right into my arms.

It was deja-vu; it felt like I was back at summer camp. Despite the different children’s different experiences and backgrounds, the children wanted the same thing as the preschoolers from my school: to be kids. It did not matter that they were currently living in a shelter; they wanted to play and enjoy the afternoon and chase their friends around the slide.

It was this (productive, just not in the way I intended) afternoon that really cemented for me why the Playtime Project is so important. So often, children experiencing homelessness have the “HOMELESS” label slapped on their foreheads in red ink. They become just another statistic and lose the innocence and need that is normally associated with children.

The Playtime Project actively prevents children experiencing homelessness from being reduced to a statistic. It cares for children, and gives them the opportunity to do what kids need most: play. It gives them a network of support built by people who want the best for them. Playtime Project provides a safe area to explore with other children and practice collaboration. It gives them a chance to simply be kids.

Children are children, no matter their housing situation, and they deserve to be treated as such.

Playtime Project helps give children this chance.

*The names of all children involved have been changed for privacy purposes.

This blog post was originally posted on the Playtime Project website. Playtime Project is a non-profit in DC that works to create equal opportunity and play for homeless children. See the post here.