Helping Kids and Families at the Jeremiah Program

By: Ben Farrugia, Generation SERVE Teen Volunteer

This spring, I dedicated a few of my evenings to volunteering at the Jeremiah Program through Generation SERVE’s new program for teens. 

The Jeremiah Program is a two-generational program that helps single mothers and their young children as the mothers work to improve their lives by attending college. Every week, I watched preschoolers while their mothers went to their empowerment and life skills classes. When I was with the kids, I tried to act less like I was watching them and more like I was just hanging out with them. Because of this, a lot of them really opened up to me. They would talk to me about what they had done that week, what they were learning about in school, hardships they had faced, and things as big as troubled family members or as small as what new toy they just got. 

One of my favorite memories during my time volunteering there was when two kids were playing with Legos. One boy was working on a tower and another boy was trying to build a train. The train was going really well until he came across a problem: the next piece he needed was being used as part of the other boy’s tower. I assumed this was going to cause a problem but, instead, he just asked the other boy if he could use it. Without thinking twice, the boy gave him the piece and used a new piece for his tower. I thought it was so sweet that they were willing to work together and solve the problem themselves so both kids were able to leave happy.  

Our group watched the kids in the preschool classroom. I really liked that the classroom had so many photos of the Jeremiah Program kids on the walls. There were photos of the kids on the feelings chart. There were photos of the kids on the class jobs list. There were photos of their families. There were even photos of the kids on some of their playing blocks. I really liked seeing all those photos. I believe it makes the kids feel like this isn't just a classroom, it's THEIR classroom.  

From the very beginning of my time there, I felt like I quickly became a member of the Jeremiah Program community too. The moms knew my name, even outside of the classroom. The kids hugged me goodbye and said they looked forward to seeing me next week. I liked being a part of what they were doing, and wanted to be there consistently, so I decided to sign up to volunteer there outside of my Generation SERVE commitment. Instead of just volunteering for four weeks, I volunteered directly through the Jeremiah Program from February through the end of the school year. I can’t wait to continue serving Jeremiah’s families this summer!

Ben (second from right), his mom Stacey (center), and the rest of our volunteer group take a group photo on the Jeremiah Program campus.

Ben (left) and his sister Debra help build educational exhibits during a Teen Service Day at Neill-Cochran House Museum.

Ben pets a rescued dog during a Teen Service Day at Safe in Austin.

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Do you know a teen who wants to dive into service this summer?
​We have plenty of opportunities for teens to get involved in our community! You can check out our teen opportunities, including our five-week Jeremiah Program commitment and individual Teen Service Days, on our Teen Service Page here!

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