Needham kids reach out through volunteering

Published by The Boston Globe

About 25 Needham teenagers will use part of their vacation time this summer to plant tomatoes, pull weeds, play bingo and even repaint parking lot lines.

The thirteenth year of Project VAN, or Volunteers Around Needham, begins on Tuesday at the Charles River Center. Students ages 13 to 17 will spend the day in music therapy classes, on a nature scavenger hunt or gardening around the center.



Tuesday will be the first of nine volunteer sessions, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., throughout July.

“Volunteering and volunteerism is something really valued in this town,” said Katy Colthart, a social worker who leads groups for Project VAN every year. “We wanted to start a program where volunteering is also valued among youngsters.”

In the past, participants could register for anywhere between just one or all nine sessions, but the program’s growing popularity has required a limit. Between eight and 12 students can participate in every session, so Project VAN asks those registering to pick their top three sites.

The program, funded by the Needham Community Council, works with the same nonprofits every year, including the Needham Housing Authority, Wingate Healthcare, the food pantry, Needham Library and Park and Recreation, Colthart said.

At each site, a coordinator speaks to the volunteers about the site. The kids learn what the organization does and why it’s beneficial for the community. Sometimes, volunteers return to the site on their own or even get a job there, Colthart said.

“Even if they come in a little reluctant, they end up really liking it,” she said. “There are times when I think their parents sign them up … but again, it’s the nature of the community, something they can take pride in.”

In May, all the participants got to know each other at an Orientation session, a new feature of the program this year. While playing icebreakers and sharpening their people skills, the teenagers worked on getting in the volunteer spirit, becoming a team and discussing why they volunteer.

“It was a great experience,” said one former volunteer about Project VAN. “It was a great way to make friends and help others who need it.”

Project VAN is currently full, but the program is still taking names for the waiting list.