Red Cross Summer Youth Program begins at Scott Published June 6, 2006 By 2nd Lt. Karoline Scott 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill.-- 6/01/06 -- -- Beginning Monday, teenagers will trade in their school books for a summer of volunteering at agencies across Scott Air Force Base through the annual Red Cross Summer Youth Program. The program runs through August 4th and is for teens ages 13 to 18 who have access to Scott AFB. “This program is focused on giving teenagers a taste of what they might want to do when they are out of high school while giving vital assistance to base agencies during what is often the busiest time of the year,” said Stephanie Pitt, Red Cross program station manager.“This year, we are placing teens in areas that include the Commissary, the Base Pool, the Base Library, 375th Airlift Wing Finance, the Loan Closet, various hospital clinics and more,” she said. “If one of the places we have selected doesn’t suit a volunteer’s needs, we will find them other locations. For example, if an individual wants to become a lawyer, we’ll arrange to have them work at a base legal office.” The program is entirely voluntary and teens involved work flexible schedules from Monday to Friday between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. based on the needs of their supervisors. “Most volunteers work an average of two or three hours a day twice a week,” said Ms. Pitt. “The participating supervisors easily adapt to the needs and schedules of the teens. Volunteers involved help with a variety of activities from filing and shredding papers to helping with customer service and much more,” she said. “What each volunteer does depends largely on the office they’re assigned to."Currently, there are 22 participants signed up for the program, and more than 35 are expected by the end of the summer. “We want to stress that this program is not only a learning experience, but a way for them to spend part of their summer vacation and have fun,” said Ms. Pitt. There are certain rules and regulation the volunteers are expected to follow throughout their time in the program. Expectations for the volunteers include honesty, dependability, punctuality and cooperation, being cheerful, confidentiality, following a chain of command and keeping a record of hours worked. Many base agencies appreciate the volunteers and welcome them each year. Dolores Bayley from the Base Library is a volunteer supervisor for the program and said, “[The volunteers] assist with records, while helping to prepare the crafts, books and prizes that we use. We hope they enjoy their time with us, while learning some basics about the library. Many of them find a new favorite author or an item that interests them while they are here.” Sandy Koontz, also of the Base Library, has observed the important difference the teen volunteers make during the summer months. “We could not make it through our summer without our teen volunteers,” said Ms. Koontz. “They are a tremendous help in assisting with the large number of youth that participate in our summer reading program.” Though an orientation was held for volunteers May 13, it is not too late to sign up. “We still encourage volunteers. We will give one-on-one orientations to any interested teens,” said Ms. Pitt. “This program is important not only for the base, but we can make an important impact on the lives of the volunteers.”