Category Archives: Children

Discovery Riders – Horse Play

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Jane Collins

Love horses?  Therapeutic equestrian programs are all over the country and always need help.  These kids learn teamwork and cooperation by leading a horse through an obstacle course. Animals are so much more non-threatening that people.  I guess that’s why … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Children, Education, Homework Assistance, Life Skills, Mentoring | Leave a comment

PLTI – Don’t let the title fool you!

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Jane Collins

A recent PLTI class, who’s now making great changes in the community. Gotta admit, I had no idea what the Parent Leadership Training Institute of Alexandria (PLTI) did.  Their website says their mission is “to enable parents to become leading … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Education, Family, In the Neighborhood, Life Skills, Other | Leave a comment

Ronald McDonald House – The Ultimate Comfort Food

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Jane Collins

This volunteer made tuna casserole, salad and peas for the Ronald McDonald House guests. Sometimes a homemade meal is the best part – and the only best part – of the day for them. Definition of horrible – your two-year-old … Continue reading →

Posted in Adults, Children, Kids | Leave a comment

In the Bag

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Jane Collins

     My secret guilty pleasure, aside from watching “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” is to own a Chanel handbag. It will be big, bright red and have those quilted, interlocking C’s. Every once in awhile I see one at a … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Donating, Human Trafficking, International, Women | Leave a comment

It Took a Village

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Jane Collins

      Earlier this month it was my honor to deliver the commencement address at my alma mater high school in Bellefontaine, Ohio. There’s always something safe about going home. Mary Rutan Park still has its four tennis courts and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Education, Family, In the Neighborhood | 2 Comments

Read On!

Posted on May 3, 2009 by Jane Collins

By Laura Bain (guest columnist)       (Laura Bain is a reading specialist in a rural Ohio elementary school and is passionate about the importance of teaching kids to read.  She’s also one of my dearest friends. – Jane Hess Collins) … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Education, Guest Writers, Literacy, Mentoring | Leave a comment

Each September

Posted on September 14, 2008 by Jane Collins

       It’s now a few days after Sept. 11.  Every single one of you remembers what you were doing that day seven years ago. I was in India teaching English to Hindu orphans. Here’s what I remember:               The … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Faith-based, Humanity, International | 1 Comment

Win Win

Posted on August 7, 2008 by Jane Collins

by Tina Smith Houchin (guest writer)               A few years ago, I began reflecting on my life and my place in this world. I had always lived in Logan County, Ohio, and wished I had experienced more of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Guest Writers, International, Literacy | 1 Comment

A Few Good Men

Posted on June 11, 2008 by Jane Collins

The world needs more good daddies. And so I convinced my husband to join me on a two-week service vacation at a children’s orphanage in Peru this past March with the ulterior motive of providing the kids with the chance … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Family, International | 4 Comments

Half Full

Posted on December 19, 2006 by kannon58

Our glass of life can be either half-full or half-empty, depending on what we see. And with that, my holiday gift to you is three short vignettes of a few people whose glass is always half full. Enjoy. **************************** Sarah … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Faith-based, International, Military | Leave a comment

Home, Sweet Home

Posted on December 19, 2006 by kannon58

Going back to the Ronald McDonald House at night is like going back to my parents’ home. There’s a fire burning in the fireplace and a plate of food set aside in the fridge just for me. Written by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Family | 1 Comment

Paradise Found

Posted on October 14, 2006 by kannon58

Sometimes a service project flops. The good news is that my “failed” volunteer project happened while I was in Hawaii (nothing can go too badly in Hawaii, right)? While planning this dream vacation, my friend and I resurrected a service … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Family | 1 Comment

A Matter of Time

Posted on August 10, 2006 by kannon58

“One hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove or what kind of clothes I wore. All that will matter is that I made a difference in the life of a child.” Between you … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Humanity, International | Leave a comment

Sheltered Lives

Posted on April 15, 2006 by kannon58

“Volunteers needed for Shelter Night” the ad from a family shelter pleaded. Anyone 16 years old or older was invited to play with the kids for an hour while the parents learned life skills on Wednesday nights. This particular shelter … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Family, Homelessness | 1 Comment

Who was Handicapped?

Posted on March 11, 2006 by kannon58

Volunteering with handicapped adults a few weeks ago reminded me of a Global Volunteers service vacation (http://www.globalvolunteers.org) I took in 1999 to Ecuador. The service site was a day care center for poverty-level kids while their mothers sold toilet paper … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, International | 1 Comment