THE NEW VOLUNTEERS

By TIMOTHY RENSHAW

Volunteering has changed. Or at least the image has changed. Today, many young people, eager to learn new skills and simply wanting to help others, are discovering the satisfaction of being a volunteer.

At North Shore Bowl, 141 West Third Street, between 4:00 and 5:30 p.m. Friday

afternoons, a group of Carson Graham _ students contribute their time- to

bring a weekly highlight into the lives of mentally han- dicapped adults.

Each student is in charge of a bowling team, consisting of four or five handicapped members. The students manage their teams as would

any coach, yelling en- couragement, pantomiming (though just as often

themselves shown a. slick move or two) the finer points of style, and keeping score.

Out of the excited chaos they instill a necessary order into the proceedings.

Though part of a school assignment in community recreation, the decision to work with mentally han- dicapped people was enurely theirs.

The task is not an casy one. Like any new un- dertaking worth doing and doing well, it takes patience and commitment. It is to their credit that many of the students plan to stay on past the mandatory tnvestment of

hours required by the project, continuing to help make Fnday afternoons a

delightful event for this mob of bowling enthusiasts.

Why, one may wonder, would anyone, for no financial reward, sacrifice their time to “work, when they might be, with far less effort, contemplating the brilliance that is television or squinting into the nether

regions of their refrigerators.

Michelle, a grade twelve student from Carson

Graham, busily manning the “Champs” score. sheet, explains it this way:

“It’s something I'd rather do than say, babysitting. You meet people who are mentally handicapped, get involved with them, un- derstand their everyday problems and what happens in their lives. Besides it’s fun!”

Strolling amidst the teams of effervescent bowlers, offering words of en- couragement and casting his opinions, with calm authority, on the sometimes stormy seas of team member discussion, is Ken Knight. For seven years his North Shore Bowl has been home to this bowling league.

Without his kindness, the “Tigers’', “Champs”, “Ballbusters”, “Leos”, and “Hot Stuff” would not have a place to bowl. And without a place to bowl the many promising bowlers on these teams, who work hard to sharpen their skills and improve their scores would have an important part of their lives stifled.

“IT don't do anything really,” says Ken with genuine modesty, “it’s the

students. This whole would be a situation

thing hopeless without = these

EASY BANK FINANCE

AnMIO—-z

“g-: mora

mOzZrEOTE®

4806 E HASTINGS. Bby

3 Bloch Caet of Wittingagon OOP NC IPE

“WE'VE RE INVENTED THE DEAL

BLE ASING AVANM ABLE mn 6en2

CIVIC

4 DOOR HATCHBACK

DELUXE 5 SPEED

PRICE INCLUDES

o [deseabess bereags

oe Loe cortverr tention

ob engiit

2 Wheel Wall Tem

ohn Striping

eHocdky Site Moulding

Z—-:moryaa AUMIO-T

elo tf dige Cnuarsds

GE t ant

r>

294-2113

WHERE CUSTOMERS SEND THEIR FRIENDS

March 3, 1982

SECTION

WOMEN - FOOD TRAVEL

Much more than a school project

KEEPING SCORE FOR the handicapped bowlers is just one of the tasks that keeps Dave Carter busy at the bowling alleys acting as a volunteer. Dave is a student at Carson Graham in North Vancouver. (Terry Peters photo)

volunteers. They do a wonderful job, just great.” The experience of working with mentally handicapped people, wit- nessing their growth in character and responsiblility as they participate in the adult world, has convinced Michelle to continue doing volunteer work. The possiblity of pursuing similar work as a career has suggested itself to her

Watching the high spirits, hearing the bubbling ex- citement of the bowlers, and feeling the satisfaction of people helping people, 1s all you need really witness to know why.

Students interested in volunteering should call the Volunteer Action Centre at 985-7138.

Iimothy Renshaw is a

student volunteer on the

North Shore

G

Porto t

Voor Un aawert cot

Pranesiag mort Traveler s

Cocabgpinigy pare ects

[roe to feo get oth ink

CocsMlrvers ©) Vine vate tt Wee bie oe

Corsfltvere -

Men s European Style Leather Wrist Bag

City 318 95 esc Lh Oe de ag 1

eC A ee

922-9650

empcpaared) feo ’

f

ary teatwest ages Fo.

thon

herpes Aer ates

weer SoC Var dt trend M

ty tee

Cabcle FaASNIONS DY WINGSONEG

‘‘Midnight Poppy’’

Various Pastel Coloratioons on Black Background

Pree Mlace Setting £69 OO

FITS ead FLO Y ID

An exciting gift idea from.

a hiowe alee Paso! dh. eae