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Giving Back: A Year of Charitable Activities Meaning and purpose in one’s life must be created and encouraged through selecting experiences and activities that feed the soul. To be in need is one of the most motivating factors in longevity and feeling joy. Being an Activity Director is in itself such a choice. We all seek to be of service. Perhaps the biggest barrier is not knowing where to start in this quest. This workshop is full of activity ideas to set you up for an entire year of charitable activities! Ongoing Activities are presented to guide you in creating activities that stretch out over the year, ensuring a more personal and lasting contribution to your community. Monthly Activities are provided to encourage fresh ways of giving back more frequently. I am certain you and your residents will make a real impact on the lives of those around you. Topics Covered: Health Benefits of Giving Ongoing Activities Monthly Activities Start Your Own Charity Ongoing Activity Example Pen Pals Program Summary: Create a Pen Pal Program where your residents can exchange letters, pictures, etc. with residents from another facility. Directions: Have all interested residents sign up so you have a head count. Create a form for each participant to sign stating they understand and agree to not use offensive language, inappropriate storytelling, and anything else you wish to use for your guidelines. Be sure and note in the form that you reserve the right to read any of their material for assurances if need be that way no one feels violated in the event you need to check. Once you have your list complete call some of your neighboring facilities and get your fellow Activity Director on board to do the same. You can then match residents at random and let the fun begin! Variation: Try creating the program with residents from a facility in a faraway state. This will allow for more interesting exchange of information. If your residents need help getting going you and your fellow Activity Director could come up with specific topics to cover for each given writing period. Topics can include childhood, first love, best friends, big adventures, parenthood, etc. Some of your residents may want to participate but are unable to physically write their letters. Ask some of your residents to volunteer their time and help them write their letters. Monthly Activity Example April National Pet Day - Few things break my heart quite like seeing an abandoned animal with no home to call their own. There is something about their innocence that makes any pain inflicted on them simply unbearable to me. You don’t have to be an animal lover to experience the desire to assist our fellow creatures. I am sure many of your resident’s feel that exact same way. There are some ways you can help that seem obvious, such as volunteering time at a shelter or donating animal food and toys or homemade dog biscuits to your local ASPCA, but there are also some ways you may not have thought about. I certainly didn’t until I was researching the topic for this course. These include: Recycle - Recycling your trash prevents it from filling a dump that then encroaches upon the natural habitat of countless animals. Don’t Litter - keeping your trash in cans and picking up other people’s litter prevent animals from ingesting any poison or choking hazards. It also prevents it from clogging up any waterways that are used like highways for creatures. Plant Native - Planting native plants all around your facility ensures that your local wildlife will thrive in their natural habitat. Not Tested on Animals - Make a policy to not purchase stuff for your department that has been tested on animals. Fresh Water - Make sure there are plenty of outside locations that provide fresh water for birds and such. Whichever avenue you choose to take be sure and create an educational activity around it where you can impart some wisdom about the animal/s you are trying to help. Knowledge is key and makes it harder to ignore those in need. This is true no matter the topic. Giving Back: A Year of Charitable Activities 5 CEs for $49.95 BUY NOW! BUY NOW! Activity Directors Network was founded in 1996 on the idea that we could help create elderly care that dramatically improved the lives of those we all serve. Activity Directors are the key to creating environments that we ourselves would be excited to live in. We envision facilities that feel like homes, not institutions. Facilities that celebrate our resident’s individuality and allows them to live with dignity, purpose and joy. We believe providing the best education available, with the most talented teachers we can find, is the way to make an impact. Each and every single one of you are the revolution that is changing everything. Thanks for being a part of The Network. Copyright © 2019 Activity Directors Network, LLC All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 2010 US HWY 190 W Ste 120 Livingston, Texas 77351