Saturday March, 17 2012

Nature: Service-Learning Initiative (Community Service Project)

Address: Cannon Drive, Millsboro, DE 19966

Indian River Pursues Service-Learning Initiative

On Saturday morning, March 17th, the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company partnered with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post #7447 of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to construct a handicapped accessibility ramp for a dedicated volunteer of both organizations.

The VFW Post contributed financial resources to acquire the construction materials and supplies while the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company contributed the manpower, equipment, and resources to engineer and construct the accessibility ramp.

Service-learning is an integrated teaching and learning strategy that provides meaningful community service projects with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experiences, teaches civic responsibility and strengthens the communities according to the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Service-learning pursues learning and meeting community needs; desiring mutual exchange of information, skills, and needs between volunteers, students, community members, organizations, and resources; and learning goals. One is not necessarily better than the other, but the distinction is useful when forming partnerships or determining what goals a service activity should have. Persons engaged in service-learning should keep in mind their learning goals and how their service activity can help them to achieve those, as well as how skills and knowledge being learned can be applied to service activities to benefit their community partners.

The Indian River Volunteer Fire Company recently completed a service-learning initiative that provided a much needed handicap accessibility ramp for an ill volunteer and civic servant of many organizations within the Oak Orchard, Riverdale, Long Neck and Rehoboth Beach communities.

This initiative was pursued while the family members were away in Florida and pending return home on Sunday, March 18th; however, a recently diagnosed illness has substantially decreased the mobility and maneuverability of the resident and actually causing a wheel chair bound scenario to exist.  These organizations felt it necessary to reciprocate the hours of volunteerism and complete this initiative.

During this initiative, a commemorative Delaware coin was contributed for good luck and prosperity which was embedded into the ramp structure for said purposes.

We are certain that the family will be extremely appreciative of this endeavor.