When Gov. Perdue asked her cabinet secretaries to become a volunteer in support of President Obama’s United We Serve initiative, Raleigh’s Gill House immediately came to mind.
The Gill House is a treatment facility for at-risk boys. The young men get a structured living environment while learning to respect authority. In addition to keeping up their school work, they get training in anger management, substance abuse prevention and team building.
On Wednesday, four residents of the Gill House joined me at the State Highway Patrol Training Academy for some fun and learning opportunities. The youths ranged in age from 11 to 15, and they were boys through and through. Their eyes were wide and I heard gasps of wow, oooh and awesome as we showed them the patrol’s firearms simulator, driving track and helicopter.
From the questions they asked and the look of joy on their faces, I believe the four will remember this outing for a long time. I appreciate this opportunity to volunteer and highly recommend it to state employees and others who want to share.
The stated goal of United We Serve is to bolster civic engagement by empowering people to participate in service opportunities to address unmet needs in their communities. For information about United We Serve, including finding a volunteer activity near your home or registering your individual or group volunteer activities, visit www.serve.gov.
