Volunteers from GCSA spent time with children at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital teaching them about speed.
October 7, 2015
Nine volunteers from GCSA attended the Phoenix Children’s Hospital on Saturday, September 26 to lead STEM activities for the children’s recreational therapy time. There were a total of fourteen children from the hospital participating, ranging in ages from 5 to 17. These children suffer from emotional issues and can be a danger to themselves and others, so this therapy time is instrumental to their development.
Saturday’s activity focused on teaching the children about the concept of speed. Children made paper airplanes and tested how fast they could throw them with a distance of 15 feet, and what they could do to make their planes go faster. The children had a blast making and decorating their planes, testing their speeds, and competing with their friends.
Although 80 hours of STEM-related community service is required by students in the Grand Challenge Scholars Program, the volunteers enjoyed their time spent with the children at the hospital. According to Scholar Kaleigh Johnson, “These events are always very rewarding as they remind you that the purpose of engineering is to give back to the community, whether it be local or global.”
The next service learning opportunity at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital is November 1. Email [email protected] if you are interested in participating!