“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”  - Helen Keller

What does serving others mean to you?

This valuable question is one that we as adults can address in our own lives without thinking twice.  It might be an area that we haven’t honed in on in some time, or one that we frankly need to cut back, but nonetheless we know the answer.

Consider this… would your children know how to answer this question for themselves? What does serving others mean to them?

This summer, FWMoM tackled this head-on and created a one week program that focused on the many aspects of community service. FWMoM KIDS: Kindness In Dedicated Service camp was developed for children ages 3 years and older to teach the many aspects of service to our Fort Worth community.

Day 1:  Bethesda Gardens Memory Care

Our campers were greeted at Bethesda Gardens Memory Care Center with open arms to spend time with a special group of older adults who don’t always have a chance to be surrounded by the sweet sounds of little children. Some of the residents have lost the ability to communicate, many the ability to walk, but none of them have lost the love and admiration for the innocence and freedom of being a child. For our time at Bethesda Gardens, the children sat at tables with the seniors, and together they decorated brown bags with colorful and encouraging messages for the recipients of Meals on Wheels throughout Tarrant County. We finished our day with a sack lunch in the 50’s Dining Room with... you guessed it… a real jukebox!

Day 2:  Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County

Our campers were so proud to take their decorated brown bags to donate to Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County, and learn of the organization’s important service in delivering meals to our most vulnerable citizens of Fort Worth. Campers were taken on a facility tour where they viewed the industrial size kitchen where meals are made and packed. They also saw the vans that deliver meals to distribution centers, and even the storage unit where they keep food and treats for the dogs and cats of these homebound citizens. Did you know that Meals on Wheels serves over 3,500 meals per day? Our campers learned so much!

Day 3:  Fort Worth Aviation Museum

What an honor it was for our campers to spend the day with true heroes -- the service members at the Fort Worth Aviation Museum. These men and women taught our children about our majestic American flag and the importance of the Pledge of Allegiance. The education did not end there. We were taken on a guided tour throughout the field of airplanes and helicopters, where they allowed the kids to touch and climb inside the aircrafts, sit at the flight simulators, all the while learning about the sacrifice of being a service member.

Day 4:  Fort Worth Fire Department – Station 8

This day offered our campers a window into yet another aspect of serving the community. The dedicated men of the Fort Worth Fire Department Station 8 educated our children on fire safety and prevention, fire suits, and what was undoubtably the campers’ favorite part… the fire hoses! After the fire fighters gave each of the children their very own fire hat and badge, they even had a chance to spray the parking lot with water directly from that big red engine.  

Day 5:  Benbrook Stables

The final day of camp this summer was our End of Camp Celebration, which was hosted at the Benbrook Stables. The families got a private walking tour through the stables to see the horses, ponies, and donkeys. The campers learned that not only is it important to serve the citizens of the Fort Worth community, but to take care of and serve the animal citizens as well. The day ended with a trivia game to recap all of the facts that campers had learned throughout the week about community services. The campers also each received a sweet treat, and a certificate signifying all of the work and learning that they had participated in that week.

It was a fun-filled week and the campers learned so much. One thing is for sure: we moms feel more secure in how our “campers” would answer the original question…What does serving others mean to you?  

The launch of Fort Worth KIDS camp was a huge success this summer, and there are already plans in the works for two sessions next summer. If you are the mother of twins, triplets, or more and want more information on Fort Worth Mothers of Multiples and this exceptional camp that it offered to its members, please go to fwmom.org for more information.

Author: Janae Huffman is a twin mom to 5 year olds, Audrey and Eleanor. She is a part time Occupational Therapist and the VP Special Events for Fort Worth Mothers of Multiples.