Innisfree Village

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MSA students volunteered at Innisfree Village in Crozet, Virginia on Wednesday during Service Day hours. Innisfree Village is a voluntary community with adults with intellectual disabilities. It is dedicated to providing a lifesharing home and work environment in an atmosphere of beauty, warmth, and respectfulness. All community members are valued, and all are encouraged to explore and contribute to a meaningful and challenging life.

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Fourteen students planned a variety of activities and rotated through them with Innisfree residents.

Service group leader, Jenette Reyes, commented: “Our students represented us well with the spirit of service, kindness, and giving. This visit along with their plans for the co-workers were highly anticipated. I was told by one coworker that my students deserved golden stars and extra credit because they were so great. A parent of a coworker informed me that his daughter had been looking forward to it since she met us. They want us to come again and make it annual event.”

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The students planned out four rotations—music, crafts, sports, and snack—ahead of time. They divided into groups and by interest and need.

Ms. Reyes remarked: “Today they executed the stations so well. It was a smashing success. I was so proud of them.”

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The Innisfree Village service opportunity is one of dozens of service groups at MSA. Service to the community through partnerships with local non-profits is a core value of the Miller School of Albemarle, where volunteerism is substantive and focused on long-term engagement rather than a simple accumulation of hours. This is accomplished through bi-weekly service days in which every MSA student participates, with many students maintaining sustained partnerships with local non-profit organizations and engaging in service activities that benefit a wide range of Albemarle County residents. At the beginning of each school year, students are assigned to an on- or off-campus service group that they will work with throughout the year, allowing for long-term involvement and investment.




 
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