CITIZENSHIP

A good example is the parent-teacher organization your parents or
guardian might belong to at your school. They aren't paid to go to the
meetings, and they aren't forced to pay their membership dues. However,
they know that teachers and parents working together can make your
school a better place in which to learn.
Your Scout troop couldn't exist without volunteers. Volunteers organize
and run it. They find funding to pay for tents and cooking gear. On
Iheir own lime, Scout leaders receive training, hold troop meetings, and
go with you on campouts.
Many churches, temples, synagogues, and mosques also help with
community needs. So do volunteer fund-raising organizations such as
the United Way. Neighborhood block-watch and crime-stopper groups
do much to increase the safety of homes and businesses. In some towns,
even the fire department and rescue squads are made up of people
who have other jobs but are ready at a moment's nOlice to go to someone's
assistance.
You can be a volunteer, 100. Perhaps you could help an organization al
your school that informs students about the dangers of drug abuse and
drunk driving, or you and your friends mighl spend one Saturday each
month compleling a service project such as collecting food and used
clothing for homeless people.

OTHER COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Every time you run acrosS a playground, visit a museum or a zoo, or read
a book in a library, you are using community resources. The same is true
of the hiking trails, beaches, sporls fields, and picnic areas you enjoy in
your city parks.
Of course, a library without readers has no purpose. A zoo without
visitors won't stay open long. A concert hall lacking an audience is
doomed to close. You can help keep community resources full of life by
using them.
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