A group of aspiring teachers is helping children in need and getting a jump-start on their careers in the process.
Members of the University's chapter of the Student Virginia Education Association are involved in a variety of service activities benefiting children in the Charlottesville area.
The University's SVEA, a pre-professional organization for teachers, is running a book drive, teaching computer skills to local children and volunteering at the Virginia Festival of the Book.
In a first-time activity for the group, the SVEA will host a series of workshops to teach disadvantaged children how to search the Web or use Microsoft PowerPoint.
"These are kids who don't have computers in their homes," said Lottie Baker, SVEA community service co-coordinator.
Computers4Kids, a non-profit organization in Charlottesville, is sponsoring the workshops that SVEA will hold every Friday for four weeks, starting today.
Aside from the instruction, Computers4Kids will give all the children who participate in the program a computer to keep, Computers4Kids Executive Director Kala Somerville said.
The SVEA also is sponsoring a book drive for poor children that began March 18 and will continue until April 12. Boxes for donated books are located in Madison House, the University Bookstore, outside 42 East Lawn and most of the University's libraries other than Clemons.
This is the fifth semester that the SVEA has sponsored a book drive. The previous four book drives accumulated 1,484 books. This semester the SVEA has set a goal of 518 books, which would raise the total number of donated books to 2,002, said Kate Polito, SVEA community service co-coordinator.
The group is looking for books that are appropriate for "everything from infants to eighth graders," Polito said.
SVEA members also are volunteering Saturday at the Virginia Festival of the Book, an event featuring authors, illustrators and publishers speaking about their work.
Though many of its participants are in the Curry School of Education, the SVEA is open to all University students who are planning to pursue a career in teaching. In addition to service activities, the group also participates in a number of workshops and other activities related to teaching.
"A lot of the things we do are professional development related," SVEA President Angie Ashby said.
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