Lenoir Community College librarian Katherine Clowers and two of her children, Isaac, 16, and Kara, 14, know the meaning of lending a helping hand. This summer they volunteered to provide childcare for parents enrolled in the LCC English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Two nights a week the family commuted from their home in New Bern to the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Kinston where the class was held.
When Clowers learned of the need for childcare she did not hesitate to volunteer. “I was always raised that that’s what you do. When there’s a need, it’s a part of our responsibility to meet that need if we have the time and ability to do it,” she said. “I come from a mother who was also an ESL student and a single mom, so it kind of touched on that too.”
Clowers’ mom was an immigrant from Germany.
















On any given night there were between 10 to 15 children ranging in age from nine months to 12 years of age. Clowers and her teenaged son and daughter kept the children entertained by teaching them games and being outdoors to play tennis and blow bubbles.
“With such an age range, we had to keep moving from thing to thing so they wouldn’t get bored,” Clowers said.
Initially, she said they were concerned about the language barrier.
“At first the children were very leery of us. We were strangers. We couldn’t speak their language,” Clowers said. “Any child is afraid of a new environment. But within 30 minutes, we were OK. By the end, sometimes students would cry because they didn’t want to leave.”
The Clowers family said the language difference did not turn out to be a big barrier as they thought it would. “Some of the children spoke English and almost all of them understood it,” they said.
Clowers was amazed at how the children helped with each other. “They are some of the most beautiful children I have ever seen,” she said.
Knowing that some of the families lead serious lives, the Clowers’ said they wanted their time with the children to be lighthearted. “It was a fun volunteer job,” Clowers said. “You’re making a difference and having a fun, happy, exciting, time.” Clowers’ children both said they also really enjoyed the experience.
Isaac said that in the beginning he volunteered because his mom made him. He said he didn’t understand how babysitting could help. Later, however, he said his understanding and motives changed. He said he volunteered because it was the right thing to do and because he enjoyed it.
“I liked talking to the older kids,” Isaac said. “I found that some of the older kids were more mature and knew more about life than I did.” In fact, he talked about the children so much that his good friend, Jake, volunteered at the class too.
Isaac said the experience was different from any other volunteer work he had done. “Volunteer work in the past had been labor, such as painting a house. This gave me a different view of volunteer work by being closer to the person and not just trying to help them,” he said. He also said as a result of this experience, he will be more inclined to volunteer in the future.
Clowers said the most rewarding part of the experience was the excitement on the children’s faces to see them and the gratitude they received from the parents. “The parents were so appreciative,” she said. “One night they made dinner for us. It was spicy,” Clowers said, but they enjoyed sampling the ethnic food. “When you volunteer, you do it because it is the right thing to do, but what you get is always so much more than what you give.”
“I always want to feel like every day I’ve helped at least one person,” said Clowers, who can usually be found helping LCC students and staff at the college library. “If you can walk around and know that you have touched someone in a positive way, that’s the best thing.”
Clowers helped to arrange a field trip for the ESL students to visit the college library for a tour. “We want all students at LCC to feel comfortable in the library,” she said.
The ESL class that meets at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church recently started again for the fall semester. If anyone is interested in volunteering to provide childcare service or tutoring for ESL students, please contact Sarah Tyson, LCC English Literacy/Civics Specialist at 527-6223 ext. 717.