– Alexis Farag, Marketing Associate –
Recently, four members of the BioIQ team in Santa Barbara got out of the office during the lunch hour and spent time with children in a program called Lunch Bunch. This program is organized by United Way of Santa Barbara County (UWSBC) and benefits kids who are academically and financially at risk. Many local elementary schools offer their campuses as a place for the children to learn, participate in crafts, enjoy lunch and recess with volunteers, and burn off extra energy through activities like swimming.
Our group visited Harding Elementary, which has 70 children participating in Lunch Bunch. The kids range in age from 7-15 and all of them lit up with excitement when they realized we were there to spend time with them. We ate lunch as a group in the cafeteria and asked the children what they like learning about at school. It was great to hear that many of them enjoy Lunch Bunch and also like studying math and reading.
After lunch, the kids were eager to have us join them for recess and run around the playground. They proved to be tough competition during games of Knockout and Four Square – and they made sure to teach us the rules. Their energy was contagious and we found ourselves reminiscing and laughing about our own memories of recess in elementary school.
The positive impact our group had on these children was obvious and we were happy to volunteer for this amazing program. We can’t wait to participate in Lunch Bunch again as well as other volunteer opportunities in our area.
