On today's Peace Fund Radio Halloween show we talk with Dr. Nancia Leath and her daughter, Gracelyn, from the Atlanta nonprofit TeenHOP.  Later in the episode Bruce Gale brings us an interview with this week's Kid Heroes, Vance Tomasi and Chase Hartman.

Two weeks ago, we talked about teaching children about charity and volunteering.  As a nonprofit organization we understand how valuable volunteers are. There is one thing about volunteering that will remain true: it changes lives.  This is true not only for those in the community being helped but also for the volunteers themselves.

There many ways that youth also benefit from volunteering in the community.

Volunteering provides young people with opportunities to develop new social networks and relationships with people from similar situations to theirs as well as those from different backgrounds who they would not normally have the opportunity to get to know.  

You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. It gives kids a powerful boost in self-esteem to realize they can make a difference in someone's life. 

Volunteering for community service is a great way to develop collaborative thinking, teamwork and leadership skills.  That’s why many companies frequently organize community service activities for employees, as it strengthens relationships and teamwork.

And this brings us to today's charity, TeenHOP...

The mission of Teen HOP is to empower and aid youth (5 - 17) and adults to volunteer in their communities, encourage members to train others, develop leadership skills, promote healthy habits, and create mentoring/mentee relationships, which will lead to productive and positive citizens.  @teenhop1

Gracelyn Leath was 13 years old and Brooke Leath was 12 years old when they co-founded Teens Help Other People, Inc – TeenHOP with the help of their mother, Dr. Nancia Leath.  Gracelyn and Brooke now travel and do presentations to encourage youth to volunteer in their communities.  Teen HOP is a Certifying Organization for the President's Volunteer Service Awards Program.

Bev had the opportunity to talk with Gracelyn and Dr. Nancia Leath about their organization and the importance of youth volunteering in their community.  

On today's show, we'll hear Part 1 of that interview.  Tune in next week for Part 2!

Vance Tomasi (14) and Chase Hartman (13) are two boys who want to share their love of books.  After volunteering for a program called “Boogie for Books” through the National Elementary Honor Society chapter at their elementary school, the pair was shocked to come to the realization that not all kids have equal access to books at their schools. 

They started an organization called read.repeat. in August of 2016 and have since volunteered more than 1000 hours, collected 110,000 books and distributed them to 200 locations in all 50 states, and helped raise $33,000 to support literacy in the Tampa area.  They partnered with Hillsborough County Public Schools and delivered 60,000 books to 65 schools, helping 25,000 kids with the resources they need to build a strong educational foundation. @readrepeat

Today, Bruce Gale brings us an interview with Vance and Chase.

Children love Halloween because of the costumes and treats. But the holiday also brings serious safety risks. Kids are twice as likely to be hit by a car on Halloween as they are other nights of the year. Burns and cuts also are common on Halloween, and then there's problems caused by candy.

Adrian and Mark bring us for parenting tips to help keep our young trick-or-treaters safe this Halloween.