Volunteer-Led Tie-Dye Extravaganza at the Children’s Education Center
On July 11, students at the Children’s Education Center students took to the outdoors for what would be a fun and colorful adventure: tie-dyeing their own t-shirts or sweatshirts with community volunteers.
A group of 10 employees from the Amwins Insurance Brokerage Jericho office was ready and waiting. They selected this hands-on activity for their annual day of service through the efforts of Amwins employee, Andrea Greer, whose son Harry attends the Children’s Education Center.
“Our company does summer service every year I thought this would be nice, being outside for the day,” said Andrea.
Classes rotated throughout the day, with each one having a picnic table tye-dye experience with the support and engagement of Amwins volunteers, teachers and teachers’ assistants. Amwins employees provided supplies and guidance on how to dye the shirts with the colors of the students’ choosing.
“Our students enjoy and benefit from hands-on activities especially when it’s a project that they can get creative, even a little messy, but where the end result is tangible,” said Children’s Education Center Director Denise Gaughan. “They can take home and wear their creations, remembering the day and enjoying the results of their hard work.”
There’s a lot that goes into dyeing t-shirts than meets the eyes. It starts with twisting the clothing and tying it with multiple rubber bands. Then, it is sprayed thoroughly with water to spread the dye. After all that, there’s the fun part: dyeing the shirt with multiple colors. The students, ranging in ages from 5 to 21, enjoyed meeting the Amwins employees, picking their favorite colors, and working with volunteers and staff to tie-dye the clothing. 
According to Volunteer and Project Coordinator Jerri Walker, “Having the community join us for activities, having them see our beautiful campus and the work we do here brings great value.”
Volunteer initiatives like these are a learning experience for both the students and volunteers alike.
“The kids learn from them and get to see new faces in the community, while the volunteers learn about us and what we do here at this school, as well as the ways our students communicate and process information,” Denise said. “Overall, I believe this was a great experience for everybody.”
Thank you Amwins volunteers for an incredible experience and for coloring our world beautiful! The Tie-Dye event was certainly a success for all who were involved, and we appreciate Amwins Insurance Brokerage for stopping by and leading this fun and colorful craft!