Ansley Miller photos
Troy University’s Habitat for Humanity chapter partnered with Courageous Minds to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club of East Alabama to give back and spread positivity to the younger generation of students.
Chandler Paymon, founder of Courageous Minds and a sophomore nursing major from Pike Road, Alabama, explained what the organization’s mission is.
“Courageous Minds is an advocacy foundation for childhood mental health,” Paymon said.
“I'm trying to break the stigma around mental health and get people talking about it.”
Paymon wants to let people know that it's okay to not be okay.
“That’s a message I want these little boys and girls to understand,” Paymon said.
I want them to understand that it’s also okay to ask for help.”
Habitat for Humanity Treasurer Madison Grimsley, a junior majoring in early childhood education from Abbeville, Alabama, shared how the two organizations spent their time with the Boys and Girls Club.
Grimsley said when the kids first got off the bus, they were given cookies and a drink and got started with a fun craft aided by the volunteers.
“Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, we’re helping them make cards,” Grimsley said. “Instead of addressing the card to someone else, they’re making the card for themselves.
“We want them to write positive affirmations to themselves to make sure they realize their worth. It’s important that the affirmations are coming from themselves and not from anyone else.”
Grimsley also expressed what she wanted the Boys and Girls Club to gain from their visit.
"I want the kids to know that we love them,” Grimsley said. “I also want them to know that we believe in them and that they should believe in themselves as well.”
Trent Desue, a sophomore biology major from Talbotton, Georgia, shared his favorite part about volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club.
“I really enjoyed seeing the kids have a good time,” Desue said. “It’s nice to see them being kind not only to themselves, but others as well.”
Paymon, living her organization’s mission, wanted to make a lasting impression on the students she interacted with.
“I want them to gain a little bit more self-confidence and self love,” Paymon said. “If I just touch one student today, that will be fine with me.”
To learn more about these organizations, visit their Instagram, @troyuniversityhfh, and website at bgceastal.org.
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