Hosting Has Many Rewards

Hosting Has Many Rewards

By Kerry Hands - Host Coordinator
February 9th 2010

From personal experience I can tell you the rewards are many. Over the last 16 years I have regularly hosted 4 young people and have ongoing friendships with their families and their extended networks of family and friends, as they have with mine.

It’s been great for my brother’s family, my parents and friends to be able to learn about disability but mostly they have learnt to understand the wide ranging scope of what it means to be human.

Spending quality time with a young person with a disability has many rewards and its handy being able to do this in your own home. The activities you do with your family and friends is similar to what you do with your Host child:

• go to a kid’s movie,
• shopping,
• the zoo,
• bush walking,
• cooking,
• markets,
• family holidays,
• playing in the back yard,
• go to a cafe,
• check out the local football,
• swimming,
• bike riding

Hosting gives the young person with the disability the chance to develop a relationship with a family who caters for their needs and gives them opportunities that are different from their home life. Having sleepovers with friends are highlights of most people’s childhoods and Hosts are able to provide these experiences on a regular basis.

For the young person’s family, knowing that a safe and happy home is open to their son or daughter, allows them to relax and enjoy some time with other siblings, on their own or as a couple. Having a family who genuinely wants to spend time with their child is very satisfying.

There are loads of benefits for you and your family and here at Interchange Outer East we have over 100 children interested in meeting a Host family and clearly not enough Hosts, so, if you are interested check out our Volunteer Host page and give me a call.