The Danya Volunteer Program provides an opportunity for Danya staff to participate in volunteer activities with local children and their families. Danya is excited to offer its staff a variety of volunteer opportunities, including the activities discussed below:

Bright Beginnings
In an effort to contribute to the community, in general, and the Head Start program, in particular, Danya has established a corporate partnership with a local Head Start program representing diverse populations. The Bright Beginnings Head Start program is located in Northwest Washington, DC, in a nonprofit organizational setting serving primarily African-American children living in shelters or long-term temporary housing. The Center offers free childcare for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, as well as education and support for their families. Danya volunteers to assist teachers in developing and implementing classroom activities.

Bright Beginnings also has several large events, including field trips and a holiday party, for which they need volunteers.

The Families Foremost Center
The Families Foremost Center, a local community-based center, was designed to support families. This Center, located in Silver Spring, Maryland, encourages its participants to complete their educational goals, acquire job skills, and develop positive parenting skills. Danya volunteers assist adults in meeting the middle school- to high school-level math requirements to complete their GED. Danya volunteers work either one-on-one or in small groups with these adults to complete math assignments and reinforce key concepts taught by the Center's math teacher. For the English Conversation Group, Danya volunteers also lead conversation groups with adults whose primary language is not English. After an informational training with the Center's staff, volunteers will assign their group reading activities and reconvene to talk about the assignment. The idea is to encourage the participants to speak English in informal social situations and to give them the opportunity to practice English skills learned in class.

The Families Foremost Center also has several large events, including a Family Literacy Extravaganza Day.

The Global Fund for Children (GFC)
Danya supports GFC's goal to address the entire range of educational, economic, and social needs of vulnerable children and youth by building the capacity of community-based organizations that are best positioned to have a lasting impact. The GFC's Under Eight (U-8) Initiative supports grassroots organizations in countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Danya's grants help support community-based organizations in Africa that promote the well-being of children under age 8. Some of the projects have resulted in an increased number of early childhood education participants and services provided in Ethiopia, South Africa, and Tanzania.

Hearts and Homes for Youth.
Hearts & Homes is a Maryland-based program that offers long-term, community-based group homes for at-risk children. The group homes provide therapeutic and rehabilitative services, helping the children achieve their personal, social, and educational goals. Danya supports Hearts & Homes with annual staff and corporate donations.

Special Events
Throughout the year, Danya organizes events such as diaper drives, charity runs and walks, holiday gift drives, and clothing drives.