People choose to volunteer for many reasons. Some may choose any organization to work with, simply to give back to the community. Others may choose a specific organization, or develop a new way to give service, based on their personal lifestyles, values, or past experiences.
During high school, Keren, with an interest in the well being of animals, was largely involved with the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego. Every week, she would volunteer there and socialize, clean up after, and care for the foster dogs and cats to better prepare them for adoption. She enjoyed being of help to animals and the non-profit organization.
Michelle has worked with the Children’s Miracle Network for twelve years, participating in telethons, hospital visits, and TV spots. Additionally, she has been involved in the Make A Wish Foundation, through which ESPN granted a wish for a little girl. The girl was ill, and had been through a lot in her life. She wanted more than anything to skate with Michelle. Her wish came true. Her and her family flew from their hometown to meet Michelle, where the little girl ecstatically, was able to skate on Michelle’s ice-rink. The event was very important to Michelle, as she was able to help the girl, by contributing to her enjoyment of an activity that, of course, means so much to Michelle. A you tube video shows more about this event:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hbjB1ZeUK1c
Clearly, Project Angel Heart has become an important part of our class. We had, and will continue to have the opportunity to learn about the organization’s service to the community. It is significant to our class, in that it provides a foundation for us to help a community service organization, and also, participate in giving back to the community. Project Angel Heart can show us the simple things we can do to help, as well as allowing us to gain so much by giving. Most people would agree that participating in service learning opens up our eyes to the positive feelings we can get simply by helping others in need.
In volunteering with Project Angel Heart, have you gained anything? If you haven’t volunteered yet, what do you think you will get out of it? Additionally, what sort of community service organizations or activities appeal to you? Why? Are there certain activities that you enjoy, which are somehow encompassed in particular service organizations?
Keren F. & Michelle K.
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13 comments:
Through Project Angel Heart, I've gained a better understanding of what it takes to be a good volunteer. Thus far, I've completed one evening shift in the kitchen. Shortly after arriving, I was introduced to the head cook, who gave me the task of peeling carrots next to a woman named Karen. Karen was very welcoming and was willing to tell me about her life and her motivation for joining Project Angel Heart. Less than ten years ago, one of her good friends was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and was placed on several different types of test-drugs. Unfortunately, one of the side affects of a particular drug he was taking caused him to become legally blind. Unable to take care of himself at first, Project Angel Heart provided him meals, and saved his life on several occasions. That is why Karen is passionate about being a volunteer. She has been a part of Angel Heart for nearly three years, and reports that now her friend is in good health. As a result of talkign with her, and monitering some of the other volunteers there that day, I've come to the conclusion that a good volunteer is someone who has a personal connection with the organization. With that connection comes committment to helping their cause succeed. Here, people don't volunteer just because they assume it's a great thing to do, many volunteer because they know first-hand the positive affect a non profit can have, and would like to see it continue.
While I've enjoyed my short time with Angel Heart, I am currently a volunteer ESL teacher with Intercambio de Communidades, and have been since early October. As a person with a Hispanic background, it is important for me to form bonds with the Latino community. I initially formed the connection in high school, where a friend and myself started a cultural group where we taught traditional Hispanic dance and performed at local community centers and schools .Now, with Intercambio I help two recently naturalized citizens speak advanced English. Learning another language, especially English, can give a person access to an entirely new culture, and that in itself has many benefits. I look forward to continuing with Intercambio in the future.
I have not yet had the opportunity to work with Project Angel Heart, my first shifts are this week. From what I have gathered though, from those who have gone is that it is a positive experience both in the kitchen and on the road. I am expecting to be challenged in the kitchen because I am horrible at cutting and slicing, but I really hope to meet some awesome people. I think that this is a great organization and I am glad that our class is involved in even the smallest of ways.
Even though I am looking forward to working with Project Angel Heart, the service that has meant the most to me has been my work with Partners and the Saddle Up! Foundation. My mom was one of the founders of Partners in our community over 20 years ago, so I always familiar with the program. In high school, I decided I wanted to get involved myself as a mentor. I first worked as a counselor at the Summer Youth Program. The program is a kind of summer camp for mostly underprivileged kids who would be left alone during the day while their parents were at work. This was very challenging because most of the kids came with a lot of baggage, but it was also a fun and rewarding experience. My senior year, I got even more involved when I became an after school mentor/tutor for a girl in the fifth grade. I helped her with her math, but mostly we just talked about life and played. Seeing things through her eyes really made me think about my own life and how lucky I really was. Every Monday after school I met with Rebecca, a sort of stability in her otherwise unstable life. I learned from Rebecca just as I think she learned from me and that is why it was such a great experience.
Recently, after arriving in Denver, I have also gotten involved in the Saddle Up! Foundation. One of my biggest loves in life is animals of all kinds, but especially horses. I had to leave my horse at home and I was really missing riding. To remedy the situation, I decided to find a way to be around horses again. I went searching for therapeutic riding centers in the area and found the organization. Unfortunately, my schedule prevents me from being out there on the days they do the therapy but I help in other ways. I am a stall cleaner, an exercise rider, a groom, whatever they need basically. I know I am helping them, but I also feel that my experience there is helping me and I think that that is the way it should be. I hope to find the same sort of fulfillment when I start Project Angel Heart.
Since beginning to volunteer at Project Angel Heart, I have contemplated service learning. I always thought that it was selfish to volunteer and greatly enjoy it. The best model I can give is the old philosophical argument of which is better: the means or the end? Concerning volunteering, I have always thought that the volunteer should be completely selfless, like Mother Theresa. We have all heard the stories of how she would serve those who were completely desperate, with decaying bodies, and possibly contagious illnesses. She continued to serve. That takes great courage and selflessness! Even though I still admire her and revere her as one of the lowliest servants, I see that there are other levels of helping others. It isn’t at all practical for many of us to drop out of school to go to a third world country. What is more realistic is to help out in our own communities. Working with Project Angel Heart has began to show me that every little bit helps. All people needs nutrients to survive. If volunteering with this organization allows for even just a few people to feel less burdened, then it is worth it.
Concerning the means and the end, the end result ultimately matters. There may be students in the class who don’t feel passionate about the service learning aspect of the class. They will still volunteer and help others, even if their heart isn’t completely involved. By serving others (the means) result in a good deed (the end.) Then there are those who do feel on fire for helping others. Their means and end happen to align, but I have found that maybe the aligning doesn’t matter as much and the result?
As a music major I think that a lot of my time is spent bettering myself so I may someday bring great music to my audience. One of my brass teachers said that this is our way of serving, by bringing pleasure and enjoyment to our audiences. I may not perform every day, but I am striving to constantly improve.
Karen and Michelle,
I volunteered for the first time at Project Angle Heart yesterday. It was terrific experience! From the moment that I walked into the facilities and the time that Russ prepared us for the deliveries, I could tell that all the employees and volunteers were vehement in their pursuit to perform community service. From doing the actual deliveries, I learned a lot about Denver and the type of people that Project Angel Heart helps. At times it was a little nerve racking walking into depilated apartment complexes or run down neighborhoods, but overall it was very refreshing to see the smiles on the recipients faces when we delivered the packages of food. By the end of the day I knew that I had made a difference and gave hope to those in need.
In terms of volunteering and community service work, I have not typically worked with organizations such as Project Angle Heart. Throughout all of high school I volunteered with an organization called Peer Jury. This was a program in which myself along with other teens from my township sat as jurors and prosecuted first time offenders (under the age of 18). A panel of jurors would reside over a particular case and we would ask the defendant questions pertaining to the case. We would then determine an appropriate punishment, always consisting of community service, supplemented by classes the defendant would have to attend or papers that he/she would be sentenced to write. My interest lies in the law, so most of the community service work that I have performed has dealt with either Peer Jury or Police Departments.
I, too, had my first experience with Project Angel Heart yesterday when I went with Jessica and Jamie to deliver meals. A few different things struck me about this experience.
Upon first arriving at Angel Heart, I was amazed at the logistical side of the process. In his introduction, Russ told us that, on this particular Saturday, 648 meals would be delivered from two different locations in a two-hour span. He told us that this came out to, on average, one meal being delivered every eleven seconds. I had no idea of the scope of this organization and, needless to say, I was blown away.
Our group delivered food to five houses in the Five Points neighborhood. Someone came to the door of each house to receive the food, and the act of handing the food over was quick and relatively void of emotion. Generally, the person accepted the food, thanked us, and we left. It then occurred to me that this was nothing out of the ordinary for these people but rather another part of daily life. I am sure they appreciated the food, but they really had no reason to express this to us. And really, why should they? We were nothing but messengers in a complex and difficult process. This got me thinking about one’s motivation in volunteering…
Why do we volunteer if we have nothing to personally gain from the process? Do we feel obligated simply because it is the “right” thing to do? To a large extent, I think the answer is yes, we do serve others out of obligation. Obligation to those less fortunate and dedication to a larger, moral sense of right and wrong. It takes all kinds of volunteers, each doing their small part, to make an organization like Project Angel Heart possible. While the job of an individual volunteer may at times seem insignificant, the process as a whole would not exist without each individual part. Each volunteer is a small part of a much larger picture.
I volunteered sporadically throughout high school and with several different organizations. Each time I volunteer, I think I go in with a vision much larger than is realistic. I hope to make changes that would be extremely difficult for one individual person to achieve. What I am beginning to realize, however, is that I am not meant to achieve these things all on my own. In fact, I am not meant to “achieve” anything at all. I am one small and relatively insignificant piece of a much larger picture. And yet, without my piece, the picture would be incomplete.
In volunteering, I am reminded of the story of the old man walking down the beach, throwing starfish back into the ocean when a young boy approaches him. The boy asks the man what he is doing, telling the man that, given the number of starfish washed ashore, he can never possibly make any difference. As the man picks up another starfish and throws it, he smiles and says, “It made a difference to that one.” Volunteering is not about personal glory, nor is it about saving the world. It is simply about making life a little bit easier for someone else, one person, one small step at a time.
I’ve gained much from the two Saturday deliveries that I have done. I have learned a lot about volunteering, mostly about interacting with people and becoming more aware. Delivering the meals is an interesting task. The people I was delivering to are strangers, yet it is kind of a personal thing to go to their house and deliver their food. It was interesting to encounter the different people and experience the little bit of interaction that occurred. I think it is a good skill to learn how to interact respectfully with people that might be in different circumstances than I am. I have also become more aware of the things I take advantage of in my life. These things include my health, the food I can get everyday, and the fact that I am able to attend DU.
I am becoming more interested in issues of homeless as I continue to volunteer with the organization The Gathering Place throughout the year. I have come to appreciate situations that cause me to question my life and privileges, which volunteering sometimes does. I also appreciate being taken out of my comfort zone, even though it is very difficult sometimes. I enjoy working with children and volunteering at the Gathering Place allows me to do that. Women who are homeless or are just in need of help can visit the center and have their children watched while they access services. The family area provides a safe and cheerful environment for the children to play in. It is sometimes a place of respite for these families, the kids can just play and be distracted from the difficulties many are dealing with. I encounter so many wonderful children there, it is a gift to be able to interact with them every Friday.
Through my volunteer work with Project Angel Heart, I have gained many valuable experiences. The first time I delivered food, I was shocked about how ungracious the client appeared. She opened the door and took the food without saying anything to me. This was shocking because I presumed that some sort of “small talk” would happen out of this delivery. Thinking about this later in the day I came to realize that even though I wasn’t pleased by this type of volunteer work, it isn’t me that needs the gratification. I wasn’t doing the volunteer work to benefit me in any sort of way. The client, though appeared ungrateful, was probably indeed very grateful even though she didn’t show that emotion to me. Not having to worry about preparing food would lift a huge burden. This type of volunteer work emphasized that during a span of 1 hour, we delivered a week amount of food to 5 different people in need. Taking an hour out of a week really isn’t giving up much, but it is recognized for a whole week. Thinking about volunteering this in that aspect I feel like volunteering really accomplished something important and I know my work was really appreciated.
In my past, I was have never volunteered through an Organization like Project Angel Heart. But so far I have enjoyed working with them. I have enjoyed working with disabled children in the past through our local elementary school. I liked this type of volunteer work because it was instant gratification. The students would look up to you and smile once they figured out an addition or subtraction problem. They would look at you as a role model. I also like the one on one work I did with the students because I felt like I could teach them something, and they next day they would remember it.
While fulfilling my duties at the Project Angel Heart warehouse, I did get a sense of gratification from the regular volunteer, as well as myself. The regular volunteers I worked with were very welcoming and definitely showed appreciation for what we were doing to help. You could really sense that they took pride in what they were doing and felt their own sense of self-gratification. One volunteer I had met there had been working for, I believe, three years and she still enjoyed what she was doing and how she was contributing. That’s the kind of feeling I got; a sense of contributing. The fact that I knew someone would be eating the soups that I’m pouring or the carrots I was skinning was a nice little motivator to keep me going. It’s not that I needed a whole lot of motivation to do the work, it’s just that pouring soup and cutting carrots is not my favorite type of community service. I particularly like to help out animals, for the community service hours that I needed to complete to graduate from high school I decided to do the majority of them at one of my local animal shelters. While cleaning out the cages of these animals was not the most fun, the chance to play with them and let them get some exercise was the most gratifying. I love animals and I feel like they are dependent on our help, which I am very glad to give.
“Sentimentality about others or oneself and about one’s obligations toward others was a form of ‘idealization’—a burden to carry that is unfair to others, or they become the means by which one’s mind sets in motion the idealization” (Coles, The Call of Service 182)
The wrong mindset about what should come out of volunteerism can be detrimental, this can be true in more than one way. Firstly, one can expect something great and find nothing at all. Secondly, putting too many expectations on a situation can put pressure on the person receiving the volunteerism expecting them to be grateful/thankful/excited/gracious even when the act he or she is receiving may be only part of the thing keeping that person alive or is part of his or her daily schedule.
The chapter of the Call of Service that we read for class pointed this point out very clearly. For the first thought we must get things out of volunteerism, not just give or we will have nothing else. For the second thought too much cannot be expected from volunteering or the people whom are being volunteered for. It is not their job to make you get something out of volunteering.
However, volunteering does leave one with a feeling of doing something good for a surrounding area. It is important to volunteer regardless of the out coming feelings especially if one has something to offer because many people who have nothing to offer still give everything they have.
To hell with good intensions! Throughout history, community service served as an outlet for the extension of missionary ideologies. Volunteers traveled abroad to liberate uncivilized cultures; inciting mutiny and destroying tribal lives. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, examines the downfalls of civic engagement. A complex African culture revolving around respect and ritual falls to pieces upon the well-intentioned introduction of contemporary religion. But would society be what it is today without service projects? Does community service benefit society as a whole? And what benefits do the volunteers themselves reap? Once one gets beyond the philanthropic extension of faith, volunteerism profits both parties involved in today’s business world of leaders and the disadvantaged.
Students fall into a mental trap of civic engagement, often getting involved for the wrong reasons. They develop the mind-set that feeding the hungry and assisting the needy will look good on a college application or a resume. Such a way of thinking has to be cast off in order for a person to truly garner the actual benefits of their compassionate activities, benefits that are quintessential to a leader.
Leaders are made. They must undergo processes that assist them in developing their skills. A non-profit, community-benefiting setting is the ideal place for the growth of leaders. Civic engagement constructs a unique environment where physical rewards—such as monetary bonuses—are not a factor in performance. The focus shifts from who gets the credit and benefits to how everyone can achieve a goal that benefits others. The removal of personal gain enables leaders to step up and develop their skills.
This past Friday, I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. My team was in charge of putting a roof on a house. The activity was both physically and mentally challenging. Physical demands—from lifting to withstanding the sun—tore into the flesh and made each person raw. It was exhausting. But it is in these times that the inner character of a person is revealed. It is in these times that it becomes evident that one person cannot accomplish his goal without working with others. A person cannot lift a seven-foot piece of plywood onto the frame of a roof and nail it down himself. Communication is indispensable when the team is teetering on the brink of a 15-foot ledge. I learned more about myself in those 8 hours then I have in two years.
Civic engagement does benefit others, but it also serves for the betterment of the volunteer. I foresee that I will take such values from Project Angel Heart.
Upon learning that community service was a necessity for this class, I had mixed feelings. I’m I going to be able to make time for it? I’m I going to be able to reflect on my experience? And lastly, what is going to be like? I’m I going to feel uncomfortable at anytime? All of these thoughts were going through my head but once I entered the door of Project Angle Heart, all of my concerns went away. Helping out at Project Angel Heart was simple yet liberating. Not many things in life are so easy to do and leave you with such a good feeling. I think the reason I why I enjoyed volunteering at Project Angel Heart was that it was hands on work. You could see yourself accomplishing something for better good of society. Although cutting carrots and filling up soup containers became repetitive and daunting after a while, when finished with the work, I truly felt happy about what I was doing and what I had accomplished.
My junior year, I went on a community service trip for a month in Brazil and the same feelings that I felt before volunteering at project Angle Hear were going through my mind. However, once arriving and getting used to the culture shock, I enjoyed the hands on work that I did. Nothing felt better than watching the local school children play all over the newly constructed playground that our Putney Travel group built. Although there might be some butterflies in my stomach beforehand, I really enjoyed both of these hands on community service activities because of the feeling it left me after.
Here's Bob's comment (Bob, I copied this from where you posted it to this space):
Volunteering is always something that I look forward to and enjoy doing. I have yet to volunteer for Project Angel Heart but I am anxiously awaiting my first shift. I like to volunteer to help people because I feel that thus far in life I have been very blessed. I have a great family, my health is intact and I have the opportunity to study at a great University which I love. Not everyone has these opportunity's and I feel very rewarded when I can help out those in need. In high school I volunteered at football camps for inner city kids in the summer. I love working with kids because they are always very happy and oblivious to how cruel this world sometimes can be. I like sharing my love and knowledge with kids who are equally excited as I am about a given activity. Volunteering is a great and fulfilling thing that I strive to make a cornerstone in my own life.
After my initial volunteer shift, I gained more insight to the organization than I did of the people we were working to aid. Working in the kitchen for a food preparation shift gave me no interaction with the clients, but it did give me interactions with the staff. You could tell who was a regular volunteer and who was a first timer simply by the way they carried themselves around the kitchen. I was amazed at the care that the people took to prepare the food; they took care like they would if they were preparing things for their own families. Everything was segregated into different categories in accordance with the different allergies and nutritional needs of each client. Far from being normal meals, the people's diet is controlled through the meals. These meals give them all the nutrients they need to keep them as healthy as possible. It was evident that the staff really cared about the organization which made the experience more meaningful to me.
I enjoy doing community service, but I prefer projects that allow me to see the progress we make as we go along. During a housing mission trip to San Marcus, over the course of the trip, I was able to watch the entire house be constructed from the ground up. Standing at the end of the trip, looking at the completed house, watching the reaction on the family's faces as they see their house for the first time; it's a satisfaction I found preparation did not hold for me. In my opinion, I find the most satisfaction in community service with a tangible goal. Even though food preparation is far from intangible, it is the look on the people's faces, the relief in their smilies, and the extent of how grateful they are for the help the organization provides to them each week.
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