Service Learning Log 2- Keren

Date of Shift: May 1, 2008 Hours worked: 3.5

On Thursday night, Austin, Michelle, and I set out to be ambassadors for Project Angel Heart’s Dining Out For Life at Chez Jose in Cherry Creek. We dressed up nicely, and had our ambassador bag ready to go. Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were all a little taken a back by the environment. It felt very much like a fast food restaurant, rather than a nice family restaurant, which we all seemed to be expecting. We approached the staff about why we were there, but there was no manager on duty. We were pretty much on our own.

After giving the bartender a “Dining Out For Life” We set up our own corner toward the back of the small restaurant, where we laid out our materials for convenience, and prepared for the job. At about six o’clock, we began approaching tables. Michelle and I approached a table as they were waiting for their food. I began explaining what Dining Out For Life was for. Having little practice approaching customers this way, I ended up talking for a long time. It seemed that the table lost interest. Still, we left the envelope there and told them we would be back to pick it up. I felt pretty intrusive, as Chez Jose is a fast food restaurant, where it seems that people want to be in and out of there fairly fast. Michelle helped me understand the effectiveness of speaking quickly and “to the point”. She approached a couple of tables, and speaking quickly worked well, as she presumed. This way, if people wanted, they could ask more questions. And if not, they were not disturbed by our approach.

Unfortunately, Austin didn’t have much luck getting people interested in what we were providing. In fact, with one couple he approached, the man said, “I’m not interested, thank you.” However, when Michelle and I approached a table near by him, he was intrigued, and asked us to return to him to tell him more about the service. It was interesting to discover that gender can play a role in effectiveness of community service.
On the other hand, many people were cooperative, in that they immediately realized the good cause we were taking on. Some people quickly said “Sure, I’ll donate”, while others inquired about every possible detail of Project Angel Heart before agreeing to donate.

In relation to my growth as a community volunteer, I learned that informing others about a service organization, in this case, through being an ambassador, can be both rewarding and upsetting. Fortunately, when it is rewarding, I was able to respond. For example, I could thank the person for their interest, time, and help. I could smile, and tell them we appreciate their help. However, when people shrugged me away, it was not easy. If I was a solicitor, it would be different—but I’m not. I was simply trying to make others aware of the simple things they can do to help their community members who happen to be in extremely difficult living conditions. It is so tempting, when someone interrupted me with “Not interested, thanks”, to insist on them giving me a few more minutes. Unfortunately, that is not how to go about the job. Being rejected is definitely a tough part of this job. Being accepted, and appreciated though, is quite enjoyable.

Being rejected taught me that sometimes, I need to accept that people have different values; ant there is no way to change that. These lessons are important because in the real world, I will work with people of various backgrounds and views. Letting opinions and values get in the way will hinder success within group work.