My first day at the YOTO organization was full of excitement and fear. I was nervous about my internship responsibilities because I was about to work in a new type of environment. I made sure to be at the organization 10 minutes before my shift started; when I got to the building I was able to see a line of high school students getting ready to receive their weekly grocery provisions. I looked around the reception room and everyone seems busy, caring boxes of donations or taking paper work to offices. I suddenly felt anxious because I was sure that soon I was going to be busy like them. The first day I was assigned to their Mini Mall, where I was going to be reporting myself to Miss Daphne. Miss Daphne is an elderly woman who is in charge of …show more content…
During my shift I was able to arrange every donation in its rightful place, and my work didn’t go unnoticed (Managers share their appreciation). I also had the chance to get to know some of the high school students that go for help. I find amazing that children like them have to support themselves; sometimes they have to stop being kids and become adults in order to survive. I felt overwhelmed to know that homeless youth at a higher risk of not completing their education. One of the days that I was volunteering, a group of six graders went to the organization to get assistance for the first time. When Miss Daphne told one of the girls that she could take a pillow for herself, she smiled brightly and said that finally was going to use a pillow to sleep with, because she had being using a small teddy bear as her pillow. The YOTO organization also provides the students with some clothing items; right now they are giving sweaters and jackets to students that really need them. I also was able to learn that there are stores that donate food to YOTO, when the organization is running short in a type of food, a representative of YOTO calls the store to ask for the product they
On May 25th 2016 I officially started an internship with Montgomery County’s Department of Mental Hygiene. The department consists of one hard working woman named Sara Borenko who was my supervisor and boss throughout this internship. One of the main duties of Sara’s job is the funding of community programs that are aimed towards helping the mental health community. In fall 2015 I took a class called Community Psychology and while working at this internship; I applied what I had learned from that class and used it to my advantage. Some of the lessons I applied included social oppression, community organizing, stress and coping, and emotional support. Before taking this internship, I didn’t realize how much my county had to offer as for services. I’m inspired by the community and its strides towards helping the mentally ill. I’ve learned a lot during this internship. I’ve gained experience in the field, I’ve grown a broader
For my volunteer experience I chose to help assist in a program called the Sonshine Club that’s provided in one of the local city schools Kenwood Heights Elementary School. The Sonshine club has been a program that has been established for approximately seventeen years now in which at this particular school they met on Tuesdays from 3:15-4:15pm. Their message to bring to the children is that “there is a bright light out of all of this” (Use.salvationarmy.org, 2014). In Clark county, Ohio the data shows that there are 27% of children between the ages of 5-17 years old, are in poverty (Use....
I grew up with people who helped for a living. My mom’s job was helping girls that had got themselves into trouble and needed help, that is when I learned as a toddler, that helping is what I wanted to do. I soon got into elementary school and I was a big helper. I still am. Last year I was in Mrs. Harkabus’ class and had the greatest opportunity
The hours I put in at the food pantry had a greater affect on me than the thrift shop. On October 16, 1999 another classmate and I were brought to the food pantry in the middle of a poor section of Lawrence. We were brought inside and I was instructed to serve salad, bread, and pickles. My heart really went out to the unfortunate people when they started coming up to me. I felt extremely bad for them. There were people of all ages. Parents with their children, wearing dirt stained clothing filled with holes that did not even fit them. A good amount of the people I had to deal with were Hispanic and very few of them were able to speak English. It was very difficult to communicate with them. The little faces of the innocent children made me really feel for them. I knew these children had insecure families and were looked at as though they were fortunate to be getting food. These young kids seemed to be very appreciative that they were able to get some food in their starving bellies.
Being in a school that brought students from various counties and cities with different backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives, opened my eyes to seeing just how diverse humanity is. In a time when everyone is struggling with personal problems, I know how monumental a simple volunteer act can be. One of my favorite acts of service is tutoring. I tutored an elementary-aged girl for two years in Fort Lee and I will always remember those two years as the most fulfilling. Education is so precious, and children are the most open to it. Not only was I able to teach her math and reading comprehension skills, but how to carry herself as a smart and extraordinarily capable young lady. In return, she taught me patience and how sometimes you just need to approach a problem differently to see the
I am grateful for the opportunity to volunteer at the elementary school. It opened my eyes to a few of the problems in our communities. I was able to make others aware of those problems through volunteering and being proactive. I am going to continue with the program for as long as I am able to do so. If only we had millions of these programs across the globe, many other children would be able to benefit and develop the skills to succeed educationally.
I would like to be a part of Day One Leadership because I believe it can help me grow as a leader in my community. There's always room to grow and things to learn. My father and I have helps occasionally with Day One building Habit For Humanity houses in Starkville and the experience was very
I started volunteering at the food bank and the soup kitchen in grade 9, with a nudge from my friend. During my time as a volunteer, I would ask for donations and collect any non-perishable food items. Later I would go to the Soup Kitchen, to help cook some of these items and serve them to those in need. My volunteering experience allowed me to experience the environment and face situations that I otherwise would not. It opened my eyes to the harsh reality and lifestyle that many individuals in our society face today. My time at the food bank and Soup Kitchen helped me understand the importance of giving, ...
I grew up frequenting non profit organizations like Feed My Starving Children and local women’s shelters. I was very involved with my church and their youth programs and fundraising projects. The excitement and humility I felt after doing something selfless are feelings that stick with me today. I believe in random acts of kindness: you do something for somebody and you never tell anybody. It is one of the most humbling things you can do. And although I’ve never single-handedly organized and made
We, Aimee Johnson and Jessie Virnig, along with Amy Wilson and Shawn Klimek, decided to try to give the homeless a little hope. The week before Christmas we went door to door and collected food for the local homeless shelter. We decided to focus on collecting food because around the Christmas season, a lot of emphasis is put on toy drives and people sometimes overlook the fact that the homeless still need to eat. In order to broaden our research, we decided to collect food from more than one group of people. We went to an average middle class neighborhood and to a college dormitory. Before we went out into the neighborhood and dorms, we prepared a thank you letter to give to everyone explaining to them who we were, to tell them that we were collecting food for the homeles...
I went to the grocery store and got cases of water, bags of bread, and stuff to make the sandwiches. I had finished preparing the bags and each had granola bars, fruit, ham and cheese sandwiches, water, toothpaste, and other hygiene products. My dad and I had arrived outside the homeless shelter and were ready to pass the bags out as we saw the swarm of people. Hundreds maybe even thousands of people gathered sitting in what little shade there was. I knew we had a homeless problem, but not to this extent and the bags I had made were going to make little to no difference on the vast amount of people that had been sitting outside. I was a little disappointed at first to be completely honest because I was not prepared for that many people. If I would have known there would have been so many people I would have made more bags. We drove around the block planning on what we were going to do and saw some tents set up. My dad and I were curious as to what they were, so we got out the car and saw that these people had been giving people food and I walked up to them and asked if there was any way I could help them. These people in the tents were actually an organization called Open Arms Outreach and a few girls scouts. They gladly let us help and we brought a few cases of water and the bags I had made and helped pass them out. The organization Open Arms Outreach
Volunteering enables a person to develop new skills that he or she would otherwise not have been able to develop. Unlike most other organizations, a charitable organization is happy to give positions to passionate, though inexperienced, individuals who desire to help others and benefit the community. Therefore, an individual with little experience in a field of work can gain meaningful skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, while I volunteered at the hospital this summer, I learned about the daily work lives and professional duties of doctors and nurses. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about these things. I was always interested in the medical field, but volunteering at the hospital let me explore my interests and en...
I think this entire experience has been amazing and everyone should volunteer at least once in their life. It might even change their major! I had already planned on working with my community, specifically in the behavioral/mental health area, so this experience just opened my eyes to how much of a difference I can make by such simple gestures. This class was a way for me to get out of my comfort zone and now I will continue to volunteering even after this class ends. I will be moving to Lexington soon and will find even more volunteer opportunities there! I realize that each community has needs as should everyone else, volunteering can really open your eyes to
I spent most of my time in a first grade classroom. In this classroom I observed the children as well as the teacher and paraprofessional. This classroom had children with special needs and that is why there was a paraprofessional in the classroom for half the day. What I observed in this classroom was how children with special need should be handle and taught. The teachers in this room loves her job and each student in her class. While in the classroom the teacher allowed me to help with children with their work, read to them and help them with anything else that they needed. During this field experience I got to give back to not only a school, but to a community that is very near and dear to my heart. I hope that I touched each student in a special way, because the students that I got the opportunity to help learn touched my
I also had the privilege of helping with the Meals on Wheels non profit organization. My grandfather used to be a Meals on Wheels recipient and he would share with me how he enjoyed looking forward to their company and a hot meal daily. I volunteered because I wanted to give back and help someone else’s loved one in the same way. It was very rewarding delivering hot meals to people who didn’t have the means of getting one as well as being there for them to talk to. Overall, it was a very humbling experience, it made me realize just how blessed I am and how much I take for granted daily.