Personal Final Individual Reflection
Raina Sacro
California State University, Stanislaus Abstract
This paper will talk about Saint Mary’s Dining Room, an organization located in Stockton, CA that helps the needy with programs and services such as the dining room. It will go in detail about my initial expectations for volunteering here versus what really happened while I volunteered here for this organization. I will compare Saint Mary’s Dining Room to Saint Vincent de Paul Alameda County, an organization located in Oakland, CA, that specializes on helping the needy. There I will talk about how my time volunteering at the organization based in Oakland influenced my thinking on how my volunteer experience would be at Saint Mary’s. Three
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I remembered before I started volunteering, I had to go into a small office to a singular Microsoft computer in the back to sign in and sign out. I brought this mentality to Saint Mary’s and assumed their volunteering logging in was like that. In reality, when I arrived to Saint Mary’s, logging volunteer hours was mostly all on paper. This was a complete 180 degree turn from how Saint Vincent’s did their logins. The second most noticeable initial expectation I had was that Saint Mary’s would have a culinary program geared to homeless which was the complete opposite from …show more content…
It was such a nice program because all of the students made a lot of good food and it was a treat for the needy clientele and volunteers to eat the students’ food. Some of the food students cooked were baked lasagna, spaghetti, salmon, etc. It tasted so good that it made me happy volunteering there. When I started volunteering at Saint Mary’s it was a complete opposite story, there was no culinary program there, but it still served good food such as tortilla soup. My last most noticeable initial expectation was that there was only one volunteer time period because Saint Vincent only had one. At Saint Vincent’s, volunteers could only volunteer between 9am-1pm at the soup kitchen. It was short and I thought that it was the normal for soup kitchens. This kind of changed when I arrived to Saint Mary’s. Saint Mary’s has multiple volunteer time periods volunteers can choose which is awesome. There is more selection with Saint Mary’s which is excellent because people have different schedules when they are free to volunteer. Having multiple volunteer time slots is great especially for students because they can gain experience working in the real
St. Mary is a better fit for me socially. At my old school many of my fellow classmates did not treat people with respect. Not many students seemed to truly care about the well being of their peers. Whereas at St. Mary, it feels like more of a community. We all look out for each other and try to help out one another. At St. Mary we have the Peacekeeper awards.These awards are given to one student from each homeroom every month. The award is
It was the summer of 2013 when I was living with my grandparents and they told me about volunteering at the church. I didn’t know what they were talking about, so I took the initiative to go find out for myself that following Sunday. I was in the balcony on Sunday, when I heard the announcements saying we can volunteer for their hope food pantry. I was excited because it was going to be a chance where I can help other and get community service hours. Volunteering I began to think positive thoughts and telling myself “ I am doing a good deed”.
The lunch bell rung at full volume as the main doors flung open. I predicted that a herd of people will rush in like the water from a spill gate. But instead every person was a line; in fact it was a neat single filed line. Another thing I was astonished to see was to the fact that every single person I served to was superbly well mannered. It was the magical word of thank-you which left great remarks in my life and made my volunteering experience an enjoyable one. After the shift, I have come to realize that everything my family and friends have said about impoverished people was nothing but just a stereotype. In addition, I have self-discovered that volunteering is what I want to do on my spare time. The joy from making new friends, appreciated and making a difference in society was too meaningful to put in words. From then on, volunteering had become one of my most highly valued priorities. Whenever I have time to spare, I will go
I chose to volunteer at Rice Care Center and Therapy Suites in Willmar, Minnesota. I chose to volunteer here because, I work in Therapy Suites and primarily interact with short-term patients. Since patients are there for rehabilitation, I do not get a lot of time to build relationship as they are busy with physical and occupational therapy and often have company throughout the day. During my time volunteering, I decided to go to the long-term units, Cushman Cottage and Sophia House, and spend time with the residents there. Another reason I decided to volunteer here is because not every resident gets company or a phone call for days, maybe even weeks at a time. I strongly believe everyone, regardless of age and status, craves interaction with another human being.
Volunteering is productive. It also gives a satisfying feeling, knowing that one is helping people in need. Last year, in the process of getting confirmed in the Catholic Church, this writer preformed charity work such as serving food to homeless people at the Dorothy Day House. At first it seemed that doing charity work would be boring, but it was actually fun, helped people, and made a difference in their lives.
Volunteering there was a great experience, and if anyone were to want to volunteer there I would strongly recommend it. Volunteering at the hospital indeed was a life changing experience. I chose it because I wanted to go into the medical field, not just for community service. I learned a lot of new things that I will take on and remember throughout my life and cherish the memories, that place has given me. I cannot wait until next summer because I am going to volunteer there more than I had last year.
After volunteering three times with the social action committee and high school group from Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church in the previous years, the Houston Food Bank became very familiar both in regards of their history and how their volunteerism works. The Houston Food Bank is a non-profit organization that seeks donations of non-perishable food items to serve the low-income families in eighteen counties across Texas. However, during a recent trip to the food bank with the University of Houston-Downtown College of Business, the interactions with a larger group of classmates became more dynamic. Three main topics involving group work at the Houston Food Bank are service learning, community service, and volunteerism. Service learning
I attended Mary’s Kitchen on June 18, 2016 at 517 W Struck Ave, Orange, California 82867. I heard about this organization from one of my instructor who is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International. Mary’s Kitchen is a non-profit organization that helps less fortunate people in the Orange County. It is run by all volunteers as they provide compassionate care to others. The Sigma Theta Tau International has set up a Homeless Outreach Tent Clinic at Mary’s Kitchen. I visited the Homeless Outreach Tent Clinic. I had the opportunity to volunteer and meet a lot of nurses. We started at 9 in the morning and finished at 12 in the afternoon. I really enjoyed volunteering there as it made me more aware about poverty and the needs of homeless population.
While volunteering there, I was placed in a local long-term care home for the elderly. This experience was highly beneficial. Working along side, nurses, care aids and other health care professionals was my first view inside the “system”. Volunteering at the Care Home, did not necessarily make up my mind on the field of social work but solidified my desire to work in the field of human services. I learnt from this experience at the hospital how profound my compassion for others truly was. It was not until my first year of college, that I started to volunteer with an organization that I am still with today and absolutely adore volunteering with. That organization is the Vernon Women’s Transition House in Vernon BC. I started off by filling in for employees who met in weekly meetings. While on the floor, I met many women who were in a place of ‘in-between’ and safety. This experience was eye opening. After a brief stay out-of-town, I returned to Vernon and again volunteered with the transition house – this time in another program: Support to Young Parents. This is an incredible housing program where young mothers who have fled abuse (potentially without the resources or parenting skills they truly need) can live long term. This apartment consists of 6 units, with the 7th unit converted into a resource and common space. The program
I really enjoyed volunteering at a soup kitchen offering a bit of my time to serve those that are at a down point of their live. However, it is unlikely I will continue the service after I met the 12-hour requirement. The location is simply too far away, and the gas is just not worth it, however, I would seek other volunteer organizations in the future in my area.
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...
Volunteering benefits a person by building connections with peers, improving family life, expanding career skills, overcoming self doubt, having lasting life impressions, and creating new opportunities. Just a small act can make a huge difference in someone’s life. The future is dependent on the individual person and the people they surround themselves with. Just a few hours will change both the volunteer’s life and the one that is in need.
While volunteering at Fallbrook Church I have been guided, nurtured, and challenged through the process. I have been able to utilize skills acquired throughout this year that enhance my volunteer service. The foundation is rooted in fellowship, classroom, and weekly Reach Out services for the community. The foundation for the church is community service; my pastor has set forth and shared vision of supporting one another through community service; this is seen through repeated efforts to support Community functions, Computer, Computer Education, Community Resources.
I volunteered at East Parkside Nursing Home through my church 's mentoring program. At first, I was somewhat uncomfortable volunteering at a nursing home because my great-grandfather, among many others, was mistreated in a nursing home. But, as the day went on and we engaged in activities with the residents, I eventually calmed down and got into the smooth of things. We had one-on-one contact with the seniors, and we learned about their lives and families. One of the seniors was a veteran who fought in the Vietnam War and he told all of the volunteers a few short war stories. For several residents, their families rarely visited them, so they genuinely appreciated the volunteers spending time with them. Later, we made holiday cards and sang Christmas carols for the senior citizens. They seemed so elated and pleased, which made me feel so fulfilled that I could make someone 's day by doing something so