Concord Univ. Alternative Spring Break Live Blog

GraceHurney

2009-03-18T21:01:00.001-05:00

Grace Hurney

Civic Engagement

March 11, 2009.

Reflections: The Final Day

As the week came to a close, with sadness I found myself at our last day of volunteering. Well, not all sadness, cause I was tired and needed to see my parents. That aside, we began our day (again bright and early) at the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Honestly, the whole day was wonderful- I had absolutely no negative or frustrating moments. I chose to work in the kitchens instead of the basement this time, and my choice was rewarded. We worked hard, but had fun preparing and serving the food. We started off cutting bread, then progressed to cutting potatoes and de-boning turkey (not my job, I’ll stick to the vegetables). Then we served lunch, which was one of the most rewarding experiences of the whole trip. The men were so kind and grateful, and I was thankful for them allowing us to come into the Mission and accepting us instead of antagonizing us (which had happened during the week). I remember one man even gave us his address so we could be pen pals with him- if I could locate whoever is in possession of this address, I would love to write him. We then prepared more food, mainly cutting up zucchinis. We had fun while we were doing this, seeing who could peel the vegetables the fastest and so on and so forth. Then at the close of the day, we were escorted upstairs to a private dinner. When we arrived, I saw a massive amount of food, given to us as a token of the staff’s appreciation for the hard work we had put in during the week. I remember sitting in the chair, reflecting on everything we had completed in the week; everything from the frustrating to uplifting moments of the week. Despite my paint splattered jeans and lack of sleep (that’s my fault really, I should have gone to bed earlier), I would certainly repeat this experience if given the privilege to do so.

NicoleBartley

2009-03-18T01:06:00.001-05:00

Nicole Bartley

March 11th 2009

Reflection

Reflection: Day 5- FINAL DAY!!

So, today wasn’t as bad as other days. It wasn’t as great as yesterday, but it wasn’t as bad as the other three. We all went back the the Nashville Rescue Mission again today. We were split up into the same different acivities as before. This time though, I convinced Grace to work in the kitchen with some of the others, sure we had to wear silly plastic aprons, and crazy looking hairnets, but atleast it wasn’t as gross as that nasty, smelly, filled with mold and mildew basement (long detailed discription, I know, but it really was so much worse).

First we cut up the bread, then poured all the pepsi into large jugs, so that it was easier to serve. We also got to wrap all the silverware, and set up, then serve the drinks. I must admit I had a lot of fun with this. I got to really talk with some of the other people on the trip, who I didn’t know, or didn’t know well until then. It was nice getting to make new friends, and strengthening bonds with old ones. Around campus I don’t get to see or talk to Michelle or Tasy, or Tiffany too much, but it was really great to be able to spend time with them, and getting to know them better. They are really great people, and I am glad for and appreciate the time spent working with them on this little adventure.

After serving, we got to do a lot of other numerous things like, peel and cut potatoes, chop vegetables, and de-bone turkey (yuck!). Then, after all work was done, we got to all sit down together for a dinner the management had prepared espeshially for our group. It was an extremly tasty meal, and it showed how much the Mission really appreciated our help. To end the week of work with this dinner was pretty cool. We were all able to sit down and talk about our experiences throughout the week, and able to hear the stories of the people who weren’t in the same group as our own.

NicoleBartley

2009-03-18T01:05:00.000-05:00

Nicole Bartley

March 10th 2009

Reflection

Reflection: Day Four

So, I know the last 3 day’s I had been complaining about the trip so far, this is my first day, that I was actually pleased with the work we did. Today my group went to the Music City Rescue Mission, though I’m not sure if thats the name, its something along those lines. I was incredibly pleased with today. From the moment we got there, we were put to work. Some people were sorting through clothes, others working outside, some working with food. The first thing I did was split 50lb bags of rice and beans into smaller baggies, so that they could be distributed to familys. I was really impressed with the working staff at this organization. They knew ahead of time what they needed us to do, and they had even written out a list. I’m the type of person who likes organization, and plans, so this pleased me very much. Another great thing about this place is that we were able to mingle with some of the familys that came by for help, and it was great to see that our hard work wasn’t a waste of time.

The one thing that I wasn’t happy with is that I found the Man in charge of the organization to be a little sexist. He seemed to go to the two boys, Eric, and Brian, to do the heavy lifting, even though I told him I would be able to do that as well. He basically shrugged me aside without seeing if I could actually help or not, and that got me angry. I’ve been spinning a 10lb rifle for 4 years, and shooting that same heavy rifle for 5 years, I have muscles. Instead of letting me try, Brian and Eric were left to do a lot of the work, that they really didn’t have to do. I like being tested, and I was upset that I didn’t get to be.

My favorite part of the day was when the Jennifers, Grace and I got to carry down the cubicle parts from upstairs, next door to the churches basement. It was the part in the day where I actually did get to use the strength I had and I was able to carry over parts by myself, that took two girls to do otherwise. I’m not going to lie, I was proud. At the end of the day I had felt like I did a good honest days work, and that’s the feeling I was hoping to experience throughout this trip.

Alas though, I really must include this story, though I’m sure everyone else who witnessed it spoke of this story as well. Later that day when a group of us had gone to the mall, Eric and I had seen a family there who was at the Mission earlier. While at the Mission they were taking advantage of free clothes and toys, when we saw them later at the mall, they were all wearing stylish name brand clothing, with more bags of clothes at their feet, and all with starbucks drinks in their hands. It just goes to show that anyone can cheat the system, I suppose.

NicoleBartley

2009-03-18T01:03:00.000-05:00

Nicole Bartley

March 9th 2009

Reflection

Day Three

So, day three was a short day for me. We started off the day by everyone going to the Nashville Rescue Mission. This was my groups first day helping out at the Mission. There was a few different groups. One group went to hand out clothes, another went to work in the kitchens, a third group went to help with the classes, and a final group went to work down in the basements. The basement group is the one I was with.

I wasn’t entirly sure what we were doing with the basement stuff. We were told to sort things out, throw things away, and such like that, but I really just felt like we were moving object from point A to point B. There didn’t seem to be a plan to what we were doing, no clear difference. Though I must say, some of the stuff people donated were disgusting. Shirts were stained, blankets were torn, pillows were covered in mildew, it was gross. And worst of all, we even found a ton of underwear. I know people think they are helping by donating this, but seriously, not even homeless people are going to want to wear used underwear, that’s taking unsanitary to a whole new level. Most of the time working in the basement, we spent sitting around. There wasn’t too much we could do, we didn’t have the right equipment to move things. So the work wasn’t too hard, just gross. Unfortunatly my day ended after lunch, when I got sick and had to be taken back to the Hotel.

JenniferParsons

2009-03-18T00:09:00.000-05:00

Jennifer Parsons

Reflection #4

Alternative Spring Break

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Today we got to go to a new place. We went to Music City Mission. It was ran by the people of the Church right beside of it. It was a lot cleaner and more of the norm and comfortable than the rest.

It was different in that it did not allow the homeless to stay there over night, but they provided items that are greatly needed by the homeless and less fortunate. For example, they give away clothes, but also have a limit because there is more than the one or so families that happen to come in that day who are in need of similar items. I believe that is a good thing to do because you do not want people to take more than necessary when there are others who are in dire need of those items.

When choosing what to keep and what not to, they are generous in what they give. They keep a small percentage of what is donated to them and they themselves donate the rest to other similar programs. That way, the items are not wasted and can be distributed to those to need it and do not come to their facility.

It was rewarding to actually see woman and children, rather than just the man. Do not take that the wrong way. I am not saying that it is nice to see woman and children in that state of need, but so far, we have only encountered men who need this assistance and I wanted to see the woman and children who have to face these hardships, too. It was different to see them and it is unexplainable.

Something that I keep thinking about that happened today has to do with a baby. As we were moving things from upstairs to the Church basement, I could hear a child crying. Finally, I saw that there was a baby in her car seat that had been left in the explorer all alone. After noticing, I walked inside to look for the child’s parent. I saw her mother standing there. She was showing off her dog and I realized that she had been there for a very long time. With the temperature being so warm, I felt the need to tell someone about the little girl left outside. A girl with me walked inside and told Brother Bob about the child and he went to make sure she was going to check on her child. I found that very wrong of the mother to do. That is something I will not forget. It really made me angry and aggravated me that she was paying so much attention to her dog and neglected her child. The longer she bragged about her dog and ignored her child, the more angry and aggravated I became.

StephenReed

2009-03-17T12:41:00.001-05:00

Today we went back to Nashville Rescue Mission. When we first arrived we weren’t shown around NRM. It’s a very large place with each area doing something else. Like we found out that there lounge area also acts as a laundry folding area for the washing and dryer machines are housed in the same area. Since they sleep 100 people from there program that they run for different people from drug addiction to gambling addictions. Then we seen the areas where the actually men from the streets sleep which they can sleep 300 of them. They also have a section which is included with the 300 that if the gentlemen are in a wheelchair can sleep since the beds are lower making it easier for them to get into it. Then along with that they have a section that is for men who are drunk they can sleep there too but they keep them from the other guys that are sleeping so they don’t have fights. Then we met the head of the NRM –which I for got his name- he was a nice gentlemen we also met brother Thomas whom later on would be seeing over a few of us to get our work done. Our group was split up some going to the kitchen to feed people some going to educate people then some helping with moving donations out of the building sending them to Good Will. I went down to the basement to help move donations out and that’s where we met Brother Thomas again whom told us what they needed done the most and making sure we got it done. All in all I think we all did what they needed done seen for ourselves that we won’t always have mommy and daddy’s help and when life gets tough perhaps there will be people like us to give us a hand in heading into the right direction.

StephanieBailey

2009-03-17T12:36:00.003-05:00

3/11/09 Day Five

It was almost kind of sad leaving the Rescue Mission today. I’m sure a lot of the guys working there enjoyed having us around because it made theirs jobs easier. Today was almost relaxed. We worked the whole time but I felt like I knew what I was doing for once. The guys who worked in the kitchen made it a lax environment to work in. We were finally able to serve today even though we had to stand our ground when a business company came along and tried to take our spots. Not this time. I had a lot of fun the last day we were there. I think everyone’s spirits were lifted, we knew it was our last day of work and we’d finally be able to serve.

Afterward they surprised us with a dinner. It was amazing and unexpected. Little did we know that half the things we were chopping that day would end up on our own dinner plates. It was nice to hear everyone’s stories while we ate with them as well.

Overall I think this trip was a successes, I believe that the Missions we worked at were grateful for the helping hands and it gave us an experience most college kids don’t get. I do feel however that some people from the trip didn’t realize how much work really went into this and because of that there was some drama amongst the groups. Either way I think we did a far job of not bringing that animosity with us to the Missions. I also think that if we were to ever do something like this again we should bring our own cleaning supplies. Some of the Missions were prepared for us so five people Had to sit back because we couldn’t all share one rag.

I also suggest that we work form Baltimore, or DC next time. That’s just my opinion.

StephanieBailey

2009-03-17T12:36:00.001-05:00

3/17/2009 Day Four

The planets must have been out of alignment in my universe today. This trip has been white and black, hardly any grey. I lost my purse earlier today and even though the only real casualty was my check book, it’s hard to give up and keep working when you know you’re missing something. Either way I suppose I’m lucky that more wasn’t lost. Maybe I’m thinking too much but if Jesse hadn’t left/forgotten his camera/phone and I hadn’t given him mine, I probably would have put it in that bag. I’m trying to look on the bright side, really I haven’t lost anything too important but I can’t image loosing everything all at once some of the participants have.

Today’s mission was extremely organized which made everything that much easier. I bounced around from task to task mainly because there wasn’t a whole lot to do but I think our group did a sufficient job at sorting and bagging everything, including my purse.

I felt that the only snag today was the owners. They seemed to bicker with each other more often then necessary. Maybe that was just me though. I’m trying to refrain from regretting the day’s events back in words.

This trip thus far has been extremely tiring, mentally and physically. The manual labor takes it’s toll but the atmosphere does it’s share. I saw families come in today and I thought “that’s so sad, they have four children and they all have to wear give-away clothes” but then I saw that they smiling. The children didn’t know the difference and the parents smiled and thanked everyone. I hated give-outs. I hated digging through clothes bins. Most of the time the places and bins smelled and I was just so uncomfortable that I would beg my mother to let me leave. The Music City Rescue Mission made it seem like they were shopping. Free shopping, the best kind. It took the “picking” out of hand-outs. They didn’t have to dig around like animals in the dirt just for clothes.

When ever we got food from the shelters or churched they were always canned goods. There was never anything fresh. MCR Mission gave out meals that could serve quite a few. Whenever we got food it was always the oddest combinations. My mother had to get pretty creative with her cooking.

StephanieBailey

2009-03-17T12:34:00.001-05:00

3/17/2009 Day Three

Today’s work was more about getting to know the people the worked within the mission. They were extremely friendly and everyone was open to share their story of how and why they ended up where they did. I was also fortunate enough to be able to share my reason for being here. We met a man named Willie that told us that he had to leave everything behind including a wife, business and two children. He also told me that his little girl’s name was Bailey.  Getting to work in the kitchens was so much better then on campus. I had a funny feeling when I was on campus. I feel as if our being there was being drained for all it’s worth. That the campus suddenly decided they had all this work to do. There were little things that bothered me greatly. Just the fact that the inside was filthy told me that they really didn’t care to much but figured they’d take the help they were offered. Either way I was glad to help. The only thing I have against the place was that it made me uneasy because the participants were just loose. If one of them decided to do some damage, who was there to do anything about it? Wendy?
I also felt that the mission system was structurally more sound. They had a program and the participants knew it but heart, I feel as if the other campus was just a come and go as you please kind of deal.
Some of the students seem to have gotten weary already. I heard there were multiple cases of people falling asleep. I wish there some way of “weeding” out people who treat this as a free trip to Nashville. I think there are way too many party people here. They roll their eyes when the day’s schedule is announced and complain the entire time. They’re pretty much a buzz kill.

StephanieBailey

2009-03-17T12:32:00.001-05:00

3/17/2009 Day two

The Frist museum for Visual Arts was quite wonderful. I was surprised by it’s size, it looks so large from the outside and yet it only had three exhibits. I also thought it was weird that the gift shop pushed Rodin’s The Thinker so much and yet, it wasn’t there, in it’s originality or otherwise. Either way the focus for our going was the Safe Haven exhibit. This line was much different from what I gathered from the Campus for Human Development. Safe Haven put a face to each story. The video was a little sad and I hate to keep going back to my own story but the Wiltkins’s story was so much like my own that I really felt for them.

I could also appreciate the exhibit for it’s artistic value. The photographs were very unique and artistically done with the super imposed photos on top of the originals. I also took notice that the children got to choose how they wanted their photos to be taken which tells a lot more then just a headshot.

I know it doesn’t really apply but what I really enjoyed was the Paint in Flesh exhibit. I thought it was astounding and took a lot from it. I suppose the reason why is because I’m an art major and while the Safe Haven pictures were enlightening, the other artwork meant more to me. I hope this doesn’t make me sound nonchalant. I appreciate what these people have to go through but it really doesn’t have that big of an impact because I’ve lived that live, I understand it firsthand.

StephanieBailey

2009-03-17T12:30:00.001-05:00

3/17/2009 Day one

Today was an eye opener for most but for me it was a way for me to give back to a community that had taken care of me when I was younger. My Mother and Father had always had a rough relationship and so when we needed to escape and had no where to go, we ended up at a shelter similar to the one we were at today. On my recent trip back to Baltimore, I passed by that shelter and saw that it was in complete ruins. It was rundown, empty, and there were homeless people perched on the marble stairs. I remember now, my hand print and name are some where in the building on one of the walls. It crushed me to think that I had no way of thanking anyone who had helped us out. When I heard that there was going to be a trip into Nashville that focused on homelessness I jumped at the chance to repay the “debt.”
I never really realized how that time had effected me until I sat in the National Rescue Mission’s cafeteria. I could remember that because of overpopulation, they had to set us up in cots in the cafeteria. I remembered not understanding why we couldn’t go home, why I couldn’t see my Dad and why we had to live with a bunch of strangers. Not only that but when my Mother was growing up she was often homeless too. She was a runaway by nature and so she bounced around between girl’s homes and shelters. Unlike what I experienced, I was surprised to find that the shelter provided so many different programs. I always remembered being bored because there was nothing to do and for some reason I wasn’t allowed to play with the other children. I wish now that we had had some sort of art program rather then just the colouring book and crayon set I was given to play with. I also think the point system is brilliant. I’m sure that if we had something like that in the shelters in Baltimore, people wouldn’t come and go so often. My mother always said that she didn’t like hand-outs and even though she was at a shelter she wanted to work for what we were given. So I think the point system eliminates some of the helpless feelings as well as provides the participants with a fair way to earn supplies.
One thing that bothered me was how dirty every things was. There were a few art pieces made by participants hanging around that were caked with dirt. I can understand that they just don’t have the time to go out and trim hedges or repaint bathrooms like they’d want to but a simple maintenance cleanup shouldn’t be a problem.

MichelleLusk

2009-03-17T11:36:00.001-05:00

VirginiaVerburg

2009-03-17T09:52:00.001-05:00

Final Reflection
Virginia Verburg
The trip to Nashville was a very enlightening experience for me. At first I was scared of what I had gotten myself into, but eventually I realized how caring and appreciative some of the clients we helped out could be. I don’t think that any of the students that went on the trip can walk away as the same person they used to be. On the trip I learned to be more tolerant, to not judge people based on their past, and I realized that everyone has potential to turn their life around.
Working in the GED classes was the most rewarding part of the trip. As an education major, I definitely worked with a group of people that many people in my profession have not. It was difficult to look at the board in the Nashville Rescue Mission and see so many people my age. I also taught one of the men in the reading class who was 21. Everyone has a story about why they were there or had been there. It could have been drugs, alcohol, abuse, criminal activity, or just plain bad luck. I started the trip honestly thinking that the people I was helping wouldn’t appreciate the help we were giving them or use it properly. Now I’m not sure why I thought that.
In the GED classes I met a man named Jerome. He had a hard time with spelling, pronunciation, grammar, and remembering what he had read. While I was helping him with his work he opened up to me about his life through the passages. One time he told me about a cat his grandma used to have. He was also very surprised to learn that gorillas could use sign language to communicate with humans. Teaching and working with him gave me the same satisfaction as it would to teach an elementary student. Everyone has the potential to learn. The men at the mission have a lot to learn and more importantly they want to learn. It was great to see so many people trying to do better and get their GED.
Another part of the trip that really touched me was working in the Music City Mission. Although I didn’t get to interact very much with the clients that came in, it was so nice to see the faces of the mothers and children we were working for. One of the students knew Spanish and was able to translate some for the women and children. I think more people need to volunteer there that can speak Spanish. I could tell it really helped them a lot by having a translator. Something that was a little upsetting to me was that there was a limit to how many diapers mothers were allowed to have. I would hate to think that a child had to stay in a dirty diaper or none at all. There were so many clothes and bedding at the mission and it really warmed my heart to see how many people donated.
The part of the trip that touched me the most were three gentlemen that worked in the Nashville Rescue Mission. One of them had been in the program before, graduated, and was now working for the mission. He held an amazing dinner for all of us that I never expected. While I enjoyed the food he prepared for us I found myself feeling guilty that others could not share the meal with us. Another gentlemen was the kitchen manager who I worked with a few times. His daughter had went missing and he was very worried about her but still came to work and worked as hard as he would any other day. I was amazed to see him working so diligently and I was glad to pray with him before we left. The last gentlemen was a man I had not met but who knew other students there. He came into the computer lab while a few of us were working and prayed for all of us, our friends, and our families. He didn’t pray a single word for himself and it really touched my heart that he truly cared about us.
By Thursday I found myself wanting to go back to the mission to keep helping out there. I loved working in the classrooms and I wish I could have spent more time there. The trip truly opened my mind and exposed me to a lot of things I would have never known about the homeless population. I am very grateful for the experience and I will never forget the time I spent there.

VirginiaVerburg

2009-03-17T09:44:00.001-05:00

ChristineFernandes

2009-03-17T08:31:00.000-05:00

Reflection

We spent our last day on our alternate spring break back at the Nashville rescue mission this time round I was placed in the kitchen. We were greeted by two people who appeared to supervise the kitchen Mike was one of them he was a tall guy with a warm smile, he asked us to clean potatoes and chop up bread. I was glad to finally get to work in the kitchen even if it was the last day since I wanted to know how and where the food came from. I looked at the packages carrying the bread most of them were donations from bakeries days’ old bread that they would normally get of the shelves. The people working in the kitchen appear to be happy at work and it seems to me as though they enjoy the wok they do, every pair of hands is put to work and everyone works to help each other. The supervisors and the people working in the kitchen were extremely patient and understanding in explain to us how to do different tasks. I got around to talk to one or two of the people working there I nicknamed one of the men Bernie Mack as a joke as he was very funny, Mike was my favorite person to work with and always seemed to have something for us to do. Later we were asked to sort out through boiled out turkey the bones and then the pastries that seemed to me donated by the dozens. My favorite part of the day was when we were asked to serve the food to the incoming participants. Apart from the many thank you’s we got the smiles and blessings made my day.The Mission asked us to stay for dinner as they said they were preparing a big dinner for us. I thought that it was extremely generous and thoughtful of them to do so. When we had finished working for the day and we were surprised when all of us were lead to the conference room set aside for business events beautifully setup with fancy table wear and food set as a thank you to us for our service. After a word from the site supervisor we ate and thanked the people who served us. We were given a chance to get to know the people while we were eating as they joined us at the tables. We were not allowed to take clean up or help out, it was a great feeling to be appreciated so much for the work we did and to be thanked over and over again. I imagine this experience to be one of the best I have ever had and even remember a comment that one of the participants had passed, “ I cant believe you guys gave up spring break to help out here”. That comment now strikes me as odd now as all I can remember is going more than I expected in character and good times.

Thank you Bonner! =)

PradipAdhikari

2009-03-17T00:38:00.000-05:00

Journal

4th day

Pradip Adhikari

10/03/09

Sally Campbell, Ph.D.

Campus for Human Development

Today was fourth day of our trip. We had to work for the Campus for Human Development for today. Campus for Human Development is the privately organized organization which has been helping homeless people with different kinds of services. We reached over there at 9 AM. We met windy over there who was a very good person. She was the director of the Campus for the Human Development.

We had a trip around the Campus for the Human Development first. Windy told us about different kinds of the services that were provided to the homeless people over there. She talked about the beds, classes, food and other different facilities that were provided to the homeless people over there. As she talked about Campus for the Human Development we got to know that it was an organization that helped the homeless people not only by providing them food and shelter but also they were educating those people so that they could stand in the society and live a normal life as other people. They were also helping homeless people to find a matching job so that they could earn their own living and go back to their community. We got to know that every people there were taught to be a good human being. Windy also showed the new project they were having according to which they were building some more buildings so that they could help more people and provide some more facility. After the trip we started our work. We had to paint the bathroom over there for today, it was fun. We painted four bathrooms, as we painted bathrooms we met some homeless people who had been using the facilities over there. All those people were very good people, they welcomed us and even thanked for the effort made by us.

After we were done with work Windy gave us a paper which was talking about the Campus for Human Development “Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love, the Campus for Human Development provides hospitality with a respect that offers hope in a community of non-violence.” That was exactly what we got to see at the Campus for the Human Development. Spirituality, Love, Hospitality, Respect, Hope, Community, and Non-violence were the human behaviors that were taught to the people over there. We could see spirituality, love, hospitality, respect, hope, community and non-violence as the pillars of the life aspect of the people over there. They were trying learning those aspects and using them in their day to day to life so that they could be independent and live their own life. Overall we had a very good time over there and got to learn something more about the homeless people today.

JonathanWilliams

2009-03-17T00:09:00.000-05:00

KristinaChampe

2009-03-16T23:57:00.000-05:00

Kristina Champe

Alternative Spring Break

Reflection

Day 5

Today was our last day at the Nashville Rescue Mission. It was pretty sad but we all made the best of it. All of the groups split up to do different things and it was super fun. This time some of the girls went up to help teach the GED classes. They said they had a great time. The group that I was apart of was down in the basement, and we separated some canned goods into boxes to make it easier for them to see what they had. Some of the others cleared off shelves to make room for some cans because we had so many. I swear we had 3 huge boxes of green beans and 2 big boxes of corn. It was fun and chaotic all at the same time! We took a break and ate lunch which was actually really good so that was nice, and while we were eating we were wondering what we were going to be doing for dinner. A girl from the group said that she had heard that the people at the mission had made a special dinner for us. We were so excited. After lunch we went back to our duties in the basement and it was so much fun. I took pictures and everyone seemed to be in better spirits. Of course there were some people whose favorite spot happened to be the benches in the bathroom; they were dubbed the “texting benches”. They were for girls who were tired of ‘working’ and decided they would go hide out in the bathroom and text. This was disrespectful and lazy on so many levels. Anyway, after we got finished working we went upstairs to the dinning hall and waited a few minutes for dinner. To our surprise they took us out of the dinning hall and into a conference room where they had decorated it very nice and had amazing food. We were so happy, and they main guy who was there in charge, gave a little speech and said they were so thankful that we came that week and he thanked us for everything. I almost cried I was so happy! After we ate I was sad that we were leaving and not coming back the next day.

This trip has helped me in so many ways. I will never take anything I have for granted, and I will learn to enjoy life, because you never know what will happen. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend this trip and I hope that Concord offers more trips like this for students in the future. I think that students could really benefit from this!

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this trip possible!

MeganWebber

2009-03-16T21:21:00.001-05:00

Megan Webber

ASB Reflections

March 11, 2009

Today was spent at Campus for Human Development, and I absolutely loved it. If it ever crossed my mind to work in the community development area of Social Work this would be what I wanted to do, and more than likely I’d want to return and work with Wendy and Campus for Human Development. Compared to the Nashville Rescue Mission, it was a 110% difference and change in atmosphere. When we first entered the building today it just seemed so much homier. There were people hanging out outside just sitting on benches and chairs enjoy the nice day, while people inside were watching TV or talking to others. It was like there was a level of freedom there that gave them the opportunity to just take a load off and enjoy some free time off the streets of Nashville.

Wendy has worked at CHD for a year and a half now, but volunteered for about 7 years before this. With this being said, you can really tell that the men and women that come through the doors of the establishment truly respect her. Someone asked how she gained so much respect and the main thing she said when responding was that she gives the people their respect back. While at CHD a couple of our group members were sorting books and making sure they were in good condition. While we were all sitting outside doing this there was a conflict between one of the workers and a homeless man. I’m not sure about the exact details, but the homeless man acted like he was going to jump at the worker. Wendy walked over just to ask what was going on and the homeless man walked away and didn’t even pursue the confrontation with the other man. To me, that showed a definite level of respect for Wendy. He respected her enough to just walk away, even though he was obviously very angry, and not just ignore her concerns.

I got a chance to talk to some of the women entering CDH, and spent a lot of time talking to this one woman in particular. When I asked if she would be willing to tell me her story she opened right up and said she was a domestic violence victim. She talked a lot about how, although she’s homeless and her life isn’t wonderful, she needed to leave her boyfriend to save her life. She, also, talked about previous times she had run away from her boyfriend he had found her even when she had gone to a different state. It was just really scary, and made me feel hopeless just listening to her story. I can’t imagine how she feels, but she did the right thing by leaving her husband, and hopefully it ends up being that her life is saved. She really impacted me a lot and I was very grateful to be able to have the opportunity to hear her story.

Today was an awesome day! Wendy took time to explain why we were doing certain things so it really felt like we were making small differences and accomplishing small tasks that would eventually go towards something in the bigger picture. The mission statement for Campus for Human Development is the following: “Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love, the Campus for Human Development provides hospitality with respect that offers hope in a community or non-violence.” The seven bolded words are the core values they believe in. I experienced something I could relate to each of these seven words today. The atmosphere and power that the Campus of Human Development generates is amazing, and the people that enter through the doors of that small building are truly blessed.

VanVu

2009-03-16T21:14:00.001-05:00

Entry for March 8th, 2009

2:00 a.m, we were still awake! After a hard-working day, nobody wanted to go to bed soon. Our roommates were chatting on Facebook and listening to music while Mai, Tung and I were playing cards. We offered a funny rule that each loser will be drawn one thing on his or her face by the winner. Unfortunately, it turned out that I was the only person who had so many pictures that I bet you couldn’t find any free space left on my face. That was the time we decided to stop the game. However, we still did not go to bed after that. Tung and Mai watched movies when I was chatting with my friends back home. Today is International Women’s day in Vietnam. On this day, we celebrate it; all the women (and the girls as well) are received all the priorities, the presents, the colorful flowers and the best greetings from the men and from the other girls who care about them (It’s normally their children, sisters or colleagues). I was so happy to receive my friends’ greetings and to send mine to the others.

4:00 a.m, I finally wanted to go to bed. My eyes were so tired and so hurt that they even didn’t want to open. Mai and Tung have felt asleep. Tung slept so smoothly that I didn’t want to wake him up. “Ok! It’s fine, so today we have an extra roommate and an extra bedmate”, I thought, “at least, 3 of us (Mai, Tung and I) were all so skinny that we could fit in one bed”.

11:50 a.m, I woke up after hearing something a little bit noisy. Our roommates have waken up and had breakfast. “Oh, man!!! I miss my breakfast again!”, I said. We were going to have a meeting at 12:30pm so I had to dress up quickly. Today we would go to the Nashville Visual Art. We had lunch at there. When lining up, I read the menu. They had nothing but salads, sandwiches and some kids’ choices. I don’t like any salads as well as sandwiches. I had no idea what I would offer but French fries. After seeing the table which wrote all today’s special offers, I almost jumped up because they had Cheese pizza, one of my favorite food. However, it might not be my good-luck day after all when the salesman said that my cheese pizza had totally gone. I was so mad and reluctantly changed my order to something called Grilled chicken wrap. I thought that it was a kind of chicken tender and almost forgot about the “wrap” word. The only thing that I concentrated on is that my empty stomach was going on strike and my powerless body was playing the crazily hungry dancing. After ten minutes waiting for the food, the beautiful waitress finally brought my meal to my table. The Grilled chicken wrap is totally green, cold and absolutely pukable (at least is with me). I only ate French fries to fill my stomach and keep me alive until the dinner.

After lunch, we went into the Visual art. The first floor had nothing but the pictures & sculptures. It’s almost about the sacrifice of Christ, the sacred of Jesus, the purity of the Virgin and the baby. The artworks are collected mostly from French and Germany. I’m not a religious person and I have no idea about Jesus as well as the Christians. However, when I looked at the artworks and their descriptions, I knew that Jesus was betrayed because of posing as God’s son and finally was nailed up on a cross. I saw many sculptures which craved the death of Jesus. They all were so precise and show up the sacred, proud and grave feeling of the death. I only feel excited with & interesting in the sculptures, which could attract my eyes & my attention, which are something that I can look at all the small details and having a visual feeling of material & 3- dimensions structure. Therefore I only spend my time before the big sculptures and keep watching them with ease.

After finish watching all the sculptures in the first floor, I climbed upstairs and did some artwork by myself. It’s extremely a blast when I could draw, print and design whatever I want to. We left the Nashville Visual Art around 5:00 pm and burst out. Some of my friends who live in Nashville came to pick Mai, Tung and I up to a Vietnamese restaurant called “Kien Giang”. We had a great dinner, and then went around Nashville to enjoy the beautiful sight at night since all the Malls and entertainment place were closed at 6:00pm. Enjoying the rest of Sunday by playing some cards and pokers with my friends, I actually had so much fun as well as plentiful of great pictures for today (that couldn’t be written in only two pages, of course)!

SamanthaThomas

2009-03-16T20:55:00.001-05:00

Samantha Thomas

2-10-09

Reflection 3

Today was a day of clarification for a couple of teammates and I today. We were assigned to work in the clothing closet where the men of the program at the Nashville Rescue Mission can receive any needed clothing for six out of the seven days. Today, we had to sort tee shirts, dress shirts, pullovers, jackets, pants, dress pants and shoes into their corresponding sizes. While sorting through the second-hand clothing, I realized how much better I had life than almost 500 homeless that live in Nashville. I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to come from wearing decent clothing with no holes, no stains, and no wear to wearing what these men wore every day. While so many of the girls on the trip wear their Aeropostale and Gucci and still find discontent in their appearances.

Speaking of which, I must vent because to be quite frankly honest, I don’t believe many of those girls feel any different than when they arrived. They signed up for the free trip and not the free mission trip. Sometimes I have found myself becoming quite frustrated when I see how lightly they are taking the situation. It’s as if they aren’t even here in Nashville with us, but rather with each other on some joy ride. Some of them seem almost afraid of the individuals in the program because they won’t so much as make eye contact or say hello. And even though sometimes the workload varies from group to group from day to day, there should be an equal impact. It really doesn’t matter whether that impact is on a personal level with some of the individuals of the program or whether it affects the large group of homeless through the sorting we have done in the warehouse. I’m just hoping to see more out of these girls by the end of the week.

However, back to my initial reflection, I have found that these people that work at the shelter are the people who will remember your name the next time they see you. They aren’t like those who see your face and then immediately after can’t remember what letter your name began with. But also in addition to your name and your personality, these people are genuinely thankful for every minute of work that we have put in at their shelter. The difference is clear when taking a glance around in the once extremely cluttered and unsorted basement we were working in. Now, there are general locations for every item. Everyone knows where the sheets, blankets, toiletries, general appliances, etc belong. Everything is beginning to find its place in this huge space. Everything is finally beginning to make sense. Why we are here. What our purpose is. How we are affecting these peoples’ lives.

VanessaAustin

2009-03-16T20:49:00.001-05:00

Today was definitely better than all of the other days that we have been here. We went to the Campus for Human Development. Today was really the first day that I have really had any interaction with some of the homeless. We took a tour of the building first. She told us all of the history of how the program got started and what some of their programs are. They try to help the people that come into the shelter better their lives through art, cultural activities, and other classes that teach them how to live better. I really enjoyed today.

My favorite part of the day was when we went to the art room. A few of the guys were in there for a class. When we walked in the room, the guys were so proud of their work. They were really eager to show us what they were working on and to show us what they had already done. The men were just so proud of themselves and it made me really happy to see that a program like this has made such an impact on their lives and how they feel about themselves. One of the men actually said that being homeless has been more of a blessing than the rest of his life. I’m sure that the campus has a huge part in that statement. It showed me that these programs do make a difference.

One of the other guys urged us to go and look down the alleys and see how the homeless really live. He said that someone found a homeless guy shot to death in an alley on one of the streets close to where we were. He wanted us to really experience and see how the homeless really live and what their surroundings really look like. It would be nice to see that but I highly doubt that its going to happen.

I helped paint some of the bathrooms and cubicles that the people can keep their belongings in a safe way. I was covered in paint by the end of the day but I had fun doing it. It was nice to be able to actually see the improvement of the appearance of the campus.

TacyPyles

2009-03-16T19:34:00.001-05:00

Tacy Pyles

Dr. Campbell

TN Alternative Spring Break

Journal Entry 4

11 March 2009

Today was our last day of volunteering - a day of last-minute goodbyes, words of appreciation, hugs, laughter and pictures. We went back to the Nashville Rescue Mission and once again divided up, with some people working in the education department, some working in the basement and some (including me) working in the kitchen.

While in the kitchen, we were finally given the opportunity I had long awaited - the chance to be behind the counter serving as both the program participants and homeless men went through the line. Team work became essential as the line quickly grew and the people kept coming faster. But, what really hit me hard was watching the men from the program - standing in line before they got their food - watching them pray for us. We need to serve them. We need to love them. We came to be a blessing and I stood and watched them pour prayers over us.

We watched man after man walk by - beginning first with those that were disabled. Just to get a chance to smile at them and say, “Have a good day” or ask how they was a privilege I will not get. Many with downcast eyes and pained expressions of embarrassment walked by while others smiled at us with all the joy in the world painted on their faces. I just wanted them to know we were there because we loved them and we had hope for their futures.

At the end of our work day, Billy (one of the men who works there) had prepared, with the help of a few others working at the mission, a wonderful meal for all of us in the conference room - gumbo, salad, sweet potatoes, deserts, chicken, cheese sticks and other delicious foods. As soon as we walked in, I thought I was going to cry. I just don’t understand how these people who gives their lives to this service of helping people are so touched by us taking one short week to come down and help. I don’t understand the beauty of grace. I cannot fathom the depths of love.

All throughout the day, I had wonderful opportunities to talk with man of the men at the mission and multiple times I was humbled by their selfless generosity, their desire to serve us and their passion for life. I know I have many thoughts running through my mind, but this is one of those days where words don’t do justice to emotions. We came to serve and I’m walking away from this covered in blessings.

I have tears running down my face and a broken heart. I don’t know what its like to walk in their shoes everyday, but I have gotten the chance to give them my smile and listen to their voice. I have had the opportunity to hear their stories and wrap my arms around them. I’ve been blessed to join in laughter and meal times with the homeless and the hurting. Now where do I go from here? Where will this take my life?

What has to change…?

Give me your eyes for just one second,

Give me your eyes so I can see,

Everything that I keep missing.

Give me your love for humanity.

Give me your arms for the brokenhearted -

The ones who are far beyond my reach.

Give me your eyes for just one second,

Give me your eyes so I can see.

JesseCall

2009-03-16T15:02:00.002-05:00

AkeyaCarterBozman

2009-03-15T23:05:00.000-05:00

Akeya Carter-Bozman

Reflection Day 5

March 11, 2009

Sadly, today was our last day of service here in Nashville performing service. My day began with tutoring second level math (Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry and Trigonometry). I had a class of five wonderful selfless men with hearts so meek and kind. While the men worked on their GED study guides we discussed their dreams and goals upon graduating from the missions program. One man told us of his fifteen year addiction and his struggle to stay clean and sober. He told us how God and the directors of the mission stepped in helping him grow in life to become the man he is today. All week long I flocked to a man named Frank, when we met he said that he loved crack more than he loved his children and family at one time. Something inside me just couldn’t stop thinking of what he said.

Today as we discussed everything under the sun from religion to the economy that Frank was is some way like my biological father, because he too loved crack more than he loved being around for me. As Frank told me about his daughter Diamond who is my age, my expression turned from interest and concern to anger and hurt. I have never even told my mother about my feelings for my father, but here his man is in front of me that I barley knew and I’m opening up to him. Frank prayed that God would help me find peace of mind in my anger and that one day I would be able to forgive my father. He hugged me and thanked me for listening and I thanked helping me understand from an addicted father’s perspective.

I cried as I left the mission, not because I felt sorry for the men who lived their as I did on my first day there, but because they had given so much of themselves to me and the other volunteers. The men at the mission made a special dinner for us at the end of our day to thank us for all of our help throughout the week. The food was amazing but the friendships we made are priceless. As far as meeting Frank I am grateful for everything learned from them both about myself and them.

KaylaGreen

2009-03-14T22:27:00.001-05:00

Kayla Green
Today was our last service day at the Nashville Mission and it was a nice day to end with. Today I started by helping teach one of the classes they have so people can work towards their GEDs. I really enjoyed helping the men in the class better understand the problems that as they explained to me were harder to understand the way the other people explained them. After I helped with the class I got to go back up and do some paper work and organizing for one of the people over the education department at the center. My high point of the day was when I talked a stubborn and lazy man into doing his math problems and helped another man figure out how to round up. My low point of the day was when I saw the appreciation dinner that the mission had for us and all I could think of was that I’d rather the men at the mission had gotten it because I could afford to buy my own food, I appreciated it and it was nice but I felt guilty eating it. My story of the day was when a man walked in and talked to one of the girls and gave her a picture with a saying on the back and then prayed for all of us in the room I really appreciated it. While I was in the room filing stuff and doing stuff the man we were doing it for talked to us about how he used to be on drugs really bad and how he was in college now and working at the program it was a very real example of how the program could turn someone’s life around so well. He encouraged us to join the other trip concord students are going on in april and said that he and one of his friends tried it for one night and ended up sleeping in a slide in a park. Oh and another funny story I wanted to share was that on our way home Jesse about hit three homeless looking people who tried to run across the road and we all joked about him going home from a service trip to help the homeless to admit that he had ran over three of them while there. This trip was an excellent way for me to have a fun rewarding experience over my break and I really appreciate that I got to come here and meet all of the wonderful people that we have worked with here in Nashville.

KaylaGreen

2009-03-14T22:25:00.001-05:00

Kayla Green
Today we went to the Music City Mission which was ran by the church next door. They handed out free clothes and food to people who needed it. They were very organized and when we arrived had jobs for all of us lined up to do. They were organizing clothes, and food, and cleaning up outside. At the beginning I was helping to wash out the trash cans and recycle bins, and then I cleaned up trash in the yard and raked up leaves. My low point of the day came when I was helping to organize the clothes and after the head of the Mission told me I couldn’t let people look through the clothes I was organizing a woman kept asking to look at the baby clothes, I’m not someone who usually tells people no they can’t do something so it was really hard to tell her that I couldn’t let her. My high point of today was when I was able to compile an email list of all the past volunteers for the mission and got to see they amount of other people willing to help. A lot of the people who came to the mission for help today spoke Spanish and I got to watch one of my friends who had taken Spanish class interact with them and get to help a little girl find something that she wanted. My random story was when we were at mall later tonight and one of our groups saw some of the people who visited there in newer nicer clothes looking better and with lots of shopping bags it just shows that some people will take advantage of good programs just to get more. The fact that small of a church had the initiative to do something on such a scale gave me a real respect for them. They were very organized and seemed to be very efficient with very little waste compared to the other programs we visited it might have been because it was smaller but I believe that it also said something about the level of leadership that was present. They said that they provided food and clothing for a lot of people who were illegal immigrants and I found that interesting cause I always pictured that illegal immigrants to be something that happened mainly near the coasts and not a lot inland.

KaylaGreen

2009-03-14T22:23:00.001-05:00

Kayla Green
Today we worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission and I had a good time. Unlike some of the volunteers who had to go down to the basement to organize and didn’t get much interactions with the participants I got to go up to a classroom and interact with the men of the Mission. I was in a math class room for men trying to build up their knowledge high enough to get their GEDs and I helped them work out problems that they had trouble with. The men in the class were very nice but took a few minutes to work up the courage to ask for help. My highlight was when this huge man who looked like he could break me was needing help and said when I went to sit down “you can move my puppy dog folder” it ticked me pink lol and kinda made me see him a different light. My down moment of the day was when I was put in the basement because classes were over and all I had to do was fold boxes up or blankets. My story of the day was when one of the guys from the class the same one as the puppy dog folder decided that when there was a break he was going to go out and smoke and tried to convince me that smoking was good for him and that it would turn his insides black to match his outside. Another story I’d like to share that made me sad was when a black man passed by us as we were on our way to the movie night at the center for human development and told us that we needed to “watch out for those monkeys that all black people were monkeys including him”, that kind of talk from anyone let alone about themselves is something that just kind of bothers me because it not only shows a general lack of respect for other but also for themselves. Another high part in my day and one that I was extremely grateful for was when one of the men in the class I was in stood up to pray and thanked me and the other person in the classroom for coming out to help them, and the fact that other people throughout the day took the time to genially thank us for coming out made me feel like I was really making a difference no matter how small.

EricThomas

2009-03-14T20:28:00.000-05:00

MichelleLusk

2009-03-14T19:18:00.001-05:00

JonathanWilliams

2009-03-14T18:35:00.001-05:00

Jonathan Williams

Reflection for Nashville ASB

March 10 2009

Our group arrived at the Campus for human development 8:00 am .Wendy the director for the participants took the group on a tour of the campus. On the floor there is a day room were the homeless meet from 6:30 to 7:30 for showers. The showers take in about 100 people every morning Monday thru Friday. There is also a mailroom were the participants of the pre-odyssey program can receive mail from family members and employers. The program is for participants to learn to find a job and to develop the skills to be successful in everyday life. There are G.E.D classes to give the people the ability to fill-out job applications. In the odyssey program there are about 75 participants living on campus some are required to get a full-time job and stay clean from addiction for seven months. The campus offers a safe house for intoxicated homeless arrested instead of the officers taken them to jail. Chapel offered m to allow god into their hearts and live in a more positive state.” Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love ,the Campus for Human Development provides hospitality with respect that offers hope in a community of non-violence.” This quote is the campus’ mission statement they believe the seven core values Spirituality, Love, Hospitality, Respect, Hope and a community of non-violence the goals can and will be met. The work started after the tour our group painted bathrooms, shelves for storage and cleared brush from a fence line.

AnneEndres

2009-03-14T17:55:00.001-05:00

Anne Endres

Dr. Sally Campbell

PSY 350

7 March 2009

Alternative Spring Break

I have volunteered at different agencies aimed at helping the less fortunate around my hometown of Charleston, West Virginia, but none of my prior experiences compared to that which I experienced today. We arrived at the Campus for Human Development in Nashville, Tennessee, around 7:30AM and began working shortly after Wendy, one of the directors, gave us a tour of the facility. Wow, was it a large facility! During our tour I learned that there are numerous programs designed to help people on several levels. These people, more specifically, participants, are encouraged to participate in classes such as writing, literature, art, spirituality, and drugs and alcohol awareness that are scheduled throughout the weekdays. Additionally, the participants are awarded points based on different aspects. The encouragement of the people to participate was evident today, although there were no scheduled classes since it is the weekend. I was amazed at the art displayed throughout the campus – each work of art has been accomplished by the participants! It was nice to see how the participants are applying their newly learned skills.

Today I learned a few things. First, I learned that many of the participants at this agency are men, and many of whom suffer chronic homelessness. Second, I learned the true definition of chronic homelessness – it is defined by having been homeless for at least one year, or by having been homeless at least three times in the past four years. Third, I learned that my perception of homeless people caused me to be almost fearful of working with them – when our van pulled up through the alley and entered the parking lot of the campus, we were almost all kind of frantic and worried what we should do with our (valuable) belongings. However, after meeting some people at the campus and learning more about things going on, my stereotypical fears disappeared and I began to realize how much of an eye-opening experience this week would be.

I wasn’t sure what to expect food-wise, either. We went to the Nashville Rescue Mission for lunch, and it was really crowded with participants. Sill being a bit fearful of what was on my plate, I just sampled a little bit of everything. I felt bad doing this, but at the same time I was prepared; I stashed a few granola bars in my pockets. I also felt bad for wasting this food, but maybe tomorrow will bring different food. Overall, I am happy to be here and eager to help many homeless people in Nashville.

MichelleLusk

2009-03-14T16:30:00.001-05:00

AnneEndres

2009-03-14T15:45:00.002-05:00

Anne Endres

Wednesday March 11, 2009

Today we worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission – for my group this was our second day here, and for the other group it was their third day. I am happy to be in the group that travels to other places more frequently. In addition to helping at the Nashville Rescue Mission, we have volunteered at The Campus for Human Development and the Music City Mission. It seems like the other CU group is almost stationed at the Nashville Rescue Mission. I enjoy helping at all three places, but my time spent at the Music City Mission was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. I think it helped because I was able to interact with the Spanish mothers and children. This morning at the NRM I was able to interact with the male participants who are studying to take the GED exam. I helped teach English, and we more or less focused on the reading comprehension branch of English. I was assigned to help one male student who seemed to be not much older than me; he may be in his early twenties. We read passages and then answered questions about each passage. It was sad to realize the level of the passages we read were pretty simple, and that a man this age was struggling to read such passages. However, it was rewarding to be able to help him gain a better understanding of certain words and phrases throughout the passages. At times we took breathers from reading and I tried to teach him some grammar skills. I focused on trying to deter him from saying ‘ain’t’ and tried to do so in a friendly manner. Also, I asked him if he knew any Spanish words and I taught him some basic Spanish language and grammar. I think he enjoyed taking these few small breaks from reading to do some learning in other areas of grammar and language.

It was almost difficult to parallel the lives of two people around the same age. My student told me that he is going through the GED program for the second time, but I did not ask for any details. I don’t really know how to describe it, but I have been blessed with so many things that I sometimes take for granted, such as a proper education. It struck me this morning how valuable a K-12 education is, and I can almost assume that the student I helped today did not receive such. I really hope he gets back on track and obtains his GED, because I’m sure job opportunities will arise and he will really be able to turn his life around.

This morning it displeased me when the students I helped teach took a fifteen minute smoke break. I know smoking habits are probably hard to break because of the attached addiction, but they should still try to wean themselves away from smoking. It makes me wonder if the NRM has any classes on smoking awareness and the effects of drugs and alcohol. I remember Wendy, one of the directors at the Campus for Human Development, telling us about the variety of classes for the participants, such as drug prevention.

In addition to being able to teach, it was rewarding to be fed a feast this afternoon at NRM. Billy, one of the men who successfully completed the turnaround program, showed his true appreciation for the CU volunteers. In a way I felt bad for being able to eat this delicious and extremely well-prepared food while the homeless men were eating fractions of this food downstairs.

AnneEndres

2009-03-14T15:43:00.001-05:00

Anne Endres

Tuesday 3/10/09

Today we spent the day at Music City Mission in Nashville. So far, today has been my favorite work day, and there are a few reasons why. Music City Mission is located in the Spanish district of Nashville, or at least it seems to be. When we drove to and from lunch (we got to go to CiCi’s Pizza!) we passed many buildings with Spanish titles – these included restaurants, Laundromats, and clothing shops. The Mission is right next door to a Nazarene church, where a retired pastor ministered; his son now ministers. They opened up this shelter next door in a building that used to be a church. This facility is the cleanest and best kept one that we have volunteered in all week. I think the cleaner environment created a more positive atmosphere for many people in the group, myself included. I spent the morning in an upstairs room with Ginny folding and sorting sheets, pillows, pillowcases, etc. Many of the sheets were in good condition and we threw out any that were not in acceptable condition and that were stained. After we finished upstairs, we shifted downstairs and helped various people with their duties. Little did I know that one of the most rewarding moments of my life was soon to take place.

Upon greeting a few of the women and children who came to the shelter in need of food or clothing, I immediately noticed how much Spanish was being spoken, and this observation tickled me pink. I began speaking to the mothers in Spanish, and then with their permission started talking to the small children in their native language. Soon after playing with and speaking to two small girls, one of the mothers asked me if I could help her. She led me over to a table where one of the Caucasian gentlemen who were in charge of the facility was stationed. He spoke no Spanish, and the Spanish woman understood little English. The problem at hand was that one of the Spanish women’s friends, who stood almost hesitantly behind her, wanted some diapers for her baby boy. It was confusing because the more outgoing Spanish woman kept saying “Numero uno, numero uno!” and the man in charge falsely understood that they wanted one diaper. Instead, the woman was requesting size one diapers for her shyer friend’s son. The man kept asking in English things like, “Where’s the boy? How old is he? Do you have any other children?” My Spanish knowledge helped me facilitate this transaction by interpreting and translating from English to Spanish and vice versa. This was the first of several translating encounters that took place today.

After the diaper situation was figured out, I explored the facility and discovered two more Spanish mothers and their children browsing through the clothing sections. This was where another rewarding experience would take place. One mother acknowledged me and we began chatting in Spanish. After realizing I spoke fairly fluently, she introduced me to her two-year-old daughter, Adellin (Spanish version of Adeline). Adellin and I began interacting and picking out what clothes and accessories she liked. Her mother realized what we were doing and asked if I could help them find a pair of shoes for her daughter, since tomorrow is her third birthday. I gladly accepted the invitation to help these people and apply my Spanish-speaking skills and began sorting through shoes. Grace noticed what I was doing and began looking for ‘Talla siete,’ or size seven. We found a pair of bright red rain boots with ladybug faces. Boy, was Adellin impressed! I helped her take her sandals off and put these boots on, all the while trying to talk to her in Spanish. Her mother was ever so pleased that we had found these ‘botas’ in the correct ‘talla’ and graciously thanked us. She and he friend then asked me details about the volunteer group such as where we are from, if many others speak Spanish, and if we were paid for our work. I later found out that she was born in Mexico, and the first woman was from El Salvador. I told both of them my plans to study abroad in the future.

It was so rewarding that I could help these women and children obtain necessities like diapers and the birthday present for Adellin. I do not know any details of how these families are doing financially, but the fact that they came here to this church to get these things shows that they may be suffering in some way. Nevertheless, the look on Adellin’s face when she saw the boots and realized that they fit was priceless, and I really appreciated being a part of this success. Today I enjoyed applying my Spanish skills in order to help the less fortunate obtain things that sometimes I take for granted.

Today was great; I’m sure I’ve already made that clear. The best part of the day was being able to help the Spanish mothers and their children. Another nice thing about today was that we were treated to lunch at CiCi’s Pizza.

The majority of the day went extremely well and parts were really rewarding. I think many of the other CU volunteers felt the same way. However, throughout the day I noticed that some students were sitting, texting, and not really contributing to the group work effort. It was frustrating to know that while many students were putting in effort to help the less fortunate and took a reasonable amount of breaks, others joked around and took lots of breaks. The past few days I’ve kept these thoughts to myself, but they’re beginning to build up. Tomorrow’s our last day at work, and we’re returning to the Nashville Rescue Mission.

TacyPyles

2009-03-14T13:33:00.001-05:00

TiffanyShaver

2009-03-14T13:32:00.002-05:00

VirginiaVerburg

2009-03-14T13:32:00.001-05:00

MeganWebber

2009-03-14T13:31:00.001-05:00

AkeyaCarterBozman

2009-03-14T02:12:00.002-05:00

EricThomas

2009-03-14T01:59:00.000-05:00

StephenReed

2009-03-13T22:32:00.001-05:00

Today was the last day of our volunteer service. We went to Nashville Rescue Mission again which has been my favorite place to help out. The group that I was in went down to the Basement where they store most of there donations that they receive that has to be sorted before they can give them out. We sorted and sorted rest of the stuff that we had worked on for the 3 days that we had been there earlier in the week. After lunch we met up with Brother Thomas again who is always a happy go lucky kind of guy. He sent us out on more work which is what we were sent here to do. Im so glad we were of service to these nice mean though im sure that lots of the girls in our group would like to have worked in the womens center. We worked on folding sheets trying to fix the miss communitcation we had earlier in the week. With so many things going on at the same time from time to time people make mistakes but you can’t get upset when it happens for if you do you won’t get anything done. I must say this trip has been good on most of the people though there were some that don’t seem to have come on the trip for the right reasons but I suppose you will always have a few of them on a trip. At the end of our evening with NRM they did something special for us which blessed us all. Im sure most of us didn’t do this type of work for thank you’s or for pats on the back but when they do happen its nice to get them.. They fixed us a nice dinner with lots of food from shrimp to chicken. We all enjoyed it and filled our stomachs up though a few of us felt bad cause we were getting some really nice food and the people that don’t get lots of food weren’t getting that type of food. Oh and by the way in my first paper I wrote that I met a guy named Pittman well we found out it was his birthday and wished him a happy birthday he just turned 37. He told us that we blessed his heart and hopes that we come back. I do hope I get to come back and help out for if you give your time you will fill good about yourself and make peoples lives better. Im so glad I came and I thank all who made this trip possible. Thank you all!!!!

NicoleDuvall

2009-03-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, March 9, 2009
Today we got to sleep in a little longer and then it was off to the Campus for Human Development, which isn’t too far from the Nashville Rescue Mission. Luckily, the weather was nice today- no too hot, not too cold. When we got there we met, Ms. Wendy, who is, I guess the director of the Campus. She seemed very friendly and eager to have us help work around the campus. First, she gave us a tour around the building, which looked a little rough on the outside but was actually pretty nice on the inside. It seemed to be a happier place to me than the Rescue Mission, which, don’t get me wrong, is a really nice place, but Campus seemed to have more life to it and activities for its participants. Ms. Wendy said that everyone that walks through the front doors has to have respect for everyone otherwise, there will be problems. Later on in the day when we were working outside, we saw a little quarrel break out between two male participants- I don’t know what was going on-just saw one spit on the other and then Ms. Wendy went over to investigate and they immediately backed off. It seems to me that she has a very good influence over the participants of the campus and that they look up to her-like a mentor.
My job for the day was to help clear out a building that had survived a fire but it’s contents were pretty messed up. I had to throw away a lot of canned foods that were old and in the fire about a year ago. I also cleaned up some scrap that was laying around. When I took the canned garbage over to the dumpster, a gentlemen asked me why I was throwing it away; that we should donate it to a food bank or something. I told him that I was told to throw it away; that the food was not good for anyone to eat. Later on when I came back, I saw him digging through the dumpster, picking various canned items out. I guess he was desperate, but I hope that he doesn’t get sick-I did tell Ms. Wendy about it. She said that was normal behavior of his.
Later on after lunch I went outside again to help clean out the shed and clean up dirty laundry baskets and after that I went inside to help paint cubby holes different colors for the participants to put their belongings in. it was definitely harder than I thought it was going to be. I learned that I am a terrible painter. I noticed that Campus didn’t have security outside at all but inside, it seemed like their was a gazillon doors and they all were locked-as safety measures-which made me feel kinda weird, like a was trapped and had no way out. Later I realized it was for everyone’s own safety, because you just don’t know what someone is capable of doing to hurt someone else, even though Campus is a very peaceful-non violent facility. I also learned that both these programs help people out in different ways but I’ m glad that Nashville has both The Mission and The Campus to help the homeless find a way to get back on their feet and into a normal life.

StephenReed

2009-03-13T22:27:00.001-05:00

So today we were at the Campus for Human Development. It was a little different from the other shelter we have been to. We first met Wendy the director of the Campus; she took us on a tour of the grounds. She showed us all that the Campus has to offer, from classes to living areas. Once we finished with the tour we went off into different groups to help out around the Campus from improving the outside to finishing some of the projects she had the other group start. In our group we worked on painting the bathrooms that so desperately needed some touch ups. While we worked there were all kinds of people coming in and out of the Campus. While we were working on the bathrooms we kind of took up some space in the hallway when an older gentlemen came down the hallway with a guide helping him navigate the mess we had made. The man that was his guide told us that he couldn’t see well so we cleared the way so he wouldn’t trip so he could get into the laundry room they have for them there. We went back to working and had some stuff strung out in the hallway yet again so when he came out of the laundry room I stopped what I was doing so I could guide him through. He was a nice guy and thanked us for all the work we were doing. Then again a few of the gentlemen there thanked us for our time. I don’t think I have done that much work but I still have gotten a lot of thank you’s. I guess though it is a lot of work considering that they don’t have a lot of people that do work around the shelter without them having to pay them. I think people should give more of their time I mean if a person gave an hour of their time from time to time it would make the world a better place. Which is why I think people like us are here. We give up our time to show other people that there are kinds of people out there so perhaps they will do something nice for there community when people from another state come and give of theie time making there place a better place.

NicoleDuvall

2009-03-13T22:25:00.000-05:00

Today we started early and we went back over to the Nashville Mission to volunteer our services. I was real excited today because we were able to choose where we wanted to work-basement, kitchen, folding clothes, etc. I chose to work in the kitchen because I really wanted to help serve and I figured that would be a good opportunity to talk one on one with the mission’s program participants. I didn’t get a chance to work on the serving line but I did get to help get desserts ready and chop up some ham. It was fun, but still kind of tiring but I was definitely more exhausted yesterday working in the basement.
While I was picking up trays in the dining area, a gentlemen by the name of Mike, asked me if I would mind getting him a cup of ice and I told him that sure, I didn’t mind and then he asked for some water. He seemed really friendly and was asking me what brought me to TN. I told him that we were a group of college students, my major, and a few other facts about me. Then, what I found really interesting was that when I got ready to leave, he said “Pleas don’t leave me,” and I just immediately sat back down. Sitting across from us was a middle aged guy who was just talking nonstop… to himself… Mike said that he does that just to get attention and that I shouldn’t feel uncomfortable, because I guess it was obvious that I looked a little uncomfortable. Then he told me a little bit about his life, that he had a son that he hadn’t seen in a while and that he has been in the program for a couple months trying to get his life back on track. He also said that the Mission has really helped him come through a lot of hard times.
I also talked to another guy named Willie also. He told us that he had a son and a daughter back in Alabama and that he missed them greatly but doesn’t want to go back until he gets his life turned back around- he had a drug problem evidently- I didn’t want to ask too much. He seemed to know a lot of people for having had been there since December 2008. I almost cried when he was telling us that he had lost his wife, mother, and father last year and it just sent him into a downward spiral. I really almost cried-it was very depressing-I get so emotional. That is one thing that I ‘m really worried about-is just breaking down and bawling-so far, I’ve been able to control myself.
Later on I went back downstairs and sorted through shampoo and different hygiene products. There is endless stuff to sort through downstairs and we certainly made a dent, but most of the day I spent upstairs.
In the evening we went over to the Campus for Human Development-which was the first time for me- for game/movie/pizza night. I played a Pictionary sort of game while others watched Stomp the Yard. The campus definitely was definitely not as nice as the mission-building wise. We really didn’t get to interact with some of the people but Ms. Wendy seemed pretty nice. I’m a little nervous about tomorrow thought, because I hear she is a little rough and demanding. Hopefully tomorrow will be fun and we will get to meet some really cool people.

TiffanyMcMahan

2009-03-13T22:02:00.002-05:00

Tiffany McMahan
March 09, 2009
Today at the Nashville Mission we took a tour of the building. The dorms were very interesting because there were so many beds that were very close together. We were told that on an average night that almost all the beds if not all beds were full. We also got to help in the kitchen by doing the desserts and meats for the dinner. We got to see how much they cook for lunch and dinner. We also helped in the dinning hall with the homeless and the halfway residents. We had interaction with the homeless and halfway residents by helping take up their trays. We met a guy named Willie that had been there for 6 to 7 months after leaving Alabama (leaving behind his entire family) to kick a drug addiction. He told us how at one point he took so many drugs that he prayed to never wake up; then he went on to explain how the mission changed his life and that he had been passing all of the drug tests. This actually gave us insight into how they feel about the mission and how much appreciation they have for the mission. He expressed how thankful he was that we came to help during our spring break. Many of the residents were very appreciative of us giving up our spring break for volunteering.
Later tonight, we visited the Campus Center and got to watch a movie and play games. We got to see how different it was from the Mission and we also got to have interaction with our entire group. I think this was a good idea because we learned more about each other as a group, and it gave us time to get to know each other. This is important because the more we know about each other the better we will work together as a group; therefore, we will make more progress.

TiffanyMcMahan

2009-03-13T21:53:00.001-05:00

Tiffany McMahan
March 11, 2009
Today was very sad because we all knew that it was our last day at the Mission. I worked down in the basement sorting items such as shampoo and conditioner. I also took many pictures of the staff and residents there, so that I would have some memory to take back with me. During lunch time there was another volunteer group there to help. After lunch some of the residents asked us if we would be coming back; since we wouldn’t be going back down to the dinning hall for dinner we all said our good byes and it was very sad for us.

I don’t think any of us expected what happened at the end of the day. We all were very tired from working and thought that we would just have our normal dinner in the dinning hall with the rest of the halfway residents. We did not expect the meal that they prepared for us. It was very well prepared and much appreciated. We all thanked them for the meal, and it made me very sad but yet happy at the same time. I knew that we made a huge impression at the Mission and our efforts really helped out, but it was also very sad because this was the end of our service.

When I got back to the room, it all kind of hit me; I became very sad because I got thinking that not many people especially students would give up their spring breaks to volunteer at homeless shelters. This trip really showed me how the homeless lives and what their lives are like. I never thought about many of the things that I seen on this trip. I think that this opened all of our eyes and taught us a lesson that none of us will forget. I would love to be able to do this type of service more often. Since we are all college students, I feel that this trip was a good experience for us because some of us if not all have never had to deal with such things and live in the conditions that they live in. I think the Mission, the Campus, and the homeless that were involved with our service volunteering really appreciated it.. We may not be able to see the impact we made, but I know that just the small things that we did made a huge impact of them. If only everyone took the time to do a small part in helping someone else then everyone in America would have a safe place to stay and a warm meal to eat.

NicoleDuvall

2009-03-13T21:52:00.001-05:00

Today was our last day at the Nashville Rescue Mission and it was kinda sad. The people there were really nice and so appreciated all of our efforts and help. When we got there, a bunch of us went straight down to the basement again to sort canned food items and crushed boxes for a couple of hours.
During lunch we said “bye” to Pittman and wished him happy birthday –Willie told us because we asked where he was because we wanted to say goodbye. Stephen and I really liked him-he was really genuine and friendly. I hope things go well for him.
Later on, we moved over towards the shampoo, lotions , & toothpastes, (toiletries) etc. into boxes for the Mission to distribute to the participants. It seemed like a never-ending process, but we did make the area a lot neater and got rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I am very proud of all the hard work we did. We definitely made a difference. It was fun too, working with everyone helped the time pass by faster.
Before we left, the people at the Mission decided to do something special for us- they served us a really nice dinner in a special conference like room. I don’t think any of us were expecting them to go to that extreme for us because we were there to help, not to earn food. I mean there are other people there who were more deserving of that food that we were. I was in Heaven-2 kinds of chicken! Can’t beat that! They even had dessert! I was really excited!
After that, we said our goodbyes and thank you’s and I’m pretty sure some people got a little teary eyed, since we did get pretty used to being there and they were very hospitable.
After we got back to the hotel, I took a nap and then it was off to the Bicentennial Park to at nighttime. It was a little dark, but still pretty and the Parthenon was gorgeous. After the park we went back Downtown and walked around the streets to do some sightseeing. It was really cold, but I’m glad I went because all the little shops are so neat. We even got serenaded by two gentlemen on the street playing the guitar. They were really talented. A few people gave them money and they were very appreciative, saying that it was going to go towards a hotel room, since the temperature was dropping.
I am definitely very thankful for the opportunity to come to Nashville to visit the Campus for Human Development and The Nashville Rescue Mission. I was glad to make a difference helping clean up as well as getting to meet new people and hear their stories. It really made me realize how lucky we all are and that when a group a people come together, a lot can be accomplished to help better others. I hope that the Bonner Program will be able to do this again next year. Even though I will have graduated, I think it was a very successful trip and that most people did enjoy making a difference. Thanks Jesse and Alex for making this trip possible, successful, and for keeping us safe! :)

TiffanyShaver

2009-03-13T21:25:00.001-05:00

Tiffany Shaver
Dr. Campbell
3-11-09
Reflection Journal- Day Five
It is the last day we are working at the Nashville Rescue Mission and I have so many mixed emotions right now. I am sad that today is the last day because this has been one of the most rewarding weeks of my life yet I am happy because I know that I have made a difference this week. This week I have had the opportunity to work with two agencies, the Nashville Rescue Mission and the Campus for Human Development and I can honestly say that I am a different person.
This week has been such a humbling experience. I have always known that homelessness was a horrible problem, but I have never has the chance to see that firsthand; this week changed that. Like I said before, today was the last day working at the Mission and the whole day I had to keep myself from crying. I worked in the kitchen today and it was an absolute blast. I became very skilled at potato peeling and de-boning turkey. Working in the kitchen can be very tiresome, but you get the chance to interact with all of the staff and people in the program. It’s an amazing experience to serve them their food as well, because you can just see the happiness in their face as they walk by. Working in the kitchen is probably my favorite because you do have that interaction and you have the chance to see the homeless face to face and it makes you realize just how blessed you are. I have learned that lesson a lot this week.
After working in the kitchen all day, it was time for goodbyes, which was the hardest part. You can tell that they were so appreciative of having us there and I feel blessed to be there. The men that I came to know fairly well was Willie, James, Len, and Keith. We were able to get our pictures with them and their contact information which was really awesome. Willie is the man whose daughter has been missing since Friday, so we wanted to keep in touch with him to get updates on his situations. As he was talking about it, you could just see the pain in his eyes and how hard he was trying not to show it. I almost lost it then and there. Earlier, they prayed for us and was asking God to bless us and it blew my mind away. These people are in need of so much and yet they ask God to bless us. It blew my mind on how unselfish these men are and how I need to learn from them.
Later on in the day, Billy and some other men at the mission cooked us a fancy dinner. They had tables set up with centerpieces and amazing food. However, as I was walking through the line I noticed how familiar some of the food look. The sweet potatoes that we had peeled were cooked on the table. I had watched the desserts being placed on the crystal plate while I was in the kitchen and I remembered how Billy was telling the workers how the desserts needed to be placed so it would look good. It broke my heart to think how much effort they put into making us feel welcome. It also broke my heart to know what the Mission people were eating while we had a fancy dinner. I can honestly say that I will never look at anything the same again. Its been the most frustrating yet rewarding week of my life and I truly mean that. Life and the way I see it has changed and I know its for the better. I will miss the Mission and the Campus, but mostly the Mission because I came so close to that place and the people there. I have already cried once since coming back to the hotel because I didn’t want to leave. I will miss this place and the Mission, with the people there, has changed my life.

TiffanyShaver

2009-03-13T21:22:00.001-05:00

Tiffany Shaver
Dr. Campbell
3-9-09
Reflection Journal-Day Three
It is the third day of the ABS and so far it has been my most rewarding day. We worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission once again with our entire group. Where there were so many of us, the staff divided us into different groups, some working in the kitchen, some working downstairs in the warehouse, and some of us working in classrooms. Since I am an education major, I joined the group that went to the classrooms. The Rescue Mission is certified to offer courses in order for their residents to obtain their GED. The course that I went into was the literacy class. During that time, I graded their essays based upon the question, “What are your favorite sections to read in the newspaper?” It was sad to read them, because the level of their grammar was that of grade school. It made me realize how lucky I am and how blessed I am to have the opportunity to obtain an education. These men have trouble reading and writing and you can see in their eyes how much they want to accomplish. They also read from newspaper sections about the economy and stem cell research. It was extremely interesting to hear their opinions and discussions about these topics. These men are very intelligent, they just have never been told so or had the opportunity to enhance that. It was hard to look and them and to hear them as they read, because at times they would get frustrated. Like I said before, you can see it in their eyes on how much they want to succeed through this program.
After lunch, I stayed in the kitchen to help prepare dinner. One guy that I met was named Willy, one of the main kitchen staff. Talking to him was probably one of the most humbling experiences. He has been through the program and you can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice how passionate he is about that place. He loves those men and wants to see them succeed so much. He said that he knows he could be somewhere else making six times more money that he is at the Mission, yet he chooses to be there because he feels that he has so much to offer. As we were leaving, he thanked us and then asked for a favor. He asked the five of us to pray for him; his 13 year old daughter has been missing since Friday and they have put an amber alert out for her. I asked if it would be okay if we went ahead and prayed for him then, he said yes and so we did. Before we did however, he told us something else. This is the part where I start tearing up because I can still see the pain in his eyes. He told us that he had been through the program and had learned to put situations in God’s hands, but this time was so hard. Willy starting crying and said that he really wanted to trust God, but it was hard. That experience was so humbling and it made me realize how selfish I am at times. So many times I complain about how incontinent helping others may be; I come up with so many excuses like I’m tired or I have too much homework. I had a slap in the face today, because I realized if this man can still help others while his daughter is missing, then was is my excuse? I have no excuses because Willy is making no excuses.
So all in all, today has been the best so far. I was very humbled and realized how blessed I am to have an education, to have a loving family, to have the opportunity to spend my spring break helping others. I now know that every time I start to make excuses about helping others, I’ll always remember Willy.

TreskaDunbar

2009-03-13T21:05:00.001-05:00

Treska Dunbar

SOWK 350

Journal/Reflection

March 11, 2009

Today we worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission. I worked downstairs in the storage room. At first we were organizing can food, so that the kitchen staff will have an easier time finding what they need when they need it. Next, we sorted bed linens and bagged them. After we had them all sorted and bagged, another gentleman who works at the mission told us that they didn’t need them bagged and that we needed to take them out of the bags and place them in bins. This was frustrating. We had spent most of our day bagging these linens only to take them out and place them in bins. This miscommunication among staff caused the work ethic of the group to change. Everyone was in a good mood and had good work ethic until we were asked to move the linens and then everyone became annoyed and the work ethic shifted drastically.

Many of the homeless people mentioned that they could see the difference that we were making. They all were constantly thanking us for giving up our time to work for and with them. The staff at the Nashville Rescue Mission served us a delicious appreciation dinner. They were so thankful for the work that we have been doing there. However, I had mixed feelings about eating the appreciation dinner. It was a buffet of about ten different choices. It was hard knowing that I had all of these options of food upstairs, and the homeless were eating the cafeteria food downstairs.

I noticed on the first day that we ate at the mission that they don’t offer the clients any salt or pepper to season their food. I know they have plenty of salt and pepper, because when we were organizing non-perishable foods there was a large amount of salt and pepper. They provided us with salt and pepper at our appreciation dinner, so why can they not provide them with salt and pepper upstairs?

I am still amazed at the faith in God that these homeless individuals have. Today I spoke with a homeless individual and he asked about my faith in God. We were able to have a good conversation about God. It amazes me that he can have such a strong faith in God after all he has been through. Overall, today was a good day and I enjoyed serving this population.

BrianCaulkins

2009-03-13T21:03:00.001-05:00

Brian Caulkins
March 11, 2009
Psychology 350
Reflection for Alternative Spring Break – Day #5

Today was our last of volunteer work. Our last day of work was to be volunteered at the Nashville Rescue Mission. Our group had already been their once before and knew what to expect. Our objective for most of the morning was organizing and shelving canned foods. It is hard for the mission to give out the food if they do not know what they have. It didn’t seem like much to shelve the canned food and organize it but it meant a lot to the rescue mission. The last day to me was more of a relaxing one. We did work but the work was not strenuous and everlasting. One of the funniest things that I thought happened today was having so much canned pumpkin. I have never seen caned pumpkin and the mission had boxes and boxes of it. After our morning work of shelving and organizing canned foods we went to lunch.

One of the more rewarding things that happened today was the fact that every time a full-time worker made eye contact he knew who you were and spoke right away. They recognized us and were still appreciative of our hard work. Some even started talking right away. After lunch we went back down to the basement to work. Our job for the rest of the evening was organizing bed linens and putting them in the right bins. Although this was easy and boring work, it was still productive. We also had fun while working too. Every half-hour the employees would offer us a drink or ask if we needed anything. It was almost if they were catering us. One of the distinct phrases I remember one of them saying was “you are a blessing from God.” At first I thought to myself how weird it was to hear such a thing but then I realized that some people might not get as many blessing as me. They appreciate every little blessing that they can get.

One exciting thing that happened to me today was having the feeling of accomplishment. It was our last day of work and I can honestly say that my work during the whole week was productive and helpful. I can tell people that I made a difference in some peoples live because I took a little of my time to help out a lot of people. There is no way to measure how many people will benefit from our help but it is rewarding just to know that I helped just one person in need.

The frustrating thing that I experienced today was how some people took advantage of the last day of volunteering and didn’t do anything. They sat around all day and would do absolutely nothing. It didn’t make me mad that they were not working; it made me mad that they would not work for other people who needed their help. There is a different feeling you get when you help somebody cause they ask and when you help somebody who doesn’t ask and really needs it. I just wish that they would realize that just a little bit of work would help the organization out tremendously.

TreskaDunbar

2009-03-13T21:01:00.000-05:00

Treska Dunbar

Journal/Reflection

SOWK 350

March 10, 2009

Today I worked at the Music City Mission. This agency was different than any other agency that we have worked with this week. At the Music City Mission they serve not only the homeless, but low income people as well. They provide the clients with food boxes as well as clothing. The clients at the Music City Mission were from differing backgrounds. I saw quite a few different racial groups, mostly Latinos. There were also a lot of children at the mission. The children all played with one another and seemed to have no idea of their economic state.

At one point today I was in the office as a lady was “checking out”. The mission only allows them to have 8 items of clothing per person. It made me sad to see that this lady had 8 outfits; however, she could only take half of them because of the eight item rule. Our group spent hours sorting clothing and there was a lot of clothing so I don’t really understand why they have the eight item limit.

While at the mission I did a variety of activities. I helped clean the facility; which, could seem like an obnoxious task, but I feel like it is important that the mission look nice and appealing for the clients. I also helped with the sorting of clothing. This is important, because it makes it easier for the clients to find the clothing sizes that they need. I felt like the work we did was important in helping this disadvantaged population better themselves.

One of the best parts of today for me was getting to talk to Paul. Paul is a social worker in Nashville and a volunteer at the Music City Mission. As a social work major it is always exciting when you get to talk to someone who is currently practicing social work, but it is more exciting to talk to a practicing social worker who loves what they are doing and in a field similar to the one you want to enter. Paul works with juveniles and is currently working with homelessness and specifically juvenile homelessness. My desire is to work with juveniles, so it was great to meet someone who is in the field I want to pursue. He gave me a lot of insight into the profession and the field as well as inspired me to fulfill my desire to serve the juvenile population.

BrianCaulkins

2009-03-13T20:58:00.001-05:00

Brian Caulkins
March 10, 2009

Psychology 350
Reflection for Alternative Spring Break – Day #4

Today we started our volunteer work an hour later. I think this was a good idea because most of the time we didn’t leave on time and everybody was grouchy and not willing to work. The organization we worked at today was called Music City Mission. When we first pulled up to the building it didn’t look like much but as soon as we walked inside it was pretty nice. I started my day off by washing out trashcans that were really dirty. It wasn’t that warm outside so the water was very cold. After cleaning out the trashcans I was assigned to rake leaves. By this time it had already warmed up and was pleasant outside. I decided to make raking leaves fun by raking them in a circle to look like a golf course. It wasn’t a masterpiece but I thought it looked pretty good for a leaf outline. After I raked leaves is when the real work started.

I became aquatinted with the head guy at the City Music Mission. His name was Bob. My job for the rest of the day was carrying out bags that the rest of the team packed up then load it onto the wagon. After the wagon was full, Bob and I took the wagon to a thrift store called Thrifts Mart. According to Bob, the Music City Mission receives compensation for every pound of clothing they bring. He told me that normally this was not the arrangement but with the economy being as low as it is nobody wants to donate clothes. The money that the Music City Mission receives goes towards electric bills and maintenance for the Music City Mission building. I believe that Bob and I made four trips to the Thrifts Mart. He told me that four loads was a good number since they only do this type of transaction twice a year. Another thing that I noticed while I was in the building was the customers. All of the customers were foreign and did not speak English. My girlfriend can speak Spanish very well and helped with some confusing conversations. Bob also told me that if you go up about another mile passed the building that all the stores are in Spanish or Arabic. According to Bob the last Census taken in that part of town stated that 80 to 85 percent of the population did not have a faith-based religion. It also shocked me when he told me that during Christmas time that his organization gave out 1200 toys to 300 kids. The funny thing was that the organization is Nazareth faith-based and 90 percent of the kids were foreign and was not of the same religion. It was not that it bothered him; it was just somewhat of a culture shock.

The good thing that happened to me today was learning about his part of town and how much I made a difference. I learned a lot about how our country is changing and how hard it is to be a successful person in a big city. It is something that I will always remember and take in into perspective once I am on my own. He was very appreciative and thanked every one of us. The frustrating thing that happened today was when Bob told me that sometimes people come into the building and are not in need. They are just “pros” as Bob would call them. These people take from the people who are in need. One of my friends today actually watched this happen. We went to the mall after our long day of work and recognized on the customer from the mission. These people were carrying lots of bags from expensive stores. This was a classic case of people being cheap and stealing from the needy. I don’t understand why people would do such a thing.

JessicaKirk

2009-03-13T20:50:00.001-05:00

Kirk, Jessica

3-11-09

Alternative Spring Break in Nashville

Day Five

Today I spent another day in the kitchen at the Nashville Rescue Mission. I like working in the kitchen because you have more one on one contact with the people that work and visit the mission which is probably the most rewarding aspect of the mission. There are some real characters there like the a guy named Donnie who even gave is his address so we could write to him and send him some picture of the mountains and rivers of West Virginia.

I really like working at the Nashville Rescue Mission because almost everyone that you get to work with is apart of the program that the mission offers or at one point was a participant. This surprised me a little because I was expecting them to be different; I wasn't expecting to meet some of the people that I did there. One man became homeless because his business had went under and even used to be a marine

The only frustrating thing that happened today was that as soon as it was time for us to start serving the food at lunch to the transients the same church group from the other day showed up and was ready to serve. One of the workers in the kitchen even told us to move so they could serve, but luckily Alex came to our rescue and told them that it wasn't going to happen cause we had been waiting all week to serve and we wasn't going to give it up again.

As far as a story goes I cant really think of any except for one that just sort of made me laugh. As I was in the serving line this one man who was at least 50 to 60 years old said something that struck me as odd. The man said "How ya doing there shorty", which is fine with me, but shorty definitely wasn't from his generation which made me laugh, and I replied "I'm good but Im not short" in a joking manner. Everyone who was around and heard it and even the man laughed. It was just something that I found was odd and funny at the same time.

JenniferHellems

2009-03-13T20:48:00.000-05:00

Jennifer Hellems

SOWK 350

Dr. Campbell

Journal Entry 5

Wednesday March 11, 2009

Today we went back to the Nashville Rescue Mission and continued working on the different tasks that we had been working on all week. We worked, had lunch, went back to work, then they had a special dinner for us.

We started the day with part of us working in the kitchen, some of us working with the people in the GED program, and the rest of us went downstairs. Downstairs we worked in the pantry and sorted out boxes and boxes of food. We separated them all and put them on shelves so they would be easy to access. After we completed that task we went into the basement area and four of us went to bins of sheets and sorted all of the sheets pulling out any white ones we could find. Then we put them in trash bags 25 in each. After that we put all of the rest of the sheets back into the bin. After we finished that we went to lunch.

After lunch we went back downstairs and found that we needed to go back to the bins and go through the sheets and fold them and separate them to be washed. That took the rest of the evening. I kept switching back and forth between sheets and sorting boxes of things such as soap, shampoo, conditioner, and many, many other items.

After we finished all the assigned tasks we went back upstairs and waited for our special dinner. The guys who were in charge of our activities this week were so appreciative and said that we worked harder than most groups that are sent to them so they wanted to make us a special dinner. I really enjoyed it, it was so good. We talked to them and thanked them for everything and they thanked us in return.

The only thing I got frustrated about was when one guy brought us to the sheet bin and told us what to do then after we finished it another guy came along and told us to do something completely different. Actually that happedned a lot this week; apparently the guys all had different ideas as to what should be going, on and what things should look like, and how they should be done. Other than that I enjoyed my last day at the Nashville Rescue Mission and I was really happy that they enjoyed us being there. It really made me feel like I had done something for someone and it made me happy.

JenniferParsons

2009-03-13T20:40:00.001-05:00

Jennifer Parsons

Reflection # 5

Alternative Spring Break

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

We went back to the Nashville Rescue Mission. Everyone seemed to feel comfortable there since we had been there before. The people, as always, were very nice to us. I like that about the Nashville Rescue Mission.

The group I was in was first sent to the pantry to sort out the food onto the shelves to make it easier for them to find. This was easy for me, as I had worked in that area of the Mission as a previous task a couple days ago. Therefore, I already knew where most of the items belonged. It also helped that there were more people helping. So, as they sorted the food into boxes, I was sorting them onto the shelves, which made things move a lot faster than a few days ago.

After a few hours of doing that, we were sent to fold sheets. I was caught off guard and a little confused because they did not give us a heads up to let us know so we could clean up the pantry area and get it neater. But we did as we were told and went to fold sheets. Sorting the fitted from the flat sheets and folding them into piles of twenty-five sheets, we worked for about an hour and a half before lunch.

After lunch, we went back to folding the sheets. We sorted the whites from the colors because they keep the whites and give the colored sheets away to another Mission. Later, I went to help the two girls who were sorting out the toiletries. We separated everything into separate boxes and threw out the used and “nasty” ones. A few people came over and sat there, doing nothing. After a while, I get aggravated with their laziness and non-motivation. I was unimpressed with their poor attitudes and lack of work. We came here to work and it was the last day… work. They were not asking much of us. I just do not understand why people would come on a mission trip to help those who need it and to do what work is asked of us and then complain about it. Don’t come. After a while, I left because I did not want to say anything that I would regret later.

After we sorted the sheets out and put them into black garbage bags, we were told to put them into the big bins so they could be washed. We then had to take them out the bags we had just put them in. I began to wonder why we put them in the bags in the first place, but I did not ask questions and just did as I was told. Upon finishing this task, I returned to the toiletries. We finished sorting the items into boxes and put them back onto the shelves. I also apologized for leaving them earlier, but they said they understood and agreed that they, too, were becoming aggravated with the lack of motivation that was being portrayed.

We finished early, so we headed up to the cafeteria following clean-up. They had prepared a special dinner for us for coming to help them. It was very nice. They set up tables, made a lot of great food and showed wonderful hospitality. I felt honored to be in the presence of such great people. I am very glad that so many people are there to help and get help. That is where greatness starts.

JenniferHellems

2009-03-13T20:38:00.002-05:00

Jennifer Hellems

SOWK 350

Dr. Campbell

Journal Entry 4

Tuesday March 10, 2009

Today we went down to the Music City Mission. At this place we helped with a few tasks and learned a little bit about the place. Music City wasn’t like the other missions we went to because it wasn’t a shelter nor did it serve food.

At Music City they accept donations of clothing, food, and other odds and ends. The stuff that is donated is sorted through and they only keep the good stuff, nothing that is old or rag like. Music City is sponsored by the Nazarene church of Rodan. The people that work there do not get paid and it is strictly a volunteer based service.

We sorted through a bunch of clothes and still had so much more upstairs. We also carried some pretty heavy things from upstairs in the mission to downstairs in the church. That was pretty hard work and some people were outside doing some yard work. Some people went through the large bags of rice and pinto beans and divied them up into zip-lock bags. They also worked on flour and sugar. One of the men that worked their explained to me that all the food is donated or bought with donated money. Most of it is bought in bulk and is divied and then handed out. They only hand out food and clothes. Everything they have they give away for free.

The only time I really was frustrated today was when me and a couple girls were dividing up the clothes and we had a nice neat system working. We knew what to keep and what tot get rid of. There was only so many people that could fit in the area and work together productively. Well a few of the other girls were finished with what they were doing so they came over and started picking clothes up and throwing them around, going through things we had already been through, and not knowing what to get rid of or what to keep. I was just really frustrated because it was hard to work with so many people.

While I was moving things into the church one of the other girls and I noticed a child in the back seat of a black ford explorer crying. Her mother was inside with a puppy and had been there for a while. I finished taking stuff downstairs and checking on the child each time I went by. When I was finished I walked back in and told the preacher of the church about it. He talked to the secretary and the lady left. I’m not sure if anything was said to her, but she did leave. It wasn’t super hot outside, but it the temperature was close to 80 today. I was not impressed with that woman’s parenting skills.

I felt really good when we left today because I knew as a whole accomplished a lot of things! I could tell that brother Bob and his dad were really happy with us and what we did for them. Tomorrow is another day at the Nashville Rescue Mission.

PradipAdhikari

2009-03-13T20:36:00.001-05:00

Journal

4th day

Pradip Adhikari

10/03/09

Sally Campbell

Campus for Human Development

Today was fourth day of our trip. We had to work for the Campus for Human Development for today. Campus for Human Development is the privately organized organization which has been helping homeless people with different kinds of services. We reached over there at 9 AM. We met windy over there who was a very good person. She was the director of the Campus for the Human Development.

We had a trip around the Campus for the Human Development first. Wendy told us about different kinds of the services that were provided to the homeless people over there. She talked about the beds, classes, food and other different facilities that were provided to the homeless people over there. As she talked about Campus for the Human Development we got to know that it was an organization that helped the homeless people not only by providing them food and shelter but also they were educating those people so that they could stand in the society and live a normal life as other people. They were also helping homeless people to find a matching job so that they could earn their own living and go back to their community. We got to know that every people there were taught to be a good human being. Windy also showed the new project they were having according to which they were building some more buildings so that they could help more people and provide some more facility. After the trip we started our work. We had to paint the bathroom over there for today, it was fun. We painted four bathrooms, as we painted bathrooms we met some homeless people who had been using the facilities over there. All those people were very good people, they welcomed us and even thanked for the effort made by us.

After we were done with work Windy game us a paper which was talking about the Campus for Human Development “Through the power of spirituality and the practice of love, the Campus for Human Development provides hospitality with a respect that offers hope in a community of non-violence.” That was exactly what we got to see at the Campus for the Human Development. Spirituality, Love, Hospitality, Respect, Hope, Community, and Non-violence were the human behaviors that were taught to the people over there. We could see spirituality, love, hospitality, respect, hope, community and non-violence as the pillars of the life aspect of the people over there. They were trying learning those aspects and using them in their day to day to life so that they could be independent and live their own life. Overall we had a very good time over there and got to learn something more about the homeless people today.

SezinCeliktas

2009-03-13T20:33:00.000-05:00

Today we went to Nashville Rescue Mission. Today was our last day. We pretty much did the same thing that we did on Monday. We worked in the kitchen, and basement. We knew what we need to do so people didn’t have to show us what to do.

We went to eat lunch with them. And went back to work again. They had a nice dinner for us since it was our last day today. It was really delicious. We all thanked them and left after dinner. Today was a good day too.

Today was the last day. I had fun during this trip. It made me think and it made me realize bunch of things. I am glad I came to Nashville with this trip. It was a good experience.

MaiLy

2009-03-13T20:31:00.001-05:00

Mai Ly
03/11/2009
Social Work
Entry for 03/11/ 2009
Today is the last day we worked in the Nashville Rescue Mission. Everybody started to go to Nashville Rescue Mission at 7:30 am, but my roommate and I woke up late, perhaps at 7:10 a.m. We prepared everything quickly. We didn’t have a breakfast. I felt so hungry and thirsty. We came to Nashville Rescue Mission at 8o’clock because the traffic was so crowded at the morning. We have a lot of duties today: some people taught math or something, some people worked at the kitchen, I worked in the basement. We worked in the basement but another place. It’s different from the pervious days. We had a duty: separate the cans: each box had each kind of can. It had a lot of cans, example: green beans , green peas, fish, spaghetti, noodle , rice…. Everyone worked hard, so the work ended quickly. We had lunch at 11:30 am. In the afternoon, everyone looked tired, I think nobody wanted to do anything. Because the weather was so cold and everybody felt sleepy . But everyone must do, we separate the blankets, pillow cases and the sheets. It had a lot of dust and the smelt was bad. In the afternoon, everyone looked tired. It was the last day we worked in here so when we finished the work, we didn’t eat in the dinning room like the pervious days. We went upstairs and went to the small room. The food was much better than in the dining room and some guys in here was so nice. Every one always smile and they’re friendly. We had a buffet and everyone ate a lot of food because we had a hard- working day. The guy in the Nashville Rescue Mission talked thank to everybody. Everybody felt happy because we helped for this center. When I sat on the chair, a black guy came and asked us: Do you work well? Do you come back tomorrow? We said: “No. It is our last day, we ‘ll leave on Friday, tomorrow, we’ll be free” The guy looked so sad and he wanted us come back later. He was so funny. After eating, we go back to the motel. We’ll be free tomorrow.
After the entire trip, I had some experiences. We must have responsibility when we worked in the team. We need to help the homeless if we can. We spent the time for the useful work. If it had another trip, I’m sure I’ll attend.

SamanthaThomas

2009-03-13T20:26:00.001-05:00

Samantha Thomas

2-11-09

Reflection 5

Today was a more mundane day because all of us had worked extremely hard all week to help these shelters. Today, my group helped one of the education administration tutor the GED students and make packets and copies for all of those students who needed their math homework in order to study for the final exam. First thing this morning, we were assigned to a particular classroom to help out with. Akia and I were assigned to the math 2/3 class where we helped the men with fractions, geometry, and general math skills. However, teaching the specific skills was not the most rewarding part of it all. During the time when we were there, we met some very interesting individuals. One of those individuals was Ron Taylor who said he was 43 and wants to become an electrician. He had struggles as a young man with addiction to alcohol and drugs and he said, “The Lord set him free when he sent me(Ron) to this program.” After seeing the work he could do and how bright he was after I finally managed to convince him to finish his work, I knew this could become a definite reality for him.

I also met a young man named Michael who was only 18 and wanted to attend UNC when he graduated the program at the rescue mission. He and I had a heated debate about UNC basketball versus Duke basketball and finally came to the agreed consensus that we were both pulling for the same team. He is definitely a person I would love to get to know better and maybe watch a few games with. J

During the second part of the afternoon we sorted through the piles of portfolios filled with work from the various classes the men are taking so that we might be able to make copies of some of their work in order to provide them with a study guide for the final GED exam. While looking through some of their work, you would never know or expect to see how much they know and can teach us. One man wrote about freedom as if it was not a goal but a promise that everyone should have fulfilled. Another wrote about his family and how much he missed them, I could honestly say that I did tear up while reading this one. It goes to show you how these men are human and not just homeless.

MeganWebber

2009-03-13T20:21:00.000-05:00

Megan Webber

ASB Reflections

March 11, 2009

We wrapped up our days in Nashville back at the Nashville Rescue Mission. Today I got the opportunity to work with some men from the Alcohol & Drug program who were taking GED classes offered at the Mission. I was worried at first because I was placed as a tutor in a basic high school level math class, but once in the class I realized that the problems they were working on were things I did in middle school. There were three men in there, one of which was Donnie, the man I had met on the first day. Donnie was excited to see me sitting in the room when he walked in, and gave me his address so I could write him letters. I told him not to get his heart broken if he didn’t get really frequent letters, but he said once a month was okay. He was talking about how I should post his address on an information board at school so everyone would write him letters because he only gets them from his family. It makes me sad that he’s that lonely in the program.

One man asked me for help rounding numbers then multiplying them. Another girl from my group, Kayla, and I explained how we learned to round and he seemed to understand it much better than whatever way he was originally taught. By the time their class was over, he could remember how to round and understood it better than before. It was rewarding for me to realize that we made a difference and helped this man learn something in a different way.

It really amazed me at how much he was willing to learn. Apparently as they enter Math classes they have to take a placement to see how much they know, which then says what level of GED Math they’ll be placed in. They have to get an 80 or above to pass the test. When I graded two of his tests, both grades were above 80, but he wanted to look at the problems he got wrong and correct them. I know, personally, I would have taken the passing grade and moved on, never looking at what questions I got wrong and trying to learn why.

Later in the day four other girls and I were helping Mike, one of the organizers for GED classes, and a man came in asking when our last day in Nashville and at the Mission was. We explained that today was our last day at the Mission and he asked if he could pray with us. It was really heart-warming to hear his prayer because, never once, did he mention himself. He prayed for everything for us! He prayed for our safety back to the hotel and home and prayed for us once we get back to school. It was just so nice that he was so impacted by us doing simple things for the Mission that he basically prayed for us and everyone else in our lives. I was amazed by this man and his kindness, more than anything.

Finally, I want to talk about the things I’ve learned while being in Nashville. I have a definite respect for the homeless population now more than I ever did. I’ve learned that it’s not so much that all the homelessness is caused by lazy people, but could be the result of hard times and bad life decisions. The woman I spoke to at the Campus for Human Development showed me this when she told me her story of being a victim of domestic violence. She chose to be homeless instead of staying with her abusive spouse. I’m taking a lot with me when I return back to Athens from Nashville. The idea of a whole new, optimistic, perspective on life is one of the main things I’ll remember from our trip. Just because a person is having a hard time doesn’t mean they can’t change their lives for the better. Also, you can move past bad situations and change the rest of your life forever. Each man I met who was working at the Nashville Rescue Mission that had once come through the Drug and Alcohol program proved this to me. They overcame the drug and alcohol addiction and now have great jobs helping others who are in the position they once were. I just have a new outlook on so many different things. I think truth will tell once I return to Concord and put these new ideas in place in my own life.

JenniferBowman

2009-03-13T20:18:00.001-05:00

Jennifer Bowman

3-11-09

Nashville Day 5

Today we all went back to the rescue mission and it was pretty sad to me that it was our last day. Once we all got there we knew what the different tasks were that needed done so we split up and went to work. I was super excited to be able to go back to the classroom to help tutor and teach math. This is truly something that I have enjoyed so much. The students in the class are so appreciative that we want to spend our time helping them when we could be out doing so many other things with our time. They were struggling with some of the problems today and I was glad that I was able to explain things in a way that was easy for them to understand. The math that they are doing is some of the stuff that I learned in junior high, but some of them haven’t even seen math problems in so many years that the simple things are very difficult. Everyone seemed to find a place to fit in today with the jobs that they were doing and everyone seemed to really be a help where they were. It has shown me that no matter what skills we have each of us can be used in some way to help out.

After our lunch those of us that were helping in the classrooms went back up with Mike to help out with paperwork and other small projects in the computer lab. This was a good time because we were able to help him get caught up on a lot of things that he never would have been able to finish alone. The best thing however during this time would be when a man named Frank came in to talk to us. He walked in singing which helped brighten our day because his voice was so beautiful. He was one of the kindest people that I have ever met. He talked to us for a while and told us some about his life and we told him about our time here in Nashville. When he decided that he needed to leave he stood up and prayed for us. This was one of the greatest things ever. He must have prayed for a good twenty minutes. He prayed for our safety, our time in school, he asked God’s blessing on us, and prayed that we would not get into the kinds of things that he did. It just really showed his compassion for us and made me feel like we should be praying for him instead of us praying for him. But all in all it was a great experience even though we were doing monotonous tasks it was good to know that we were helping.

At the end of our day at the mission they told us that they had a meal for us. So I was thinking that we were just going to eat with the men at the facility like we have been all week. Little did I know that a group of men had been working this afternoon to make us a very nice meal to thank us for our service. They had put up tables in their conference room and set the tables very nicely for our group. The food that they had prepared was so great. They had things like parmesan chicken, gumbo, fried shrimp, mozzarella sticks, and nice cakes. The food was really great but I felt terrible eating it while there were people eating food downstairs that were eating food that did not look good at all. It was their way of saying thank you to us for our work but we really just wanted to say thanks to them for all of their hospitality.

This whole experience has been so great and I am truly thankful that I had the opportunity to come. I have learned so much about homelessness and I feel like I have gained a sense of what their life is like. I have been blessed so much by the people that I have talked to and been around. It has been something that I will remember for quite a while. I am definitely excited to go back home and tell my friends about my experiences so that I can try to erase their stereotypes about the homeless.

PradipAdhikari

2009-03-13T20:13:00.001-05:00

Journal

4th day

11/03/09

Pradip Adhikari

Sally Campbell

Nashville Rescue Mission

Today was the last day for our service to the homeless people. We worked for the Nashville Rescue Mission today. We started to work from 8:00 AM. We worked on the basement donation storage area. We met Brother Thomas over there who was very good person, he supervised us today. We were asked to sort different kinds of canned foods that had been stored in that place. We worked over that place till our lunch and we ate our lunch over there.

After the lunch we were asked to sort different clothing that was donated for the homeless people. We sorted out the bed sheets and other different clothing. While we were working over there I got to meet one person over there. He told me how he had become homeless because he used different kinds of drugs. He went on to say that after being homeless he came to the Nashville Rescue Mission where he learnt to leave drugs and become good person. He also told how he has changed his life and he has been working on the Nashville Rescue Mission hoping to change the life of other more homeless people. I was so happy to listen his story, as he never lost hope in his life and how he even though going through many difficulties in his life had changed himself to a good and independent person.

We got our work done at 3:00 PM. Nashville Rescue Mission had planned a special Dinner for us. Every one of us felt so much honored that we were given such a special dinner. The food over there was very good. Everyone enjoyed the food and thanked them for giving us such a special treat. All of us were really happy. Since we had been there for such a long time we had developed some kind of connection with the peoples over there. Since today was the last day of our day there we were feeling bad that we would have to be away from them. Overall it was a very good day and I think it was a very successful trip. Everyone in the trip had learned something coming over in this trip.

BrittanyRothausen

2009-03-13T20:10:00.000-05:00

Brittany Rothausen

Homeless Service Reflection 5
March 11, 2009 – Day 5

Today was our final day of volunteering. This time the entire group worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission again. Overall today’s experience was much more positive than Monday’s. We broke off into several smaller groups with some people teaching, some working in the kitchen, and the rest doing various jobs in the basement. I was one of many who worked in the basement, which I dreaded. The last time I worked in the basement, all we did was sort toiletries. There wasn’t much of a system or any organization so it felt like we weren’t accomplishing anything. Today we sorted through a lot of canned foods and got to see their pantry, which I was surprised to see was very organized. Since providing food is one of the primary functions of the mission, it was nice to be able to do something related to that. We sorted and folded bed linens the rest of the day, which wasn’t the most interesting task, but important none the less. As always, there was a particular group who tried to avoid work at all costs and seem to be on the trip for the wrong reasons, but the majority of the people here have worked hard and really do want to make a difference.

After we were all done working, the staff of the rescue mission had a special dinner for us to thank us for volunteering. I almost cried when we walked into the room and saw all the food they had made and all the effort they had put into doing something special for us.
There have been a lot of frustrations over the course of this trip, but as I reflect on the last few days, I realize that the experience was entirely worth it. I’ve met a lot of new people that I probably never would have in my normal life at Concord and I’ve gained a new appreciation for how fortunate I am. I was initially somewhat nervous about coming on this trip because I’ve never volunteered in this capacity before, but I’m so glad I did.

JenniferBowman

2009-03-13T20:09:00.001-05:00

Jennifer Bowman

3-10-09

Nashville Day 4

I was really excited about today because I knew that my group would be working at a new location, the Campus for Human Development. I was looking forward to seeing a new facility and meeting new people. The Campus is a lot different than the Nashville Rescue Mission, but both are good and help people in need. The Campus is a whole lot smaller which is a good thing because it makes it feel more like a home. At the Campus they also focus more on the emotional needs of the individual and they focus a lot of their outreach on art. They have a whole room for art projects and some of the participants are really talented and it helps them deal with stress and get their feelings out.

After we got familiar with the place and the tour by the leader, Wendy, we split up into different tasks. I was really happy when I found out that they had a women’s time that was about to happen and they allowed four of us to help some students from Creighton University do a project with them. There was a very big group of women and we started a huge mural made with pieces of torn construction paper. I really enjoyed this time because it was the first time at any of the places that we were able to be with women. Talking to those women was a really good time and some of them have had the hardest times but yet they are still thankful for what they have at the Campus. For example, one of the women had walked four miles just to get there that day and she was on the run from domestic violence. I felt terrible for her but she seemed to be doing alright considering her circumstances. The Campus seems to really help lift the spirits of the people that they come into contact with.

The Campus to me is such a great place because it gives the residents a feeling of independence and worth. For example, when we were in the art room one of the men told us that he was happier now at the Campus than he ever was before. They do what they can to help everybody. The store that they run is based on points so the participants have to earn points by going to different classes in order to purchase whatever they would like at the store. They also offer things at the store like McDonald’s gift cards and storage areas for possessions for a month. Another thing that they offer that I really liked is a mail room. Homeless people need to get mail like everyone else but they have no permanent address. The Campus allows them to have things sent there for pick up so that they can receive and send mail. This service is also helpful to them when they are looking for a job.

The thing today that was probably the greatest though involves a man named Francisco. We saw him in on our way out for lunch and Wendy pointed him out to us and told him that he was previously beat up pretty bad and that is why he is in a wheelchair. We stopped to talk to him when we saw that he was trying to pick up some beads that he lost from his plastic bag. We helped him pick up the beads and taped his bag and he told us that he was going to make a cross necklace and needed some string for it. We all were touched by him so on our way back to our van to leave we brought him some string from Campus. He was so incredibly happy that we actually thought of him and remembered his string that he called us angels. It was a great experience and Francisco is someone who I will not soon forget.

Another thing that I worked on today was painting the cubbies that the participants use to store their belongings. This experience was very aggravating in the beginning because the group that went on Saturday had started them and they did it very half way. It was very frustrating because not only did we have to paint some cubbies but we had to go back and fix their mistakes and fill in white space that they left. It was fun once we got stared and it felt good to get them finished and looking well. Wendy was so very appreciative of our work and it was so good to feel like we accomplished something good.

VanessaAustin

2009-03-13T20:06:00.001-05:00

Today we worked at the mission. First we went down to the basement and went through the food and organized it. While we were down there, some of the guys were talking to us about where they are from and how they got here. One of the guys told us that he wasn’t even homeless. He has a house and a family, but he had a drug problem. He went through rehab at another program but he came to the mission because he wanted to go through a Christian program for his rehab. I thought it was really good that he would leave his family just because he wanted to go to this religious program. He was a really nice guy, and he has a job and house; however, he still chooses to be there. That was really great to me.

Today was the last day of our service work. All of us were really tired and exhausted but most of us still worked and tried our best to help out. It was still frustrating to not get very much face time with the people who stay there and the homeless people. I would have liked to be able to hear the stories of the men who are homeless and how they got to be that way. I like to hear how people’s lives have changed and their stories. However, I really didn’t get a chance to talk to anyone. Most of the people that I have talked to have just been in the rehab program and haven’t necessarily been homeless.

All in all I really enjoyed the trip. It was fun to see the city. It was really nice to help all of the people. I feel like I made a difference. Even if I never saw someone face to face, I still helped behind the scenes and that was good enough for me. I’m just happy to have helped in any way at all. The guys that did see our work and did thank us was enough for me to feel good about everything.

VanVu

2009-03-13T19:57:00.000-05:00

Van Vu

Sally H. Campbell

SOWK 350

Spring 2009

Entry for March 11th, 2009

We still have an extra roommate. Tung always stays in our room. His room is only used for storing suitcase and taking shower. Today we intended to start at 7:15. However, all five people in our room haven’t woken up until 7:08. We might be so tired that we couldn’t hear any alarm at all. I didn’t sleep until 4:00 am because of waiting for my day’s video to be converted so that I could use it for my reflection. The wireless internet in this motel is so bad that it toke me plentiful of time to search for converter software and download it into my laptop.

We were too late that all the other people have climbed up into the van. I really felt guilty when the other teammates might wait for us. I continued to sleep in the van. It took us 45 minutes to get to the Nashville Rescue Mission due to the crazy traffic jam. This was the last day we worked here. It made me feel like I was going to leave a place where already became so familiar and close to me. The officers here are so enthusiastic and friendly. They considered us as their real colleagues. I was definitely moved by the solicitude of them. The way they treated us and the way they talked about the homeless people let me understand much more about their kind personalities. This center is absolutely full of humanity. That is the main reason that make me longingly remember the days I worked here and actually don’t want to leave.

Today, we continued separating into 3 groups like the previous day: education group, kitchen group and basement group. I still wanted to work in the basement. Our today’s work was organizing the foods, putting them in the boxes according to their types and setting those boxes on the pallets. Teamwork always showed up its maximum work productivity. More than 30 boxes of all kinds were organized only in more than one hour. After that, we separated again into two groups. One group stayed in the food store to help the officers clean up the floor. Another group went to another store and organized the shoes.

11:00 am, we went to the dinning room to have lunch. The foods today were much better than the previous day. However, I still only could eat the pepperoni pizza. I didn’t like the beans at all. After lunch, we came back to our works. In the basement, I had to separate and fold the blankets, the sheets and pillowcases. We were really tired today, maybe just because of the changing weather. I only wanted to sleep and actually slept for half of an hour.

3:30 pm, we went to the dinning room as usual. However, the officers offered us to follow them to another room. It was a really nice one with some big round tables and many trays of foods that we could enjoy them like in a buffet restaurant. I definitely enjoyed this meal and ate a lot. The moment that we left the center, all the officers said thank you with us, blessing us have a nice and safe trip, and hoping that we would come back to the center someday. It was too hard to say goodbye to these people and to this place.

We came back to our motel. Mai and I decided to go to the mall at 7:00 pm. Jesse said that the weather was going to be very bad tomorrow with freezing rain and ice. I hope it’s not too dangerous to drive on the road because we will have a total day off tomorrow to go out and discover about Nashville.

BrittanyRothausen

2009-03-13T19:55:00.000-05:00

Brittany Rothausen

Homeless Service Reflection 4
March 10, 2009 – Day 4

Today my group went to a new work site called the music city mission. It was a very different experience from the other missions we visited; I didn’t get to interact with the participants, which is something I’ve really enjoyed about volunteering. In all honestly, I didn’t enjoy today’s work very much. I think the mission is doing very good work. They seem incredibly organized and provide a lot for people in need. However, I felt like the pastor who was directing us on what to do wasn’t as friendly as he could have been. He talked to us like he was constantly annoyed, which is understandable given how several members of our group weren’t working nearly as hard as they should have been. However, there were some of us that were working hard and it’s not enjoyable to have someone treat you like an incompetent employee when you’re volunteering your time. On the bright side, some people did get to see some families with children who came in to get clothes. It was nice to see people actually using the mission because it helped us feel like the work we were doing was actually important. Looking back, we really got a lot accomplished. We completed several projects and made a huge dent in the clothing that needed to be sorted. It was hard to feel good about the experience though, because I honestly can’t remember hearing a single “thank you” the whole day. I know that’s not what volunteering is about and I’m trying to not let it color my view of the day. On the whole, volunteering has been a very positive experience thus far; I think we’ve been able to make an impact with the work we’ve been doing and our efforts have been appreciated for the most part.

ChristineFernandes

2009-03-13T19:54:00.001-05:00

3/10/09

Reflection

Our project today was to help out at the Music City Charity run by the Church of Nazarene. This church has a adjoining storage house where they collect clothes given to them from all the churches, they then separate them and put them out n a central hall where they invite the less fortunate to come in and select the clothing they need. The supervisor there Bob said that they kept a lot of baby clothing as that seemed to be some of the most expensive clothing items. I also took notice that he sort of crowd that seemed to come appeared to be middle class families mostly lingering around the baby clothing area. Apart from clothing they also sort out toys shoes and cooking items, some which are in good condition get sent to places that can sell these items and proceeds in to helping other charity drives. The thing that has become evident to me in this week is that almost all charity drives are running short of help to do the menial chores such as sorting and organizing the sort of thing that most of us over look. Having the donations sent in and stored is just one step, be able to sort and organize the items facilitates their daily function and helps them to do more since they can concentrate their efforts on other tasks. For the most part we sort out over 20 large Bags of items and helped clean out their storage place. Bob had to make two trips to drop of all that was sorted to various agencies. All in all it was quite a productive day!

MaiLy

2009-03-13T19:45:00.000-05:00

Mai Ly

Social work

March 3th 2009

Entry for March 3th 2009

Today is Tuesday. We have only 1 day left to work in Nashville Rescue Mission. But today, I was not working like the previous days. We didn’t work in the basement in Nashville Rescue Mission. We worked in a campus in the Center for the Human development. That’s awesome. The work was so different from the work in the basement. We stayed in the campus at 9 o’clock. I stayed here so later one hour than yesterday. The way to go to the campus is so dirty and nasty. Perhaps, some guys took a pee in here. I saw a lot of black guys, I think they‘re homeless or unemployment. However, they’re so nice. They always say: Hi, Hello, where’re you from? How’re you doing? At the first time, I saw them, I felt so scared, but after they talked to us. I felt so excited to work today. The first woman we have seen is Wendy ( I guess her name ) She took us to go around campus. She was so nice. She introduced some of the rooms in the campus, example: the library, the gallery, the room where the artist can draw. She introduced about the history, the responsibility, and the number rooms of the center. After listening her introduction, we started to work. We must paint in the bathroom, another team cleaned the books. It was the first time; I tried to paint the wall. Before, I think it was so difficult. But when I started the work, it was not difficult like I thought. I paint the orange wall, the smell in the restroom was so bad, but I and my friends still work hard. Because we want to have a nice and clear restroom. After painting, my clothes was so dirty, my clothes had some of stains, but it’s okay. After 2 hours, we’ve done the wall and we had lunch. Luckily, we didn’t eat in Nashville Rescue Mission, we found another place to eat. Finally, we decided to eat at McDonald, it’s much better than the food in the Nashville Rescue Mission. After eating lunch, we went back to the campus and continued to work. We must to paint the floor with the other color. It’s yellow. When we finished the work, we clean the restroom again, it’s so clean. Some guys in here said thank you to us. I and my teammate was so happy. After that, we went out, and help my friends, we collected to the death trees. We must to put all of them into the trash bag, the weather today was so nice, it had wind and sunshine. My friends always use to the death tree to fight together. It was so funny, everybody looked so happy and excited to work, we took some pictures with the guys in the campus. That’s a great day

I had a experiment after working today. You can know about the people through the outside. Today I met some guys, they looked so violent and I felt so scared, I think they’re a bag guys. But it was not true, they’ re so nice and helpful. They wanted us to come back here . That’s great.

When we came back to the motel, we went to the Mall and the hotel near the Mall. The hotel looked so beautiful and huge, it’s look like a forest with have a lot of tree, a center with have a lot of restaurants. We went around the hotel, took pictures and went to the Mall, we finished at 10o’clock. That’s a great day. I like this day and I’ll remember all of these memories

GraceHurney

2009-03-13T19:41:00.000-05:00

Grace Hurney

Civic Engagment

10 March 2009

Reflections: Day Four

Today, we worked at the Music City Rescue Mission (thus to be referred to as MCRM), a faith based organization operating in the suburbs of Nashville. The fascinating thing about the MCRM is that they mainly serve refugees and immigrants. The countries their participants hail from countries like Mexico, El Salvador, Iran, and Sudan.

I felt that the work I did today was far more rewarding than anything I have done thus far. I started out the day packing food kits to distribute to families in need. Each kit contained 8 cans of food, a few boxes of non-perishable goods, juice cans, chips, chicken patties, and bagels. The work was fun trying to construct the perfectly organized box. However, the true meaning of this whole trip came through at about 10:30 in the morning when we were called upon to take the kits to distribute. Just being able to see the tangible effects of my volunteer service made me be thankful that I decided to attend this trip. The families were so grateful for whatever food we could offer them, and I just wished I could give them more. My other “favorite/random moment” of the day was when I got to witness another one of my tripmates, my roommate and sorority sister, translate for a mother looking for shoes for her two year old daughter. I stood and watched as Anne put her Spanish language skills to use, helping a little girl procure an adorable pair of ladybug rainboots. The little girl was shy, but when she left the back room, she couldn’t take her eyes off her translator. I just thought it was such a wonderful moment because Anne enjoyed talking and helping the family so much that it reminded me why we do community service. It is easy to lose sight of your good motives and intentions to volunteer when the work is stressful, tiring, or not seemingly helpful.

However, the euphoria of helping at the MCRM died rayher quickly. While we were at the Rivergate Mall, one of my roommates reported seeing one of the families that had come to the MCRM walking around with new clothes, shopping bags, and Starbucks coffee. This is obviously upsetting to anyone- they are cheating the system and taking away clothing and food from truly needy individuals and families. I would assume the MCRM would have some way to monitor who takes donations and how often. It is because a few individuals abuse the system that gives social programs a bad reputation. I can only hope that if we alert the MCRM they would hopefully figure out a way to create a new way to log-in visitors to the MCRM.

AkeyaCarterBozman

2009-03-12T08:23:00.000-05:00

Akeya Carter-Bozman

Reflection Day Four

March 11, 2009

Today my group worked at the Music City Mission, which is ran by a pastor and his congregation of forty to fifty people here in Nashville. The mission serves homeless and low income families and individuals. The mission also works in conjunction with the thrift stores in the area in efforts raise money to keep the mission going. Music City mission services people from all around the world, refugees who have escaped many different backgrounds come in to receive services. Some of the services offered at Music City Mission are counseling (personal and family), clothing, food basket, starter home furnishings, and life skills training. The only problem the mission really faces is that most of the people they serve is Spanish speaking, but the director of the mission and his workers don’t understand or speak a word of Spanish.

Our task today was to prepare and restock the clothing floor and we also made food baskets for all the family’s who came in to utilize all the services. I felt great to watch to organize for the mission. We finished the children’s closet, two food pantries’s, and over sorted two rooms worth of clothing.

As I have worked throughout the week I have grown to understand and not judge people. I had a real problem with being judgmental. I met a social worker today who absolutely loves his job! We talked for what seemed like hours over lunch about the highs and lows of the profession. He did leave me with one piece of advice he said that I should find my own way in the field, and treat people with respect, love what I do. This was the highlight of my day.

KristinaChampe

2009-03-12T08:20:00.001-05:00

Kristina Champe

Alternative Spring Break

Reflection Day 4

Today our group went to the Campus for Human Development. This place was amazing! I really enjoyed working at this place. When we got there we took a tour of the facility and it was so bright and cheerful, and the people there were so much more relaxed than at the Nashville Rescue Mission. They have a place called the “Guest House” and this place is where the police can bring people who are publicly intoxicated and they can sleep it off and sometimes get help for alcoholism. Ms. Wendy was so much fun and she was super nice to us. After we took a tour we split up into groups and Ms. Wendy let a few of us stay behind and talk with the women’s group that was coming in. We asked her if we could speak with the women since we had only been with the men. She was more than happy to let us. When the women’s group came up to the chapel room, there was another college group there and they were doing a mural together and we got to tear up paper and they glued them to the picture that they had drawn. During this time another girl and I were talking with one of the ladies and she was amazing. She told us that her and her husband was there together and that they had just celebrated their 36th anniversary last week. It was so sweet. We didn’t get to meet her husband because he was at the doctors’ office because he had pneumonia for the fourth time. Another girl in our group said she talked to a lady to was running from her abusive boyfriend. This was so sad. She said that this was the third or fourth time she had run away and the last time her boyfriend found her in another state. Also she said that she had gotten up at 2am this morning and walked 4 miles to get to the campus.

I really enjoyed working there and wish that I would have worked there all week. This place was so much fun and wasn’t hard work and I could actually stay awake and not be tired after lunch. It was great!

JessicaKirk

2009-03-12T08:17:00.000-05:00

Kirk, Jessica

3-10-09

Alternative Spring Break in Nashville

Day four

Today my group went to the Music City Rescue Mission. This mission was different from the others we had previously visited. This mission offered free food, clothes, and even furniture to those who came and asked for help. The main thing that set this mission apart from the others was that it not only saw homeless people but also refuges from places such as Darfur. Pastor Bob said at one point they had people from five different continents in the mission.

Today's experience was rewarding in the fact that we had contact with women and children. At the other places we had no contact with women and children who mainly stayed at another compound which requires a background check to get be able to visit. Its easy to look at a grown man and claim to sympathize with them, but to see a woman and her child its heartbreaking to think about what they must go through each day.

One thing that was frustrating to day was these two women who was there with their children getting supplies from the mission. What made this frustrating though was that the women had maybe three garbage bags of clothes between them and still browsing through the racks of clothes looking for more to take home. I understand needing new clothes every now and then, but Im sure there are other people who need it more; not to mention both women had really nice purses that definitely weren't cheap and not from a mission.

The only story that really stands out to me is the story about when we was bagging beans and rice. Pastor Bob gave us blue tubs to put the rice and bean bags into, so we filled all of the containers up to the top. Later Eric comes over and with him he has three huge clear tubs with lids and tells us that Bob wants them in those because thay have lids. Well after we filled them Pastor Bob comes over and tells us "No those are for clothes only". We ended up switching the tubs like two or three times before we finally got it right.

SamanthaThomas

2009-03-12T08:12:00.001-05:00

Samantha Thomas

Reflection 4

2-11-09

Today was extremely productive. I talked to many people today about the program at the Campus for Human Development. Most of which did not even want to speak about homelessness, but rather just a friend to share the little stories of their lives with. I spoke to a man last night named Jerry at our pizza/movie party who told me all about his family and how his life has been since he finally got his life back together at Campus. He is currently working for minimum wage at Campus, but on the 25th of this month, he has an interview at K-Mart. Even though I just met this man last night, I felt necessary to share in this tiny victory with him. He was one of the sweetest and most honest and interesting men I have ever met. He was completely and utterly open about all of his past experiences. He shared that he was an avid marathon runner until the last one when he tore up his knee. However, he still stayed in the spectrum by switching to biking. He told me of how he had biked in 150-mile bike marathons and how they were set up.

Another thing that had impacted me in a major way was when Wendy, our guide, began speaking about the new 5-story wing they were building onto their current building. We were all standing in the art classroom and there was this one man in particular who was especially affected by the news. His eyes widened, a smile began creeping upon his face, and his body suddenly sat upright from his artwork. After Wendy had finished speaking about the new building, he made the comment to our group that, “I have been more blessed in the past 4 months in this program than I had been my entire life. I love it here. There should be more programs like this. There just aren’t enough. Y’all should bring this back with y’all to West Virginia.” This stuck in my head because he seemed so passionate about it. It didn’t quite register until this point how much this program meant to these men. It was basically a godsend. I could finally see and feel the passion.

VanVu

2009-03-12T08:08:00.001-05:00

Van Vu

Sally H. Campbell

SOWK 350

Spring 2009

Entry for March 10th, 2009

As usual, we got up and had a quick breakfast, then went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. Today was the first time our team worked on campus. The campus is located right behind the building that we often worked in. We might cross through a narrow pathway that smelt tremendously bad due to the random pees. I had to hold my nose in order to pass it.

The campus was not too large. It had only one big building. The campus’ leader gave us a tour around the whole campus. Firstly, we went to the waiting room. They also used the waiting room as the games room as well. At this time, this room was full of people. Some of them were sleeping; the others were reading books, playing games or watching movies. After that, we went to a corridor that its walls were full of artworks. These artworks were the products of the homeless people here. They were so nice and valuable that they made the corridor look as if it were an actual art gallery. The room at the end of the corridor was the center’s post office. The center gave each member a post office’s address so that the homeless people could receive their important paperwork such as bills, payments and especially was the mail from employers that they applied for a job. The officers here also offered consultants and counselor for members to help them get out of the homelessness and unemployment. The next room that we stopped by was a class. The center encouraged the homeless people to study by opening many classes which were directly related to the future jobs of homeless people. It also encouraged its members to go to class by the accumulate points each time they went to class, which were able to convert into money or the prior rights of using many facilities in the center. Right next to the class was the art room where the members went to do artwork. The room had only seven people at this time and all of them were drawing or painting. The room’s ceiling hung up plentiful of small wood models, such as many different kinds of airplane or animals. The artworks were absolutely pretty and if I didn’t know about that, maybe I couldn’t imagine that they were created by the homeless people. After leaving the art room, we went to the dinning room and the dormitory. The campus now looked like a small society with all of the necessary facilities for human development. I wished in the near future, my country also had this kind of campus to help the homeless people. The campus was almost perfect. However, it still needed some more innovations. I have thought that if it could create the jobs for the homeless people, give them a chance to work as the campus’ officers or let them do the works such as farm works, painting or transporting, so this model of center would be really perfect.

Today my work was painting the bathroom. Mai, Tung and I painted the room together. Mai used the brush and I used the rolls. I really didn’t pay much attention to the painted wall behind me and kept touching it. My overcoat and my pans were all yellow. Because the paint was water-based so I immediately took off my overcoat and washed it. It ended up totally wet.

In the afternoon, we climbed up to the hill and helped the guys cut down dry branches and putting them into the trash bags. It was really so cool up here that I felt absolutely comfortable. However, the comfortable feeling also made me feel totally sleepy. 5:00 pm, we left the campus and came back to the motel.

TiffanyMcMahan

2009-03-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Tiffany McMahan

Reflection

March 10, 2009

Today, we were at the Campus for Human Development. It was very different than the Mission. I really enjoyed today because we met some of the homeless people and we had more interaction with them than at the Mission. We helped clean a building, wash walls, and clean up tree branches. While there at the Campus we experienced different things such as the classes offered to the homeless. Some of them could draw very well and all of them seemed to enjoy their art class. When Wendy told them about the new center that was going to be built for them they were all excited and happy. Many of them were very nice. I cannot stop thinking about the one who kept telling us that he could not believe that we gave up our spring break to come help them, and he also explained how he hoped that we took the idea of a homeless shelter back to West Virginia because he would like to see more shelters in the country. This really made me sad because we never know how it is to live like them. Something I never thought about was how the homeless receives mail or phone calls like for a doctor’s appointment or for a job interview. At the Campus they can get mail twice daily and also use a generic phone message there to receive phone calls. I never thought about this until it was mentioned today at the Mission. Also, while we were cleaning out the can food items from the burnt building, one of them homeless men was taking the cans of food to keep for himself. I found this very hard for me to understand and to deal with because it made me think about how wasteful we can be, and how someone not as fortunate as us would appreciate the things we throw away. Also, something that made me feel a little unsafe was the fight between to homeless men there while we were working. Wendy apologized for the problem and asked one of the men to leave the Campus for the day. This was very different for me and it made me somewhat worried and scared. This gave me a better insight into how the street life is for the homeless. I feel that today was the best day because of the interactions with the homeless.

SezinCeliktas

2009-03-12T07:57:00.000-05:00

Today is the best day that I have ever had since I came here. We went to the Music City. People we met there were really nice. They explained us what we need to do. Some of us fold clothes again and some of us put beans and rice into little boxes. And others tried to seperate men clothes and women clothes. People who work there came and talk to us. They were really nice people. It was nice helping them.

Then we went out to eat on our lunch break. It was pretty good. We went out as a group. So we had time to talk about how our day was going. Most of the people’s day was going pretty good and today was the first day that everbody told me that today was their best day so far.

Then we came back to the hotel. Some of us needed to get some rest. Then some people went to the mall. I didnt go because I went to that mall on Saturday so I didnt want to go. But it was stil a good day for me.

ChristineFernandes

2009-03-11T07:14:00.001-05:00

Reflection

3/09/09

Today we were all required to help out at the Nashville Mission, here we all split up in groups of seven and were assigned the task of organizing various clothing donations into sizes as well as warm and light clothing. We were surprised to find huge number of boxes stowed away at the back of the large warehouse rooms. The mission running short of volunteers has been unable to sort through their donations for a while. After lunch we were required to help clean out the basement which was packed with donations ranging from many computer monitors scanners to bedding and toiletries. We begun by offloading the bed sheets and pillow cases into large bags for laundry and then moved our way onto towels and blankets. Soon after we began sorting toiletries and baby products, I must admit despite being tiered I realized in the time we spent organizing different items I felt compelled to keep going in appreciation of all the donations and the time, money and effort that were spent donating items. We then came back to the motels for a quick rest and then left around 6 30 to join the participants at the Campus for Human Development for movie night where we spent time playing board games and watching a movie with some of the people at the campus . I appreciated how hospitable and generous they were for sharing their food and accommodating us. I also feel that having been accustomed to spending the night out in the town I was pleasantly surprised to feel at home and comfortable spending the evening with the participants and enjoyed spending time with some of our group members having a relaxing time after a hard days work.

JenniferHellems

2009-03-11T06:48:00.001-05:00

Jennifer Hellems

SOWK 350

Dr. Campbell

Journal Entry 3

Monday March 9, 2009

Today everyone worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission. I worked on several different tasks throughout the day because it takes a lot to keep a big group of people busy.

This morning we split up into smaller groups and my group went to the clothing room and separated a lot of clothes into smalls, mediums, larges, and so on. We completed that task really quick and the guy who usually does it was so happy because he was saying that it would have taken him forever to sort the clothes. He said that he would get some of it sorted, but then they would bring a large shipment everyday at 10:30 right before he left at 11.

I was a little frustrated today when we got so much stuff done and we ended up being bored because we had nothing else to do and the few that were upstairs working in the kitchen couldn’t leave till serving time. We couldn’t go help them because there wasn’t enough room in the kitchen so we just ended up doing odd jobs around the mission.

Today I really enjoyed working with the guys at the mission most of them were really nice, but you could tell that they weren’t suppose to talk to us much. Some of the girls that I was with went out and we swept and cleaned the tables and chairs in the dining area. It turns out that that was some of the resident’s jobs so they were pretty surprised when they walked in and saw us hard at it. We told them that it was their day off and not to worry about it. Of course they were grateful and helped us finish it. One of the guys was talking to us and telling us how much he appreciated everything we have done for them and that we volunteered our time to come down and help them out.

I’m really glad that they appreciate us and realize that we are there to help them. Coming here, I wasn’t sure how some people would react to us volunteering to help them because I know some people can be very stubborn and not want help. I really enjoyed the place we were at today, but I think I liked the one Saturday better. Tomorrow we will be at a new place so we will see how that goes.

SezinCeliktas

2009-03-11T06:47:00.001-05:00

Today we went to Nashville Rescue Machine. One of the people showed us around and gave us some information about the building.

Then some of us went to the basement, some of us went to fold clothes, and some of us went to the kitchen. I was at the basement helping people to move boxes, foods that they will need later, and cleaning. It was not easy but we worked together so it was not as bad as I thought.

We had lunch there. I like eating lunch there just to see what homeless people eat every day. It is sad but it makes me feel better that we are doing something for them. And the guy who was showing us what to do, he told us that he is really proud of what we were doin and we were happy to hear that.

Then we went to watch a movie and play card games. It was fun. Some people watched movie. Some people prefered playing games. It was one of those days that I will not forget.

BrianCaulkins

2009-03-11T06:46:00.001-05:00

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Brian Caulkins
Psychology 350

March 10, 2009

Reflection for Alternative Spring Break – Day #3

Today started out later than normal. We didn’t get on the road until ten till eight. Both groups were working together today. We worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission today. The first project that I worked on was separating different shirts by their sizes. I don’t know how many boxes we went through, but I do know that there were a lot of them. Most of the clothing was dress shirts. I guess a lot of people donate dress clothes because not as many people wear them as much. I worked on sorting clothing until lunch. I told myself that every time that I ate at the rescue mission that I will eat all the food on my plate so that I get the full effect of how eating at the shelter was like. So far I have eaten everything on my tray. Sometimes it has been tuff because the food is not what I am used to.

After lunch I started working down in the basement of the rescue mission. The basement of this place is huge. It has to be as big as Lowes, but not as tall. It was filled with items that varied from food to pianos. The basement was the storage area for the building. What we did the rest of the day was basically cleaning and sorting the items in the basement. Since there are not very many guys on this trip, most of the more strenuous work is handed to us. Eric and I emptied the cardboard bins and carried old books out to the dumpsters. There were a ton of books and cardboard. During this time a person in the program was helping us. I didn’t really know if he appreciated our help or not, but as the day went along I started to see the gratitude of the help. Derrick was his name. I started asking questions about how long he had been in the program and how he liked it. I wouldn’t say he opened up but he did tell me what I asked him. This was his second time through the program. He was 16 when he went through the first program. He told me that the first program didn’t work and that he had been with Nashville Rescue Mission since December 11.

I liked working with him and all the other people in the program. You would be surprised how many people are so grateful for the help. There was this one guy that would always be very gracious that we were helping the organization. He jokingly would say that he was going to come to West Virginia to bring us back.

One of the frustrating things I went through today was the basement. The basement was so big and it felt like the team and I would never get any of it done. It took me a while to understand that this was a long term project. All the projects we are working on are going to take it while. One of the positive things that I went through today was towards the end of the day. Right before we were ready to wrap things up and head back, Derrick made it his mission to say bye and thank us for the help. I feel that it would take a lot for somebody in his situation to take the time to make sure that we were thanked. I felt like I made a connection with him and was able to help the rescue mission and be a positive influence in Derrick’s life.

TreskaDunbar

2009-03-11T06:45:00.001-05:00

Treska Dunbar

SOWK 350

March 9, 2009

Today was a long day filled with a wide variety of events and emotions. During the tour of the Nashville Rescue Mission, our tour guide told us that all the homeless individuals are required to stay outside during the day if the temperature is between 40 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. I don’t know how they decided that these were comfortable conditions for someone to be outside all day, but I know that if it is 45 degrees outside I am still cold and if it is 75 degrees I am miserably hot. This fact reminded me of how lucky I am to not only have a home but adequate heating and air conditioning.

At the mission, I feel as though the homeless are treated so negatively by the people who claim to be helping them. There are security guards monitoring their every move. The place reminds me of a prison. Volunteers do not really get the opportunity to interact with the homeless. However, at the Campus there are no security guards or a VIP treatment for volunteers. We had to use the same doors and restrooms as the participants. The homeless were near us during the entire time and free to communicate with us if they so desired. The staff seemed to have a good positive relationship with the homeless individuals. It was interesting to me to see the differences in the two agencies and how they serve the homeless individuals.

Tonight we went back to the Campus for Human Development to watch movies, play games, and eat pizza with the participants and workers at their facility. Not only did this opportunity provide the group with the ability to interact with the homeless, but it also allowed us to relax and hang out with one another. When we get free time, we each get in our little group and go hang out and we don’t rejoin the group until it is required. So, this gave us the opportunity to get to know the other students serving with us this week on a more personal level.

The most frustrating and irritating aspect of today was getting lost in Nashville on the way back to the hotel. One of my biggest fears in driving for this trip was getting lost in this town. As I mentioned earlier this week, driving in Nashville made me uncomfortable. Today I was beginning to feel comfortable driving in this crazy big city traffic and then I got lost which increased my discomfort and lowered my self confidence in driving through Nashville.

Overall, today was a good day. I worked in the kitchen at the mission; this made me feel like I was helping provide them with the meal that would help suspend their hunger for a couple of hours. I worked with different people at different times so I got to talk to a lot of our team members and it was good to get to know some of them better.

KristinaChampe

2009-03-11T06:44:00.002-05:00

Kristina Champe

Alternative Spring Break

Reflection Day 3

3-9-2009

Today we all went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. Today was different than the last time we were there. This time all the groups went and it was different than before. We took a tour of the facility and then split up into different groups and did different things. My group went into the emergency clothing area, where the people can come and get clothes, shoes and socks that people have donated. It was very fun and the guys we worked with were very enjoyable to work with.

Backing up, before we even took the tour and split up in the smaller groups some of the girls that were with us were complaining about doing work before we even started! This group had worked at the Campus for Human Development before and was complaining about the work they had done in the past days. This made me extremely upset. This is a service trip, we sign up for a free service trip, not a free spring break trip to Nashville. I was extremely offended and ticked off. I never said anything but it was really disrespectful.

Later this evening all the groups went back to the Campus for Human Development to watch movies and play games with the residents. This was so fun and it gave the groups that hadn’t been there and glimpse of what the facility was like before we go there tomorrow. The people there were really nice, except when we first got there, when we were talking in an alley way to the campus and there was man walking toward us, he took a look at us and as he walked by he said, “Man ya’ll eating real good, there ain’t not thin people in this group at all.” I believe everyone mouth touched the ground when we heard this. Afterward when we got inside everyone was having a good time, but of course people from our groups couldn’t be satisfied. We let one of the residents pick out a movie and everyone around at that time was fine with that movie, then a girl came up and asked what we were watching and when we told her she scrunched her nose up at us like “ewww, why?” and the people that were sitting around were like what’s the problem.

After we left the Campus for Human Development, people on our van were all talking about the work that we were going to be doing tomorrow. We asked some of the other people on our van what they did and they said that had very hard labor and it was a workout. I think that tomorrow is going to be an awakening experience. I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see.

EricThomas

2009-03-11T06:44:00.001-05:00

Eric Thomas

March 8, 2009

Spring Break Reflection

Sally Campbell

Refelction-3/8/09

Today I met a young man by the name of Derrick and I worked most of the day with him. This was the second time that Derrick had been in a rehabilitation program since he was 16. All Derrick said was that he wanted a chance to straighten up and start living his life right. Although Derrick was homeless, he was a well mannered young man and a good work ethic. At the young age of 21 he was already homeless. One thing that struck me about him was that he told his leader that he had never road a bike because he never had a father figure in his life that would teach him. It was something that he really wanted to learn and wished that he could have learned when he was younger.

Another man told me that he was having a really good day because he had just got a job with Wendy’s. Where I live getting a job at Wendy’s is an easy thing to do, but here in Nashville where the homeless population is sky rocketing due to the economic problems and the recession of the United States economy. These people don’t take things for granted and anything that they get or receive is a blessing because it is an opportunity to make their lives better.

Also, people today were really thankful that people would take their spring break off to come help them. Throughout doing this, it has further convinced me to pursue community service opportunities more because we have a privilege and I believe a right to help other in need.

Tomorrow hopefully will be a better day than I had today and I will have the opportunity to speak to more people and have the opportunity to help them.

TacyPyles

2009-03-11T06:42:00.000-05:00

Tacy Pyles

Dr. Campbell

TN Alternative Spring Break

Journal Entry 3

09 March 09

Tired, broken faces - everything they own on their backs - just looking for a place of rest at a picnic table. Eyes of resentment that understandably say, “You will never comprehend where I come from.” Rooms built for two people, yet housing four to six people. Working at the Nashville homeless shelter today brought about a lot of frustrating feelings, but one must take the good with the bad.

Though today was hard in many ways, it was also beautiful in many ways. Today we were able to work in the kitchen (not going to lie - it was significantly better than working in the basement). We did everything from talking with the residents to cutting up garlic to scrubbing tables. Everyone expressed so much appreciation - making it a very humbling experience.

James (not the one we worked with on Saturday) came up to me and said, “So, I want to know why you really came on this trip. What is your personal reason for being here?”

After thinking for a minute, I told him, “I guess I realize how blessed I am. I feel like God has blessed me, enabling me to serve and love others. It’s not me - it’s him. I love being here and I love being given this opportunity to serve.”

Very moved by my response, we entered into a wonderful conversation about community, faith and the fact that “nothing separates you from me. Not a dollar sign. Not skin color. We are no different.”

As we were getting ready to leave, a man named Willy said, “I have a personal favor to ask of you guys. Would you please pray for me? My daughter has been missing since Friday and we have an Amber Alert out for her.”

I was so inspired. We walk around Nashville and we listen to people telling us how wonderful we are for being here and though we try to shrug it off, that self-centered part wants to believe them. Then, I look at people like Willy and I realize what a joke my “sacrifices” tend to be. I don’t like to stay up late with my friends when they are upset because I have homework. I don’t like to help other people with their homework when I have to study for a test.

Willy on the other hand, is going through a living hell and yet he puts a smile of his face and gives of his time, energy and love to the homeless and downtrodden of Nashville. What kind of testimony is that? What kind of faith? What kind of love?

GraceHurney

2009-03-11T06:41:00.002-05:00

Grace Hurney

Civic Engagement

10 March 2009

Reflections: Day 3

Today both groups volunteered at the Nashville Rescue Mission, where teams worked to organize donated clothing, prepare food, help with classes, and organize donations.

I worked mainly organizing donations in the basement. This was, overall, a fairly positive experience. We laughed and sorted and bagged clothing for the duration of the morning. There were a fair amount of very unsuitable donations- i.e. mildew towels, stained sheets, etc. I wish people would pay attention to guidelines before donating…regardless, the work was rewarding after we saw all the space we created with the packaging of the clothing. The shelter for women down the street is being renovated, so the Mission will have to house the displaced women for a few months. Thus, the men will be moved to basement, so we had to work hard to help clear out some of what must be hundreds of boxes of miscellaneous items. The second half of the day, part of my group went and cleaned the tables and chairs in the dining room. It turns out, we were doing the job of the men that lived there- they were very grateful for us that day! The men were very nice to us, thanking us for helping out and one man even knew where Concord was (just West Virginia, nothing really specific), which was a welcome surprise. My only negative moment for the day was when one of the men that lived in the Mission told us in the Dining Room that, while we were cleaning, to get over it because they cleaned the room “8 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 3 months”. If there is one thing that truly bothers me, it is being antagonized. Just because I’m of a different economic status does that mean that my heart isn’t in it nor that I don’t care- I hate it when I’m made to feel like a privileged little princess (I know I’ve said this before, but it makes me pretty angry). I understand that I am privileged, and that I have opportunities that some will never have. But that doesn’t mean that the man in the Dining Room can treat me poorly for it. I never asked to be born to the parents I have, it just happened. It doesn’t matter to me, so why should it matter to anyone else?

My random moment for the day was at the end of the day, which also doubles as a good moment (or a good series of hours). The movie/game/pizza night at the Center for Human Development was truly a blast. We ate pizza, watched Stomp the Yard, and played board games. I played Trivial Pursuit and enjoyed interacting with the participants that were in attendance- not many showed up, but the ones that did were extremely nice and very welcoming.

JenniferParsons

2009-03-11T06:40:00.001-05:00

Jenny Parsons

Journal Entry #3

Alternative Spring Break

Monday, March 9, 2009

Today we went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. There we were given a tour of the building. There they have classes as well and recovery programs for the Participants. They have a lot of success according to their wall of graduates, which is a good sign that something is going right.

We were split into groups. I was in the group that was sent to sort through the clothes. We were told to sort them according to sizes. It is nice to see so many things are donated rather than trashed. We sorted clothes for three hours… that is a lot of clothes.

After lunch, everyone went to the basement, aside from the volunteers that were placed to help in the kitchen. There we broke down boxes, gathered blankets and put them together in bags and sorted through the pantry to organize the foods. Therefore, it is easier for the people cooking to find what to make that day when everything is together.

There was a lot more interaction with the Participants at the Nashville Rescue Mission in comparison to the Campus for Human Development.

After break and dinner, we returned to the Campus for Human Development to interact with the men in the different programs. We watched a movie and played games. Others sat and talked to the Participants. It was nice getting to hang out with them and give them some interaction with others who are really willing to help them.

It was rewarding to see and help do the work they do everyday. It makes me appreciate those who do those chores every day for me. I can honestly say that I have not set down and really thought about those who do those things every day and I take that for granted. I have come to really appreciate the things I have been so fortunate to have with each day on this trip.

An aggravating aspect of the day is that there was not enough work for the amount of people there to help. Down time makes it boring and the time goes by a lot slower. I will admit that I was tired today, but as long as I was given something to do, I was fine.

MaiLy

2009-03-11T06:38:00.000-05:00

Entry for 03/09/ 2009

Today is the busiest day. I must to wake up at 7 o’clock while I went to sleep at 4 o’clock. I felt so tired when I woke up. Firstly, we had a short breakfast; I ate a little bit food. After that, I went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I’m so glad to meet the staff in here again. They’re so nice and friendly. Today, I worked in the basement again; the basement is so messed up and so dirty. It has a lot of dust. My nose felt bad, and my eye did too. It had a lot of funny today. Some guys played the ball, and the ball hit the light on the ceiling. Everyone looked at them and laughed. Today, I continued to recognize the clothes. I need to separate among coats, T-shirts, long sleeves, pants. After separating, I need to put all of them into the trash bags or the boxes. It’s not a easy work for me because there are a lot of clothes. After that, we separated blankets , sheets, pillow cover. Some sheets were so nasty, and dirty. I wanted to threw out when I smelt them. There were a lot of blankets in the stock. It’s necessary to help the homeless people and the hazardous people. It’s unfortunate for them. We worked about 2 hours, all of us felt so tired and sleepy. We ate lunch in the cafeteria, the food in here is not good. The food in here is worse many times than in the cafeteria in our university. I can’t believe that it has a place where the food is better than in our cafeteria. I couldn’t eat anything. At 1 o’clock, we started to work again, the work are the same in the morning. We finished at 3 o’clock and go back the motel. We had a short nap, after sleeping, I felt better and relax. After 2 days, we worked together, I have more and more friends, I felt like a family. I had a experiment, it’s difficult to earn money, there’re a lot of people poorer than me. I need to save money, and spend with the right way. At 6.30 o’clock, we started to go to Nashville Rescue Mission. We had a dinner and watch movie in here. I didn’t watch movie because I watched to my friends play chess. It’s so funny. My friend played three times and he was a loser all 3 times. He was so angry and wanted to play again. But the time was up. We need to go back the motel because it’s too late. I think, today is a tired day, we worked a lot and ate a little bit. However, I felt happy because I could help for the homeless people and the hazardous people. It made me feel happy.

BrittanyRothausen

2009-03-11T06:36:00.000-05:00

Brittany Rothausen

Homeless Service Reflection 3

March 9, 2009 – Day 3

Today I worked at the Nashville Rescue Mission for the first time. We went on a brief tour and got the see a wall filled with pictures of men who have graduated from the program they run there. I worked in the kitchen for most of the day, preparing food and returning trays. It was really hot in the kitchen and kind of tiring to be on my feet so long, but it was actually pretty rewarding work because I felt like we were accomplishing something and we got to actually interact with some of the homeless people, which we hadn’t really done before. After a while I switched places with someone and went to work downstairs in the basement sorting toiletries. This was one of the more frustrating parts of the day because I didn’t feel like we were accomplishing anything. The warehouse was so huge and there were so many boxes. There wasn’t a system to what we were doing and I got the feeling that it was just busy work.

In the evening we went back to the Campus for Human Development where my group worked on Saturday. As we were walking over from the Mission parking lot, a homeless man came up to us and made some offensive comments. It took a lot of self-control for me to not talk back to him. I’m still somewhat heated about the incident, but I realize that I can’t really understand what life is like for him so it’s not exactly fair to judge him. Perhaps if I was homeless, I’d resent a bunch of college students with their nice clothes, cell phones, and educations. In reality, the majority of people we have interacted with have been really nice and appreciative of our work. However, it only takes one negative experience to change the way you view everything and unfortunately that seems to be the case tonight.

When we got to the Campus, we watched a movie and played some board games with a few of the participants. Unfortunately there weren’t a lot of them around. I’m not sure if they had other commitments or just weren’t too keen on the idea of spending their evening with us. Still, we had a good time and I’m glad I got to see Wendy again. I have a huge amount of respect for her.

PradipAdhikari

2009-03-11T06:35:00.002-05:00

Journal

3rd Day

Pradip Adhikari

09/03/09

Sally Campbell

Nashville Rescue Mission.

Our day started at 7:30 in the morning today. Both of the groups were to work with the same agency for today. We went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. We got to meet a very good gentleman named Billy, who gave us the tour around the Nashville rescue mission. He talked about the number of homeless people living over there in the Nashville rescue Mission. He also went on talking about the different kinds of the services provided to the homeless people over there. We got to know that peoples over there were allowed to take some classes so that they can get a GED degree. There were pictures of people who had graduated from there. We got to know that almost 75 to 85 percent of the homeless people in the Nashville were provided some kind of service by the Nashville Rescue Mission. As we went on to the tour around the Nashville Rescue Mission we got to see the way homeless people lived there, we saw the rooms for those people. Rooms over there were very good and managed. We also saw the recreation places for the homeless people; they had game room, computer room, TV lounge for the homeless people. They also had some rules set up in those places. We also got to meet the head coordinator of the Nashville Rescue Mission. He was very good person and he thanked all of us for coming over there to help homeless people. After that we were divided into different groups to work on different places. I was on the group were we organized different kinds of donation from other peoples. We sorted out different clothing, it was fun working together. We had a good time over there as we were working on a group. Actually we were learning something over there, we were learning to work on team and got to learn how even hard works could be easier if it was done with a team effort. We were also learning to be responsible for the society. We did also meet different peoples over there who were very good who always thanked us for our help. All of us were pretty happy that we were doing something for those homeless people as even a small effort from us meant something for them. We worked there till 3:30 over there and came back to our motel.

We went to the Campus for the Human Development at 7:00 PM. We watched a movie “Stomp the Yard” over there. It was a very good movie and we had fun watching that movie. We did also meet some more homeless people over there. Every one of us had a very good time over there. It was a good experience spending some good time with homeless people. We got back to our motel as 9:00 PM. Overall it was a very good day with some great time with the homeless people.

VanessaAustin

2009-03-11T06:35:00.001-05:00

Today we went back to the National Rescue Mission. We got a tour of the building and the classrooms that the men go to. The men that don’t have a GED are able to get one there. They have a wall that displays the pictures of the men that have graduated and made it through the rehab program. After the tour, we separated off into groups. A few of us went to help teach the men for their GED classes. Some more of us went to the kitchen and helped and some more of us went to help sort through the clothes that they hand out to the men who need them. My group went back down to the basement to finish sorting through the donated items.

I was kind of disappointed and angered when some of our volunteers didn’t want to participate in straightening up the basement. I guess they felt as if it were dirty work or something. I think that if you come on a volunteer service trip, then you should do what is asked of you no matter how much you really want to do it. No matter what you are doing, you are still contributing in some way. I just didn’t appreciate the fact that they were refusing to do some work.

But it felt good to look at the work that we had done. It was good to see all of the progress that we had made. The basement looks so different and I helped do that. We have cleared out so much of that stuff and helped them so much in getting rid of that stuff. I am really proud to say that I have had a part in that. It is personally rewarding to be able to say that I have helped the mission and that I have made a difference. That is what makes the service trip such a worthwhile activity. I am really glad that I decided to participate.

JessicaKIrk

2009-03-11T06:32:00.000-05:00

Kirk, Jessica

3-9-09

Alternative Spring Break in Nashville

Day Three

Today we went to the Nashville Rescue Mission as our service project for the day. The Nashville Rescue Mission is huge and almost feels like a maze trying to navigate your way through it can be overwhelming. It is amazing how it shelters and feeds 600 homeless men each night, and everything is through donations from money to pay the bills to the food that they serve.

Today I chose to work in the kitchen because it was the best opportunity to have contact with the homeless people that live, work, and visit the Nashville Rescue Mission. Although unfortunately I didn't have as much contact as I would have liked to have had with them. We had been slaving away all day in the kitchen and when it finally comes time to serve the food a Baptist Church arrives and stills or thunder so to speak. We was looking forward serving then the food, but instead got stuck chopping up garlic which was a little disappointing and frustration.

Overall the experience was very rewarding and interesting. I got met a lot of interesting people at the mission one man who was very funny, upfront, and honest. He told us the true ins and outs of the mission, and not just the tourist version. He graduated from the program two years ago and stayed to help contribute back to the mission that had helped save his life. There was quite a few people I met at the mission who all had really interesting stories that would make some cry and others laugh. Laughing is something that you would think would be a rare commodity in that type of situation, but in actuality everyone is laughing and joking which made me more comfortable with them.

I met someone who is really inspiring. His name is Willie and he works at the
Nashville Rescue Mission. Just by looking and talking to him you would never know that his daughter has been missing since last Friday. He was just so strong and had so much Faith in God that he was able to keep himself composed in a time of hardship that many people would fall apart, but you could see the pain in his eyes and heat it in his voice as he told us the story of his missing daughter. As he told us about her I started to cry because he was so strong and had so much faith in God, and just asked us to pray for her.

JenniferBowman

2009-03-11T06:31:00.001-05:00

Jennifer Bowman

3-9-09

Nashville Day 3

For our work today everyone headed to the Nashville Rescue Mission. When we all arrived they took us on a tour of the facility and gave us some background information which was really interesting. It was really a good experience because we all got to see the huge rooms where the homeless come into sleep every night. It never really hit me how many people that they house there until I saw the rooms with the massive amounts of bunk beds. It made me realize that there is a much greater homeless population than I thought, but it also made me realize that I have so much to be thankful for that I tend to take for granted.

Once we went on the tour they gave us options as to where we wanted to work for the morning. The options were working in the basement, kitchen work, helping in the coat closet where they hand out free clothes, or going to a classroom to help teach. I am an education major so I was very excited that I could help work in a classroom. The classes that the participants in the rehab program take are to help them earn their G.E.D. so that they can find a job. I was able to help in the level two math class which was the best experience of the day for me. I really enjoyed being able to help one on one with the men and help explain the math problems to them. The men were so appreciative of our help and they were so genuine and kind to us. I had a lot of fun getting to know them and help them learn at the same time. It made me feel like I had accomplished something that was a big deal and I felt pretty great about myself until the end of class. When it was time for them to go a man named Albert stood up to pray. It was one of the most humbling times of the week because he just thanked God for us and asked God to bless us. This really made me reconsider a bunch of things in my life because I feel like we should be praying for them because they have so little and have had such rough lives, but they were more concerned about praying for us. This was definitely an awesome morning for me and I formed some good relationships while getting life experience in a classroom.

After class, we ate lunch at the mission and then the majority of us went down to the basement to get back to work sorting and organizing. This was kind of frustrating to me just because I enjoyed the work with the men so much and I felt like the basement was a place of confinement away from human interaction. It was good to go through some stuff and try to help it look better, but at the same time that basement is just so huge that it feels like not much is getting done. I was getting tired down there along with everyone else and it seemed like we were really starting to drag. So we tried to make the best of things and keep going, but it was difficult at times. I have decided that when we return on Wednesday I would like to find more work with the residents and homeless because that is where I feel like I am really doing service and getting to talk to new people is something that I really enjoy.

MichelleLusk

2009-03-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

JonathanWilliams

2009-03-10T02:24:00.001-05:00

AlexOvermiller

2009-03-10T02:21:00.000-05:00

MaiLy

2009-03-10T00:36:00.000-05:00

Entry for 08 March 2009

Today is Sunday, the International Women’s Day. We don’t have to work today. We probably sleep until 11:30a.m. We have a quick meeting at 12:00a.m. Then we go to the Visual Art Center. We eat lunch here. The food is good but it is pretty expensive.

This was the first time I had gone to a museum. Everything was new for me. I have seen some pictures. That made me crazy. I couldn’t understand what the meanings of those pictures are. I have seen some antiques too. These stuffs were really long time and valuable. Some were made by gold and really skilful. I was so excited. After few minutes watching these stuffs, I found a place where I could draw some pictures. I have had a lot of funny time with my friends. We have drawn lots of pictures about lots of things. We went out of the museum at 4:30p.m. We went to the downtown to visit. I had some Vietnamese friends study here. They came and brought us to eat dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was really long time that I didn’t eat Vietnamese food. I felt so happy and I ate a lots. I was really full. My friends and I went back to my motel and we had a happy time together.

And now I’m writing the journal assignment.

I don’t have a lot of things to talk about today. I can talk about just my emotions. I was really happy. And when my friends left, I felt so sad. And I have known that friendship is very important with my friends and me.

I will go to work tomorrow. I have to be ready at 7:15a.m. It will be tired. But it doesn’t matter with me. Fighting!!!...