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.
Showing posts with label one. Show all posts
Showing posts with label one. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
AnneEndres
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
MaiLy
Mai Ly
Sally H. Campbell
Social work
03/07/09
Entry for 07 March 2009
We arrived at 1a.m. The trip was so long and made us really tired . After receiving the room’s key, we took just a short sleep . We had waken up at 6a.m and gone to eat at 6:15a.m We felt so tired and sleepy. After having a quick meeting, we had known some information about the place where we would work to day. There were two teams. I was in the second team. My team and I went to work at the Nashville Rescue Mission.
We arrived at about 8:30a.m and started working at 8:45a.m. We would work until 4p.m. And we would eat lunch and dinner here. Our jobs were pretty easy. Just classified some shoes, moved them to the shelf and cleaned the floor. That wasn’t hard with us. After working about 3hours, we went to eat. The food was really bad and I ate just a little bit. In the noon, we cleaned a whole bunch of blankets and pillows. At 4p.m, we stopped working and went to eat dinner. One more time, the food was so bad and I didn’t eat anything.
After a working day, I worked like a worker. I realized that working wasn’t easy with a good worker even the job wasn’t hard and worked in a team was better than alone. I have made a lot of new friends. They were really nice. We had a good worked day. I felt so happy because I had made new relationships and I could help poorer people than me.
You will fall asleep easily if you work the whole day.
Sally H. Campbell
Social work
03/07/09
Entry for 07 March 2009
We arrived at 1a.m. The trip was so long and made us really tired . After receiving the room’s key, we took just a short sleep . We had waken up at 6a.m and gone to eat at 6:15a.m We felt so tired and sleepy. After having a quick meeting, we had known some information about the place where we would work to day. There were two teams. I was in the second team. My team and I went to work at the Nashville Rescue Mission.
We arrived at about 8:30a.m and started working at 8:45a.m. We would work until 4p.m. And we would eat lunch and dinner here. Our jobs were pretty easy. Just classified some shoes, moved them to the shelf and cleaned the floor. That wasn’t hard with us. After working about 3hours, we went to eat. The food was really bad and I ate just a little bit. In the noon, we cleaned a whole bunch of blankets and pillows. At 4p.m, we stopped working and went to eat dinner. One more time, the food was so bad and I didn’t eat anything.
After a working day, I worked like a worker. I realized that working wasn’t easy with a good worker even the job wasn’t hard and worked in a team was better than alone. I have made a lot of new friends. They were really nice. We had a good worked day. I felt so happy because I had made new relationships and I could help poorer people than me.
You will fall asleep easily if you work the whole day.
Monday, March 9, 2009
VanVu
Entry for March 7th, 2009
00:30 am, we arrived at our Motel- Baymont Inn & Suites, which was right at the opposite side of the Macy’s and Rivergate Malls. The motel’s outside looked exactly like a normal one in my country (Vietnam). It has 3 floors; each floor has 18 rooms and each room has 2 big beds. The facilities here are not too bad. It can be considered as the 2-star hotel in Vietnam (in the scale of 5). The first thing that we did was lying down on the absolutely comfortable beds and relaxing for a while before taking a hot shower. 3:30 in the morning, I was still awake and tried to finish the 12th episode of my favorite movie called “Full house”. I went to bed around 4:30 and woke up around 6:00. We separated into two teams. Team number one had Jesse Call as their leader and team number two had Alex. I was in team number two, which would work in the Nashville Rescue Mission today.
8:00, we were at Nashville Rescue Mission. All the guys working there were so nice with us. They greeted us as if we were the center’s real members: “Hello West Virginia!!! (…) Are you guys at Concord? (…) We really appreciate your willingness to donate your precious spring break time here to help the homeless people (…)”. Only a few minutes, the environment turned out that it was absolutely not the conversation between the “homeowner” and the “guesses”, but the warm and intimate environment between the perennial colleagues. Today we worked with a guy called Willy. He was extremely nice. We went down to the basement by a special kind of elevator, which could contain a large number of people. I have never seen that one before (but on the television).Our first job was breaking down all the cardboard boxes and put them in a big green cart. After that, we had to separate the shoes boxes and organized them according to their shoes sizes. I was so glad that we started to work together and get to know each other, at least was the others’ names. We talked and chatted with ease: “Hey! What’s your name? (…) Are you tired? (…) Let me help you! (…)”. The teamwork spirit was brought into play. I took out my shyness and started to get acquainted with the other teammates and knew how to take care as well as helping each other. In my opinion, it was the extremely easy way for me to keep pace with a lot of strange people in such a short time.
11:30, we stopped working and went upstairs to eat. The foods here were not as good as I thought. It was the first time that I ate something which was much more terrible than the foods in our schools’ cafeteria. I actually couldn’t eat anything but popcorn. I couldn’t even want to imagine how our dinner would look like since we were still going to have dinner here. The other people seemed having the same idea with me. With a almost-having-nothing stomach, we had to wear the nylon hats, gloves and aprons for serving in the kitchen. Our job was cleaning the table in the dining room after the guesses have done their meals. It was not actually a hard work. We were just so interested in wearing those things on and taking pictures. We definitely looked like the real waiters and waitresses.
After lunch, we came back to the basement and continued working until 3:00pm. The work only was folding the blankets and put them up on the pallets, let them ready to be moved and distributed to the homeless people. 4:00, we had a dinner and came back to the Baymont motel around 5:00. I had some Vietnamese friends in Nashville. We hanged out together, eating another dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant (because we couldn’t eat anything in the shelter at all), and driving around the Nashville downtown to enjoy the gorgeous night sights. The downtown was so crowed since 8 o’clock. We couldn’t find any spare parking lot. The bars were all filled up with thousands of people. After two round trips in the downtown and having no place to park our car, we ended up with coming back to our motel and playing cards. I did not go to bed until the clock jumped up to the number “4:00”. It was enough for a long and hard-working day!
00:30 am, we arrived at our Motel- Baymont Inn & Suites, which was right at the opposite side of the Macy’s and Rivergate Malls. The motel’s outside looked exactly like a normal one in my country (Vietnam). It has 3 floors; each floor has 18 rooms and each room has 2 big beds. The facilities here are not too bad. It can be considered as the 2-star hotel in Vietnam (in the scale of 5). The first thing that we did was lying down on the absolutely comfortable beds and relaxing for a while before taking a hot shower. 3:30 in the morning, I was still awake and tried to finish the 12th episode of my favorite movie called “Full house”. I went to bed around 4:30 and woke up around 6:00. We separated into two teams. Team number one had Jesse Call as their leader and team number two had Alex. I was in team number two, which would work in the Nashville Rescue Mission today.
8:00, we were at Nashville Rescue Mission. All the guys working there were so nice with us. They greeted us as if we were the center’s real members: “Hello West Virginia!!! (…) Are you guys at Concord? (…) We really appreciate your willingness to donate your precious spring break time here to help the homeless people (…)”. Only a few minutes, the environment turned out that it was absolutely not the conversation between the “homeowner” and the “guesses”, but the warm and intimate environment between the perennial colleagues. Today we worked with a guy called Willy. He was extremely nice. We went down to the basement by a special kind of elevator, which could contain a large number of people. I have never seen that one before (but on the television).Our first job was breaking down all the cardboard boxes and put them in a big green cart. After that, we had to separate the shoes boxes and organized them according to their shoes sizes. I was so glad that we started to work together and get to know each other, at least was the others’ names. We talked and chatted with ease: “Hey! What’s your name? (…) Are you tired? (…) Let me help you! (…)”. The teamwork spirit was brought into play. I took out my shyness and started to get acquainted with the other teammates and knew how to take care as well as helping each other. In my opinion, it was the extremely easy way for me to keep pace with a lot of strange people in such a short time.
11:30, we stopped working and went upstairs to eat. The foods here were not as good as I thought. It was the first time that I ate something which was much more terrible than the foods in our schools’ cafeteria. I actually couldn’t eat anything but popcorn. I couldn’t even want to imagine how our dinner would look like since we were still going to have dinner here. The other people seemed having the same idea with me. With a almost-having-nothing stomach, we had to wear the nylon hats, gloves and aprons for serving in the kitchen. Our job was cleaning the table in the dining room after the guesses have done their meals. It was not actually a hard work. We were just so interested in wearing those things on and taking pictures. We definitely looked like the real waiters and waitresses.
After lunch, we came back to the basement and continued working until 3:00pm. The work only was folding the blankets and put them up on the pallets, let them ready to be moved and distributed to the homeless people. 4:00, we had a dinner and came back to the Baymont motel around 5:00. I had some Vietnamese friends in Nashville. We hanged out together, eating another dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant (because we couldn’t eat anything in the shelter at all), and driving around the Nashville downtown to enjoy the gorgeous night sights. The downtown was so crowed since 8 o’clock. We couldn’t find any spare parking lot. The bars were all filled up with thousands of people. After two round trips in the downtown and having no place to park our car, we ended up with coming back to our motel and playing cards. I did not go to bed until the clock jumped up to the number “4:00”. It was enough for a long and hard-working day!
TiffanyShaver
Tiffany Shaver
Dr. Campbell
3-7-09
Reflection Journal-Day One
Today was the first day of the Alternative Spring Break. Our group, Alex’s group, went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but I was keeping my hopes high.
We went in to the Rescue Mission down a long hallway. Our guy that was with us all day was Willy. Throughout the day, he talked to us about the Rescue Mission and what it was all about. Our first fact of information that we found out was that it was a Christian Rescue Mission, which I found to be really awesome. Another fact that we found out was that most of their staff working there has been through there program. They have many program to help with addictions, ranging from alcohol and drug use to gambling. So, many of those who work there are going through the program or have already graduated from the program.
The events of the day were of particular interest. Down in the basement of the Rescue Mission is a huge warehouse, filled with tons and tons of stuff, from shoes, to walkers, to mattresses, to a skeleton (which we found out isn’t real). Our first job was to sort through hundreds and hundreds of shoes and organize them. We cleared off shelves upon shelves of shoes, some that they are giving away and some they are keeping. That lasted around three hours until it was time for lunch, which is when the real fun began.
They let us eat first before we served the food. So we ate and then cleaned off tables and served food to those who are living there. After we ate, four of us stayed in the kitchen to finish serving food, while the rest went back downstairs. There was a rush of people to come in for food, then it was the handicapped people, and then another big rush. All of those people live at the Mission, and after them it was people who were actually homeless and were not staying at the mission. That was probably the hardest part of the day, and it was even harder when this particular guy came in. This guy was a black guy, but most of his face was pink where it had been burnt off. There were random patches of black on his face, but most was pink. That was so hard for me that I had to turn my head away and pretend like I was getting more popcorn to serve.
After lunch, around one, the rest of us headed back down to the warehouse. A few more hours of working, sorting through blankets and sheets (there were so many sheets!), and then Willy allowed us to go upstairs and rest before dinner. Talking to Willy was really interesting. You could tell that he was very passionate about what he does and that he genuinely loves to help people. He was very impressed with all of the work that we got done, as was everyone else.
All in all, it was a productive and meaningful day. I have a huge passion for helping people, particularly in situations like this, and I am excited to have this opportunity to do so. One of the things I noticed today, was that everyone was a community. It didn’t matter where they had been in life, only where they were going. Today I saw a lot of laughter and a lot of hugs. One hug scene that comes to mind was during dinner. One guy was chasing another guy around begging for a hug. They were both laughing and enjoying being in each other’s company. That’s what I loved most about today, was that they were there for each other and they loved each other. I know that this week will be one that I will never forget and I am excited to see what the coming week will bring.
Dr. Campbell
3-7-09
Reflection Journal-Day One
Today was the first day of the Alternative Spring Break. Our group, Alex’s group, went to the Nashville Rescue Mission. I didn’t really know what to expect going in, but I was keeping my hopes high.
We went in to the Rescue Mission down a long hallway. Our guy that was with us all day was Willy. Throughout the day, he talked to us about the Rescue Mission and what it was all about. Our first fact of information that we found out was that it was a Christian Rescue Mission, which I found to be really awesome. Another fact that we found out was that most of their staff working there has been through there program. They have many program to help with addictions, ranging from alcohol and drug use to gambling. So, many of those who work there are going through the program or have already graduated from the program.
The events of the day were of particular interest. Down in the basement of the Rescue Mission is a huge warehouse, filled with tons and tons of stuff, from shoes, to walkers, to mattresses, to a skeleton (which we found out isn’t real). Our first job was to sort through hundreds and hundreds of shoes and organize them. We cleared off shelves upon shelves of shoes, some that they are giving away and some they are keeping. That lasted around three hours until it was time for lunch, which is when the real fun began.
They let us eat first before we served the food. So we ate and then cleaned off tables and served food to those who are living there. After we ate, four of us stayed in the kitchen to finish serving food, while the rest went back downstairs. There was a rush of people to come in for food, then it was the handicapped people, and then another big rush. All of those people live at the Mission, and after them it was people who were actually homeless and were not staying at the mission. That was probably the hardest part of the day, and it was even harder when this particular guy came in. This guy was a black guy, but most of his face was pink where it had been burnt off. There were random patches of black on his face, but most was pink. That was so hard for me that I had to turn my head away and pretend like I was getting more popcorn to serve.
After lunch, around one, the rest of us headed back down to the warehouse. A few more hours of working, sorting through blankets and sheets (there were so many sheets!), and then Willy allowed us to go upstairs and rest before dinner. Talking to Willy was really interesting. You could tell that he was very passionate about what he does and that he genuinely loves to help people. He was very impressed with all of the work that we got done, as was everyone else.
All in all, it was a productive and meaningful day. I have a huge passion for helping people, particularly in situations like this, and I am excited to have this opportunity to do so. One of the things I noticed today, was that everyone was a community. It didn’t matter where they had been in life, only where they were going. Today I saw a lot of laughter and a lot of hugs. One hug scene that comes to mind was during dinner. One guy was chasing another guy around begging for a hug. They were both laughing and enjoying being in each other’s company. That’s what I loved most about today, was that they were there for each other and they loved each other. I know that this week will be one that I will never forget and I am excited to see what the coming week will bring.
JenniferHellems
Jennifer Hellems
SOWK 350
Dr. Campbell
Journal Entry 1
Saturday, March 8, 2009
Today I worked with the Nashville Campus for Human Development. It was my first time ever participating in something such as this. I was really excited to come on this trip; I thought I would accomplish great things and meet a lot of new people.
When we first pulled up to the Campus I was instantly scared. I am not a racist person, but being a 21 year old girl raised with a caring father such as mine who led me to believe that large groups of men were scary; I instantly got a little nervous. We pulled up to a parking lot full of middle-aged black men. I honestly never went anywhere by myself. I of course was polite and courteous to all and they in turn were very respectful and polite.
The most rewarding thing was honestly just being there knowing I made a difference. We accomplished several big tasks today and when the day was done I felt great! As we were working the men were so kind and they would hold doors open for us or help us carry things. They never once seemed bothered by us when we would have to walk in front of the television or if they needed to move out of the way. They would talk to us and ask us how we were doing. I never once heard one of them complain about their arrangement or anything that was being done. I complain of so many things and constantly talk about things I want and I feel awful because these people have so little, but yet are so grateful for what they do have.
The only time I really was frustrated was when Brian and I were working on putting the cubbies that we moved from a storage shed to a cubby room inside the main building back together. It was such a pain and we worked hard on those. We had to completely put one back together and nail the backing to all of them. We had to move these huge boxes around a tiny room and try to hammer in nails that would keep bending and we would have to start over. I think we both were a little frustrated, but it was good in the end.
The one significant thing that happened while we were there other than me and Brian having a difficult time rolling the cubbies in was that one of the campus men had to be taken away in and ambulance. He was in a great deal of pain so the ambulance had to be called to come get him and take him to the hospital. I personally am not sure what was wrong or exactly what happened, but I do know that the people he was around cared enough to have something done. It was really sad to see that, but I of course pray that he is okay.
SOWK 350
Dr. Campbell
Journal Entry 1
Saturday, March 8, 2009
Today I worked with the Nashville Campus for Human Development. It was my first time ever participating in something such as this. I was really excited to come on this trip; I thought I would accomplish great things and meet a lot of new people.
When we first pulled up to the Campus I was instantly scared. I am not a racist person, but being a 21 year old girl raised with a caring father such as mine who led me to believe that large groups of men were scary; I instantly got a little nervous. We pulled up to a parking lot full of middle-aged black men. I honestly never went anywhere by myself. I of course was polite and courteous to all and they in turn were very respectful and polite.
The most rewarding thing was honestly just being there knowing I made a difference. We accomplished several big tasks today and when the day was done I felt great! As we were working the men were so kind and they would hold doors open for us or help us carry things. They never once seemed bothered by us when we would have to walk in front of the television or if they needed to move out of the way. They would talk to us and ask us how we were doing. I never once heard one of them complain about their arrangement or anything that was being done. I complain of so many things and constantly talk about things I want and I feel awful because these people have so little, but yet are so grateful for what they do have.
The only time I really was frustrated was when Brian and I were working on putting the cubbies that we moved from a storage shed to a cubby room inside the main building back together. It was such a pain and we worked hard on those. We had to completely put one back together and nail the backing to all of them. We had to move these huge boxes around a tiny room and try to hammer in nails that would keep bending and we would have to start over. I think we both were a little frustrated, but it was good in the end.
The one significant thing that happened while we were there other than me and Brian having a difficult time rolling the cubbies in was that one of the campus men had to be taken away in and ambulance. He was in a great deal of pain so the ambulance had to be called to come get him and take him to the hospital. I personally am not sure what was wrong or exactly what happened, but I do know that the people he was around cared enough to have something done. It was really sad to see that, but I of course pray that he is okay.
NicoleBartley
Nicole Bartley
March 7th 2009
Reflection
The First Day: Review and Reflection
I’d like to first start off this reflection by stating that I’m not entirly sure HOW we are suppose to write this, or WHAT we are suppose to reflect about. Do we write about how the day went? What we did? Who we met? Or do we write about our thoughts throughout the day, and how we felt? I don’t fully understand the assignment, but I think I can ‘reflect’ on my thoughts of the day.
I was in the group that went to “The Campus for Human Development.” When talking with my peers, I found out their first reaction when we got there was fear. I find this is far from my general thoughts and feelings which were of anger. When I got out of the car, I looked around and saw over 40+ men, walking around. These were the men they called “participants.” The men who are homeless, jobless and had no money. This wasn’t what angered me though. What upset me is what they were doing: smoking.
Throughout the day I primed and painted 4 bathrooms. From 0930 hours (9:30 am) until 1600 hours (4 pm), I was crammed into small rooms with another person, breathing in paint fumes and barely taking any breaks. Now don’t get me wrong, I am in no way complaining about the work. I enjoy hard work. What I can’t seem to grasp is how so many capable persons were sitting around, and none willing to help. This was basically their home, so why weren’t they doing such work to help it? Yes, I understand some are on hard times. I also know some are ‘sick,’ but not all of them are. Yes, there were some gentlemen that were willing to help. But I’m just curious as to why most men didn’t offer assistance. Or if they ever offer assistance.
Today left me mad and frustrated. Frustrated, because I have so many questions. So many questions I know would be left unanswered. Or any answer I get would just be excuses, and I don’t want excuses, maybe I don’t have the patience for it, I’m not sure. I’m also mad because I can’t understand these people. I’m not trying to come off mean, that is not my intention at all. Though it just gets me so angry. Why am I helping these people? People, who have no drive to help themselves? And again, I wonder about the cigarettes. How is it they can’t buy food and such, but they can afford to smoke? Where are their priorities? Also, where are they getting the money?
March 7th 2009
Reflection
The First Day: Review and Reflection
I’d like to first start off this reflection by stating that I’m not entirly sure HOW we are suppose to write this, or WHAT we are suppose to reflect about. Do we write about how the day went? What we did? Who we met? Or do we write about our thoughts throughout the day, and how we felt? I don’t fully understand the assignment, but I think I can ‘reflect’ on my thoughts of the day.
I was in the group that went to “The Campus for Human Development.” When talking with my peers, I found out their first reaction when we got there was fear. I find this is far from my general thoughts and feelings which were of anger. When I got out of the car, I looked around and saw over 40+ men, walking around. These were the men they called “participants.” The men who are homeless, jobless and had no money. This wasn’t what angered me though. What upset me is what they were doing: smoking.
Throughout the day I primed and painted 4 bathrooms. From 0930 hours (9:30 am) until 1600 hours (4 pm), I was crammed into small rooms with another person, breathing in paint fumes and barely taking any breaks. Now don’t get me wrong, I am in no way complaining about the work. I enjoy hard work. What I can’t seem to grasp is how so many capable persons were sitting around, and none willing to help. This was basically their home, so why weren’t they doing such work to help it? Yes, I understand some are on hard times. I also know some are ‘sick,’ but not all of them are. Yes, there were some gentlemen that were willing to help. But I’m just curious as to why most men didn’t offer assistance. Or if they ever offer assistance.
Today left me mad and frustrated. Frustrated, because I have so many questions. So many questions I know would be left unanswered. Or any answer I get would just be excuses, and I don’t want excuses, maybe I don’t have the patience for it, I’m not sure. I’m also mad because I can’t understand these people. I’m not trying to come off mean, that is not my intention at all. Though it just gets me so angry. Why am I helping these people? People, who have no drive to help themselves? And again, I wonder about the cigarettes. How is it they can’t buy food and such, but they can afford to smoke? Where are their priorities? Also, where are they getting the money?
GraceHurney
Grace Hurney
Civic Engagement
8 March 2009
Reflections: Day One
The started out early. Very, very early. But in all honesty, it wasn’t that bad- I didn’t have to wear flip flops in the shower, so life was good. My team, Team Jesse (I think its Team One), was assigned to work at the Campus for Human Development for the day. When we arrived at the Campus, there seemed to be a lot of trepidation in the air; no one really knew what to expect. I personally arrived with my middle class white girl mindset- homeless people are to be given money, but to be watchful of. We discussed in the bus whether or not we should leave our cameras and phones and cash in the vehicle. I will openly admit that I was a bit fearful of what the day would bring- I would later discover my fears were entirely unfounded, but for the time being I was close minded and afraid. We met with Wendy, the (assumed) director of the Campus. She gave us a tour of the facility, explaining the programs they offered, the reward system for attending classes, and introduced us to their Odyssey program. The Odyssey program is a two year program for chronically homeless men (men who have been homeless for over a year or three times in four years) who wish to “begin their journey back home” . The men go through different phases of the program, each step gradually bringing them closer to living their lives as they would wish, sober and stable. I volunteered to work painting the bathrooms in one of the wings of the center.
My “good moment” of the day was when we were painting, one of the participants, whom I later inferred was a veteran staying in the Campus, came up to us and started chatting with us. He asked what we were doing, what we were working with, etc.- fairly normal questions for a group of college girls holding paintbrushes in a homeless shelter. The man looked at our bucket of primer and frowned a bit. He then proceeded to warn us that the primer we were using was very strong and might make us feel faint. He left, and we began to paint the walls. He came back fifteen minutes later (he had a walker, so it was difficult for him to navigate the narrow hallway strewn with painting supplies), asking us if we were feeling alright. We said it was all okay, and he reminded us to step out and get some fresh air every fifteen to twenty minutes or so. For the rest of the day, this man would check on us and even stood with Nicole Bartley when she was on the ladder painting to ensure she didn’t get dizzy and fall. His compassion and concern for us, complete strangers, was humbling and wonderful at the same time.
The frustrating moment of the day was the fact that we weren’t really adequately switched out of our jobs. I took breaks from the paint fumes, but I ended up fairly sick by the afternoon. I just wished we could have cycled people out to keep everyone from getting sick. Inhaling that much paint fumes is certainly not safe…
The random moment of the day was probably going to the Nashville Rescue Mission for the first time. I can’t say I’ve lived an insular life; I’ve done my fair share of volunteer work since I was young, but I have never worked or been in a “soup kitchen”. Walking through the crowd of people at dinner time, we were yelled at and antagonized for skipping line. I do admit a group of college kids, predominately white and well dressed, doesn’t look the best. I feel a bit guilty eating food that is meant for people that can’t afford to eat dinner. I can certainly afford to buy lunch and dinner on my own for a week if that means one more person could get the chance to eat.
Civic Engagement
8 March 2009
Reflections: Day One
The started out early. Very, very early. But in all honesty, it wasn’t that bad- I didn’t have to wear flip flops in the shower, so life was good. My team, Team Jesse (I think its Team One), was assigned to work at the Campus for Human Development for the day. When we arrived at the Campus, there seemed to be a lot of trepidation in the air; no one really knew what to expect. I personally arrived with my middle class white girl mindset- homeless people are to be given money, but to be watchful of. We discussed in the bus whether or not we should leave our cameras and phones and cash in the vehicle. I will openly admit that I was a bit fearful of what the day would bring- I would later discover my fears were entirely unfounded, but for the time being I was close minded and afraid. We met with Wendy, the (assumed) director of the Campus. She gave us a tour of the facility, explaining the programs they offered, the reward system for attending classes, and introduced us to their Odyssey program. The Odyssey program is a two year program for chronically homeless men (men who have been homeless for over a year or three times in four years) who wish to “begin their journey back home” . The men go through different phases of the program, each step gradually bringing them closer to living their lives as they would wish, sober and stable. I volunteered to work painting the bathrooms in one of the wings of the center.
My “good moment” of the day was when we were painting, one of the participants, whom I later inferred was a veteran staying in the Campus, came up to us and started chatting with us. He asked what we were doing, what we were working with, etc.- fairly normal questions for a group of college girls holding paintbrushes in a homeless shelter. The man looked at our bucket of primer and frowned a bit. He then proceeded to warn us that the primer we were using was very strong and might make us feel faint. He left, and we began to paint the walls. He came back fifteen minutes later (he had a walker, so it was difficult for him to navigate the narrow hallway strewn with painting supplies), asking us if we were feeling alright. We said it was all okay, and he reminded us to step out and get some fresh air every fifteen to twenty minutes or so. For the rest of the day, this man would check on us and even stood with Nicole Bartley when she was on the ladder painting to ensure she didn’t get dizzy and fall. His compassion and concern for us, complete strangers, was humbling and wonderful at the same time.
The frustrating moment of the day was the fact that we weren’t really adequately switched out of our jobs. I took breaks from the paint fumes, but I ended up fairly sick by the afternoon. I just wished we could have cycled people out to keep everyone from getting sick. Inhaling that much paint fumes is certainly not safe…
The random moment of the day was probably going to the Nashville Rescue Mission for the first time. I can’t say I’ve lived an insular life; I’ve done my fair share of volunteer work since I was young, but I have never worked or been in a “soup kitchen”. Walking through the crowd of people at dinner time, we were yelled at and antagonized for skipping line. I do admit a group of college kids, predominately white and well dressed, doesn’t look the best. I feel a bit guilty eating food that is meant for people that can’t afford to eat dinner. I can certainly afford to buy lunch and dinner on my own for a week if that means one more person could get the chance to eat.
JenniferParsons
Jennifer Parsons
Journal Entries
Alternative Spring Break trip to Nashville
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Today was our first day of activities. I was a part of team 1. We volunteered our services to the Campus for Human Develop. It was a building that provided living space and utilities for people facing homelessness in Nashville, Tennessee.
We passed the street and had to turn around. Upon arriving to the site, I was filled with a little nervousness, curiosity and was somewhat scared at the same time. These unexpected feelings made me think twice about how accepting and understanding I am. I realized that I was very unaware of the extremities and was not fully aware of the real life situations I was about to encounter.
Stepping out of our van, more than one of us turned “pale faced” with a bit of scared, said another girl on the trip. I believe it; I felt it on my won expressions without even realizing until after the fact. I thought about my stereotypical judgments in regards of the homeless people and realized that just because they are homeless does not mean they are not human, just like me and you. Then I realized it was time to step back into reality and help them as I had come to do.
We were given a tour of the Campus. There was a variety of uses for the rooms. It is a very organized setting where the Participants are very willing to do as they are expected to do. They appear as if they really want to make a better life for themselves and I respect that. My favorite room of the building was the art room. It was interesting and showed a lot of talent. I also like that art work of the Participants were displayed throughout the building showing their creativity and making the place more personable.
There were rooms for socializing, learning and sleeping. Certain programs were created to help the Participants get back into the world and start a better life. So far there has been a good percent of success. For example, the Odessey. It is a program organized to help people who have had addiction problems and cannot seem to make a better lifestyle for them selves but are willing to give it another try. They have certain steps they have to go through with reasonable amounts of time to gradually put them out on their own.
After the tour, we were broken up into groups. I was on the painting crew while others were trimming the hedges and cleaning out the storage. I volunteered to paint because I like creativity. However, I do not like that we were cooped up in a very confined area without much ventilation for as long as we were. The fumes were so strong we had to take breaks approximately every ten minutes to keep from passing out. I will admit, I still have a headache from it. I think that they should have asked the others if anyone would have been willing to help us out or switch positions because it cannot be good to be so enclosed with so many fumes. I also wish I would have known what we were doing ahead of time, as I am sure others do as well. I wore my “bad” clothes so I did not mind getting them a little messed up. However, not everyone dressed accordingly.
So far, I find it to be rewarding in the simple fact that I was given the opportunity to come out here and help people who really need it. Not only do they get the benefits of our work produced but I get a new and life-altering experience. As this is my first time encountering homelessness in person and also working with them, I believe this is a trip I will never forget.
Although there are good times have already come out of this trip, work can be frustrating too. I think that what frustrated me the most today was the fact that no one was willing to offer help us paint because we were inside or because they did not want to get dirty. I understand that not everyone wants to get dirty, but we are here to help others, not worry about our appearance, etc. It is not a bad thing to step outside of your own box and help others when needed. I know the crew working outside had been laboring all day and when I had spare time in painting (break due to ambulance), I helped scrub the boxes they were working on and that helped save some time. It is good to help others, after all, isn’t that what we are here for? So I think that it would be great to help each other out more when the time is needed.
Something sad that happened today was that a man at the Campus had to be taken out in an ambulance. He was having very bad pains and they needed to take him to the doctor. After he is released from the hospital, he will have no home to go back to or someone to take care of him. To me, that is sad because if you think about it, what happens when we get sick? – A loved one takes care of us…
Journal Entries
Alternative Spring Break trip to Nashville
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Today was our first day of activities. I was a part of team 1. We volunteered our services to the Campus for Human Develop. It was a building that provided living space and utilities for people facing homelessness in Nashville, Tennessee.
We passed the street and had to turn around. Upon arriving to the site, I was filled with a little nervousness, curiosity and was somewhat scared at the same time. These unexpected feelings made me think twice about how accepting and understanding I am. I realized that I was very unaware of the extremities and was not fully aware of the real life situations I was about to encounter.
Stepping out of our van, more than one of us turned “pale faced” with a bit of scared, said another girl on the trip. I believe it; I felt it on my won expressions without even realizing until after the fact. I thought about my stereotypical judgments in regards of the homeless people and realized that just because they are homeless does not mean they are not human, just like me and you. Then I realized it was time to step back into reality and help them as I had come to do.
We were given a tour of the Campus. There was a variety of uses for the rooms. It is a very organized setting where the Participants are very willing to do as they are expected to do. They appear as if they really want to make a better life for themselves and I respect that. My favorite room of the building was the art room. It was interesting and showed a lot of talent. I also like that art work of the Participants were displayed throughout the building showing their creativity and making the place more personable.
There were rooms for socializing, learning and sleeping. Certain programs were created to help the Participants get back into the world and start a better life. So far there has been a good percent of success. For example, the Odessey. It is a program organized to help people who have had addiction problems and cannot seem to make a better lifestyle for them selves but are willing to give it another try. They have certain steps they have to go through with reasonable amounts of time to gradually put them out on their own.
After the tour, we were broken up into groups. I was on the painting crew while others were trimming the hedges and cleaning out the storage. I volunteered to paint because I like creativity. However, I do not like that we were cooped up in a very confined area without much ventilation for as long as we were. The fumes were so strong we had to take breaks approximately every ten minutes to keep from passing out. I will admit, I still have a headache from it. I think that they should have asked the others if anyone would have been willing to help us out or switch positions because it cannot be good to be so enclosed with so many fumes. I also wish I would have known what we were doing ahead of time, as I am sure others do as well. I wore my “bad” clothes so I did not mind getting them a little messed up. However, not everyone dressed accordingly.
So far, I find it to be rewarding in the simple fact that I was given the opportunity to come out here and help people who really need it. Not only do they get the benefits of our work produced but I get a new and life-altering experience. As this is my first time encountering homelessness in person and also working with them, I believe this is a trip I will never forget.
Although there are good times have already come out of this trip, work can be frustrating too. I think that what frustrated me the most today was the fact that no one was willing to offer help us paint because we were inside or because they did not want to get dirty. I understand that not everyone wants to get dirty, but we are here to help others, not worry about our appearance, etc. It is not a bad thing to step outside of your own box and help others when needed. I know the crew working outside had been laboring all day and when I had spare time in painting (break due to ambulance), I helped scrub the boxes they were working on and that helped save some time. It is good to help others, after all, isn’t that what we are here for? So I think that it would be great to help each other out more when the time is needed.
Something sad that happened today was that a man at the Campus had to be taken out in an ambulance. He was having very bad pains and they needed to take him to the doctor. After he is released from the hospital, he will have no home to go back to or someone to take care of him. To me, that is sad because if you think about it, what happens when we get sick? – A loved one takes care of us…
KiwaNadas
On our first day here, we went to the Campus for Human Development. It is a homeless shelter that helps drug addicts and chronically homeless people get back on their feet and become functioning members of society.
Most of the people we met were nice and helpful. I was stationed in the bathrooms most of the day helping to paint and while I was back there,several people walked by, some giving us pointers and helping us out even. As we were there, I noticed several different types of people. Some were handicaped while others just seemed lost and abandoned.
It was interesting to see how they acted wıth each other and our group of workers. While, as I said, some were helpful, others were kinda rude. As we walked to lunch at the other shelter, about to eat the same food that they are served, someone yelled out “Hey what are we having for lunch? Fillet minion? Or steak?” Considering we were just working to help make their lives easier, I was a little miffed by his response.
In all though, it was a rewarding day and allowed met o escape my personal beliefs and see the true nature of being homeless.
Most of the people we met were nice and helpful. I was stationed in the bathrooms most of the day helping to paint and while I was back there,several people walked by, some giving us pointers and helping us out even. As we were there, I noticed several different types of people. Some were handicaped while others just seemed lost and abandoned.
It was interesting to see how they acted wıth each other and our group of workers. While, as I said, some were helpful, others were kinda rude. As we walked to lunch at the other shelter, about to eat the same food that they are served, someone yelled out “Hey what are we having for lunch? Fillet minion? Or steak?” Considering we were just working to help make their lives easier, I was a little miffed by his response.
In all though, it was a rewarding day and allowed met o escape my personal beliefs and see the true nature of being homeless.
KiwaNadas
On our first day here, we went to the Campus for Human Development. It is a homeless shelter that helps drug addicts and chronically homeless people get back on their feet and become functioning members of society.
Most of the people we met were nice and helpful. I was stationed in the bathrooms most of the day helping to paint and while I was back there,several people walked by, some giving us pointers and helping us out even. As we were there, I noticed several different types of people. Some were handicaped while others just seemed lost and abandoned.
It was interesting to see how they acted wıth each other and our group of workers. While, as I said, some were helpful, others were kinda rude. As we walked to lunch at the other shelter, about to eat the same food that they are served, someone yelled out “Hey what are we having for lunch? Fillet minion? Or steak?” Considering we were just working to help make their lives easier, I was a little miffed by his response.
In all though, it was a rewarding day and allowed met o escape my personal beliefs and see the true nature of being homeless.
Most of the people we met were nice and helpful. I was stationed in the bathrooms most of the day helping to paint and while I was back there,several people walked by, some giving us pointers and helping us out even. As we were there, I noticed several different types of people. Some were handicaped while others just seemed lost and abandoned.
It was interesting to see how they acted wıth each other and our group of workers. While, as I said, some were helpful, others were kinda rude. As we walked to lunch at the other shelter, about to eat the same food that they are served, someone yelled out “Hey what are we having for lunch? Fillet minion? Or steak?” Considering we were just working to help make their lives easier, I was a little miffed by his response.
In all though, it was a rewarding day and allowed met o escape my personal beliefs and see the true nature of being homeless.
ChristineFernandes
Our first day for the Alternate Spring Break began March 7th 2009. We were split into two teams I was in the team headed by Jesse, we were taken to the Campus for human development. On our way there we were slightly misdirected and ended up in the wrong alley. Although this would not seem unusual, having taken a turn into a homeless alley , all of us experienced a sudden panic not knowing where we were and suddenly surrounded by the strange places. When we finally got to the campus we all experienced a sort of culture shock having suddenly been immersed in a place that is so very different and non compatible with the lives we lead,. Looking around us we saw homeless individuals scattered all over the campus some talking in oblivion others talking at us and also starring at us. This made us very uncomfortable however what we failed to realize was it was our group that was attracting attention as we looked petrified. Our perspective on the homeless situation and the various scenarios made us stereotypical in view of the homeless and afraid. We realized that we needed to let go of our predispositions and attempt to blend in. The site coordinator Wendy took us into the campus and told us about the history of the campus and the aim. All the rules f the campus in my opinion boiled down to respect for one another, between volunteers, as well as individuals. Being able to see the homeless as people with problems instead of a categorized group of displaced people helped us see where volunteers like Wendy derive their motivation and hope to help the homeless. I noticed that many of the people that stayed on the campus treated the place like home and the people around them like friends in a community. The campus seeks to teach and strongly urges their guest to get involved and try to turn their lies around. The art work portrayed on the walls showed the depth that these individuals carried and their outlook on life we were shocked to know that some of the residents of this campus were actually degree holders and doctorates. This showed us that no one was above poverty, sickness and deprivation. Our first task was to cut down the shrubbery over the barbed fence, initially looking at the overgrowth our group thought it would be impossible to clean up, but undertaking the tasks and allotting different roles the job got done almost effortlessly, other jobs on the site were paining of bathrooms and cleaning out of a shed that had been partially burnt. Taking down and building the cubbyholes for storage was one of the jobs as well. At around 12noon we headed over to the Nashville Rescue Mission for lunch we had he opportunity to eat the food that people in shelters eat. I found that the food was well above my expectations and the portions given to us were filling. Our new task was to help sort out bags that had been donated to the Campus containg food and various toiletries. Here again we saw a good example of teamwork where in all of us got together opening cleaning out and storing the bags that were received. Carrying in and painting of the cubby holes was next. I found that when the people residing at the campus saw us struggling to carry a heavy plank they stepped forward and insisted on carrying it for us this act touched me sincerely as I saw the dedication they had for their home and appreciation they expressed for our efforts. While we were working a number of residents went out of their way to thank us and show us how much they valued our help. Our last trip to the Nashville Rescue Mission for dinner we met volunteers who help there on a regular basis I must admit a lot of us including me were tiered fussy. But seeing these volunteers with genuine warmth in their smiles and joy in the singing lifted our sprits and reminded us that works of charity are not about us but who we help. On the way out we were adiosed with smiles and questions on when we would return to se them. This was all in all an eye opening and very satisfying day
SezinCeliktas
My first day was better than what I expected. We went to Campus for Human Development and one lady explained everything to us like what they do, what they are all about. And she showed us what to do. Some of us painted bathrooms, some of us cleaned the basement. I was the one who was cleaning and painting the bathroom and we painted 3 bathrooms all day long. Some of them gave us ideas about how to paint the bathrooms.
People were pretty nice to us. Especially when we went to eat lunch, they seemed pretty happy that they were sharing their food with us. They all tried to talk to us and asked us questions.
When I was there I felt kind of bad because they do not have homes to live and it is sad. But the shelter was helping them get back on their feet. It was sad seeing them like that but it is good to know that they are taking care of.
I felt better after I left because it is nice doing some stuff for people who need help.
People were pretty nice to us. Especially when we went to eat lunch, they seemed pretty happy that they were sharing their food with us. They all tried to talk to us and asked us questions.
When I was there I felt kind of bad because they do not have homes to live and it is sad. But the shelter was helping them get back on their feet. It was sad seeing them like that but it is good to know that they are taking care of.
I felt better after I left because it is nice doing some stuff for people who need help.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
NicoleDuvall
3-7-09
Our day started off a little rocky, because we didn’t get much sleep the night before, since we were all so excited about going to the mission. We got a little lost since Nashville is so big and there are a ton of streets. However, I did feel very safe with Alex as our chauffeur.
I was really surprised about how big the Nashville Rescue Mission building was! When we got there, people were really friendly and very welcoming and very pro-West Virginia. I’m so glad that we had people to show us around, otherwise I would have gotten lost, since the building was originally a Sears Department Store.
We talked the most with a gentlemen named Willie, who is some sort of manager at the mission. He was very friendly and helpful and very happy to have us to help straighten up the basement-which was our main project. We sorted through I don’t know how many shoes –finding pairs and loners. We also had to stack all the shoes altogether, I thought we were going to have an avalanche stacking them sky high. I did a little bit of sweeping but that didn’t last long because I had to maneuver around boxes, so I figured we should move stuff around and sort through it before we could actually sweep.
Then we had lunch upstairs which was pretty good- actually better then the caf at CU. I’m not really a fussy eater-I’ll eat almost anything. Then shortly after we ate, we put gloves, a hair bonnet, and apron and went out to the dining area to clean off tables, take trays to the drop off area, and socialize with some of the members of the rescue mission.
They seemed really friendly and happy to have someone to talk to. I think that despite there being so many members, I think they are still lonely and that they need interaction with people from the outside- I think we really brightened their day-the few that we did talk to. I know I didn’t get the chance to really converse with the members or serve the homeless so, hopefully I’ll get to do that later on in the week.
Even though I was getting really tired working downstairs in the basement I was overwhelmed at how much stuff that was donated to the mission. I mean, everything you could think of-sheets, shoes, pillows, toys, furniture. It’s nice to know that there are some people who still care about the well being of others and want to help shed some light in others’ lives. I really hope that I can get the chance to make at least some small difference in someone’s life while I’m here in Nashville. I am also very grateful for the opportunity to even be here since, I was #5 on the waiting list.
I’m also looking forward to tomorrow’s trip at the museum-I think it will be interesting! Plus, it will give us some time to relax and give us an opportunity to see more of the great city of Nashville.
Our day started off a little rocky, because we didn’t get much sleep the night before, since we were all so excited about going to the mission. We got a little lost since Nashville is so big and there are a ton of streets. However, I did feel very safe with Alex as our chauffeur.
I was really surprised about how big the Nashville Rescue Mission building was! When we got there, people were really friendly and very welcoming and very pro-West Virginia. I’m so glad that we had people to show us around, otherwise I would have gotten lost, since the building was originally a Sears Department Store.
We talked the most with a gentlemen named Willie, who is some sort of manager at the mission. He was very friendly and helpful and very happy to have us to help straighten up the basement-which was our main project. We sorted through I don’t know how many shoes –finding pairs and loners. We also had to stack all the shoes altogether, I thought we were going to have an avalanche stacking them sky high. I did a little bit of sweeping but that didn’t last long because I had to maneuver around boxes, so I figured we should move stuff around and sort through it before we could actually sweep.
Then we had lunch upstairs which was pretty good- actually better then the caf at CU. I’m not really a fussy eater-I’ll eat almost anything. Then shortly after we ate, we put gloves, a hair bonnet, and apron and went out to the dining area to clean off tables, take trays to the drop off area, and socialize with some of the members of the rescue mission.
They seemed really friendly and happy to have someone to talk to. I think that despite there being so many members, I think they are still lonely and that they need interaction with people from the outside- I think we really brightened their day-the few that we did talk to. I know I didn’t get the chance to really converse with the members or serve the homeless so, hopefully I’ll get to do that later on in the week.
Even though I was getting really tired working downstairs in the basement I was overwhelmed at how much stuff that was donated to the mission. I mean, everything you could think of-sheets, shoes, pillows, toys, furniture. It’s nice to know that there are some people who still care about the well being of others and want to help shed some light in others’ lives. I really hope that I can get the chance to make at least some small difference in someone’s life while I’m here in Nashville. I am also very grateful for the opportunity to even be here since, I was #5 on the waiting list.
I’m also looking forward to tomorrow’s trip at the museum-I think it will be interesting! Plus, it will give us some time to relax and give us an opportunity to see more of the great city of Nashville.
VirginiaVerburg
Virginia Verburg
Reflections
Day One 3/7/09
The first day of the Alternative Spring Break Trip was full of ups and downs for me. I believe there was a mutual consensus felt by all the students of our group about being scared of the unknown. As we pulled up to the Campus for Human Development, we saw around 40 men standing outside the building waiting for it to open. That alone was unexpected for me, to see so many people at the shelter so early in the morning. Some of the men tried to talk to us as we unloaded from the vans but at the time we were too scared to move and especially answer back.
I felt bad for feeling this way as the day progressed and I relaxed more, but I realize I along with the other students in our group were only reacting based on instinct. Most of us know that there are reasons why men end up being homeless, and those reasons are frightening. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and violence do not simply disappear over night. There is still a side of me that feels bad for reacting the way that I did but the other side of me was just reacting to a scary situation. A group full of mostly women around multiple male strangers.
As we got a tour of the building we learned a lot about the CFHD and homelessness in general. At the CFHD they have a program called the Odyssey. Clients who have been chronically homeless or have been in a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program in the past. Clients have the opportunity to attend classes for a month while living out in the elements and proving that they can stay sober. This stage is Pre-Odyssey. After the clients go through an interview process they may be accepted into the Odyssey program. The first phase of the program is a 6 month period of time in which clients can move into the CFHD and learn about drug and alcohol abuse and receive counseling for any issues they may have. In the second 6 month stage of the program the clients learn about job skills and what to do in the environment once they move out of the Campus. The final stage of the program focuses on the clients actually obtaining a long term position at a business. Clients have the option of moving out in to a low income apartments away from the Campus at this time. Clients are also subject to random drug testing.
After we learned about the program and toured the Campus our group was split into different tasks. At first I helped in the storage area with cleaning and restoration because the building had caught on fire. The storage area had no electricity and a lot of the food and clothing in the building was damaged. I was sad that people that had so little to begin with had even less now because of this fire. It was also hard to have clients throughout the day come up to us and ask for things like water and food. It made me feel guilty for having things that may seem like luxuries to them.
I think that working in the Rescue Mission will be even harder for me to handle. Not only are there more people there, but there are a lot of young men there that are our age. It really hit home to see someone that could be in college with me living in a shelter.
Overall I feel accomplished by the work my group completed but I am also nervous for the days to come.
Reflections
Day One 3/7/09
The first day of the Alternative Spring Break Trip was full of ups and downs for me. I believe there was a mutual consensus felt by all the students of our group about being scared of the unknown. As we pulled up to the Campus for Human Development, we saw around 40 men standing outside the building waiting for it to open. That alone was unexpected for me, to see so many people at the shelter so early in the morning. Some of the men tried to talk to us as we unloaded from the vans but at the time we were too scared to move and especially answer back.
I felt bad for feeling this way as the day progressed and I relaxed more, but I realize I along with the other students in our group were only reacting based on instinct. Most of us know that there are reasons why men end up being homeless, and those reasons are frightening. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and violence do not simply disappear over night. There is still a side of me that feels bad for reacting the way that I did but the other side of me was just reacting to a scary situation. A group full of mostly women around multiple male strangers.
As we got a tour of the building we learned a lot about the CFHD and homelessness in general. At the CFHD they have a program called the Odyssey. Clients who have been chronically homeless or have been in a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program in the past. Clients have the opportunity to attend classes for a month while living out in the elements and proving that they can stay sober. This stage is Pre-Odyssey. After the clients go through an interview process they may be accepted into the Odyssey program. The first phase of the program is a 6 month period of time in which clients can move into the CFHD and learn about drug and alcohol abuse and receive counseling for any issues they may have. In the second 6 month stage of the program the clients learn about job skills and what to do in the environment once they move out of the Campus. The final stage of the program focuses on the clients actually obtaining a long term position at a business. Clients have the option of moving out in to a low income apartments away from the Campus at this time. Clients are also subject to random drug testing.
After we learned about the program and toured the Campus our group was split into different tasks. At first I helped in the storage area with cleaning and restoration because the building had caught on fire. The storage area had no electricity and a lot of the food and clothing in the building was damaged. I was sad that people that had so little to begin with had even less now because of this fire. It was also hard to have clients throughout the day come up to us and ask for things like water and food. It made me feel guilty for having things that may seem like luxuries to them.
I think that working in the Rescue Mission will be even harder for me to handle. Not only are there more people there, but there are a lot of young men there that are our age. It really hit home to see someone that could be in college with me living in a shelter.
Overall I feel accomplished by the work my group completed but I am also nervous for the days to come.
JenniferBowman
Jennifer Bowman
3-7-09
Nashville Spring Break Day 1
Today went pretty well over all for me. I had absolutely no idea what to expect going into it because I have never worked with the homeless on any type of project. I was surprised when we arrived at the Nashville Rescue Mission because I had no idea that it would be so massive. My first thought about that was that it was great to have a big facility available, but then I realized that it is not good because there is a large homeless population in Nashville and they need a facility that large.
The first task that we started on was down in the basement of the building where they store all of the donations that they have received. Our leader for the day was a man named Willie, who instructed us on what we were to do. He gave us our job assignments as he led us down into the basement. It was very dark at first and I will be the first to admit that I was a little scared until they got all of the lights turned on. They have so much stuff down there that it is nearly impossible to go through everything. The main thing that I helped with was sorting used shoes into matching piles and organizing new shoes still in their boxes into size groups. It was good to see the generosity of people by all of the donated stuff that they had. However, it upset me to see some of the things that were donated. Some people seemed to just give the homeless whatever junk they have that they need to get rid of or cannot use. For example, we found dirty rags, shoes without matches, and a towel rack. These are all things that are not very useful to the homeless.
The next thing that I got to do was work in the kitchen. We found boxes of cookie tins filled with cookies and brownies somewhere in the basement while we were cleaning. Willie instructed some of the girls to take them up and get the food out of the tins and we could hand them out during the meal. This was exciting for me because I was looking forward to interacting with the homeless and also the volunteers in the kitchen. The cookies turned out to be ok when we took them out but some of the brownies that came out had mold on them. This was something that definitely seemed bad to me and we tried to get rid of the bad brownies. However, when we went to serve them during lunch a few brownies were out on the tray so we snuck them to the trash container without people looking because I don’t think that I could ever give someone a brownie with a spot of mold. Besides the brownies, the serving experience turned out to be my favorite part of the day. The kitchen staff and volunteers were some of the friendliest people I have met and they made sure we knew what we were doing and helped us in any way that they possibly could. Things got hectic at times but it was very rewarding to see the men coming through the line because they were so appreciative of everything that we did and so thankful for the food.
The Nashville Rescue Mission was a great experience for me and I am excited about going back later this week. The people are so great and they went out of their way to make us feel welcome and at home. They prepared enough food for us at lunch and dinner and also provided us with drinks throughout the day while we were working. Willie was especially kind and when he saw that we were starting to drag because of the four hours of sleep we received the night before, he took us up to rest in the T.V. lounge. The people were so much more amazing than I would have ever imagined. I think that it takes a special person to be able to do the hard job that these people at the mission do and everything that they did they did with a smile on their face. From what I understand many of the workers are graduates of their rehab program so they have had rough lives and know what it is like. All in all, I think it was a really good day and I am looking forward to going back and hopefully spending some time at the Nashville Rescue Mission’s home for women and children.
3-7-09
Nashville Spring Break Day 1
Today went pretty well over all for me. I had absolutely no idea what to expect going into it because I have never worked with the homeless on any type of project. I was surprised when we arrived at the Nashville Rescue Mission because I had no idea that it would be so massive. My first thought about that was that it was great to have a big facility available, but then I realized that it is not good because there is a large homeless population in Nashville and they need a facility that large.
The first task that we started on was down in the basement of the building where they store all of the donations that they have received. Our leader for the day was a man named Willie, who instructed us on what we were to do. He gave us our job assignments as he led us down into the basement. It was very dark at first and I will be the first to admit that I was a little scared until they got all of the lights turned on. They have so much stuff down there that it is nearly impossible to go through everything. The main thing that I helped with was sorting used shoes into matching piles and organizing new shoes still in their boxes into size groups. It was good to see the generosity of people by all of the donated stuff that they had. However, it upset me to see some of the things that were donated. Some people seemed to just give the homeless whatever junk they have that they need to get rid of or cannot use. For example, we found dirty rags, shoes without matches, and a towel rack. These are all things that are not very useful to the homeless.
The next thing that I got to do was work in the kitchen. We found boxes of cookie tins filled with cookies and brownies somewhere in the basement while we were cleaning. Willie instructed some of the girls to take them up and get the food out of the tins and we could hand them out during the meal. This was exciting for me because I was looking forward to interacting with the homeless and also the volunteers in the kitchen. The cookies turned out to be ok when we took them out but some of the brownies that came out had mold on them. This was something that definitely seemed bad to me and we tried to get rid of the bad brownies. However, when we went to serve them during lunch a few brownies were out on the tray so we snuck them to the trash container without people looking because I don’t think that I could ever give someone a brownie with a spot of mold. Besides the brownies, the serving experience turned out to be my favorite part of the day. The kitchen staff and volunteers were some of the friendliest people I have met and they made sure we knew what we were doing and helped us in any way that they possibly could. Things got hectic at times but it was very rewarding to see the men coming through the line because they were so appreciative of everything that we did and so thankful for the food.
The Nashville Rescue Mission was a great experience for me and I am excited about going back later this week. The people are so great and they went out of their way to make us feel welcome and at home. They prepared enough food for us at lunch and dinner and also provided us with drinks throughout the day while we were working. Willie was especially kind and when he saw that we were starting to drag because of the four hours of sleep we received the night before, he took us up to rest in the T.V. lounge. The people were so much more amazing than I would have ever imagined. I think that it takes a special person to be able to do the hard job that these people at the mission do and everything that they did they did with a smile on their face. From what I understand many of the workers are graduates of their rehab program so they have had rough lives and know what it is like. All in all, I think it was a really good day and I am looking forward to going back and hopefully spending some time at the Nashville Rescue Mission’s home for women and children.
BrianCaulkins
Brian Caulkins
Psychology 250
3-08-09
Reflection for Alternative Spring Break
Day # 1
I’m not going to lie, I didn’t really know what to expect when going on this trip for spring break. I’ve seen movies and clips of what you’re supposed to suspect, so I thought I knew what I was doing. It pretty much hit me when we drove through the narrow alley and pulled up beside the shelter. Inside the 15 passenger van everyone was having a good time and cracking up. When all of us saw the people at the shelter, we were silent, especially me. I was there, right where the action was happening. I was scared when we got out of the van. There were homeless people and just me. It was a huge eye-opener. I realized how much I take for granted and how I judge people too quickly. My first instinct to think of homeless people was very negative. After working with these, I began to find the truth. They were so happy; I really can’t see how a homeless person could be so happy. That’s when I realized my stereotyping personality. The most positive thinking today for me was realizing that I was wrong about homeless people. Homeless people are some for the strongest people out there. The reason why is because all they have is themselves and they have to rely on that day in and day out. They were so friendly to me, as well as respectful. Every time I would pass them by they would always be social in a positive way. Today pretty much changed my outlook on life.
One thing that was positive for me today was the interaction with the participants. Where I live there are not many homeless people. To be truly honest, I believe most homeless people are the nicest people out there. It was very rewarding to interact with the participants in the program and I think they enjoyed it as well.
One thing today that really frustrated me was not being able to do everything we needed to do. There were so many projects that needed to be completed. Unfortunately we were not able to accomplish this because we ran out of time. It frustrates me because not matter how hard I try I will not be to stop the issue of homeless people. It upsets me and makes me sad to see so many human beings without shelter. It is almost a depressing type of work because in reality you realize you can’t put everybody in a home.
I did enjoy today a lot. I’m excited to work these next few days and to help homeless people. Homeless people are human beings too and deserve every legal right that we have. This project has opened my eyes and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of the week.
Psychology 250
3-08-09
Reflection for Alternative Spring Break
Day # 1
I’m not going to lie, I didn’t really know what to expect when going on this trip for spring break. I’ve seen movies and clips of what you’re supposed to suspect, so I thought I knew what I was doing. It pretty much hit me when we drove through the narrow alley and pulled up beside the shelter. Inside the 15 passenger van everyone was having a good time and cracking up. When all of us saw the people at the shelter, we were silent, especially me. I was there, right where the action was happening. I was scared when we got out of the van. There were homeless people and just me. It was a huge eye-opener. I realized how much I take for granted and how I judge people too quickly. My first instinct to think of homeless people was very negative. After working with these, I began to find the truth. They were so happy; I really can’t see how a homeless person could be so happy. That’s when I realized my stereotyping personality. The most positive thinking today for me was realizing that I was wrong about homeless people. Homeless people are some for the strongest people out there. The reason why is because all they have is themselves and they have to rely on that day in and day out. They were so friendly to me, as well as respectful. Every time I would pass them by they would always be social in a positive way. Today pretty much changed my outlook on life.
One thing that was positive for me today was the interaction with the participants. Where I live there are not many homeless people. To be truly honest, I believe most homeless people are the nicest people out there. It was very rewarding to interact with the participants in the program and I think they enjoyed it as well.
One thing today that really frustrated me was not being able to do everything we needed to do. There were so many projects that needed to be completed. Unfortunately we were not able to accomplish this because we ran out of time. It frustrates me because not matter how hard I try I will not be to stop the issue of homeless people. It upsets me and makes me sad to see so many human beings without shelter. It is almost a depressing type of work because in reality you realize you can’t put everybody in a home.
I did enjoy today a lot. I’m excited to work these next few days and to help homeless people. Homeless people are human beings too and deserve every legal right that we have. This project has opened my eyes and will continue to do so throughout the remainder of the week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)