Take Action Project

I volunteered at the North End soup kitchen in Flint. I decided to do this in the end because the whole idea of the take action project was stepping out of your comfort zone, and putting yourself in a new situation. Living near Albion, Michigan, a much smaller town than Flint but one that suffers from the same economic issues, I would often volunteer at the local food bank especially around the holidays, but I had never gotten the opportunity to help out at a soup kitchen. When I arrived I was told to get to work right away, washing potatoes, stirring soups, setting tables, making salads, and mopping floors.
As I was assembling sandwhiches the man next to me asked me what my major was in college, I told him that I was an elementary education major and he said he had just retired from being a drafting teacher in a local high school. He told me that he was disturbed that only boys took his class and he alerted the principle to the alarming trend. The principle said "Oh girls aren't interested in that kind of thing." The drafting teacher told the principle he was wrong and that girls would be valuable parts of the class and should have the opportunity to partake. The principle relented and the teacher I was talking to said that in three years time he had a class split equally amongst boys and girls. He said that one girl he is still in contact with is now a successful architect because of his class. This conversation reminded me that although in the United States there is far more gender equality, there are still negative stereotypes that are prominent in our society like "mens" and "womens" jobs. Architecture is a high paying career reserved as a more masculine profession but when girls are allowed opportunities they are more likely to pursue "mens jobs" and succeed, breaking down those gender barriers. I thought this conversation really demonstrated the message of our class that education really makes an impact and a change in every life, and that women can excel in careers other than the "nurturing" professions.
I also felt such warmth as I prepared food and handed it out to over one hundred people that came through the doors. It made me think that so often I only think of myself and my problems and issues. It was a way to get out of myself and help other people, individuals who although they have less than most are more grateful for the things they do have. I saw an abundance of human kindness phrases like "please" and "thank you," men pulling chairs out for women, and tipping their caps. I have signed up to work again and I am looking forward to it. Volunteering at the food bank I realized that there is so much one person can do to make the day of someone else, even if it is as simple as slicing a piece of cake and putting it on someone's tray. Small acts of love really matter, they mean something, and one person really can make a difference in our world.

Final Post Take Action Project

            My take action project was working with a local school organize a food and toys drive for families in need this holiday season. I had the privilege of working with some great people to help provide Christmas for children who would otherwise not have one. I helped with the giving tree set up and collecting of toys and I will finish my volunteering by helping distribute the toys to the families at the end of the week.

            My supervisor for this project was Tammy Wade; she is the head of the SKIP program in the Mt Morris School district and has worked there for several years. She chose this line of work to help families; children in particular meet their needs. It is a very rewarding job to help those who need a little extra help.

            I am not sure how this project added to my learning of this course but it did give me a better look at where a lot of the children that I work with on a daily basis are coming from. Learning what they live with gives the adults that work with them an understanding of their behavior and attitude.

            What I took from this project was a warm feeling of watching the looks on the parent’s faces when they were filling out the  paper work, knowing that their children would have something under the tree on Christmas morning.

Take Action Assignment with Good Justice

I had the privilege of working with "Good Justice" today which helps provide stable education and clean drinking water to villages in Honduras and Malawi. During my internship I was able to work directly with the Executive Director Jeff Ryal and worked to complete fundraising work.  In short, I spent most of my time stuffing envelopes.  However, the work that I did was important and I was able to speak with Jeff throughout the four hours about what the money collected from this fundraiser would go towards.  Through the process I also learned about how an organization works behind the scenes when they aren't actively putting a roof on a school building.

The first question I asked during my interview was why their organization works to provide clean drinking water and education.  While both efforts are incredibly important, the two are rarely paired by an organization as their two goals.  Jeff explained that dirty/contaminated drinking water is the main cause of death across the world so, by providing clean drinking water the organization helps keep children and their families healthy which leads to their school attendance which is the organization's main goal according to Jeff, "to help every person reach their full creative potential."


During my conversation with Jeff I learned that the organization currently has requests by seven villages in Malawi to drill clean water wells but because the ground is pure rock, drilling a well costs about $7,000 per well there.  This means that they have to increase fundraising including mailings and events but they maintain a policy of hiring local workers to do all of the labor.  Jeff stated that this was important because it allows the community to take pride in their village as well as providing income that will be spent to support and maintain that village.

The organization also has "Hope Teams" that travel once a year to the villages in Malawi and Honduras where the school buildings that they are responsible for are.  On those trips the teams work to repair any damage or wear the buildings have and to create relationships with the villagers and families who attend the schools.  Good Justice currently has four school buildings with about 160 students.  The organization was notified earlier this year that four of their students will be attending University.  They are the first members of their families to graduate let alone attend a University.

Through my work with this organization I was able to better connect readings for this course with faces and personal stories.  I also arranged with Jeff to return to help finish the work I started today. 

Final blog, Taking Action Project

As I had mentioned, I volunteered at the Center for Hope Soup Kitchen in Flint. This project really opened my eyes up to the problems that face our city. Until I had gone to the soup kitchen I never really thought about what it would be like to not have a meal everyday available to me at home. We take for granted so much and spend less time looking the other way. This class has opened my eyes up to issues I was not aware of, in my own city and in other countries. As upsetting all that was, it was very rewarding learning about all the good things people are doing every day to help. It is amazing how much of an impact one person can make.

                While I was at the Soup Kitchen, my supervisor was a lady names Brenda Supper (I believe that was her last name). She was in charge of the kitchen. We started out cleaning up from breakfast and then started preparing for lunch. I started washing dishes and then helped prepare some food. The high schoolers were there to help out and make cookies. During our break I asked the superviser Brenda some questions. I asked her how long she had been with this organization, “I’m 62 years old and had applied for a program called AARP, that puts people over 50 back in the work force. I was first sent to a different soup kitchen and was then transferred here. I’ve been here almost a year, a year in March.” She was a very tall women who was happy and positive. I then asked her what made her work significant, she then replied, “ how much people appreciate it, the people here are very appreciative and always tell me how much it means to them.” I had noticed that most of the people that had come in that day were men, so I asked her how she was helping womens issues in the community, she told me, “the women do come too, maybe not as often but they do come, I’m helping womens issues by you know making sure they have a meal available to them and we try to all be positive and welcome here, we have a great group of help here.”

                This project showed me that you can make a difference and it doesn’t really take that much, to you it may seem simple but to another people it may mean the world. Just to see how the people responded to my warm attitude felt amazing. You could tell that they really appreciated it and liked the company. I could extend my impact by continuing to volunteer at the soup kitchen, or by reaching out to another. I also have some information for other people I may know looking into volunteering.

First Blog, Taking Action

For my take action project, I ended up going to the Center for Hope Soup Kitchen on 5th Ave, it was about two minutes from the school for it was easy to find. I had some trouble finding an organization to volunteer at. This was understandable because of the time of year it is. I went to the YWCA first, then the Flint Shelter, and finally ended up at the Soup Kitchen.
During my break at the Soup Kitchen, I took some notes on what had gone on so far. We were cleaning up from breakfast and preparing for lunch. When I first got there I was introduced to the other volunteers in the kitchen. I then was sent to wash some dishes. They do breakfast at 7 am and lunch at 12. When I was volunteering, there was also a number of high schoolers there volunteering as well. The people there were really nice and loved being there, it was very rewarding for them.

Take Action Part II

       I was fortunate in volunteering some of my time at the Shelter of Flint which has been providing Flint residents a safe and stable home for the last 30 years. Unfortunately, despite the great effort of the staff and patrons of the Shelter, over 3,000 people in Flint are still without the basic necessity of a safe home. Over the last four months I have come to realize the truth in the saying, “a little effort goes a long way.” A little effort from those more fortunate could easily alleviate the issue of homelessness.
     The families that live at the Shelter are mostly single mothers and their children. The women can find comfort in having a warm place to sleep and a safe place to establish strength and dignity within their family. The environment is warm and welcoming and while I was there I recognized that each family had privacy and at the same time the Shelter offered the strength of a community. I am not sure exactly how many families live at the shelter but during my brief time there I was blessed to work with between 20 and 30 children each night. Together with my group we organized activities to help entertain the children allowing the parents some time to do whatever they needed. I noticed that several of the mothers took the time to do laundry while we worked with the kids. Working with the kids at the shelter was enjoyable and extremely rewarding; I really hope they enjoyed it as much as I did. The kids ranged from 4 years old to early teens and I was truly impressed by all of their willingness to help and participate.
      My group and I helped the kids make paper crafts and decorated cookies with a holiday theme. Our first night of volunteering we made the paper-crafts and started by creating a few samples, such as a snowman and reindeer, which gave the kids a visual from which they could recreate. I was happy to see that many of the kids improved on the ideas we gave them and some come up with their own original ideas; They all had great imaginations! After the first night of volunteering the shelter manager, Petra invited us upstairs to introduce ourselves to the mothers who were all very thankful for our time. The second night of volunteering we decorated cookies and Christmas trees (from upside down ice-cream cones). The kids and parents were happy to see us come back and again the kids did a great job working together and using their imaginations. 
      Grass-roots reform is a viable solution to help women achieve gender equality and ease the hardships of the impoverished. While I was helping with the kids I realized that three hours per week for two weeks was obviously not enough time to achieve any solution entirely but it was certainly helping a little. I also thought about “The Dot” story and believe that by helping out a little at the shelter it could possibly grow exponentially as those kids grow up and realize the value in communal support. Perhaps the six hours that the five of us in the group spent at the shelter may have influenced the 30 kids we worked with to help other people in need and better the community as a whole.
     Petra the Shelter manager was very helpful and a very busy. Unfortunately she could not complete the questions we gave her in time for this blog but I spoke with her on the phone this evening and she is going to get them to me as soon as she can. Thank you to all the great kids and parents at the Shelter for allowing us into your home and thank you Petra for your dedication to the people of Flint.

Christ Enrichment Center Take Action Project final

          This take action project has not only opened my eyes it has reestablished me in my community. I can honestly say I have been out of touch with my community since being laid off from the Flint Board of Education. This project has reignited my spark and allowed me to see what needs to be done and how I can continue to work with the community even if right now I am not working.

          Healthy Start is through the Genesee County Health Department and is housed in the Christ Enrichment center. Healthy Start targets Moms at risk of infant mortality, it is primarily gaged at the African American population and the ages range from 16 – 25. Young moms are recruited a during their delivery time at the hospital or during their visit with their DHS worker. Social workers speak with them and encourage them into the program. Healthy start enrolls the women and their children in what is called Baby College. Transportation is provided, a healthy lunch for the moms and babies and then they transition to the focus group.

          During my volunteer time I was first briefed by the supervisor on what was on the agenda for the day and the specifics of what I was expected to do.  I transitioned to the meeting area and begin to set up the meal and prepare the tables. Had the chance to converse with the Social workers who conduct the focus groups. Although in my opinion their passion for the ladies did not seem as intense as the supervisor but I admired their dedication to their field. The ladies and the babies began to arrive and the specifics of the volunteer expectations went ‘out the window’. The children seem to gravitate to me as well as the parents once I was introduced. I was asked by the social workers to come into the group and my input was welcomed by all. The moms sat, talked and laughed with me. I’m pointing this out because in that community strangers are not taken too well. It usually takes a view visits to be welcomed warmly. It was as if they knew me. I was ecstatic to be in my element, back working, empowering and encouraging young women. The focus group was centered on problem solving, loving of yourself and your children. They were encouraged to establish a support group within the healthy start group so during the holiday meeting when there was no formal meeting they could still support one another. Before the ladies left they had interaction time with their babies using everyday household objects to engage the babies (e.g. a card board box), and believe it or not the children appeared to have more fun with the boxes than the toys provided. Between the moms in reference to a support group, a Christmas party was planned with secret Santa between the ladies.

          I thoroughly enjoyed this project, it was, to me, the best part of this class. Today I received a call from the supervisor of Healthy Start, and to my surprise, my presence has been requested to attend the last meeting of the year.  It is an honor just to be considered, and to have the opportunity to positively take action in my community.

Take Action Conclusion

My take action assignment took me on a journey and opened my eyes to my community and the future of the girls in it.  My journey began at a dead end when I could not decide on what to do or where to go for my take action assignment. Then one day at work (Petco) my local girl scout’s (brownies) came into my work for a tour of the animals, and I was the tour guide. After the tour I knew exactly what I wanted to do for my take action assignment, what’s better then helping shape young girl’s to be successful in life?! Once a week for 4 weeks I attended their meetings where there was a different focus each week, but always the same concept; educating and encouraging girls.

After my hours came to a conclusion, I had a phone interview with the troop leader Lolita Benson.  My first question to her was what made her want to become a troop leader? Her response; “I wanted my daughter to be empowered and close with her community and the people in it, I wanted her to find her purpose and role in life.” Lolita’s daughter is a girl scout and she became a troop leader with a couple other moms. They get certified to be troop leaders online through the girl scouts of America website. They have online courses to work on to get their certification. All the troop leaders are mothers of the girls in girl scouts. Why did you decide on enrolling your daughter in girl scouts and not a different after school program?  Lolita’s response; “I wanted to be involved with something that would let me bond with my daughter, I’m not much of a sport person and neither is she.”  I also asked “what has been your favorite activity or field trip so far as a girl scout leader? Lolita replied; “we took the girl to a team building exercise, the girls had to work together without any help from us adults.” She went on to further talk about how the girls bonded with each other more, learning that each person is important when it comes to team work and that each person is needed to complete a task.

What I enjoyed the most was being a part of these girls’ experiences and watching and helping enrich their lives. They really looked up to me, even with my short stay with them, they bonded with me right away and made me feel good and fulfilling to help them discover their importance in their community. My favorite quotes that I took from them were; “it’s your planet – love it” and “it’s your story – tell it.”

 

Take Action Project Final Blog

In late October when we were introduced to the Take Action Project I had many things run through my head. I am very experience in the community service, fundraising and philanthropy being that I am in a sorority on campus.
Since this class main focus was women in the society we decided to do something very close to many girls within the community. Walethia is the creator of "My Dreams Do Come True" which is a local organization helping girls in the Genesee County area. Walethia collects genteelly used formal and prom dresses for prom, Homecoming and Sadie's. Walethia's organization "My Dreams Do Come True" is designated to help girls who are less fortunate and may not be able to afford going to prom. She allows the girls to choose a dress, shoes, jewelry, and jacket to keep for free so they have the opportunity to do something she didn't have the chance in doing, which is going to prom.
I really like the fact that she makes sure senior girls are graduating and looking towards a bright future. Going to prom isn't the only achievement and gift a girl could have, but graduating high school and being successful as well.
Our project was completed last week and we had two dress drives. Our first one was three hours and our second one was for two hours long held on the third floor of the University Center.  In both dress drives we received a total of zero dresses. I must say this was very disappointing, but I think the poor turn out was because there was recently a huge dress drive held on campus for another project and organization. I believe they were donated to Walethia's as well. Since we didn't collect any dresses at the tables we set at, we decided to turn in dresses of our own. I turned in a total of three, but they were more like Homecoming or Sadie's dresses.
I must say this type of community service is very similar to what I currently do at work and out the kindness of my heart. I work in The Office of Educational Opportunity Initiatives for the Committed to Excellence and Opportunity Program. In this program I work with incoming freshmen up to outgoing seniors. Every year we have two banquets. One is at the end of the summer it is for our incoming freshmen. It is a summer ball for them to show off their etiquette skills they learned in their "Sass to Class" and "G's to Gents" courses and one in May for the outgoing seniors. For both occasions I have donated dresses I have to a less fortunate young lady. The feeling I have inside is indescribable. I am so happy and complete to give back to someone who is in need and probably more appreciative to have a nice dress than I am. I can agree with the feeling Walethia has when a girl has found the right dress for them and they light up. Working for this program I see the situations that Walethia have seen with her own eyes and heard with her own ears. My stories aren't as deep and personal as hers, but I have many young girls I run across that want to give up in high school because of a dance they can not participate in because of financial reasons. It's very sad to see so I feel special to be able to help someone feel better about theirselves.
I never knew about Walethias organization but now that I know about it I have MANY girls that I will send her way for homecoming, Sadie's and Prom dresses. I think what Walethia does is great and so thoughtful. I love the fact that there are people out there that care so much about the people around in this community and many people who want to uplift this community even if it's donated dresses one at a time. It's still a step to growth for the Flint community which is what we need. I wouldn't necessarily extend the project, but refer the many young ladies I oversee in the program I work for to "My Dreams Do Come True". There are many girls in the program I work for that are in need of dresses. Since I have ran out of dresses to give and donated my last three I have none to donate anymore so I can refer them to Walethia and take them there if they aren't comfortable or if their parents cannot go with them. I want every young lady "Dreams to Come True" and have the opportunity to go to any dance they would like and enjoy high school like every high school student should. That's for girls and guys because there are guys who aren't fortunate as well, but suits are a little cheaper. One way to extended this project would be possibly open it up to male items as well. I think this is very great and a unique way in serving the Flint Community. Walethia deserves world wide awards for her outstanding work.

Part 2

I chose to do my take action project with the girls I tutor at DTM elementary school. I thought it would be cool to make the girls feel special and encourage them to become educated. It was a very fun and rewarding experience and I could tell that the girls really enjoyed the time that they got to focus on themselves and feel special.

In inner city schools many of the kids simply crave attention. They want to feel special and important, during my take action project that was one of the issues I wanted to address. I just wanted to make the girls I was working with feel special and important. I wanted them to know that they are smart and that they can go to college and get a good job. They can pick their own careers and if they work hard in school they can be successful! So as I explained in my first response for my take action project, I took girls out of the classroom and out into the hall to talk about what they wanted to be when they grow up, how they think that they can achieve this, and why they think it is important. The girls just lit up when they were asked these questions, they really seemed to value education and I hope they continue too. Many of the girls mentioned their momma's telling them they needed to go to school to be smarter and make money. One girl told me that even though her mom and dad did not go to college it doe not mean that she wont. She is smart enough and will go, this to me was very impressive since she is only 7 years old.

I think that the teachers in school have a huge role on all of the children. When I asked Mrs. Carrico why she decided to become a teacher she said that she like to work with children and teach them, she says it feels really important and it is, they are the future and we need educated people in this world. I asked her how she helps woman’s issues in the community and she says that she is educating girls and trying to make the whole communities view education as a valuable asset.

I think that as a future teacher I will make sure to have time with groups of girls and groups of boys to make sure that they know that they are important. I don't want to make the boys feel left out. I may create assignments talking about what the children want to do when they grow up, and have them research the type of schooling they need to reach their goal. I am not sure if it will be best to have the children do it as a whole group of sex separated or what. I may try them all, but either way I plan on making sure my students value education.

Part 2

For the assigned 4 volunteer hours I helped out at the Shelter of Flint. The first time I went to their facility, on Cedar St., I locked my keys in my car. During that hour wait to unlock my car I got to spend time with the faculty talking about their program. The Shelter of Flint has a 30 day program for families of housing, three meals a day, and recourses to get back on their feet. I volunteered from 8 am to noon, and worked in two different places. I helped organize a room that was all covered in Christmas presents by moving boxes to their attack and even wrapping. The other time at the Shelter I worked with the Cafeteria staff sorting canned food.

The biggest impact this volunteer experience had on me was seeing the children. I couldn’t imagine worrying about where my next was, or even where I was staying at when I got of the school bus. These 4 hours also correlated with the poverty section of this course. The overwhelming issue of poverty was presented in the class. Seeing first hand of what “poverty “looks like does make an impact on someone who hasn’t seen it.

Final post

 I really enjoyed my time volunteering at the YWCA and genuinely believe I benefited from the knowledge that I learned there.  I had no idea how much the organization helped local women and was surprised at the impact it made.
   On the second day I was there I meet with a crisis counselor and learned about what she did.  Her role was to provide support and services to women in need.  She was essentially a shoulder for them to lean on.  After that I worked on the donation floor sorting and organizing items that were donated.   I spent a fair amount of time in the "boys room" folding and organizing clothing that boys would wear.   It was interesting to be thinking about the children that would soon be wearing those clothes.  I can barely fathom what it would be like to be forced to leave my home to live in a shelter without being able to bring items I cared for.
   This experience will help me to be a better teacher because I know the importance of not judging parents and children from difficult situations.  I know that every child can succeed and it is important I understand what struggles they can face at home and how I can help them in the classroom.

Take Action- Part 2

     I initially planned to complete my Take Action service hours at the YWCA of Flint. When the Outreach Coordinator spoke to us in class and provided us with a list of possible organizations to work with, I was drawn to the YWCA because of its long standing in the community and its reputation for providing services to a disadvantaged population.  However, because of scheduling conflicts and communication issues with the volunteer coordinator, I was only able to complete half of my service hours there. The remaining hours I spent working at a Thanksgiving dinner at the International Academy of Flint. The experiences at both locations helped me to see firsthand just how needed these services are in our community.
     While at the YWCA, I was able to speak with Monica Wolf, who works in Legal Advocacy services. Ms. Wolf was able to provide me with a lot of insight into her work with the residents of SafeHouse.  As a legal advocate her work involves such things as helping the women to fill out personal protection orders, making them aware of court dates where their appearance is required and acting as a voice for these women in the courtroom when needed, among other things.  One thing I found interesting when speaking to Ms. Wolf was that she said it is not unusual that when the time comes for the women to appear in court and provide testimony against the perpetrators of their abuse, they will want to drop charges. Often they “just wanted it (the abuse) to stop right then”, at the time they called the police. They don’t realize that they must then follow through once the process has begun.  It is times like this that Ms. Wolf will relay the woman’s request to the judge and, based upon any possible record of previous domestic abuse by the perpetrator, the judge may agree to dismiss the charges or may go against the woman’s wishes and proceed with prosecuting the alleged abuser.  It is precisely because of cases like these that SafeHouse educates its residents about the patterns that abuse can follow, the different types of abuse  and attempts to teach the women how to detect abuse early on in any future relationships.  I like that not only do Ms. Wolf and SafeHouse advocate for these women who often are too afraid to advocate for themselves but also seek to break the cycle of abuse for the women and their children.
     While the work in the donation center can be tedious at times, at the same time it is satisfying in doing something that so many get so much out of and knowing that even though they are not in the most ideal of situations, you are a part of helping the residents to get their most basic needs met.
     On Thanksgiving I spent 3 hours working at a dinner provided for lower income families at International Academy of Flint.  This was my fifth year working at this dinner. Throughout the years I've seen that many of the families we serve are single females, both with and without children, and with a wide range in age.  Some of these women are raising families on their own, while some, like many others, have simply fallen on hard times. This is such a rewarding project to participate in as it also incorporates distributing clothing and guests are sent home with a box of food, including fresh fruit and frozen meat.
     The SafeHouse at the YWCA has both short and long term effects.  For the short term, it gives women and their children a safe albeit temporary place to call home. For the long term, the educational programs it offers provide life long learning to its residents that only seek to better their future, for both the women and their children.  As was the message so often in Half the Sky, providing education to those in disadvantaged situations is often the key to a better life and a better world. I don't think we can emphasize enough the importance of education to women so that they can then pass this on to future generations.
     I look forward to returning to the YWCA next semester to continue providing service where I can. This project was the impetus I think many of us needed to see the impact that one person can make.

Vacation Bible School

For my take action project I worked at Vacation Bible School at Holy Rosary.  What I did was run various stations, such as arts and crafts, story-telling, and games.  I worked this over a variety of days.  Not only was the purpose of the activity to give the kids a fun experience, it was to give the group leaders (mostly 5th-6th grade) a leadership role, and an opportunity to learn about that role.  I wound up handling a lot of the discipline issues with both the younger kids and the leaders, because I was able to handle the issues without yelling.  What I'm hoping, and the event organizer Emilie, hopes the main impact will be on the older kids, is that they learn how to be responsible leaders.  As this was her first year organizing the event, she was hesitant to use kids so young to be group leaders, however as the days went on she was able to see the progress they made in leadership, as was I.  When they started, many of them weren't ready for the task, but by the time we were finished, she was feeling a lot better about them as leaders.  I will be volunteering at this event in the future, and I also hope to institute similar leadership experiences into the classroom when I eventually become a teacher.  This all relates to our course, because it is teaching these kids a skill they can use to succeed during life.  As Emilie said, "Without leadership, this kids will survive.  With leadership, these kids will thrive."  Utilizing the leadership skill could gets these kids jobs, and then help them move forward in those jobs.  It could also teach them to take charge, and do things for themselves, instead of waiting for others to do it for them.

My Experience at the Shelter of Flint

For my Take Action project, I volunteered at the Shelter of Flint with four other classmates. This experience was so rewarding, and I feel as though my motivation for working with others in my community has completely shifted from a very selfish perspective to one that is compassionate and hopeful. The children and parents that I was able to meet are people who need the community to recognize their situation and the events that have resulted in their homelessness.

While homelessness is a very serious issue in Flint, the children that we worked with were so much fun that it almost blurred the reality of where we were. I was so impressed with the children and how supportive they were to one another. I was especially impressed with the older children, who seemed to take on very caring roles for the young toddlers who needed help with some of the activities or were upset because they wanted to be with their parents.

For each of our visits, we created several activities for the kids. On the first night, we did Christmas crafts with the kids, providing paper, stickers, glitter, and other supplies for the kids to make Christmas cards, reindeer, or snowflakes. On the second night, we decorated Christmas cookies, colored Christmas-themed coloring books, and did a baloon race. Both nights were successful, and the children really seemed to enjoy all of the activities. During the time that we spent with the 25+ kids, their parents (the shelter houses women and children primarily, but there were several men also) were able to catch up on their house chores, attend GED classes and workshops, research jobs in the area, seek counseling, or just relax. I think time to oneself is very important no matter what situation you're in, so I was glad the parents were able to have some time alone to take care of themselves.

The Shelter of Flint originally began as an emergency shelter for women that, according to their website, “understood the reality of women needing temporary emergency housing.” Services have since expanded to homeless women, children, and families. One of the coordinators we worked with, Petra, mentioned on our first visit that she appreciated our effort and she wanted us to understand how big of a role the community plays in the success of these individuals. While Petra was unable to give us back our interview questions on time (We gave her two and a half weeks notice, but she is incredibly busy), this little bit of advice was enough to make me feel that I should be doing more in my own community. Not only is it rewarding to give back to your community, its also rewarding to see how your efforts can change your community for the better. Most of us enrolled in this class are prospective teachers, and I hope that if this project has taught us anything, it is that our role in our communities extends much further than the walls of our classrooms.

If I receive the interview questions from Petra, I'll be sure to update my post.

"After" Take Action Project Blog

I learned a lot while doing this project. For my volunteer time, I volunteered at the Latchkey program at my old elementary school. This was an amazing experience for me. While I didn't do too many huge activities with the children, I did get to sit down and talk with quite a few of them, which was a very interesting experience. Many of them are facing rough times because of their situations at home, and you can tell when you sit down with them that most of them just want someone to talk to. Many of their parents work full time jobs, and they receive money from the government for childcare, so that they can afford to send their kids to Latchkey. I was told by the Latchkey supervisor that they have a lot of single mother households there that greatly benefit from being able to send their children to Latchkey, since a lot of regular daycare's won't accept the assistance that they receive.

When I interviewed Mrs Garza (who runs the Latchkey program at the elementary school that I visited), she told me that she believes that she has made a lasting impression on many of the children who have passed through the program. While their parents work full time, they are mostly left to do things on their own, and when they come to school they don't usually have any of their work done. Mrs. Garza makes sure that the children who are known to not complete their homework because of their home situation get their work done. She will sit with them and help them complete it, and make sure that the child's teacher is aware of the situation that the child is facing at home so that they can be helped as much as possible. Mrs. Garza mentioned that she has had many of these same students come and visit her years later, thanking her for helping them out. She sees these children every morning and night all throughout their elementary school years, so she is able to be a source of stability for them.

Overall, this project convinced me even more that I would like to work in a lower income school district. I feel that this would be a good continuation of the project by being able to provide stability for children who might not have any at home. This also helps women who don't have time between their jobs and their children to help them out in school. This amazing experience just made me realize how real everything we learned in the course was, how it is happening to real people, not just some faraway people in a book.

final take action blog

Volunteering at the YWCA was very interesting and worth it. I ended up working in the store there for parents who cannot afford Christmas gifts could come and get them. Two other girls were volunteering there too from our class. We had to take all the boxes and bags of donations and put them in the rooms they belong in, so it was easy for mothers to find. When we finished putting all the stuff in each room we organized the rooms and set it up like a store. We surprised Adriane with what we got done because the three of us put a big chunk of the store together for them. It was very nice to make her so impressed and happy with our hard work.   I was so impacted by this project, even though I will not get to see the smiles on the children's faces Christmas morning. I know they will all be happy because there were so many amazing gifts that each child should love. I never knew the YWCA had this store that I told my mother about it. We both decided that we will try and donate gifts for the store next year. I will extend my project by donating and volunteering at the YWCA whenever I can. I enjoyed this project so much that I even talked to my sorority sisters that we are going to try and volunteer at the YWCA next semester.   The volunteering itself did not add to my learning in this class, but the interview did. There was a little confusion in my process of volunteering because there were a few Melissa's and they got me confused with another Melissa that I went in to see a counselor. When Christina realized I was the wrong one she was okay with it, and just talked to me about the projects the YWCA does and she let me interview her. When I asked her what was significant about her job and what she did to help women’s issues she said, "I help women with issues they have so they have someone to talk to. I also help out with the safe house we have, and I am on call every once in awhile for women. I also am very involved with the sex trafficking in Genesee county by letting women know there is other ways to support your family then Prostitution." I then asked her why she chooses to work there and she said she worked there because she loves helping women, and the YWCA is a big organization to help women. She also said she enjoyed working with all her coworkers and the women she works with because they are like a big family and is always there for each other.  I really enjoyed this project. It was so nice getting out there and helping women and children in need. Everyone at the YWCA was very welcoming and very grateful for the help we were giving them. They all were sad to see us leave, but said they hope we will return to volunteer again.

final take action post

I went to a soup kitchen when I was home for Thanksgiving break. I got to help others be able to get some food for a meal. I helped served them chicken soup with a roll. They also could choose from a dessert; a sugar cookie or a brownie. I enjoyed seeing the reactions on the peoples face when they could see that someone cared about them. This was a time were these people can be loved and cared for. They are not judged by what they don’t have.

The person I worked with was a girl named Nicole. She was telling me that she loves doing this to help those who aren’t as fortunate as others. She also told me that she really likes doing the soup kitchen this time of year to show that the season is supposed to be all about giving. And many people don’t think of others and it makes her sad. Nicole told me that they mainly get women and children. What will happen is when a family begins to struggle, most of the time, the father will leave them than. And they end up at the soup kitchens with nothing left but the love for each other. When you first walk in the door you would not realize who the volunteers were and who was there for a meal. Nicole told me that in everything to remember that these people are just like us, they don’t have as much.

This is not just related to women and children but also men. However it is mainly the women who go to this soup kitchen. I think this take action project is a lot like Saima Muhammad. She was beaten up and some of these women who were at the soup kitchen have some of this violence in their life. Saima and her family also had trouble financially. These people at the soup kitchen don’t have the best finances. The people at the soup kitchen and Saima had some similar issues, however it is important to realize these issues are everywhere. If we help support those who we know are struggling that can help make a difference.

After going to the soup kitchen I plan on going back about once a month and helping the people there and also to learn some of their stories. Like how they ended up in that situation and also what they would consider helpful from others nto help them in a situation like this.