The day I went to volunteer at the Denver Rescue Mission, I was very excited and curious to find out what I would be doing. I figured out how to get there and then took the lightrail downtown. Once I arrived in downtown Denver, I asked some people how to get to the DRM and eventually figured it out. It was quite a bit of a walk to get there, but it was pretty manageable. When I got there, I signed in and met the other volunteers who I ended up working with that day.
Some of the duties I partook in were cleaning out the trash and filling the gargbage cans with trash bags. I also helped by filling up the pitchers and setting up tables that were needed to feed the homeless people for dinner. In addition, I assisted others in bringing food out and moving things around. I worked in the backroom area where I had to move stuff around as well as preparing food for other meals such as cutting bagles and bringing other important items to the tables.
There were many chores which I was able to perfrom while volunteering at the DRM. The day pasted by very fast and wish that I could of stayed longer. Even though it was short, I was able to accomplish a lot and make the most use of my time. Similar to Project Homeless Connect, I still enjoyed working with the homeless people although the tasks that I performed were much different from each other.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Class Reflections
In the past 10 weeks we’ve covered a lot of ground regarding not only writing, but also research techniques all under the overarching theme of service learning. As you reflect on this quarter, in what area do you think you’ve improved the most? Was there a particular assignment that challenged you to enhance your writing or research methods?
In exploring different types of writing styles, we’ve also analyzed and observed many different opinions about the homeless and homelessness. How, if at all, has this class changed your thoughts about the homeless? If you’re view points did change, why do you think this is? Do you think centering a writing class on a social issue is an effective way to teach writing?
A big part of this class was the service learning aspect. We read article that both supported and negated the effects of service learning. Even a piece of our grade in this class was based upon our own volunteer work. After 10 weeks of experience with a service learning program, what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of a class like this? Would you participate in a service learning course again? Why or Why not?
-Emily
In exploring different types of writing styles, we’ve also analyzed and observed many different opinions about the homeless and homelessness. How, if at all, has this class changed your thoughts about the homeless? If you’re view points did change, why do you think this is? Do you think centering a writing class on a social issue is an effective way to teach writing?
A big part of this class was the service learning aspect. We read article that both supported and negated the effects of service learning. Even a piece of our grade in this class was based upon our own volunteer work. After 10 weeks of experience with a service learning program, what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of a class like this? Would you participate in a service learning course again? Why or Why not?
-Emily
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Project Homeless Connect Reflection
When I volunteered at Project Homeless Connect, I noticed many people who partook in this event. I experienced various ways of helping these people out and knowing that I was an important part in making a difference in their lives. One particular thing that stood out to me was just the overall experience of talking with my client and other people put into the same situation. I enjoyed the interactions we had because it made us both feel engaged to the conversations amongst each other. For example, when we were eating lunch together or waiting in line to get a haircut was when we mostly talked because it gave us time to reflect on each other’s stories. It was a great time because this is not a typical everyday thing and took every opportunity to be part of such a great cause.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Service Learning Log #1 -- Abby
I felt overwhelmed with anxiety as soon as I approached the Ritchie Center. I had forgotten to enter from the North, so I had to pass through the entire building to arrive at the entrance. As I hurried through the hallway, I made note of the crowds surrounding me. I am embarrassed to say it, but if I had been in downtown Denver in that crowd, I would have gone out of my way to not pay attention; I would have avoided eye contact and stared at my feet. Instead, I took in all the fine details I could: I had a paper to write! One thing I explicitly noticed was that not everyone looked homeless! For a millisecond I assumed that they weren’t, that these were just regular people looking for some help. The women were wearing makeup, the men’s shirts were tucked in…Then I remembered what I had learned in class: only about 15 to 20 percent of Denver’s homeless fit the prototype we have in created in our heads. Whenever I had previously arrived to the north end of the Richie Center, I had always felt excited and happy. Usually, I was going to a hockey game, or a basketball game, or to free open skate. This time, my emotions were decidedly different; I was excited, yes, but my primary emotion was anxiety. I was nervous and worried, despite my better judgment. I looked for someone wearing a red shirt, who directed me towards volunteer check-in, who in turn directed me back up the stairs to receive my clients (little did I know this was to be a major theme of the day--being instructed from one person, to another, and so on…). After taking the final step I saw the woman who was handing out client assignments, and stumbled: the person ahead of me was walking away with their one partner, a 50ish woman. The next group waiting for a volunteer was not quite so small--a woman in her 50s, a woman (who looked no older than me) holding a toddler in her arms while pushing a stroller containing a second baby. Four homeless people were going to be assigned to one overwhelmed young volunteer. Yes, that volunteer was me.
I awkwardly introduced myself, and they did the same. We headed over towards the food; there is no better way to diffuse tension than to add free food into the mix. We sat down at a table with another couple and started chatting. It was not as awkward to get started as I had assumed it would be--both of my clients were very outgoing women. The youngest started off by telling me how the bus to pick them up was an hour and a half late! This got the older woman going--but she wasn’t angry, she was laughing! She told me how Annie had been complaining to everyone in sight, but that nobody was getting mad at her because she was so cute! I could understand it: Annie, who is 24, looks about 17. She is just barely five feet tall, has beautiful brown eyes and what is often called a movie star smile. Outside of the context of Project Homeless Connect, I never would have believed her to be currently living in a shelter. She explained to me that the four of them, along with two of their friends form the shelter, arrived at the bus stop promptly at 10 till 8 for their 8:00 bus. The other women waited until 9:00, when they headed back to the shelter in frustration. Luckily for Annie and DJ, who continued waiting, the bus picked them up at 9:30 and they were deposited at the foot of the impressive campus of the University of Denver around 10 o’clock.
It is difficult to be concise when talking about my experiences with Project Homeless Connect; my first draft was 1400 words! I learned so much about myself and the homeless in Denver, but even more importantly, I think I really helped my client on her journey towards finding a home. Throughout the day we talked about so many serious issues--racism, abuse, literacy, and family issues-- that my eyes were truly opened to the plight of the average homeless person. I understand now that there are a lot of factors that lead a person to lose their home. I also saw first hand the negative effects homelessness can have on a child‘s development. However, I saw a lot of things that changed my opinions and gave me hope.
I awkwardly introduced myself, and they did the same. We headed over towards the food; there is no better way to diffuse tension than to add free food into the mix. We sat down at a table with another couple and started chatting. It was not as awkward to get started as I had assumed it would be--both of my clients were very outgoing women. The youngest started off by telling me how the bus to pick them up was an hour and a half late! This got the older woman going--but she wasn’t angry, she was laughing! She told me how Annie had been complaining to everyone in sight, but that nobody was getting mad at her because she was so cute! I could understand it: Annie, who is 24, looks about 17. She is just barely five feet tall, has beautiful brown eyes and what is often called a movie star smile. Outside of the context of Project Homeless Connect, I never would have believed her to be currently living in a shelter. She explained to me that the four of them, along with two of their friends form the shelter, arrived at the bus stop promptly at 10 till 8 for their 8:00 bus. The other women waited until 9:00, when they headed back to the shelter in frustration. Luckily for Annie and DJ, who continued waiting, the bus picked them up at 9:30 and they were deposited at the foot of the impressive campus of the University of Denver around 10 o’clock.
It is difficult to be concise when talking about my experiences with Project Homeless Connect; my first draft was 1400 words! I learned so much about myself and the homeless in Denver, but even more importantly, I think I really helped my client on her journey towards finding a home. Throughout the day we talked about so many serious issues--racism, abuse, literacy, and family issues-- that my eyes were truly opened to the plight of the average homeless person. I understand now that there are a lot of factors that lead a person to lose their home. I also saw first hand the negative effects homelessness can have on a child‘s development. However, I saw a lot of things that changed my opinions and gave me hope.
Service Learning log 2-Margy Rose
Project Homeless Connect (PHC) was different for me this time around, versus my experience with PHC5, because of the nature of the volunteer work I did at both events. For my first experience, I worked with an older lady and her sister, walking them through client services. We did not have much of a connection at the end of PCH5; however, we found somewhat of an understanding. I was also able to see a different side of PHC this quarter by walking around an 18-year-old girl through client services. I felt that there was a real connection between us, our experiences might have been completely different but the basic level of understanding the late teen years was easy and natural. We had no problems conversing as if we were forced into the same awkward school fieldtrip and were forced to be in the buddy system for the trip. By the end, we were talking as if we were best friends, about guys and about life in general. However, I had a difficult time accepting the fact that we had this invisible brick wall between us, the wall that she is going to have incredible difficulty crossing; the wall that is the definitive line between a life of ease and privilege and a life of constant struggle upward. She was 18, looking for permanent housing, living in a $150 per month apartment, and without any job. How quickly she fell to poverty, and how close she is now was a real wake-up call for me. I am 19, a spunky and outgoing college student, president of an organization, advisor, mentor, and soon to be RA. I have the world at my fingertips by being at Denver University and no matter what I did that day; I was not going to be able to help her reach that point, not in one day at least. It felt out of my hands, I was not in control and that was difficult to let go of. It made me reconsider my plans for the summer—so I applied for summer staff positions—and reiterated the importance of being independent and having my own financial stability, without my parents. For the second part of my day, I took up documenting PHC through my photography for The Clarion. Immediately when I put on the camera, the environment surrounding me changed. I was no longer just a volunteer. To some, I was an intruder, getting too close and too personal, documenting a very vulnerable time. For some, especially the kids, the camera was a source of excitement, a chance to be in the spotlight instead of one of the forgotten. Starting out, I had conflicts, ethical dilemmas that I had to face about documenting the event. I found myself holding back on some photos, observing and shooting with a telescope lens instead of getting too close. I also found myself trying hard to capture the emotion of the day to the point that I almost stereotyped the reactions I was looking for: the exhausted, degraded looking homeless person and the emotionally exhausted volunteer. The more I think about it, the more disgusted I am with my crass discrimination of photos I did take that day—disregarding some that I saw no emotion in—completely forgetting to adapt my shooting to the mood of the subjects. I am by nature and by experience, not quick to judge or to put labels on others; however, here I was doing just that. I was looking for the stereotype, possibly because of my inner photojournalist’s nature or possibly because I felt detached from the event by being behind the lense. I found the few moments I was looking for, shooting accordingly; however, I missed some key opportunities to capture the real spirit of the event: people helping people, enjoying their time relaxing for a day and learning from one another. It was the spirit I had when I was doing client service, and I lost by trying to create a photographer-subject boundary. If I could go back to that day, or if I get another opportunity to participate in a PHC, I would hope to not lose my spirit of volunteerism and have another try at documenting and photo journalism.
Overall, this quarter has been a quarter for discovery and changing perceptions. By participating in PHC and through my volunteering at DRM and the Bridge Project, I have been able to see more amounts of dedication and perseverance than I have seen from most of my encounters on DU’s campus. I have learned that this is most likely because it takes that extra 150% to even be close to being on a level playing field as others in society. It is admirable and deserves to be recognized. These people are not lazy, they are not dumb, they are not lacking any sort of commitment or dedication; they are victims. They are victims of bad luck and bad decisions that forced them into difficult positions, into poverty, and they were pushed so deep that it becomes a cycle, and a difficult one to break. They work twice as hard as many other people, many university students. They came to our campus for one day, in all humility and with the strength of a super-human because they needed outside help. An act of that magnitude takes extreme amounts of courage because it can be incredibly humiliating. I admire all who came out and I applaud all the volunteers that honestly went into Friday looking to learn and to grow from the experience, not because they had to for class but because they genuinely wanted to help. This was a fantastic event for Denver University and I hope we get to host it again.
Service Learning log 1-Margy Rose
For my outside volunteer project, I spent an evening with Hanna and Janis at the Denver Rescue Mission (DRM). Upon arriving, we noticed a Boy Scout leader standing outside the volunteer entrance and realized immediately that the work load that night was going to be super-light as Boy Scout groups tend to be large. The shift was over-booked with volunteers, which allowed for some time to sit down with the director to talk about the mission and details of the DRM. The director was an interesting sort of man. He was extremely personal, delving into each of our backgrounds and asking personal questions about why we chose to work at the rescue mission for the evening. He was very curious about the latter, wanting to know in detail why we chose to work there and what potential we saw for service-learning integration with the work we would be doing. He also seemed somewhat cynical towards the environment of the DRM, frequently telling us the DRM is full of negative energy and sorrowful faces which can be draining on volunteers. He even stated that it was a wonder why anybody chose to volunteer there—an unconventional and almost alarming statement when prepping three girls for a three hour volunteer shift. I was afraid at first that with the number of volunteers there going to render us almost completely useless to the DRM for the evening. We were placed on dinner prep, which is not the most interactive volunteer project, and we were stuck rolling sporks for the evening. As unlucky as this might seem, we were lucky to get to interact with a member of the Scouts who came and helped us with the rolling. The kid was an incredible, home-schooled middle school student who could have been labeled “too bright for his own good.” For an hour of volunteering we sat and talked with him, learning about concerns of middle school—taking tests and getting on sports teams—and the difference in being home-schooled versus private and public institutions—whether or not he felt left out socially or if it was going to be a difficult adjustment when he finally enrolled into a school or college.
For a really interesting twist, the director specifically asked one volunteer, a participant in the DRM rehab program, to come talk with our group about his experience in rehab program and his life before going to DRM. Even though he started to talk to us right after our shift ended, we stayed and listened to his story close to an hour after our shift ended. We were completely enraptured by his recounting of personal events: arrests, drug abuse, marriage, divorce, soul-seeking, and rehabilitation. I had a group meeting that I was voluntarily late for to allow him to finish sharing his story. It was almost as if we were used for his cathartic release, and I could not take that away from him. Although we did not get to work directly with the homeless coming into the shelter, I feel I gained more insight from this one man and his journey than I learned from any experience of the past weekend. In order to break the cycle of poverty, homelessness, or drug and alcohol abuse, one must be determined enough to get out, to realize that one slip-up will start the cycle over again, and that avoiding these mistakes is crucial. The second step to recovery is not so much a second step but goes hand-in-hand with the first; second, admittance is necessary to keep accountable, to follow and stay on the right track. He was asked to come speak to our group, even though he had work to do for the program that day, he took the time to come down and talk because, as he said, it was just as important for his rehabilitation to have to be honest about his past so he can look forward to his future knowing he never wants to go back there. He spoke to us with such humility and honesty that is rarely seen in any conversation, much less a conversation on faults and bad decisions in life. I appreciated every extra moment we spent there because I was able to see the extent the humility and honesty helped relieve him of at least a part of his past.
Service Learning #2-PHC
I awoke at 7:15, eager for the experience ahead of me. As I got ready, I wondered what the day would hold in store for me. At 8:00, I begin to walk over to the Ritchie Center with my friend’s Mom. I look over at her and smile to myself. She is wearing a heavy fleece coat and gloves while I am only in a t-shirt. The forecast says it will be 70 degrees today. . What I do not realize is that she will not be the last person I see dressed for the cold. We arrive and check-in receiving our clipboards and then being instructed to wait in line along the stairs. Forty minutes later, the buses arrive and the clients begin to file out. They are mostly men, but there are also couples, families, and young adults about my age. Many carry bags or push strollers filled with their only possessions, and near all are wearing heavier coats. Though it is a nice morning, the afternoon would bring colder weather.
As the clients line up alongside the volunteers, the two groups do not interact even though they are only two feet from one another. As I finally reach the top of the stairs, I am paired up with an African American man in his mid 50s named Joe. During our big introduction, Joe barely takes his headphones off to say hello and rushes forward, not even waiting for me to say hi back. I rush to catch up with him, saying that we need to fill out some paperwork and asking him if he wants breakfast. He stops and looks back, still with his headphones on. He says no to breakfast and no to the bag check (he is carrying one backpack and a newspaper). He then pushes forward, only stopping for a brief two minutes when he fills out the forms. We soon enter the field house and it seems that we are some of the first to arrive. Joe instantly notes that housing already has a line. “Come with me,” he says and we walk to that designated area. Joe goes up to the lady in charge and asks for a number, while I stand behind, still looking at the volunteer map and trying to find where we are. The next moment, Joe is back at my side and telling me that we will go to employment while we wait. He is a veteran so we find the correct line. I stand aside, only half listening to his conversation with the lady. I am unsure how much either one of us is comfortable knowing and sharing. Twenty minutes later, Joe stands up and tells me he has received a few phone numbers where he can cook or do janitorial services, similar to some of the jobs he has held in the past.
Next, we walk over to the housing section where we still have twenty people in front of us. He says he would like to go outside a smoke. I said I would come with him and the two of us found a seat outside amongst numerous other clients. He began asking me questions about myself: where was I from and what was I studying? Soon, I felt comfortable enough to get to know him and I learned that he was from Louisiana, but that he had been in Denver for ten years (five of which is form indicated that he had been homeless). I also learned that he served in the army and that he had one son who was older. Soon, we needed to go back inside, but this time, walking into the field house, I felt much happier to have Joe as my client.
When we finally had our number called, we were told to sit at a round table where a man with forms interviewed us asking a lot of questions about Joe’s current situation. When we were finished with this part, we had to go and wait in another line for about thirty minutes more. Next, we talked to another lady who filled out more forms about Joe’s life. In the end, we found that the housing station was not actually giving out housing contracts, but only referrals. Joe seemed frustrated, saying that it was a waste of time to wait in line. All he received was a few phone numbers of different emergency shelters, but because he could not afford monthly housing, there was not much else that they could provide for them.
After this, Joe was ready to head out. He said he had a few places he wanted to stop by that afternoon. I made sure he received a lunch and an amenities bag before we parted ways. He thanked me for my help and said that he enjoyed his time with me. I felt good that at least part of his day had been pleasant.
My next client was named Frank. Frank was a truly fascinating person, not actually having a permanent place of residence. He was originally from South Dakota, but he had lived in Hawaii most recently. However, that very morning, he had arrived in Denver via bus from New Mexico. He said he had helped out a friend do some house renovations and now he was just on the move again and that this was his first time in Colorado. When I looked at his form, his last permanent residence involved camping. What a different life this man led from my very own.
Since Frank arrived much later in the afternoon, many places were closing up. He had mentioned that he wanted to get a hair cut, but by the time we got there, it was much too late. Still, he did find success in getting a renewed license and birth certificate. I think that even thought he did not mind not having an address, it was important that he still had a sense of identity. After waiting at this station, we found that there was no where else he really needed to go. He already had a referral to stay at a shelter for the night and he had already eaten lunch. Before I walked Frank to his bus, I made sure he also received an amenity bag. When I said goodbye, I told him good luck with everything. After leaving him, I found that there were no more clients, so I decided to head home.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Project Homeless Connect. Personally, I grew in my knowledge of the homeless. In getting to know to men who were in this situation, I learned that life can sometimes just turn around for the worse. Both had indicated on the forms that bad credit and a loss of jobs was the reason they were homeless. Still, I found that both were kind-hearted and optimistic. Also, I discovered that before this experience, I just assumed most homeless people were either entirely or partially illiterate. However, both my clients were able to fill out their own forms. In a way, I felt that I was being degrading by filling out the forms for two humans who were perfectly capable of doing it themselves. Though having the clients fill out their forms was not exactly how the staff wanted it to be done, I felt that this helped me feel more comfortable and relaxed with my clients.
I also feel more willing to volunteer in the community. I now understand that the public good does not necessarily refer to the image of for instance the city of Denver. Instead, this phrase more refers to the good of the citizens. Volunteering will help those in my community who are less fortunate. This experience showed me that my time is valuable to those who need it. It was a life-changing event that helped me see how others live and also observe first-hand some of the situations I have read about in class. I look forward to helping again next year and learning more about the lives of different people.
As the clients line up alongside the volunteers, the two groups do not interact even though they are only two feet from one another. As I finally reach the top of the stairs, I am paired up with an African American man in his mid 50s named Joe. During our big introduction, Joe barely takes his headphones off to say hello and rushes forward, not even waiting for me to say hi back. I rush to catch up with him, saying that we need to fill out some paperwork and asking him if he wants breakfast. He stops and looks back, still with his headphones on. He says no to breakfast and no to the bag check (he is carrying one backpack and a newspaper). He then pushes forward, only stopping for a brief two minutes when he fills out the forms. We soon enter the field house and it seems that we are some of the first to arrive. Joe instantly notes that housing already has a line. “Come with me,” he says and we walk to that designated area. Joe goes up to the lady in charge and asks for a number, while I stand behind, still looking at the volunteer map and trying to find where we are. The next moment, Joe is back at my side and telling me that we will go to employment while we wait. He is a veteran so we find the correct line. I stand aside, only half listening to his conversation with the lady. I am unsure how much either one of us is comfortable knowing and sharing. Twenty minutes later, Joe stands up and tells me he has received a few phone numbers where he can cook or do janitorial services, similar to some of the jobs he has held in the past.
Next, we walk over to the housing section where we still have twenty people in front of us. He says he would like to go outside a smoke. I said I would come with him and the two of us found a seat outside amongst numerous other clients. He began asking me questions about myself: where was I from and what was I studying? Soon, I felt comfortable enough to get to know him and I learned that he was from Louisiana, but that he had been in Denver for ten years (five of which is form indicated that he had been homeless). I also learned that he served in the army and that he had one son who was older. Soon, we needed to go back inside, but this time, walking into the field house, I felt much happier to have Joe as my client.
When we finally had our number called, we were told to sit at a round table where a man with forms interviewed us asking a lot of questions about Joe’s current situation. When we were finished with this part, we had to go and wait in another line for about thirty minutes more. Next, we talked to another lady who filled out more forms about Joe’s life. In the end, we found that the housing station was not actually giving out housing contracts, but only referrals. Joe seemed frustrated, saying that it was a waste of time to wait in line. All he received was a few phone numbers of different emergency shelters, but because he could not afford monthly housing, there was not much else that they could provide for them.
After this, Joe was ready to head out. He said he had a few places he wanted to stop by that afternoon. I made sure he received a lunch and an amenities bag before we parted ways. He thanked me for my help and said that he enjoyed his time with me. I felt good that at least part of his day had been pleasant.
My next client was named Frank. Frank was a truly fascinating person, not actually having a permanent place of residence. He was originally from South Dakota, but he had lived in Hawaii most recently. However, that very morning, he had arrived in Denver via bus from New Mexico. He said he had helped out a friend do some house renovations and now he was just on the move again and that this was his first time in Colorado. When I looked at his form, his last permanent residence involved camping. What a different life this man led from my very own.
Since Frank arrived much later in the afternoon, many places were closing up. He had mentioned that he wanted to get a hair cut, but by the time we got there, it was much too late. Still, he did find success in getting a renewed license and birth certificate. I think that even thought he did not mind not having an address, it was important that he still had a sense of identity. After waiting at this station, we found that there was no where else he really needed to go. He already had a referral to stay at a shelter for the night and he had already eaten lunch. Before I walked Frank to his bus, I made sure he also received an amenity bag. When I said goodbye, I told him good luck with everything. After leaving him, I found that there were no more clients, so I decided to head home.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Project Homeless Connect. Personally, I grew in my knowledge of the homeless. In getting to know to men who were in this situation, I learned that life can sometimes just turn around for the worse. Both had indicated on the forms that bad credit and a loss of jobs was the reason they were homeless. Still, I found that both were kind-hearted and optimistic. Also, I discovered that before this experience, I just assumed most homeless people were either entirely or partially illiterate. However, both my clients were able to fill out their own forms. In a way, I felt that I was being degrading by filling out the forms for two humans who were perfectly capable of doing it themselves. Though having the clients fill out their forms was not exactly how the staff wanted it to be done, I felt that this helped me feel more comfortable and relaxed with my clients.
I also feel more willing to volunteer in the community. I now understand that the public good does not necessarily refer to the image of for instance the city of Denver. Instead, this phrase more refers to the good of the citizens. Volunteering will help those in my community who are less fortunate. This experience showed me that my time is valuable to those who need it. It was a life-changing event that helped me see how others live and also observe first-hand some of the situations I have read about in class. I look forward to helping again next year and learning more about the lives of different people.
Service Learning #1
Colorado Coalition
Friday, May 2, 2008
1.5 hours
For my first service-learning experience, I chose to visit the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, an organization that works to improve the homeless situation in the state as well as offers numerous medical services. My experience began with my friend Amanda and me venturing downtown on the light rail. We got off at the last stop at 18th Street and Stout, and we walked two blocks deeper into the city to reach our destination. When we got off of the light rail, we were in front of the courthouse, a beautiful older building. However, as we ventured toward CCH, we found ourselves in a less than perfect setting. We saw one man walking with a shopping cart that held all of his belongings, while a middle-aged woman sat on the sidewalk across the street from us, asking for money or food.
When we finally found our destination, there were a few people standing outside smoking. We were very shy at first, but one lady said hi to us, and we made our move. We asked her is she had heard about Project Homeless Connect and when she said no, we offered her a flyer. The other two ladies she had been talking with also asked for flyers. They were all very nice and after leaving their presence, Amanda and I were unsure about their living conditions. It seemed that they were not entirely poor, as one lady had a cell phone and the other had on nicer clothes. We then ventured inside the building, where we found ourselves in the middle of a mid-size waiting room. The room was gray and depressing and everyone inside was silent. None of the near forty people waiting spoke or looked at one another. They all seemed to be there to take care of whatever it was that they needed and that was it. Amanda and I first went to the front desk to make sure we could pass out our flyers and the lady smiled and said that that would be fine. However, the moment we turned around, our task seemed daunting. Nobody in the room looked like they were in the mood to have a conversation, especially with two privileged college girls. What was worse, we did not feel that we could properly identify those who may really need the services offered at PHC. Some people had cell phones while another man carried a briefcase. It seemed that this clinic was more for those who did not have health insurance and not necessarily for those who were homeless. Amanda and I felt awkward being there, looking at the people and attempting to judge who may look like they were homeless. In the end, we found it to be an inappropriate setting to pass the flyers out. Instead, we chose to leave them with the lady at the front desk who promised to make sure they would be distributed throughout the office so people would have many chances to grab one.
On our walk back to the light rail, we felt only embarrassment and ignorance. We were so ashamed that we had stood in that clinic and looked around, judging everyone we saw. Just because these people needed to go to CCH did not mean that they were poor or that we should have looked down upon them as if we were superior. Also, we felt ignorant to the fact that we had not fully understood the organization’s goals and the experience this location would bring us. It seemed that we had just assumed everyone would be poor, but in reality, the people in this clinic were working to bring themselves out of this situation of homelessness. Overall, I was not greatly inspired or pleased by this experience, but it did help me realize how quick I can be to judge and that this is something I need to work on. I felt terrible that I had looked down on these people just because they had experience certain struggles in their lives. I know that it will be impossible for me to never judge another again, but I feel that judging people in relation to who I am is wrong and that I need to look at people as equal to myself.
I still believe that this experience will help my research. I can now distinguish the difference between homelessness and just poverty. I understand that even those who may have a job and a home may still not be able to provide for themselves medical insurance. Homelessness is just one aspect of poverty, and while Denver’s main goal is to end homelessness, it is also working to improve the lives of those who are working their way up. Also, though this was a tough experience, I feel that it is important to volunteer. Places such as CCH are godsends to people who may otherwise have no other options. I do feel that everyone has some responsibility to help others who are struggling through poverty and homelessness and that helping different organizations is a good way to experience and help those in need. I look forward to helping out more in the community, especially with PHC. Hopefully, in my next experience, I will find myself in a better situation to offer my services.
Friday, May 2, 2008
1.5 hours
For my first service-learning experience, I chose to visit the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, an organization that works to improve the homeless situation in the state as well as offers numerous medical services. My experience began with my friend Amanda and me venturing downtown on the light rail. We got off at the last stop at 18th Street and Stout, and we walked two blocks deeper into the city to reach our destination. When we got off of the light rail, we were in front of the courthouse, a beautiful older building. However, as we ventured toward CCH, we found ourselves in a less than perfect setting. We saw one man walking with a shopping cart that held all of his belongings, while a middle-aged woman sat on the sidewalk across the street from us, asking for money or food.
When we finally found our destination, there were a few people standing outside smoking. We were very shy at first, but one lady said hi to us, and we made our move. We asked her is she had heard about Project Homeless Connect and when she said no, we offered her a flyer. The other two ladies she had been talking with also asked for flyers. They were all very nice and after leaving their presence, Amanda and I were unsure about their living conditions. It seemed that they were not entirely poor, as one lady had a cell phone and the other had on nicer clothes. We then ventured inside the building, where we found ourselves in the middle of a mid-size waiting room. The room was gray and depressing and everyone inside was silent. None of the near forty people waiting spoke or looked at one another. They all seemed to be there to take care of whatever it was that they needed and that was it. Amanda and I first went to the front desk to make sure we could pass out our flyers and the lady smiled and said that that would be fine. However, the moment we turned around, our task seemed daunting. Nobody in the room looked like they were in the mood to have a conversation, especially with two privileged college girls. What was worse, we did not feel that we could properly identify those who may really need the services offered at PHC. Some people had cell phones while another man carried a briefcase. It seemed that this clinic was more for those who did not have health insurance and not necessarily for those who were homeless. Amanda and I felt awkward being there, looking at the people and attempting to judge who may look like they were homeless. In the end, we found it to be an inappropriate setting to pass the flyers out. Instead, we chose to leave them with the lady at the front desk who promised to make sure they would be distributed throughout the office so people would have many chances to grab one.
On our walk back to the light rail, we felt only embarrassment and ignorance. We were so ashamed that we had stood in that clinic and looked around, judging everyone we saw. Just because these people needed to go to CCH did not mean that they were poor or that we should have looked down upon them as if we were superior. Also, we felt ignorant to the fact that we had not fully understood the organization’s goals and the experience this location would bring us. It seemed that we had just assumed everyone would be poor, but in reality, the people in this clinic were working to bring themselves out of this situation of homelessness. Overall, I was not greatly inspired or pleased by this experience, but it did help me realize how quick I can be to judge and that this is something I need to work on. I felt terrible that I had looked down on these people just because they had experience certain struggles in their lives. I know that it will be impossible for me to never judge another again, but I feel that judging people in relation to who I am is wrong and that I need to look at people as equal to myself.
I still believe that this experience will help my research. I can now distinguish the difference between homelessness and just poverty. I understand that even those who may have a job and a home may still not be able to provide for themselves medical insurance. Homelessness is just one aspect of poverty, and while Denver’s main goal is to end homelessness, it is also working to improve the lives of those who are working their way up. Also, though this was a tough experience, I feel that it is important to volunteer. Places such as CCH are godsends to people who may otherwise have no other options. I do feel that everyone has some responsibility to help others who are struggling through poverty and homelessness and that helping different organizations is a good way to experience and help those in need. I look forward to helping out more in the community, especially with PHC. Hopefully, in my next experience, I will find myself in a better situation to offer my services.
Service Learning Log IJV (Ignacio J. Velasco)
Today was a great day; my experience at Project Homeless Connect 6 was unbelievable. To be honest I was a little concerned about the whole experience, this would be my first time working with homeless people here in the U.S and the stereotypes were clearly playing games in my head.
This morning after my work shift I went and took a shower to get ready for my volunteer shift at Project Homeless Connect 6, I checked in and took my clipboard and pen and proceeded to stand in line with the rest of the volunteers. I was surprised to see how many bilingual volunteers there were, I thought I had a special talent in that way but it turned out that there were a lot of us in the line. Two buses came by and finally I was at the front of the line anxiously waiting to see who I would get paired off with. I was paired up with “L” an extremely nice and receptive lady in her early fifties, that to me looked nothing at all like a homeless person or at least the image I had of a homeless person (again stereotypes playing in my head). We introduced ourselves and went on to the coat check station for “L” to leave her coat and purse and went on to get some breakfast. “L” said that she was not hungry because she had had breakfast at the shelter before coming to DU, but she said that she would have some coffee, I agreed and we both got coffee and sat down to chat for a little while and plan our day.
We started talking about her situation and what services she needed and wanted to look into. “L” is currently in a program at the Stout Street Foundation and she has three months left in her program which at the end she has to move out on her own, so housing was the priority. She has a huge advantage over some of the other people coming in because she is lucky enough to have a part time job and some income which would really help her case when it came to housing. I also learned that she did not have a license and she had an outstanding ticket in another state that she thought prevented her from getting her license, so we made a plan to make legal services and licenses our second stop. We went ahead with our plan and headed to housing first and got on the list and picked our number, we still had 40 people ahead of us so we decided to go to legal services. After waiting 10 minutes we were able to speak with someone only to learn that they would not be able to help with her case since the outstanding ticket was in another state. Then we went to the driver’s license station, “L” explained her case to the person at the station and she said they might be able to help, they took down “L’s” contact information and said that they would be in touch on Monday.
We went back to the housing area to wait our turn and spent about 45 minutes just talking. I was really surprised to learn some facts about “L”, she had lived in some cities that I know pretty well, so we talked about that. I learned that this was her only time being homeless and that before going into the Stout Street Foundation program she had lived in the streets for 8 months and she said that “she would never go back there”. She had been very successful, she had been married and had two kids, before getting divorced and went on to live by herself in the Houston area working as an accountant for IBM. Her brother had gotten into some drug problems and she begged him to go and stay with her so that she could help him. While trying to help him out the opposite happened, she got sucked into the drug lifestyle, so much so that she lost her job, house and lifestyle and ended up in the streets of Denver. I was just amazed that she had a family that she stayed in touch with (one sister, one brother, and her two kids plus two grandkids) and that they did not help at all. That really got to me. I guess that family is really important to me and I could not imagine not helping my siblings if they were ever in “L’s” situation.
They called our number and we went on to the interview part were “L” was able to explain her situation and ask for what could be provided for her. We then got the best news of the day. “L” got 4 numbers and addresses to both permanent and temporary housing options for he. And the biggest surprise of all was the deposit grant she got. Basically once she gets housing and has the first month rent the city will help her out by paying the deposit, she was extremely happy with this.
After such good news we went to get some lunch (we were both hungry by now) and went outside the Ritchie Center to enjoy the day and our lunch. After lunch we went to get the goodie bags and the gifts provided then to the check out area and to get her purse and coat. “L” needed to catch the Light Rail to head downtown to her job but she was not sure of where the station was and which route to take, I told her that I was taking Light Rail as well but in the opposite direction and told her that I could go with her to the station and wait for the train with her. She accepted and we both walked together to the station were we said goodbye and headed our separate ways.
This morning after my work shift I went and took a shower to get ready for my volunteer shift at Project Homeless Connect 6, I checked in and took my clipboard and pen and proceeded to stand in line with the rest of the volunteers. I was surprised to see how many bilingual volunteers there were, I thought I had a special talent in that way but it turned out that there were a lot of us in the line. Two buses came by and finally I was at the front of the line anxiously waiting to see who I would get paired off with. I was paired up with “L” an extremely nice and receptive lady in her early fifties, that to me looked nothing at all like a homeless person or at least the image I had of a homeless person (again stereotypes playing in my head). We introduced ourselves and went on to the coat check station for “L” to leave her coat and purse and went on to get some breakfast. “L” said that she was not hungry because she had had breakfast at the shelter before coming to DU, but she said that she would have some coffee, I agreed and we both got coffee and sat down to chat for a little while and plan our day.
We started talking about her situation and what services she needed and wanted to look into. “L” is currently in a program at the Stout Street Foundation and she has three months left in her program which at the end she has to move out on her own, so housing was the priority. She has a huge advantage over some of the other people coming in because she is lucky enough to have a part time job and some income which would really help her case when it came to housing. I also learned that she did not have a license and she had an outstanding ticket in another state that she thought prevented her from getting her license, so we made a plan to make legal services and licenses our second stop. We went ahead with our plan and headed to housing first and got on the list and picked our number, we still had 40 people ahead of us so we decided to go to legal services. After waiting 10 minutes we were able to speak with someone only to learn that they would not be able to help with her case since the outstanding ticket was in another state. Then we went to the driver’s license station, “L” explained her case to the person at the station and she said they might be able to help, they took down “L’s” contact information and said that they would be in touch on Monday.
We went back to the housing area to wait our turn and spent about 45 minutes just talking. I was really surprised to learn some facts about “L”, she had lived in some cities that I know pretty well, so we talked about that. I learned that this was her only time being homeless and that before going into the Stout Street Foundation program she had lived in the streets for 8 months and she said that “she would never go back there”. She had been very successful, she had been married and had two kids, before getting divorced and went on to live by herself in the Houston area working as an accountant for IBM. Her brother had gotten into some drug problems and she begged him to go and stay with her so that she could help him. While trying to help him out the opposite happened, she got sucked into the drug lifestyle, so much so that she lost her job, house and lifestyle and ended up in the streets of Denver. I was just amazed that she had a family that she stayed in touch with (one sister, one brother, and her two kids plus two grandkids) and that they did not help at all. That really got to me. I guess that family is really important to me and I could not imagine not helping my siblings if they were ever in “L’s” situation.
They called our number and we went on to the interview part were “L” was able to explain her situation and ask for what could be provided for her. We then got the best news of the day. “L” got 4 numbers and addresses to both permanent and temporary housing options for he. And the biggest surprise of all was the deposit grant she got. Basically once she gets housing and has the first month rent the city will help her out by paying the deposit, she was extremely happy with this.
After such good news we went to get some lunch (we were both hungry by now) and went outside the Ritchie Center to enjoy the day and our lunch. After lunch we went to get the goodie bags and the gifts provided then to the check out area and to get her purse and coat. “L” needed to catch the Light Rail to head downtown to her job but she was not sure of where the station was and which route to take, I told her that I was taking Light Rail as well but in the opposite direction and told her that I could go with her to the station and wait for the train with her. She accepted and we both walked together to the station were we said goodbye and headed our separate ways.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Service Learning Log 2 - Benjamin M. Paige
The steps.
As I donned my clever yellow shirt in the middle of those steps leading to get into the Ritchie Center I felt I might have come too late. Was I in danger of not participating due to low turnout? Fortunately that was not the case, because right then I saw three large obviously donated RTD bus loads of individuals pull up to the steps. As I saw these individuals or clients, climbing into the Ritchie Center I thought to myself. I would be so embarrassed if I was in their position, and I began to wonder that if I was in their position, if I could muster the gall it must take to come to a event like this only to the know that I was going to be paired up with somebody, most likely much younger than I, to show me around like a tour guide all day. Regardless, I quickly did the math and realized that as the 16th yellow shirt from the top. I was going to be paired up with a middle-aged individual, approximately 45ish, long hair, perhaps Hispanic, with what looked to be a backpack containing every school book I had ever owned in my entire life.
“Hello Kenny”
When I get nervous, I tend to make small talk and try and be funny. This usually results in unintentionally offending someone, luckily this time it was not too bad.
We shared an affinity for black coffee.
We discussed, of all things, the weather and how despite my extended presence on this campus. I had never once entered the Ritchie Center for an event. Kenny had followed his girlfriend down here, upon her request, who is now paired up with another ‘experienced volunteer’.
Kenny’s agenda was rather limited, “I only want a haircut.” And forgive me for saying so, but boy did he need it. Realizing that I could use one too, I resolved to join him in his quest. After breakfast, we set off to lower our ears and chat about whatever other awkward topics I could muster. Kenny initially was not the talkative type. Upon arrival of our chosen destination, I realized that as number 35 and 36 on the list, and with the apparent glacier like quickness of the volunteers, we could be here awhile. So I awkwardly review the different stations available at this event and began to inquire further with my subject of the day, I come to find out that this individual does not have a job, nor any piece of identification other than the I.D. that the Department of Justice gave him while he was in prison, which Kenny quickly found out, is of limited use on “the outs”.
After inquiring with Kenny about his intent to garner employment, he informed me of a number of places with which he could acquire a day later type position, if only he had the proper credentials. Well that was enough for me. I was not about to sit in the line for two hours only to get our hair cut when we would be wasting valuable time by not acquiring such essential pieces of identification.
After three different stations we had put in motion the process of getting his birth certificate, social security card and Colorado identification card. If Kenny is anything like me, he benefits from a step-by-step checklist on how to go about and ensuring acquisition of said items. Thus I provided him with one. But why waste time gawking at college girls and waiting to be butchered when there are also stations offering legal advice and basic necessities such as food stamps and shelter coupons. Just been released from prison, he had no apparent or admitted legal problems needing to be resolved. However, we were able to obtain him a $100 voucher for food stamps that he was to receive before the end of the day. Having exhausted our most apparent options we resolved to get back into the line to get us a haircut.
My awkward moment came as they called our names, I had decided during the course of waiting to be called for the grooming process that I was not going to get a haircut. But I neglected to tell this to my client until the very last moments. Kenny was understandably shaken, because at this point we were a team, it was the Kenny and Ben show, and it was a big hit. But I cared too much about my physical appearance to take advantage of this free service. That and I didn’t want to be the only guy with a yellow t-shirt getting his haircut wasting time for everyone else. But I couldn’t bring myself to say that I didn’t want one because the people providing this service only learned what clippers were earlier today. I just made up some lame excuse, and so yes, awkward. But I had a phenomenal time, I really felt like someone’s life is just a little bit better because of me and I don’t know if he could have gotten the same kind of service from anyone else. So I would do it again in a heart beat. In parting, I will leave you with some wise words from my friend for the day:
“For some folk there is only one life they know man, life on the streets is it.”
There is a moment of profound divinity in his words, who do we think we are that can dictate how people should live their lives. Isn’t the real answer an issue of availability, isn’t our ultimate goal to be able to provide vital options for those that want them without all of the bureaucratic nonsense. How does one balance that within capitalist
Service Learning Log #1 Nina Prevot
The Denver Rescue Mission
Thursday, May 8, 2008
1.5 Hours
I first arrived at the Denver Rescue Mission at around 7:30 pm, nervous as could be because I did not know the area, and I have to admit, I felt pretty intimidated by the entire situation because I was volunteering by myself. After parking across the street, I walked to the building receiving faces of desperation all the way. When I first went inside, a friendly man helped me find the door, I did not know where to check in, and basically made a fool of myself trying to sign in. After I was good to go, I received my name tag and a Denver Rescue Mission apron. Overall, the night was pretty un eventful for me, because I spent most of the time sweeping in the back room. That was my job right off the bat, and I continued to sweep for about forty-five minutes. While I was sweeping, I had the opportunity to talk to one of the head workers at the Denver Rescue Mission. He asked me about why I came to the mission, and where I went to school. I told him that I came as a service learning project for a class I was taking at DU, and he ended up telling me about his mother who also went to DU, and how she enjoyed her experience there. We talked about my being a psychology major, and my previous theatre major, and how we both love performing on stage. The time went by much faster because I was able to talk to him. After I finished sweeping, I helped break down some cardboard boxes, and then I proceeded to mop the back room as well.
After about an hour of being there, one of the head volunteers said that I probably was not getting any good information for my class working in the back room, so he had me switch to bussing tables in the dining room. I put on my plastic gloves and walked in. It was a strange energy in the room. Everybody was pleasant and peaceful, but there was just an overall feeling of melancholy that even smiles could not break. I saw a man push his plate forward, so I approached him and asked if he was done. He looked at me in the eyes and said, “I’m sorry, what’s your name?” I replied simply, “Nina.” He looked up at me and smiled and said, “Well thank you so very much Nina, and God bless you.” It was really touching, but I could not think of anything else to say except, “You’re welcome sir.” Many people welcomed my help, and “God bless you” was uttered many times. Some however simply thanked me without even looking up at me, and made their way up the stairs and back to their life. After I finished, I was escorted back to my car for my own safety, and drove back to DU.
Despite the small and seemingly miniscule tasks that I performed at the Denver Rescue Mission, I was still able to learn quite a lot about myself and about doing service work. I learned that I, as a student, and still a teenager, have a difficult time feeling comfortable around the homeless. I want to feel pride for volunteering, but I want to feel humble because I do not think that I am any better than anyone else. When I was there, I was just another person that could help to provide service. I received no special treatment because I was from DU, I was thrown into the mix of all the other volunteers, and I did not stick out. The difficult part, is having a humbling experience like that, and then returning to DU and switching back into the mode of my regular life. I realize that downtown at the Denver Rescue Mission, I am just one of the hundreds of volunteers that come through every day, and that I just blend into that melancholy world. When I come back though, I take solace in the bittersweet feeling of not being constantly surrounded by that sadness, but also realizing that I often forget and take advantage of all of my good luck in my life;. That one man really struck a chord in my heart, because he was so truly appreciative of the simple work I was doing, and he wanted to know my name. He wanted to make me special, and make me stick out in the sea of all those other volunteers and homeless, and that made me feel so good. I think that feeling is what everybody wants, truly. Just to feel like they are special and unique in a world that loves to bunch us together. Every homeless person is unique and has a story, and it is so unfair for us to clump them into one group.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
1.5 Hours
I first arrived at the Denver Rescue Mission at around 7:30 pm, nervous as could be because I did not know the area, and I have to admit, I felt pretty intimidated by the entire situation because I was volunteering by myself. After parking across the street, I walked to the building receiving faces of desperation all the way. When I first went inside, a friendly man helped me find the door, I did not know where to check in, and basically made a fool of myself trying to sign in. After I was good to go, I received my name tag and a Denver Rescue Mission apron. Overall, the night was pretty un eventful for me, because I spent most of the time sweeping in the back room. That was my job right off the bat, and I continued to sweep for about forty-five minutes. While I was sweeping, I had the opportunity to talk to one of the head workers at the Denver Rescue Mission. He asked me about why I came to the mission, and where I went to school. I told him that I came as a service learning project for a class I was taking at DU, and he ended up telling me about his mother who also went to DU, and how she enjoyed her experience there. We talked about my being a psychology major, and my previous theatre major, and how we both love performing on stage. The time went by much faster because I was able to talk to him. After I finished sweeping, I helped break down some cardboard boxes, and then I proceeded to mop the back room as well.
After about an hour of being there, one of the head volunteers said that I probably was not getting any good information for my class working in the back room, so he had me switch to bussing tables in the dining room. I put on my plastic gloves and walked in. It was a strange energy in the room. Everybody was pleasant and peaceful, but there was just an overall feeling of melancholy that even smiles could not break. I saw a man push his plate forward, so I approached him and asked if he was done. He looked at me in the eyes and said, “I’m sorry, what’s your name?” I replied simply, “Nina.” He looked up at me and smiled and said, “Well thank you so very much Nina, and God bless you.” It was really touching, but I could not think of anything else to say except, “You’re welcome sir.” Many people welcomed my help, and “God bless you” was uttered many times. Some however simply thanked me without even looking up at me, and made their way up the stairs and back to their life. After I finished, I was escorted back to my car for my own safety, and drove back to DU.
Despite the small and seemingly miniscule tasks that I performed at the Denver Rescue Mission, I was still able to learn quite a lot about myself and about doing service work. I learned that I, as a student, and still a teenager, have a difficult time feeling comfortable around the homeless. I want to feel pride for volunteering, but I want to feel humble because I do not think that I am any better than anyone else. When I was there, I was just another person that could help to provide service. I received no special treatment because I was from DU, I was thrown into the mix of all the other volunteers, and I did not stick out. The difficult part, is having a humbling experience like that, and then returning to DU and switching back into the mode of my regular life. I realize that downtown at the Denver Rescue Mission, I am just one of the hundreds of volunteers that come through every day, and that I just blend into that melancholy world. When I come back though, I take solace in the bittersweet feeling of not being constantly surrounded by that sadness, but also realizing that I often forget and take advantage of all of my good luck in my life;. That one man really struck a chord in my heart, because he was so truly appreciative of the simple work I was doing, and he wanted to know my name. He wanted to make me special, and make me stick out in the sea of all those other volunteers and homeless, and that made me feel so good. I think that feeling is what everybody wants, truly. Just to feel like they are special and unique in a world that loves to bunch us together. Every homeless person is unique and has a story, and it is so unfair for us to clump them into one group.
Service Learning Log #2 Nina Prevot
Project Homeless Connect
Friday, May 9, 2008
7 Hours
I arrived at Project Homeless Connect about fifteen minutes early in order to make sure that I could sign in on time. I was extremely nervous the whole time because I knew that somewhere along the course of the day I was going to say something stupid. In addition, I was feeling incredibly sick that morning, and I was on a whole bunch of decongestants, cough suppressants, and fever reducers to try to make it through the day. I spent about an hour eating the free breakfast and worrying about the day before me. At 8:45, I joined the line and anxiously awaited meeting my client. My client was an African American man, 57 years old, and for writing purposes, I will call him Thomas. Thomas was, and is still, a cook by profession. He told me all about his life and how he came to be homeless. He told me about how he went into the Air Force straight out of high school, and learned the cooking trade there. We discussed this over breakfast, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He said that he wanted to get some new shoes, get some food stamps, and apply for as many jobs as he could. So, I took him to the food stamp line, which ended up being a bust because they said we would probably have to wait for around 2 hours in order to receive the food stamps that he was eligible for. Thomas decided that he would just wait and go to public office the following week and get them then.
Next we went to the resume line so that he could be prepared for some job interviews later. He told me about his career as a cook, and how he had originally worked for a very posh restaurant in New York City, and moved to Denver to be a cook in a hotel downtown. Unfortunately, he was laid off from this job, and a series of unlucky happenings and unfortunate circumstances lead him to be unemployed and eventually homeless. He told me about how he had only been homeless for a few months, and he was really doing his best to get back on his feet. After finishing his resume, we waited in another long line so that he could apply for a job. During this line, I talked to him about all of the information on the form that I needed to fill out. He said something very interesting to me then, that really gave me a reality check, "It's really hard sometimes, and I am embarrassed by it, but it is my story and my life, so I shouldn't be afraid to tell it to you." I think that one statement made the whole day. After he applied for a couple of cooking jobs, it was about time to go, and he thanked me graciously. I said it was my pleasure, but he took it even further, he said, “You don’t even know the reason why I am thanking you. I am thanking you because I haven’t smoked a cigarette all day, and being with you allowed me to do that.” That made me feel really good too.
Spending the day with Thomas really taught me a lot about the human condition, and about myself. It is extremely sad to me that a good hard working man like my client Thomas could go from being on top of the world to being homeless so quickly because of the state of the economy. What is even worse, is that I have all of these gifts and privileges that he does not have, but he is the one who has it all figured out. He knows that no matter what course his life takes, he cannot be ashamed of it because that is his life, and he only gets to live it once. Life is too short to be ashamed of your accomplishments even if they have lead you to a place you are not particularly proud of. In my opinion, though this may seem harsh, my friend and client Thomas was not doing his best to get back on his feet. There were employers at Project Homeless Connect who could have given him a job, but he refused to do anything but be a cook. I have to ask myself if having that specific job is really worth being homeless. I think, if I were in his situation, I would be willing to take almost any job so long as it could guarantee some financial stability. I think that pride can lead people down a bad road, but we all need to have enough pride that we do not become ashamed of our lives, which is ultimately our only masterpiece.
Friday, May 9, 2008
7 Hours
I arrived at Project Homeless Connect about fifteen minutes early in order to make sure that I could sign in on time. I was extremely nervous the whole time because I knew that somewhere along the course of the day I was going to say something stupid. In addition, I was feeling incredibly sick that morning, and I was on a whole bunch of decongestants, cough suppressants, and fever reducers to try to make it through the day. I spent about an hour eating the free breakfast and worrying about the day before me. At 8:45, I joined the line and anxiously awaited meeting my client. My client was an African American man, 57 years old, and for writing purposes, I will call him Thomas. Thomas was, and is still, a cook by profession. He told me all about his life and how he came to be homeless. He told me about how he went into the Air Force straight out of high school, and learned the cooking trade there. We discussed this over breakfast, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He said that he wanted to get some new shoes, get some food stamps, and apply for as many jobs as he could. So, I took him to the food stamp line, which ended up being a bust because they said we would probably have to wait for around 2 hours in order to receive the food stamps that he was eligible for. Thomas decided that he would just wait and go to public office the following week and get them then.
Next we went to the resume line so that he could be prepared for some job interviews later. He told me about his career as a cook, and how he had originally worked for a very posh restaurant in New York City, and moved to Denver to be a cook in a hotel downtown. Unfortunately, he was laid off from this job, and a series of unlucky happenings and unfortunate circumstances lead him to be unemployed and eventually homeless. He told me about how he had only been homeless for a few months, and he was really doing his best to get back on his feet. After finishing his resume, we waited in another long line so that he could apply for a job. During this line, I talked to him about all of the information on the form that I needed to fill out. He said something very interesting to me then, that really gave me a reality check, "It's really hard sometimes, and I am embarrassed by it, but it is my story and my life, so I shouldn't be afraid to tell it to you." I think that one statement made the whole day. After he applied for a couple of cooking jobs, it was about time to go, and he thanked me graciously. I said it was my pleasure, but he took it even further, he said, “You don’t even know the reason why I am thanking you. I am thanking you because I haven’t smoked a cigarette all day, and being with you allowed me to do that.” That made me feel really good too.
Spending the day with Thomas really taught me a lot about the human condition, and about myself. It is extremely sad to me that a good hard working man like my client Thomas could go from being on top of the world to being homeless so quickly because of the state of the economy. What is even worse, is that I have all of these gifts and privileges that he does not have, but he is the one who has it all figured out. He knows that no matter what course his life takes, he cannot be ashamed of it because that is his life, and he only gets to live it once. Life is too short to be ashamed of your accomplishments even if they have lead you to a place you are not particularly proud of. In my opinion, though this may seem harsh, my friend and client Thomas was not doing his best to get back on his feet. There were employers at Project Homeless Connect who could have given him a job, but he refused to do anything but be a cook. I have to ask myself if having that specific job is really worth being homeless. I think, if I were in his situation, I would be willing to take almost any job so long as it could guarantee some financial stability. I think that pride can lead people down a bad road, but we all need to have enough pride that we do not become ashamed of our lives, which is ultimately our only masterpiece.
Service Learning Log 1 - Benjamin M. Paige
“Go ahead and grab yourself something to eat” “no thanks, I just ate”
But really, I’m STARVING. I haven’t eaten in about a day, but yet I cannot bring myself to eat this food. Am I such a stuck up a**hole that I won’t eat this fare, even though I’m extremely hungry, simply because I don’t like the type of cheese Pizza Hut uses. I guess so. I am doing service for the Denver Rescue mission out in Commerce City. I am the only volunteer here today but the kitchen is swarming with about two dozen other ‘residents’. I get to wear a ‘special’ apron because I am the guest server of the day. I feel so unique. But at least I have a job where my objective is clear. Cheese, pepperoni, or sausage?, and yes… it is the sausage from this morning. No, I’m sorry but the limit is two pieces (but ill happily give you my share).
These members are part of the “program”. This, as I come to find out, is a four step process of rehabilitation lasting about 14 months. My team leader, Tuesday Black, which, by the way, is the coolest name of all time, greets me with much more enthusiasm the second time after she finds out that I am here out of my own free will. But I am not much different than the other folks in the kitchen, yea I have seen that movie, I have been to that place before, I even like that same Foo Fighters song playing on the radio. But I think they see right through me, in my mind every time they greet me they might as well be saying, “I’m not even going to try and remember who you are and what your name is because I will probably never see you again in my entire life”, even though that is probably the furthest thing from their minds.
I felt much the same as you do on the first day of a new job, you don’t really know anyone, you aren’t really sure where to go or what to do. However, I did make a phenomenal cookie tray arrangement, so… there’s that. But I had a great time talking to the other folks there, mainly I was asking questions about “the program” and what kind of requirements there are, what the dropout rate is like and what, if any, spiritual commitment is involved. I realized that it’s a lot like those horrible African missionary stories that you hear about where a group of Christians go in to ‘seek and save the lost’ and will only give the poor starving people food once they accept a new Christian name and are able to recite bible passages from memory. Yet here at the DRM they do require you to pass random drug screens, which is good, People can choose to leave at any time, which is definitely a positive thing. Shelter, food, the warming glow of Jesus’ eternal love, what else could a person possibly ask for?
I found that the dropout rate was surprisingly high; several reports indicated that there was at least one a day from that location, which was not very large. And 90% of these were due to substance abuse, well heck; if they would stop doing so many surprise UA’s they would have a much higher retention, right? But then again, it is difficult to read the book of Mark with heroin running through your veins. Not that that is necessarily the case at all.
Overall it was a very rewarding experience, not just from what I saw, but also from what I didn’t see. There were still many vacant rooms at this location, and while not ideal, it was along a central bus line that can accommodate even the busiest urban workhorse. The stories about people getting removed or turned away, it’s really saddening on many different levels. I’m certain that I wouldn’t want to have to go to bible study every week, but I’m pretty sure I could handle it if it meant that I could get on the right track. But the folks who were there really seemed to take to it, they were engaging, respectful and darn right happy. I will forever remember my experience.
But really, I’m STARVING. I haven’t eaten in about a day, but yet I cannot bring myself to eat this food. Am I such a stuck up a**hole that I won’t eat this fare, even though I’m extremely hungry, simply because I don’t like the type of cheese Pizza Hut uses. I guess so. I am doing service for the Denver Rescue mission out in Commerce City. I am the only volunteer here today but the kitchen is swarming with about two dozen other ‘residents’. I get to wear a ‘special’ apron because I am the guest server of the day. I feel so unique. But at least I have a job where my objective is clear. Cheese, pepperoni, or sausage?, and yes… it is the sausage from this morning. No, I’m sorry but the limit is two pieces (but ill happily give you my share).
These members are part of the “program”. This, as I come to find out, is a four step process of rehabilitation lasting about 14 months. My team leader, Tuesday Black, which, by the way, is the coolest name of all time, greets me with much more enthusiasm the second time after she finds out that I am here out of my own free will. But I am not much different than the other folks in the kitchen, yea I have seen that movie, I have been to that place before, I even like that same Foo Fighters song playing on the radio. But I think they see right through me, in my mind every time they greet me they might as well be saying, “I’m not even going to try and remember who you are and what your name is because I will probably never see you again in my entire life”, even though that is probably the furthest thing from their minds.
I felt much the same as you do on the first day of a new job, you don’t really know anyone, you aren’t really sure where to go or what to do. However, I did make a phenomenal cookie tray arrangement, so… there’s that. But I had a great time talking to the other folks there, mainly I was asking questions about “the program” and what kind of requirements there are, what the dropout rate is like and what, if any, spiritual commitment is involved. I realized that it’s a lot like those horrible African missionary stories that you hear about where a group of Christians go in to ‘seek and save the lost’ and will only give the poor starving people food once they accept a new Christian name and are able to recite bible passages from memory. Yet here at the DRM they do require you to pass random drug screens, which is good, People can choose to leave at any time, which is definitely a positive thing. Shelter, food, the warming glow of Jesus’ eternal love, what else could a person possibly ask for?
I found that the dropout rate was surprisingly high; several reports indicated that there was at least one a day from that location, which was not very large. And 90% of these were due to substance abuse, well heck; if they would stop doing so many surprise UA’s they would have a much higher retention, right? But then again, it is difficult to read the book of Mark with heroin running through your veins. Not that that is necessarily the case at all.
Overall it was a very rewarding experience, not just from what I saw, but also from what I didn’t see. There were still many vacant rooms at this location, and while not ideal, it was along a central bus line that can accommodate even the busiest urban workhorse. The stories about people getting removed or turned away, it’s really saddening on many different levels. I’m certain that I wouldn’t want to have to go to bible study every week, but I’m pretty sure I could handle it if it meant that I could get on the right track. But the folks who were there really seemed to take to it, they were engaging, respectful and darn right happy. I will forever remember my experience.
Service Learning Log 2-Janis Sakai
Project Homeless Connect 6
I woke up on Friday morning with this funny feeling in my stomach, the kind of feeling you get when you’re about to give a speech in front of the entire class. I think it was due to the fact that I really didn’t know what to expect of the day. I walked to the Ritchie center at 8 a.m., ready to take on anything the day threw at me. A little bit later, a bus pulled in and all the volunteers started to form a line. As I watched the people get off the bus, I realized that the bus was full of teenagers, kids my own age. I couldn’t believe the number of kids that got off the bus from Urban Peak. As I stood there, I got paired with an average height girl with medium length brown hair, wearing two sweatshirts and baggy pants. We made our introductions, and I found out very soon that she was a very independent girl. As she filled out her own form, I realized that she and I shared the same birthday, hers only a year after mine.
My day was basically filled with taking my client to different stations and waiting for her during her cigarette breaks. We started at the Aid for the Needy and the Disabled table, where she was able to get some benefits from them. We then stood in line for housing for a while, when we finally received our number in line; #86. She and I sat around for about another half hour before she got annoyed and decided that she could receive housing at another place. I asked her if she wanted to apply for a job, but she basically told me that she wasn’t very interested in getting a job, which I found peculiar, because if she didn’t work, I didn’t understand how she would make any money to support herself. After that, we moved to the health center, where she was able to talk to someone about her bipolar disorder and get her check-up. I didn’t see a lot of her disorder appear while I was helping her, except for her impatience with the whole system.
During my day, I think the thing that most affected me was the fact that my client was 18 and had the same birthday as I did. It made me look back to where I was when I was 18, and what would have happened to me if I had been kicked out of home and had not finished high school. At one point, as we were sitting at the A.N.D table, she told me that she was trying to get pregnant so that she could receive Medicaid. It just shocked me so much that she would go there, just to receive some more benefits, which she really wouldn’t need if she worked and had a steady income. However, she didn’t want to wait to receive anything, so it made it very difficult to understand her at times. She also talked about how her sister had graduated from DU a few years ago, apparently as the class valedictorian. It really made me question my client’s position in life and her views. I think her situation was very different and it made it harder for her to adjust to PHC, because she told me that she was bipolar, and having that kind of illness can make it hard for people to be patient and to deal with certain situations. I gave her all the help I could give her, and all the resources she could use, and I feel now that it’s up to her if she’ll use them. I was a little annoyed with her because it felt at times like she had decided to come to PHC mainly because all her friends were there, and that she didn’t care to help herself out. It was a pretty emotionally draining day, but I was really glad that I had the opportunity to help another person out. At times, I felt sad that I couldn’t do more than empathize with her and show her around PHC, and other times it made me so upset to realize how many people had shown up that day, showing us how many people are homeless. I think that it’s made me a better person, and it has helped me open my eyes to how many teenage kids are homeless. They really are hidden, because they dress just like us and have many friends. If you didn’t know any better, you would think that they were kids hanging out with their friends out on the town. It really made me realize that any one of us could end up being homeless, whereas before I thought it was just a saying that “we’re all only one paycheck away from being homeless”. It was so important for me to realize this, because it made me open my eyes to how many people were homeless and how I could end up like them due to many different circumstances.
Service Learning Log 1-Janis Sakai
Denver Rescue Mission
After a long period of time sitting in traffic, we finally made it to the Denver Rescue Mission. As we walked in, I couldn’t help but notice the people sitting in the triangle in front of the DRM. When I walked in, the man who ran the building sat us down and asked us questions about why we were there, what we knew about the homeless, and what we expected from this experience. We talked for about 30 minutes, and then we took a tour of the building. I guess the guy thought it would be amusing for me make an announcement to the building that dinner was about to be served, which was somewhat bizarre, since it was so unexpected. After that, we went downstairs into a very busy kitchen, where we saw a Boy Scout troop peeling potatoes. Since the kitchen was so busy, we ended up rolling silverware for an hour and a half.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to interact with any people that were homeless, but we were able to help out, even if it felt like such a small thing. I expected to be able to maybe talk to the people that were homeless, be able to hear their stories and life experiences, so I was a little disappointed when we were put on silverware duty. After we rolled about 900 sporks, a man who was part of the rehab program at the DRM sat down to talk to us. He came down from working in the closet sorting clothes to talk to us about being a cocaine addict and the struggle he’s been going through. He talked to us about how he had been hooked on cocaine for about 18 years, since he was 15. He also told of his multiple tries of suicide while he was addicted to cocaine. He said, “I’m slowly starting to talk to my parents and some friends after about 10 years, where they cut their ties from me because of my addiction.” He told us that he was in prison because of his addiction, and that when he got out, he got help from a guard he had befriended who helped him find DRM, since a lot of rehab facilities were not willing to take him due to his felony. He’s been clean for 3 months, and has turned to Jesus for guidance and help. He’s able to now leave the facilities every few days, and sometimes he spends that time trying to preach the word of God. At that point, it made me think about people who have been struggling with life, that they have something to look to and have such a strong belief in. It made me want to have something that strong that I could believe in blindly and have a strong bond with, which I think could make some times in my life a lot easier if I had something to believe in and adhere to. I think that it’s so important to have faith in something once you’ve been to the bottom of the barrel so that you have something to hold on to when your life seems to be not going as well as you had hoped it would be. I was so moved by his story, that even though we were there for an hour more than we were supposed to be, I didn’t want to leave.
Through this experience, I learned that people really are able to change and that the past doesn’t have to rule the person you are today. It made me look at life in a more optimistic way, because I saw how lucky I really was to have friends and family that loved me, even though sometimes I feel like my life is just a little bit ridiculous due to issues that seems so trivial after having heard the struggle he has gone through in his life. I feel like I’ve really grown in my civic growth, because I’ve never been able to interact with people because I’ve only been able to do community service by performing my violin, so I feel that I’ve really grown as a person overall. I feel that after this experience, I will be more forward in helping the community and people who need help. My interacting with people has contributed to my civil growth because I see people for who they have turned out to be, with all their hardships and baggage that they might have or have left behind them. This has helped me open my eyes and to become a better person and be able to understand people who are very different from me.
Service Learning Log 2- Devyn Parnes
On Tuesday I went to the Denver Rescue Mission to help prepare a meal. When I arrived, I checked in at the front desk and then went downstairs into the basement where the food is prepared. When I walked down the stairs, I was immediately put to work. I was asked to put on an apron, the “official uniform of Denver Rescue Mission volunteers,” and then I started sorting bread products. The Denver Rescue Mission gets bread deliveries every day and they have storage racks to separate the varying types of products. At a certain point, grocery stores and restaurants take products off the shelf as they approach their expiration date, but as long as it is not moldy, the rescue mission uses it. When I walked to the bread corner, there were bags and bags of bread. There was some generic white, some generic wheat, english muffins, bagels, baguettes, buns and a few other types of bread products. I was to shelve the products according to type and throw away anything that is moldy, open or not pre-sliced. The rescue mission throws away any bread that is not pre-sliced because it is too labor-intensive to try to cut all the bread while they are trying to prepare a meal.
After I put all the bread products away, I took hot dog buns off the shelf, unwrapped them and checked for mold or disfiguration. On average, the Denver Rescue Mission feeds upwards of 300 people each meal, so I had to unwrap all of the hotdog buns that they had. It took about 15 minutes to unwrap and sort through all the buns and then I started on “spork rolling.” There were already two other volunteers working on rolling sporks, so I joined them. Each patron gets a napkin and a spork when they come to eat, but it is not sanitary to have each patron reaching into a bucket of sporks. To make sure that everything is sanitary, each spork has to be individually wrapped in a napkin. I was quickly taught how to make a “spork burrito.” I unfolded each napkin, set the spork on the diagonal, folded in the sides of the napkin and then rolled them up. As monotonous as making spork burritos was, I was told that it saves an employee over three hours if they have multiple volunteers start producing in mass quantities. I rolled sporks for the rest of my time at the Denver Rescue Mission.
Once again, I witnessed all the hours of monotonous work that it takes to prepare for a large volunteer event. I have worked at soup kitchens before, but in my town we were usually cooking for about 40 people, not 300. The rescue mission produces three meals a day, everyday, so there is constantly work to be done. They have to stock the shelves, prepare the food, cook the food, clean up after, dispose of food that goes rancid, and then do it all over again, multiple times per day.
I think this helped further enrich my understanding of public good. Volunteerism is sometimes, and in fact I would argue a majority of the time, work that does not directly affect the community you are trying to benefit. While stocking shelves and rolling sporks are clearly important tasks in order for everything to be prepared for the patrons, I did not have a single interaction with the clients I was there to benefit. Through both of my service-learning activities I experienced this same phenomena. It has given me a really good perception as to how much work occurs behind the scenes of every volunteer activity. There are full-time coordinating positions in many volunteer programs because there are just so many small tasks to be delegated. I think that my service learning has given me a greater appreciation of just how much time, money, effort, and coordination goes into helping others. The people behind the scenes are not always the most recognized, but they are clearly integral to the final result.
Before these projects, it was harder to put in perspective just how much work goes into helping others. I think that one of the most important reasons that this needs to be addressed is so people get credit where credit is due. While most people like volunteering because they want to help others, it has been proven that many do it for some self-centered reasons as well. If we do not recognize and commend everyone for all the hours of boring work they did behind the scenes, then chances are, in the future we will have less people willing to do this kind of work. The recognition of these behind the scenes laborers is a necessity in many ways, so the more people that have experience working with them, the more people that will appreciate the work that they are doing.
After I put all the bread products away, I took hot dog buns off the shelf, unwrapped them and checked for mold or disfiguration. On average, the Denver Rescue Mission feeds upwards of 300 people each meal, so I had to unwrap all of the hotdog buns that they had. It took about 15 minutes to unwrap and sort through all the buns and then I started on “spork rolling.” There were already two other volunteers working on rolling sporks, so I joined them. Each patron gets a napkin and a spork when they come to eat, but it is not sanitary to have each patron reaching into a bucket of sporks. To make sure that everything is sanitary, each spork has to be individually wrapped in a napkin. I was quickly taught how to make a “spork burrito.” I unfolded each napkin, set the spork on the diagonal, folded in the sides of the napkin and then rolled them up. As monotonous as making spork burritos was, I was told that it saves an employee over three hours if they have multiple volunteers start producing in mass quantities. I rolled sporks for the rest of my time at the Denver Rescue Mission.
Once again, I witnessed all the hours of monotonous work that it takes to prepare for a large volunteer event. I have worked at soup kitchens before, but in my town we were usually cooking for about 40 people, not 300. The rescue mission produces three meals a day, everyday, so there is constantly work to be done. They have to stock the shelves, prepare the food, cook the food, clean up after, dispose of food that goes rancid, and then do it all over again, multiple times per day.
I think this helped further enrich my understanding of public good. Volunteerism is sometimes, and in fact I would argue a majority of the time, work that does not directly affect the community you are trying to benefit. While stocking shelves and rolling sporks are clearly important tasks in order for everything to be prepared for the patrons, I did not have a single interaction with the clients I was there to benefit. Through both of my service-learning activities I experienced this same phenomena. It has given me a really good perception as to how much work occurs behind the scenes of every volunteer activity. There are full-time coordinating positions in many volunteer programs because there are just so many small tasks to be delegated. I think that my service learning has given me a greater appreciation of just how much time, money, effort, and coordination goes into helping others. The people behind the scenes are not always the most recognized, but they are clearly integral to the final result.
Before these projects, it was harder to put in perspective just how much work goes into helping others. I think that one of the most important reasons that this needs to be addressed is so people get credit where credit is due. While most people like volunteering because they want to help others, it has been proven that many do it for some self-centered reasons as well. If we do not recognize and commend everyone for all the hours of boring work they did behind the scenes, then chances are, in the future we will have less people willing to do this kind of work. The recognition of these behind the scenes laborers is a necessity in many ways, so the more people that have experience working with them, the more people that will appreciate the work that they are doing.
Service Learning Log 1-Devyn Parnes
My first service-learning project for this class was working at check-in for three of the Project Homeless Connect training sessions. When I completed this work, I sat outside the Gottesfield Room at a large table and checked people off a list as they came for their trainings. I then handed them an information packet and a testimonial from a person who worked Project Homeless Connect last year and sent them into the room for their training. Most people would arrive between five minutes before and five minutes after the starting time, and I stayed outside the room and waited for stragglers. I interacted little with the other volunteers because all I did was see if they were on the list, check if they were bi-lingual or an area leader (so I could tell them they needed a different color tee-shirt) and then made sure they knew they had to sign the volunteer consent form before the end of the day.
After I was pretty sure that everyone who was going to come was there, I moved into the atrium in the Gottesfield Room and waited to hand out tee-shirts. By the time the training was over, just about one hour, everyone swarmed into the atrium to try to get their shirts and leave. I stood behind a table, usually with Kara, the coordinator from Denver’s Road Home, and asked people what size they needed and in exchange they handed me their consent form.
All three of the days I completed these same tasks, and while they were mindless, menial jobs, I really realized the importance of the little jobs in preparing for an event like this. Checking people in was of utmost importance because Kara had to know that every single person that planned on helping the day of Project Homeless Connect had been properly trained and was prepared for the experience. Also, with the tee shirts, it was crucial that people get the correct color so that they could be differentiated on the day of the event. This really gave me a clearer understanding of everything that goes in to coordinating a huge event like this. I have worked many events previously, but I usually work the actual event and I don’t always do the background logistics.
Another thought that occurred to me as I reflected on this experience was how hard it would be to run a non-profit or other volunteer organization. There were so many little details behind this event that lasts only one day and trying to find volunteers for just one day, that it makes it hard to imagine running an organization that volunteers to help others every single day. People like Kara and others, must be completely organized, able to handle stress, and ultimately love what they are doing in order to manage this challenge. This experience really helped me put in perspective the amount of work that happens behind the scenes.
This is an important realization for a couple of reasons. Personally, I can see myself coordinating a large-scale event like this in the future and now I have a better perspective of how much work would have to go in behind the scenes. This was a valuable learning experience for me. Also, as I said, all the behind the scenes work often does not get recognized to the extent that it should be, so it is important that we give credit to everybody who spends there time helping others, no matter what form it comes in.
After I was pretty sure that everyone who was going to come was there, I moved into the atrium in the Gottesfield Room and waited to hand out tee-shirts. By the time the training was over, just about one hour, everyone swarmed into the atrium to try to get their shirts and leave. I stood behind a table, usually with Kara, the coordinator from Denver’s Road Home, and asked people what size they needed and in exchange they handed me their consent form.
All three of the days I completed these same tasks, and while they were mindless, menial jobs, I really realized the importance of the little jobs in preparing for an event like this. Checking people in was of utmost importance because Kara had to know that every single person that planned on helping the day of Project Homeless Connect had been properly trained and was prepared for the experience. Also, with the tee shirts, it was crucial that people get the correct color so that they could be differentiated on the day of the event. This really gave me a clearer understanding of everything that goes in to coordinating a huge event like this. I have worked many events previously, but I usually work the actual event and I don’t always do the background logistics.
Another thought that occurred to me as I reflected on this experience was how hard it would be to run a non-profit or other volunteer organization. There were so many little details behind this event that lasts only one day and trying to find volunteers for just one day, that it makes it hard to imagine running an organization that volunteers to help others every single day. People like Kara and others, must be completely organized, able to handle stress, and ultimately love what they are doing in order to manage this challenge. This experience really helped me put in perspective the amount of work that happens behind the scenes.
This is an important realization for a couple of reasons. Personally, I can see myself coordinating a large-scale event like this in the future and now I have a better perspective of how much work would have to go in behind the scenes. This was a valuable learning experience for me. Also, as I said, all the behind the scenes work often does not get recognized to the extent that it should be, so it is important that we give credit to everybody who spends there time helping others, no matter what form it comes in.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
SLP #2: Project Homeless Connect: Sarah Brehm
On May 9th, I had the wonderful opportunity of working at Project Homeless Connect located right here on the University of Denver campus. I arrived to the Ritchie center at 8:50 am so that I had enough time to get checked in and get in line to work. As I checked in, I was asked to put on a nametag and go stand in the line of volunteers that went down the stairs and around the corner of the Ritchie Center. I went to the end of the line and noticed a lot of other DU students that I recognized. I ended up staying in line until about 9:30, and was asked to step out of the line and come upstairs and take a client who had entered from the other side of the building. I went inside and met with my client, Jennifer. She had a stroller, and in it was a 10-month old baby, Emily.
Jennifer said that they had already eaten, and that all they needed were birth certificates for the both of them. We sat down and filled out the information on the check in sheet, and I learned that she actually has two other children that live with her husband, who she is separated from, in Georgia. She has been homeless numerous times in her life, and had a streak of two years where she lived consistently on the streets. She now lives in a housing area with her daughter and she has lived there for the past two weeks. We then proceeded down to the Gates Arena, which resembled more of a blur of yellow shirts with a few specks of color, and took Emily to the child-care area. We had to weave our way through lines of people in order to get back to the far corner, but we finally made it and got Emily care so that Jennifer and I could go and get the birth certificates.
We walked to the line, and ended up having to wait about 30 minutes because Jennifer and Emily needed out of state birth certificates, and there were only 2 people working on those ids. While we were waiting, Jennifer opened up a bit more about her personal life. She explained to me in further detail about how her husband and her became separated because she had a drug addiction and they could not pay any of their bills. He got full custody of the children and moved to Georgia. She then got pregnant with her baby who she has now, Emily, and is currently pregnant with another baby, due in July. She said that it has been hard trying to support Emily, but it has been the best thing for her because it keeps her grounded. However, because of Emily and her inability to pay for childcare, she has not been able to find a job, which, she said, leaves her extremely bored. But finally having a house has been a huge blessing for her. After we finally got her id, I asked her if she wanted to partake in the survey for a $25 King Soopers gift card, and she was more than willing. However, the surveyors said that she must have two or more children over the age of 5 in order to be eligible. So, we went back to child-care and picked up Dylan, and Jennifer was so excited to see her, even though they had only been apart for about an hour.
I ended up walking Jennifer and Emily back to the light rail station, and we continued to talk more about her personal life. When we finally got there, she sincerely thanked me for everything I had done, and was off.
After I worked with Jennifer, I proceeded to the line of volunteers, and someone informed me that it would probably be awhile until there was another client, and advised me to go see if there were other things I could help with inside. So, I went upstairs and ended up packing lunches for the lunch shift. We ended up packing over 750 bag lunches with a sandwich, chips, apple, cookie, and condiments. It took us a really long time to get everything packed and we kept losing track of which bags had what in them. However, by the time lunch rolled around, we had packed enough for the first wave of people, but by the second wave, we were frantic to get them packed in time. I also noticed a lot of homeless people taking extra bags and sandwiches and putting them in their bags, but there was nothing we could really do about it. Once lunch had ended, we only had about 5 bags left over and then helped clean up. We rolled the carts back into the kitchen, cleaned the tables, broke down the boxes, and broke down the tables and put everything away. After I had done this, the Ritchie center was pretty much empty, and the people in charge of check in said it would be okay if we went home.
I had never worked with homeless people in this kind of personal setting before in my life. While it was definitely uncomfortable for me to make such direct contact with a stranger, it also shaped my view of the homeless. While Jennifer and I were very different, we also had a lot in common that made it easy for me to relate to her. She had a child right around when she was my age, and the way she spoke was so casual and friendly that it made it much easier for me to continue conversation. In terms of bagging lunches, I was disappointed when I saw the people stealing food, because it kind of rekindled the thoughts I had tried to get rid of in my head; that people coming to Project Homeless Connect would not steal, at least while we are trying to help them out. I think that sometimes I am too trustworthy of too many people, and this made me realized that there really ARE people out there who will just blatantly steal. However, I also realized that some of these people stole the sandwiches out of necessity, which also made me feel some sympathy for them. Overall, the whole experience really shaped me in a positive way. It made me step out of my comfort zone and place myself in a situation where I could really relate with people I hadn’t before. I would definitely do Project Homeless Connect and would advise other college students to do so as well.
Jennifer said that they had already eaten, and that all they needed were birth certificates for the both of them. We sat down and filled out the information on the check in sheet, and I learned that she actually has two other children that live with her husband, who she is separated from, in Georgia. She has been homeless numerous times in her life, and had a streak of two years where she lived consistently on the streets. She now lives in a housing area with her daughter and she has lived there for the past two weeks. We then proceeded down to the Gates Arena, which resembled more of a blur of yellow shirts with a few specks of color, and took Emily to the child-care area. We had to weave our way through lines of people in order to get back to the far corner, but we finally made it and got Emily care so that Jennifer and I could go and get the birth certificates.
We walked to the line, and ended up having to wait about 30 minutes because Jennifer and Emily needed out of state birth certificates, and there were only 2 people working on those ids. While we were waiting, Jennifer opened up a bit more about her personal life. She explained to me in further detail about how her husband and her became separated because she had a drug addiction and they could not pay any of their bills. He got full custody of the children and moved to Georgia. She then got pregnant with her baby who she has now, Emily, and is currently pregnant with another baby, due in July. She said that it has been hard trying to support Emily, but it has been the best thing for her because it keeps her grounded. However, because of Emily and her inability to pay for childcare, she has not been able to find a job, which, she said, leaves her extremely bored. But finally having a house has been a huge blessing for her. After we finally got her id, I asked her if she wanted to partake in the survey for a $25 King Soopers gift card, and she was more than willing. However, the surveyors said that she must have two or more children over the age of 5 in order to be eligible. So, we went back to child-care and picked up Dylan, and Jennifer was so excited to see her, even though they had only been apart for about an hour.
I ended up walking Jennifer and Emily back to the light rail station, and we continued to talk more about her personal life. When we finally got there, she sincerely thanked me for everything I had done, and was off.
After I worked with Jennifer, I proceeded to the line of volunteers, and someone informed me that it would probably be awhile until there was another client, and advised me to go see if there were other things I could help with inside. So, I went upstairs and ended up packing lunches for the lunch shift. We ended up packing over 750 bag lunches with a sandwich, chips, apple, cookie, and condiments. It took us a really long time to get everything packed and we kept losing track of which bags had what in them. However, by the time lunch rolled around, we had packed enough for the first wave of people, but by the second wave, we were frantic to get them packed in time. I also noticed a lot of homeless people taking extra bags and sandwiches and putting them in their bags, but there was nothing we could really do about it. Once lunch had ended, we only had about 5 bags left over and then helped clean up. We rolled the carts back into the kitchen, cleaned the tables, broke down the boxes, and broke down the tables and put everything away. After I had done this, the Ritchie center was pretty much empty, and the people in charge of check in said it would be okay if we went home.
I had never worked with homeless people in this kind of personal setting before in my life. While it was definitely uncomfortable for me to make such direct contact with a stranger, it also shaped my view of the homeless. While Jennifer and I were very different, we also had a lot in common that made it easy for me to relate to her. She had a child right around when she was my age, and the way she spoke was so casual and friendly that it made it much easier for me to continue conversation. In terms of bagging lunches, I was disappointed when I saw the people stealing food, because it kind of rekindled the thoughts I had tried to get rid of in my head; that people coming to Project Homeless Connect would not steal, at least while we are trying to help them out. I think that sometimes I am too trustworthy of too many people, and this made me realized that there really ARE people out there who will just blatantly steal. However, I also realized that some of these people stole the sandwiches out of necessity, which also made me feel some sympathy for them. Overall, the whole experience really shaped me in a positive way. It made me step out of my comfort zone and place myself in a situation where I could really relate with people I hadn’t before. I would definitely do Project Homeless Connect and would advise other college students to do so as well.
SLP: Denver Rescue Mission: Sarah Brehm
On May 1st, I went to the Denver Rescue Mission in downtown Denver to prepare meals for both the staff and 250 local homeless people along with Emily from our class. While this experience was tiresome and messy, it was also a wonderful opportunity to make direct contact with people who are either homeless themselves, have at one point been homeless, or work directly with the homeless every day.
When we first arrived, we were welcomed with warm greetings and I felt a general feeling of gratitude that we were there. Volunteers and staff were smiling at us and coming up to us to personally introduce themselves. The building was pretty run-down, but you could tell that a lot of people have been there for relief. A man named Nick came and greeted us. He first introduced himself and thanked us for coming, then asked us about our backgrounds and what we were studying in school. After our brief introductions, he asked us to help prepare the salad for the staff members, which would later be used to feed the two hundred and fifty homeless people waiting in a line outside. We opened about thirty bags of lettuce that had been donated by a local grocery store, and then we chopped tomatoes to put into the salad. While we were cutting the tomatoes, he asked me if I would be in charge of getting the deserts prepared. I cut pound cakes into slices and then set them out on a tray that was to be served with Hershey’s syrup and ice cream donated by Dairy Queen. The staff members got so excited about old, faulty ice cream products, which made me realize how much I take good food for granted! After the staff members were served, I was in charge of preparing cakes and other desserts, donated by local grocery stores, for the larger group that would be coming in. I ended up cutting about five cakes and putting them onto trays and putting them out in a buffet style line. By this time, our hour and a half was up, and it was time to go, but prepared a lot of food in an hour and a half, and also got to speak with some of the staff members about their personal experiences working at Denver Rescue Mission.
While it was a short period of time to work, I ended up learning a lot, both by the tasks I did as well as the conversations I had with some of the staff members. While we were chopping up vegetables, the staff members would constantly joke with us and keep conversation, which made us feel a lot more comfortable because I hate awkward silence. I also got the chance to speak one-on-one with Nick, which gave me a little bit more insight into what the Mission is all about. He explained to me that he himself is an alcoholic and has been at the Mission for 75 days. The alcohol recovery program is a faith-based, non-profit organization in which the members are required to work at the Mission in order to better their community and serve people just like them. He told me that his life has been totally turned around, and he absolutely loves what he does. He said it gives him an escape from the addictive life he used to have, and feels that he is finally doing something proactive with his life. It was good for me because it made me realize how much I take for granted the resources and the things I have in my own life. It realized that when I have a health problem, I simply go to the doctor’s office; if I am hungry, I walk to my refrigerator. The people that I got to work with made me realize that in a matter of minutes, your life can go from perfectly normal to completely disastrous. However, it also gave me hope for the homeless, because these people’s lives have been completely turned around as a result of this small organization in downtown Denver. I think that they are so successful because they have wonderful staff who have been in the shoes of the people that come there, and they are able to relate with them in that way. Also, their organization and methods of preparation were very efficient. Overall, what I took away the most from this experience was that the homeless are truly just like us. Though they may have fewer resources, we all have the same desire to have a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs, and that places like the Denver Rescue Mission are truly wonderful organizations that can help people feel like they are valued and significant in our society.
When we first arrived, we were welcomed with warm greetings and I felt a general feeling of gratitude that we were there. Volunteers and staff were smiling at us and coming up to us to personally introduce themselves. The building was pretty run-down, but you could tell that a lot of people have been there for relief. A man named Nick came and greeted us. He first introduced himself and thanked us for coming, then asked us about our backgrounds and what we were studying in school. After our brief introductions, he asked us to help prepare the salad for the staff members, which would later be used to feed the two hundred and fifty homeless people waiting in a line outside. We opened about thirty bags of lettuce that had been donated by a local grocery store, and then we chopped tomatoes to put into the salad. While we were cutting the tomatoes, he asked me if I would be in charge of getting the deserts prepared. I cut pound cakes into slices and then set them out on a tray that was to be served with Hershey’s syrup and ice cream donated by Dairy Queen. The staff members got so excited about old, faulty ice cream products, which made me realize how much I take good food for granted! After the staff members were served, I was in charge of preparing cakes and other desserts, donated by local grocery stores, for the larger group that would be coming in. I ended up cutting about five cakes and putting them onto trays and putting them out in a buffet style line. By this time, our hour and a half was up, and it was time to go, but prepared a lot of food in an hour and a half, and also got to speak with some of the staff members about their personal experiences working at Denver Rescue Mission.
While it was a short period of time to work, I ended up learning a lot, both by the tasks I did as well as the conversations I had with some of the staff members. While we were chopping up vegetables, the staff members would constantly joke with us and keep conversation, which made us feel a lot more comfortable because I hate awkward silence. I also got the chance to speak one-on-one with Nick, which gave me a little bit more insight into what the Mission is all about. He explained to me that he himself is an alcoholic and has been at the Mission for 75 days. The alcohol recovery program is a faith-based, non-profit organization in which the members are required to work at the Mission in order to better their community and serve people just like them. He told me that his life has been totally turned around, and he absolutely loves what he does. He said it gives him an escape from the addictive life he used to have, and feels that he is finally doing something proactive with his life. It was good for me because it made me realize how much I take for granted the resources and the things I have in my own life. It realized that when I have a health problem, I simply go to the doctor’s office; if I am hungry, I walk to my refrigerator. The people that I got to work with made me realize that in a matter of minutes, your life can go from perfectly normal to completely disastrous. However, it also gave me hope for the homeless, because these people’s lives have been completely turned around as a result of this small organization in downtown Denver. I think that they are so successful because they have wonderful staff who have been in the shoes of the people that come there, and they are able to relate with them in that way. Also, their organization and methods of preparation were very efficient. Overall, what I took away the most from this experience was that the homeless are truly just like us. Though they may have fewer resources, we all have the same desire to have a roof over their heads and food in their stomachs, and that places like the Denver Rescue Mission are truly wonderful organizations that can help people feel like they are valued and significant in our society.
Service Learning Logs 1 & 2
Service Learning Log #1
Friday May 9, 2008: Project Homeless Connect:
My client that I escorted was a 29 year old, Sarah. A mother of 3 boys and currently pregnant with her fourth child: a girl she is expecting in July. I was surprised when I met her because she didn’t look homeless, or at least like the version of what I thought a homeless person would look like. She had her hair combed beautifully, a nice pair of sunglasses sitting on top of her head and cute top that I admired. By looking at her, I never would have guessed she was just coming off the streets a month on a half ago. We skipped breakfast to get through the lines a little bit sooner which was nice since we didn’t have to wait very long in the lines. It was also very helpful how prepared she was. She came with all the documentation and information that she thought would be necessary in obtaining an identification card and birth certificate and had a list of questions that she wanted to ask legal services. She seemed so put together, I couldn’t help but think to myself why she was here.
In the video of PHC that we watched in class, one man said that everyone is just one paycheck away from being homeless, and I didn’t really view that as realistic but after talking with Sarah, I learned how quickly life can turn around. Just a year ago she had a house in Lakewood with her boyfriend and her 3 boys. She was planning on opening a boutique and, she had the blueprints and business plan all set to go. Her life seemed to be going just the way she wanted: she had a family and her career was about to take out. But it was not so picture perfect as she was in a physically abusive relationship which ended with her stabbing her boyfriend and going to jail for three months. She was released in favor of the “Make My Day Law” since she was protecting herself from being beat by her boyfriend but in that three month period, her now ex boyfriend sold all of her belongs, stole her identity and took off with her children. It was story that made my eyes tear. Her life took 180 degrees turn in a period of 3 months. For the past year, she was not able to find her children, and said that found no reason to live. She tried to commit suicide but after a few failed attempts she felt that suicide was a selfish way to die. She kept telling me that there was nothing for her in this world without her children and they couldn’t be found anywhere. In that period of 90 days, she lost her family, her home, and her life.
She met a new boyfriend and had three miscarriages the past year while sleeping in sheds around downtown Denver, which was physically and emotionally painful for her, leading her into a life of drugs. New boyfriend was also another abusive relationship that she couldn’t handle, and she was thankfully able to escape without too many damages. In the process of her trying to find housing she went to Colorado Coalition which helped her with her current housing at the Treasure Home, a 2 year traditional housing program. She came to me Friday morning with everything prepared to get a birth certificate, identification card, and a list of legal questions regarding the custody of her children. This was clearly a battle that she have been fighting for a while as she was telling me about the numerous attempts and trips to the DMV and social security she has taken in order to get this documentation. She was beyond grateful that she was able to complete everything in one trip to PHC and how much of a blessing it was for her that she was finally getting help to turn her life around.
Talking to Sarah really changed my perspective on how I perceive obstacles in my life by helping me see what are truly important and what isn’t. Often times, I would get so caught up in school letting life pass me by, missing opportunities to spend time with my family or friends because I always expect them to be there, but at any moment they can be gone and I’m going to remember putting them off for an assignment. Not that I believe school is not important, it is just that I have the tendency to get very caught up in school and only focus on that aspect of my life. She has been through many hard times to the point where she wished she was murdered because she didn’t want to live anymore, but now all she wants to do is help one person from getting in the situation that she was in herself. She told me that if she can save one person from being in an abusive relationship and going down the same path as her, she will be like she has accomplished what God kept her on this Earth for. Her spirits remained so high and I could tell that she was a fighter that was ready to get her life back on track. She has been meeting with lawyers to get her children back because she said that there is nothing she loves more in this world than being a mom and is ready to have a family again. She is working as a seamstress for Mission Wear, a company that produces reusable shopping bags and one day hoping to get her boutique started. It is just so amazing to me how one person could struggle so much, yet still have the desire to change and make a better life for themselves.
I learned that there are events in life that are beyond the control of an individual, but what an individual has control over is how they react to the situations. Sarah really inspired me to have a positive outlook on life and that one can overcome any obstacle with hard work and determination. For the past year, Sarah’s life has been simply hell as she lost everything, but instead of focusing on how much her life was horrible, she put her energy towards gaining it all back. She lost her home, her business, and her family yet her spirits are so high and she is willing to work hard to get it all back. Listening to her story about how she lost everything in her life made me realize that the little things in my life, such as not being able to get one shirt, or having to do a project, is really just the little things. It’s important because there are always going to be little annoying things in life that never go right, but it is important to focus on the big picture and the things that I do have, like a home, family, and an education.
Service Learning Log #2
May 13, 2008: Denver Rescue Mission
When I volunteered at the Denver Rescue Mission, it was after Project Homeless Connect and I thought I would almost be in the same situation that I was in when I escorted a client. Rebecca and I had signed up to go together and we had signed up for dinner prep, but I thought that I would have interaction serving the clients as well…but I was completely wrong. I entered and went to sign in as a volunteer but they didn’t have my name on the list to be there and kept telling me that I was a drop in volunteer, even though I had arranged to come and received confirmation twice. Honestly, I was a little irritated because one the people I would be helping went off on a tangent about how I shouldn’t just drop in to volunteer and that I need to arrange times and that I am lucky there was room for me there tonight. I kept thinking to myself, I’m here to help and he’s making me feel unwanted. After his mini-lecture he told me the plan for tonight and what I would be preparing and that dinner like life is “what you get.” He said that I wouldn’t be able to choose what to eat for dinner, and that I would eat what is being served to me and that variety is often times something volunteers take for granted when they are at home. I just agreed with everything he said and was ready to get to work.
Our first task was to search through bins to find desserts and put them on dessert trays. Simple enough, or so I thought, but the first five bins I went through were full of bread. I was interrupted when an employee, Ray, a DU alum, asked me to update his volunteer board adding “University of Denver” and “Lost and Found.” Lost and Found is a treatment housing unit for seventeen boys who come and volunteer once a week. It was nice having the interaction with them because it was people around our age, just a little bit younger, that we were able to converse with. The program that they are in is a treatment facility with seventeen boys living in one house. Rebecca and I worked with two of them putting the dessert trays together and it was heartbreaking listening to one of them say he wish he had a family. I just couldn’t imagine being 15 years old without the support and love of a parent. I kept thinking about all the arguments that I have with my mom and how I couldn’t wish to go to college to get away from home, but I still can’t imagine what it would be like if I didn’t have her. Working with them made me realize how privileged I am to have a family and an opportunity at a college education when one of them said that all he hopes he can do it graduate high school. And here I am complaining about it not being summer yet. My problems just seem so not important in the big picture.
Although we didn’t get to eat dinner with the clients, the Rescue Mission served the staff and volunteers dinner first and I could feel division among us. It felt like high school cafeteria trying to pick what table to sit at and not interacting with the other people. It was the table of the Lost and Found boys, regular staff, and another table with the DU students (Rebecca, me and another student). Dinner was served on a metal tray and our only utensil was a plastic spork. After eating dinner I returned my tray and said “thank you” to the dish washer and he looked at me in shock as if he had never heard those words come out of person’s mouth before. There wasn’t really much for us to do after dinner since it took about 45 minutes to eat and we were only there for an hour and half. But we stayed a few minutes extra and Ray took us around to show us how beds were given away and we were able to see the clients walking to chapel. It seemed really hectic as people men were trying to get keys and checking in for rooms. It made me think of the movie The Pursuit of Happyness where people were lining up in hopes of a bed, yet so many people were turned away at the end of the night. From taking the tour around the shelter, I learned that they are a family among themselves. They are all there to help and support each other and that was really uplifting to see that even though they don’t have a home to go to at night, they still have each other.
Ray was a very nice guy and dropped us off at the light rail station to make sure that we would be safe and his kindness was just so amazing. I came to volunteer and they were taking care of me as they fed me and gave me a ride. From this session, I felt that there isn’t a job that is too small to help with. Putting desserts on trays may seem like a little task, but there was a lot of desserts to go through and distribute and I learned that every little bit of effort can make a difference. Learning this is significant because often time people don’t want to help or volunteer because they don’t think they can make a difference. But everyone can make a difference and every little bit of volunteering helps. I know that many times I have volunteered, I have focused on what I will get out it, or how I will personally benefit from it and I think that is what takes away from the essence of volunteering. But at the same time, volunteering can be discouraging when it is not appreciated, like how I felt at the beginning of my shift at the Rescue Mission. But I learned that what is more important is being able to help others, in any way possible.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Service Learning Log 2 - Emily Williams
Project Homeless Connect
Date of Shift: May 9, 2008
Hours worked: 7 hours
As I stood on the steps of the Ritchie Center early on Friday morning, waiting to be paired with a homeless client, I did not feel nervous at all. I listened mindlessly to the chatter of the other volunteers. Some were talking to friends about what they thought the day would be like, some dressed in blue shirts sheepishly admitted they didn’t know if they would be adequate translators, many stood silently, impatiently checking their watches and finishing the last few drops of coffee. I’d done this before, I thought, so there was no reason to be worried. As men and women spilled off the first RTD bus, the volunteer line unconsciously shifted so everyone had a better view of the clients we would be helping. The line slowly moved and finally I was introduced to J. I introduced myself and asked if he’d like to get breakfast, but he haphazardly pushed past me mumbling something about the bathroom.
As we hunted out the restrooms together I tried to tell him something about how the day would go, but I could tell he wasn’t really listening. I was afraid that maybe he would be a client with “mental disabilities” that I would have to refer to a ‘white-shirt.’ But, after we found the bathroom and got something to eat we seemed to click better as a team and I became more certain that this man wasn’t delusional, he just had his priorities. As we filled out the introductory paperwork and ate our muffins and fruit salad, J. told me that he had been homeless for about four years because of a “bad bad drug problem” as he somberly referred to it. “It’s okay though,” he assured me, “I got a good thing going here. I’ve been at the Rescue Mission for 11 months. When I get to 14, I get another job and a car. I got a good thing. When I’m done with the program they’ll get me set up in a nice house. I just really need a house for me and my wife for the next few months, she’s jumping from shelter to shelter ‘cause women aren’t allowed at the mission.” Knowing this, after breakfast we headed for the housing line.
Trekking across the Ritchie Center, J. told me more about his family. He has four kids: three daughters, two who are in their late twenties and one who is 14, and a son he hasn’t seen in years. He was about to tell me about his wife when we arrived at Housing. We waited our turn to talk to the frantic looking woman handing out numbers. When we found out our number wouldn’t be called for a couple of hours, J. decided he wanted to see the people at the SSI booth and then talk to someone in legal services. Social Security wasn’t much help, J. had already filled out all the paperwork, and the woman told him to wait for his case to be processed. I felt extremely frustrated with this answer, but J. didn’t seem to mind. I felt like the woman should have been able to do something, after all she was sitting there with a computer, what more could she need? I had to push past my frustration to realize that the all knowing “purple shirts,” were in fact volunteers and they were trying their best, but some things just can’t get done in just a few hours. J., though, gave the woman a number where he could be reached, and asked that she call him if she had any new information.
As J. and I sat at one of about 15 tables designated for “legal services” and waited for our all-knowing legal volunteers to come back with the verdict, so to speak, J. let loose. Suddenly it was as if 11 months of pent up frustration was slowly trickling out through fragmented sentences and the occasional expletive. J. had told me earlier in the day that he had been denied housing multiple times because he had a felony on his record, and some other charges too he admitted. He said his most recent run in with the law was a couple of months ago, about 8 months into the drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. “I was totally clean” he said, “but I had an aspirin in my pocket and the cop picked me up and booked me in jail. The next day they analyzed it and found that it was just an aspirin. They dropped the charges, but it’s still on there.” As we waited for our legal counsel to return with J.’s record, he told me he had had about 34 charges brought against him since he’d been living on the street. “34 charges,” I thought, “Wow! I can’t even fathom being in jail for a night.” He said being under the influence did “bad things” to him and in the same breath he pointed out another client in the field house, a girl about my own age, “I used to sell her crack,” J. said. “When she was about 12 she started coming to me three of four times a week. Ain’t that something?” In that one sentence, J. summed up our complete differences. Though we seemed to be connecting well, his comment brought me back to the world I lived in, and there was an immense distance between J.’s world. I came hurtling back to the world we were sharing for the day when he said, “Since I got in with the Rescue Mission, I’ve been clean, 11 months now.” I could tell he was very proud of this fact, but before I could congratulate him, our lawyers returned. They told J. that though they couldn’t get rid of any of the chargers he was convicted for, he could have the aspirin charge expunged if he went to a specific office at a specific time. J. looked thoroughly relieved, but I felt slightly worried about the situation. What if he didn’t go to the office? What if he couldn’t find it? I had to remind myself that I was working with a grown man who was responsible for himself. He had made it without me living on the streets, he certainly didn’t need me to hold his hand and take him to the lawyer’s office.
Our final stop for the day was housing. J. found that because his monthly AND stipend was only $236 a month, he would not have access to permanent housing, but that there might be a place for him in transitional housing. The man at the transitional housing table coincidently knew J. (as I found throughout the rest of the day, the homeless community seems to be greatly connected to one another). Since J. was already set up at the Mission, the man told him that he could get better information through his counselor there. Again, J. was pleased, I was not. “What if,” I thought, “he hadn’t been working with the Rescue Mission? Then what could they have done for him?” I let it go though, since J. was ready for lunch, and then had to get back to turn in a paper to his teacher at the Rescue Mission.
My day with J. ended on a grassy hill in front of the Ritchie Center, each of us eating our lunches out of paper sacks. J. thanked me for my help and wished me luck with my studies. “Keep your nose clean,” he told me (a phrase that I had never actually heard used before outside of 1940’s movies and books) “and don’t leave when you’ve got a good thing going.” With that, he got up and we walked our separate ways – he towards the light rail station and me back to my chance to save the world – another client. I’m not sure that I can express in words how equally inspiring and heartbreaking Friday was. There were moments where I felt that I was so much a part of the solution that there was no doubt in mind that we could solve homelessness, and we were going to do it that day while eating our sack lunches. These moments of encouragement, though, were coupled with moments of mounting disappointment when a client was rejected from permanent housing and told they must seek out another shelter. The day, complete with ups and downs, was overall an incredible experience. What touched me the most was the sheer kindness of my clients: one man refused to eat until I took the cookie that he shared with me, while another opened his package of socks to share with a man who had not received any. As I watched these small but meaningful occurrences, I realized how utterly humbling it must be to attend an event like this, to put yourself at the mercy of a group of college students and make it know, that for one reason or another you are unable to take care of yourself or your family. I can’t imagine the vulnerability some of the clients must have felt and for the number of people who came for assistance, I think it is a testament to the change that is needed in our social system. Perhaps Project Homeless Connect and Denver’s Road Home will not eradicate homelessness however maybe it is the tipping point that will inspire other organizations and different types of people to adopt homelessness as a cause.
Date of Shift: May 9, 2008
Hours worked: 7 hours
As I stood on the steps of the Ritchie Center early on Friday morning, waiting to be paired with a homeless client, I did not feel nervous at all. I listened mindlessly to the chatter of the other volunteers. Some were talking to friends about what they thought the day would be like, some dressed in blue shirts sheepishly admitted they didn’t know if they would be adequate translators, many stood silently, impatiently checking their watches and finishing the last few drops of coffee. I’d done this before, I thought, so there was no reason to be worried. As men and women spilled off the first RTD bus, the volunteer line unconsciously shifted so everyone had a better view of the clients we would be helping. The line slowly moved and finally I was introduced to J. I introduced myself and asked if he’d like to get breakfast, but he haphazardly pushed past me mumbling something about the bathroom.
As we hunted out the restrooms together I tried to tell him something about how the day would go, but I could tell he wasn’t really listening. I was afraid that maybe he would be a client with “mental disabilities” that I would have to refer to a ‘white-shirt.’ But, after we found the bathroom and got something to eat we seemed to click better as a team and I became more certain that this man wasn’t delusional, he just had his priorities. As we filled out the introductory paperwork and ate our muffins and fruit salad, J. told me that he had been homeless for about four years because of a “bad bad drug problem” as he somberly referred to it. “It’s okay though,” he assured me, “I got a good thing going here. I’ve been at the Rescue Mission for 11 months. When I get to 14, I get another job and a car. I got a good thing. When I’m done with the program they’ll get me set up in a nice house. I just really need a house for me and my wife for the next few months, she’s jumping from shelter to shelter ‘cause women aren’t allowed at the mission.” Knowing this, after breakfast we headed for the housing line.
Trekking across the Ritchie Center, J. told me more about his family. He has four kids: three daughters, two who are in their late twenties and one who is 14, and a son he hasn’t seen in years. He was about to tell me about his wife when we arrived at Housing. We waited our turn to talk to the frantic looking woman handing out numbers. When we found out our number wouldn’t be called for a couple of hours, J. decided he wanted to see the people at the SSI booth and then talk to someone in legal services. Social Security wasn’t much help, J. had already filled out all the paperwork, and the woman told him to wait for his case to be processed. I felt extremely frustrated with this answer, but J. didn’t seem to mind. I felt like the woman should have been able to do something, after all she was sitting there with a computer, what more could she need? I had to push past my frustration to realize that the all knowing “purple shirts,” were in fact volunteers and they were trying their best, but some things just can’t get done in just a few hours. J., though, gave the woman a number where he could be reached, and asked that she call him if she had any new information.
As J. and I sat at one of about 15 tables designated for “legal services” and waited for our all-knowing legal volunteers to come back with the verdict, so to speak, J. let loose. Suddenly it was as if 11 months of pent up frustration was slowly trickling out through fragmented sentences and the occasional expletive. J. had told me earlier in the day that he had been denied housing multiple times because he had a felony on his record, and some other charges too he admitted. He said his most recent run in with the law was a couple of months ago, about 8 months into the drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. “I was totally clean” he said, “but I had an aspirin in my pocket and the cop picked me up and booked me in jail. The next day they analyzed it and found that it was just an aspirin. They dropped the charges, but it’s still on there.” As we waited for our legal counsel to return with J.’s record, he told me he had had about 34 charges brought against him since he’d been living on the street. “34 charges,” I thought, “Wow! I can’t even fathom being in jail for a night.” He said being under the influence did “bad things” to him and in the same breath he pointed out another client in the field house, a girl about my own age, “I used to sell her crack,” J. said. “When she was about 12 she started coming to me three of four times a week. Ain’t that something?” In that one sentence, J. summed up our complete differences. Though we seemed to be connecting well, his comment brought me back to the world I lived in, and there was an immense distance between J.’s world. I came hurtling back to the world we were sharing for the day when he said, “Since I got in with the Rescue Mission, I’ve been clean, 11 months now.” I could tell he was very proud of this fact, but before I could congratulate him, our lawyers returned. They told J. that though they couldn’t get rid of any of the chargers he was convicted for, he could have the aspirin charge expunged if he went to a specific office at a specific time. J. looked thoroughly relieved, but I felt slightly worried about the situation. What if he didn’t go to the office? What if he couldn’t find it? I had to remind myself that I was working with a grown man who was responsible for himself. He had made it without me living on the streets, he certainly didn’t need me to hold his hand and take him to the lawyer’s office.
Our final stop for the day was housing. J. found that because his monthly AND stipend was only $236 a month, he would not have access to permanent housing, but that there might be a place for him in transitional housing. The man at the transitional housing table coincidently knew J. (as I found throughout the rest of the day, the homeless community seems to be greatly connected to one another). Since J. was already set up at the Mission, the man told him that he could get better information through his counselor there. Again, J. was pleased, I was not. “What if,” I thought, “he hadn’t been working with the Rescue Mission? Then what could they have done for him?” I let it go though, since J. was ready for lunch, and then had to get back to turn in a paper to his teacher at the Rescue Mission.
My day with J. ended on a grassy hill in front of the Ritchie Center, each of us eating our lunches out of paper sacks. J. thanked me for my help and wished me luck with my studies. “Keep your nose clean,” he told me (a phrase that I had never actually heard used before outside of 1940’s movies and books) “and don’t leave when you’ve got a good thing going.” With that, he got up and we walked our separate ways – he towards the light rail station and me back to my chance to save the world – another client. I’m not sure that I can express in words how equally inspiring and heartbreaking Friday was. There were moments where I felt that I was so much a part of the solution that there was no doubt in mind that we could solve homelessness, and we were going to do it that day while eating our sack lunches. These moments of encouragement, though, were coupled with moments of mounting disappointment when a client was rejected from permanent housing and told they must seek out another shelter. The day, complete with ups and downs, was overall an incredible experience. What touched me the most was the sheer kindness of my clients: one man refused to eat until I took the cookie that he shared with me, while another opened his package of socks to share with a man who had not received any. As I watched these small but meaningful occurrences, I realized how utterly humbling it must be to attend an event like this, to put yourself at the mercy of a group of college students and make it know, that for one reason or another you are unable to take care of yourself or your family. I can’t imagine the vulnerability some of the clients must have felt and for the number of people who came for assistance, I think it is a testament to the change that is needed in our social system. Perhaps Project Homeless Connect and Denver’s Road Home will not eradicate homelessness however maybe it is the tipping point that will inspire other organizations and different types of people to adopt homelessness as a cause.
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