Giving Your Time

The Seton Sandwich Kitchen

The past week at DPU has allowed me to focus on developing a number of projects and areas that will be my main focus for the weeks to come they range from assessment to training topics and I'll be sure to discuss those in the future.  However one of the most important things I did this week was volunteer my time with the Saint Vincent DePaul Sandwich Kitchen.





Each and every Monday 5 staff members from the DePaul community volunteer their time during the "DePaul Monday" session of breakfast and serve a meal for over 100 members of the community.  This was my first time as a volunteer (but not my last) and I must say that I was very happy to give back, very surprised by the number of people we helped, and floored by the thankfulness shown by who benefited.
 
As an undergraduate student I was someone who planned many hours of community service, however I ended up working in more of an administrative role in those situations and never found myself out in the community.  This experience allowed me to work directly with those people who need a helping hand.  We saw people of all races, genders, faiths, ages, and backgrounds and the common thread among them all was the feeling of appreciation that I got.  I heard "thank you", "thanks", and "bless you" more than I can count.  By no means was the meal we were serving a feast, however each person was gracious that we took time to help out.

A quick Google search showed me that Christmas on Campus, my favorite community service event at Marietta College is alive and well!  Thank you Circle K for keeping it going!!!

This prompted me to think about other ways I can give back and other places that need my assistance.  One of my goals for the upcoming academic year will be to volunteer at least once a month.  I wish I could say I'd do more... but I'm not sure it's a reality in my graduate school/part time job/internship mix.  Posted below are a couple of organizations I am looking to reachout to and possibly volunteer with during the upcoming year.

www.aidstaskforce.org  - The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland
http://www.thefreeclinic.org/ - The Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland
and one of the foodbanks/meal locations through the Harvest Network

Who do you volunteer your time with?  What causes get you moving?  Any groups you want to share with me? 

The importance of preparation.

With my second week at my ACUHO-I internship coming to a close I thought it would be an ideal time to start reflecting on my experiences.  As you can imagine it's been a very busy two weeks of getting acquainted to the location, the people, and the business of DePaul.  I'm not sure about everyone else who is doing internships this summer.. but I went into the experience with a few beliefs, which I can safely say have been shattered. 

1. Who a DePaul student is 

I have to admit I didn't have the most complete picture of what a student would be like at this university, however I have found myself very surprised by the students I've met and interacted with.  I was hung up on one piece of the identity of DPU and discounted all of the other parts.  

I wrongfully assumed that I would be entering a very homogenous place filled with only catholic students... WRONG.  In the past DePaul was one of the first law schools to admit Jewish students without an sort of "quota" or limit on the number of them admitted. Today DPU offers a number of services that I didn't expect to find on their campus... the one that blew my mind the most, prayer rooms for Muslim students. 

2. Who works at DePaul 

One of the biggest fears I had coming into this internship was that I would be the only person of a sexual minority on the campus.  (I know. . I know... closed minded) I'm happy to report that I've found the campus to be very open and accepting of people of different backgrounds.. in fact that is one of the most important parts of DePaul.  

 

http://www.depauliaonline.com/

3. How DePaul addresses specific topics

Another of the things I was worried about going into this internship was the way that DePaul would approach a number of topics ranging from student actions to LGBT student acceptance on campus... And Again!  I was very surprised by the response.  Within a week of being on campus the student drag show occurred and was featured on the front page of the student newspaper.  Wow!  That was very surprising for me.. furthermore I was able to see an entire fair focused on sexual health which was very inclusive of the LGBT community.  The actions of the staff around the topic of alcohol use is that of a very realistic approach which I find to be very comforting.  

The reality is that I did a VERY bad job of preparing myself as to what I would be experiencing this summer.  I rested on my preconceived notions of what this school was and didn't take the time to look into it's history, it's students, or its values.  After going to a new employee orientation I was inspired to look more into this and do the research I should have done previously.  

Some of the outstanding values I have found to be the most inspiring are: 

• The focus on educating first generation college students and thus providing an opportunity for our students to break the hold that poverty has on our world. 
• The focus on the dignity of each person.  This is huge to me in the way that I've seen people treated at other universities in the past.  
• And finally the focus as an urban institution which can draw on but also has responsibility to give back to the community as a whole.