LINK Project -- Amanda Little

I had originally planned to spend a Saturday afternoon working on a blitz build for Habitat for Humanity to collect volunteer hours for this LINK Project. But because of the wet weather we’ve been having, the build has be cancelled and rescheduled twice. So instead, I have pieced together hours from a number of volunteer experiences. During a lock-in with my church group at the end of January, we spent two hours making some improvements to our building. The pictures below are of me and my peers doing some painting and general upkeep. I also spent two hours with my church group at the Brook Stone Estates assisted living community playing games with the residents. We played a game called Left Right Middle and Sequence. The remainder of my volunteer hours came from working the Special Olympics here on campus. I was assigned to work the end of the day, from about one to three, picking up trash in the bleachers and around the stadium.

Working with the Immanuel Lutheran Campus Ministry has opened a lot of doors for me. Through this organization I have been involved with a number of service and volunteer opportunities, met some people who have been helpful resources and gained a lot of perspective. The elderly make up a measurable percent of the disadvantaged population. Most of them expressed their appreciation to us for coming and spending an evening with them. Individuals with disabilities also make up a significant percent of the disadvantaged population. The Special Olympics is an opportunity for them to work toward something and find pride in their accomplishments.

When I was at Brook Stone Estates, the residents taught me two new games and told us stories about their families and youth. I really enjoy talking to my elders and learning about their lives. Even though I had very little interaction with the athletes at the Special Olympics, I know that being part of the event was important. I’ve worked with individuals with disabilities on many prior occasions and always walk away feeling incredibly humbled. They are such great people who have been dealt an unfortunate hand and just need a friendly face to turn to. I spent a good deal of my time during the school year at our church’s student center and I can now feel a sense of pride when I see some of the work I’ve done there. Volunteering is something that I am part of whenever I have the opportunity. Regardless of what kind of service it is, I always walk about with memories and a sense of accomplishment.   



Time Sheet from the Special Olympics.



Painting the floor trim behind the toilet at the ILCM Student Center.

Relay for life (Lisa Rogers)

On April 15-16 I volunteered in part with Alpha Phi Omega at relay for life. It took place up at the Panther Trails and the activities took place from 6pm until 6am. There were food and games as well as prizes to give away. Throughout the night, we were split into groups and walked the trails for about an hour at a time. There was also time to listen to the stories of cancer survivors. The stories were very inspirational . I learned a new level of respect for teh survivors after listening to their personal struggles and overcoming cancer. My best friends mom was diagnosed with cancer and battled it for years. I never really knoew what it was that she went through or what they went through as a family struggling together to get past the disease.
I felt like this could easily relate to what we have learned in class, because after participating I found out how a diagnoses like cancer changes not just the individual, but the entire family. It really is a process and I have nothing but the most respect for those families who endured and overcame that crisis. I enjoyed meeting so many new people at the event and getting a sense of them as an individual and not a diagnoses. Also some of the members of Alpha Phi Omega that I met prior to doing relay for life, I have really been able to connect with. We keep in touch and I am actually inspired to do more voluteer work with them in the future. I honestly never knew that helping families could be as simple as listnening to stories over good food and games and walking to save a life. Services like this really can make a world of difference, especially in a small town like this one. It is a good support system for fellow survivors and individuals currently battling cancer.

STUFF THE BUS - Darius White

For the Project LINK assignment I assisted at the Stuff the Bus; canned food and clothing drive. This event took place Wednesday, April 13, 2011 during the 2011 Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. The goal of the event was to fill a bus with donated food and clothes from students, faculty/staff, and community members. It was extremely wonderful to see so many people give back to others not as fortunate without expecting anything in return.  Along with people giving items, many even offered their time to volunteer on the spot at the event. Not only were we accepting canned food and clothes but facts about hunger and homelessness was also given to people to educate and bring awareness to the issue. Anyone that actually donated something were given a wristband with the words ‘War on Poverty….WINNING’ and placed in a raffle to win a ticket to the University Board Spring Concert.

The items collected will assist any individual in poverty in need of food or clothing. As we know there are a lot of necessities in life, especially for a family that we would consider the “working poor”, and for them to be assisted with food and clothing is a great reliever of stress and financial burdens. Another duty other than collecting all the items and handing out awareness information there was a lot of sorting to do with the canned food and clothing items prior to taking them to their final location. I personally sorted through some of the clothing items trying to separate them from shirts and pants.

I really enjoyed volunteering at this event, and have the opportunity to interact with all the students, faculty/staff, and community members. Prior to the event, I worked with Zuri Thurman on ideas of marketing and innovative ways to get individuals aware of the issue, and for it to be a first time event, it was a success.  The event was co-sponsored by Housing and Dining Services, Student Community Service, and University Board - Cultural Arts. With these organizations coming together, I was able to also work with Rachael Fisher, who is the director of the Students Community Service program. Her vitality, care and enthusiasm for any volunteer efforts made creating this project worthwhile. I have volunteered with different programs under Rachael’s administration and after this successful event; I look forward to future volunteer opportunities.

Heather Sutherland - Volunteering at Charleston Transitional Facility

Introduction
          I chose to volunteer at Charleston Transitional Facility for my volunteer hours. I volunteered on March 17^th from 2pm-7pm. I was under the watch of the supervisor there for the first hour where we went over different information for the clients. For the other 4 hours I was left with the other staff known as DSP’s and the client who live in the home.

2pm-3pm

            For the first hour of my volunteer hours I got a lay of the land at the home at Douglas. The supervisor took me around the house having me help to prepare the guys home for their arrival. This consisted of making sure all of the beds were undone for the ones that tend to go to bed directly after the get home from workshop. We then looked at the menu for the day and got everything out so that dinner was ready to be prepared. Normally they would wait until around 3pm to get their dinner ready but since I was volunteering she let me help get it together early. I helped cook the noodles and prepare the lasagna that was being cooked that night.

3pm-4pm

            During this time of the day I helped one of the staff do transportation. We first had to go to the workshop called Blumenthal where the older clients of the house go during the day. There we picked up 4 clients and brought them home. My job was to help secure the wheelchair into its spot. Once we got back to the house I helped unload the clients from the van and brought them into the house. We then left for the second load of guys where we went up to the Charleston Transitional Facility day program. There we picked up the other 4 guys and brought them home. I stayed in the back of the van with one of the clients and helped secure the two guys in wheelchairs into their spots on the van. We brought them home where I helped get them off the van and bring them into the house.

4pm-5pm

            The clients in the home get medication distributed to them from one of their staffs at 4pm. My job was to bring each of the 8 clients to the medication room when it was their time to get their medication. I asked for a couple of them what kinds of medications they were getting and the staff informed me that some of the medication was for their hearts, vitamins and/or for their behaviors such as for their schizophrenia or bipolar disease.

5pm-6pm

            After medication is distributed to all of the clients dinner is then served. I was to help with passing out the client’s food to each of them. I was even able to help feed one of the clients whom cannot feed themselves.  His food also had to be pureed because he has had previous choking experiences. Once all of the clients were done eating we had to clean up all of the plates and put their clothing protectors into the washing machine to be washed.

6pm-7pm

            After dinner is done if there are any outings for the clients those are done then. I was able to go on an outing with one of the staff member’s and one of the client’s. We went to Wal-mart where we picked up hygiene products. The client was able to be brought with and brought to the different sections of the personal care section and was allowed to pick out his own brand and fragrance of each item that he needed. After he picked everything out we checked out where he handed the cashier the money. We then were done with the outing and went back to the house where we put everything away that we bought.

 

Conclusion

This was definitely related to the disadvantaged families class because all of the individuals that live in the homes of CTF are disadvantaged individuals with mental and physical disabilities. This organization gives the community a chance to work and help with individuals who are not as fortunate and to give them the care that they need and deserve. I had an overall great experience volunteering at the home. It was nice that I was able to help out with the clients and that the staff was very welcoming in giving me some information but not too much to disturb the clients of the home’s privacy.

Alexis Amann-Field of Dreams

 

I volunteered with Field of Dreams to help TLC (The Learning Center) in Humbolt, IL. TLC is an alternative school that serves elementary and high school students who have been expelled from other schools to give them a second chance. The school yard TLC is situated on is very run down and the playground equipment was rusted over and it didn't look like a happy place to play. Field of Dreams was remodeling the baseball field that hadn't been in used in years and also putting in a soccer field. Field of Dreams got EIU's baseball team involved and they donated the bases and helped professionally put in the lines where the bases and mound were to go. 

Working with Field of Dreams relates back to our class because TLC serves youth who are at risk,and after talking to their DARE officer who was the brains behind the whole thing he told me a lot of it had to do with their home life. When we were working some of the classes came over to watch the construction taking place and the majority of the students were elementary age. It was sad because they looked so young and innocent, but at the same time I can understand how you become a product of your living environment. I networked with other professionals because I got to talk to TLC's DARE officer as well as a probation officer for the town who was also volunteering her free time. Networking with them helped me better understand what I want to do after I graduate which is social work or juvenile corrections. It also interesting to hear what kind of client's they serve and the work their job entails. The potential effect that this will have on TLC is that it will hopefully get some of the kid's motivated, give them constructive activities to do which will keep them busy and out of trouble, and it brought the town together because a lot of the volunteers were community residents who helped out in their free time. 

Field of Dreams was more than just restoring an old baseball field for TLC it made me think about my future and what I want to do. Seeing the kids at the school coming out to watch us restore the field really brought what I was doing to life, because even after I graduate the baseball field will still be there. It felt good to know that even though they may not remember all of us who helped, they would have good memories of playing on the baseball and soccer fields after they were completed. Just knowing that we helped make a run down school yard better for the students was a really satisfying feeling.

Me before we got to work

 

All of our awesome volunteers who made this possible

 

 After a long day's work

Project Link Assignment By: Megan Eshleman

I did my project link volunteering hours at a church up in Chicago that provides assistance to the underprivileged.  I did 4 hours in the daycare that the church runs for families who aren’t able to afford other day care.  I did my last hour through the same church volunteering through a program that helps the elderly in the community.  Volunteering through this organization definitely reflected concepts from our class and other classes that I have taken in the past.  In class we learned about the costs of families who live below the poverty line and how they sometimes have to cut out certain expenses to provide basic necessities for their families.  Often time’s daycare is cut, or reduced.  The daycare ran by the church is low cost and takes other form of payments than just money. I thought that was really neat.  I also volunteered an hour for a program that helps the elderly in the community who don’t have cars and aren’t able to get themselves around to run errands.  I was able to assist a woman named Ellie in getting her groceries, going to the post office and even going to Kohls to pick up some new shirts. There are definitely disadvantages that the aging population runs into that others do not. So I thought it was really important to include them in this assignment.  I really enjoyed her company and that was able to assist her in such a simple way that meant a lot to her.  While volunteering there I was able to meet a lot of different congregation members and administrators for the church and network with them.  I’m hoping that I left a good impression on them.  Overall I really enjoyed this assignment and offering my services in places that needed it. After the day I felt accomplished and happy that I was able to help others in need. It was also ironic that I was able to work with children and the elderly as that I can’t decide which direction I want my career to go; Either working with younger children or older adults.  I hope that I am able to continue volunteering in the future. 

Sullivan Senior Center (Megan Walters)

On April 8th, 2011 I was able to spend time at my town's senior center. i was able to take part in the day's events which consisted of breakfast with the low income seniors and bingo, followed by some other games. I was able to see that poverty truly does strike senior citizens. I spoke with a lady I will call "Sally" and through our conversation she revealed to me that she had quit taking her medications because she could no longer afford them. Sally told me that she is 89 years old and is going to die anyway so she decided to buy groceries over buying medication. This is HEART BREAKING to me. Even if she is 89 years old she should have the means to buy her medication! To me there should never be a choice in food or meds for seniors, they have paid their price to society they have worked hard and raised families seniors medications should be free!! While I was there I was also able to speak with the 3 professionals that run the center. They told me that they do so much more than just plan events for the seniors. They are directly involved with helping the seniors navigate Medicare and Medicaid. There is an opening for an Admin. Assistant so I applied and actually interviewed for the position today. The effect of not only that day on the community but daily is that low income seniors are highly dependant on the center, not only for socialization needs but for a place that is free of charged to them that they can be walked through the daunting task of navigating their insurance coverage. My reflections of the day are that the proffesionals in this field are highly underpaid! One staff member told me that "if she could be paid in hugs she would be a millionaire" I think that the senior center is a vital part of my community and I hope they will be able to keep the doors open for years to come for the sake of our communities senior citizens.