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
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