My Personal Opinion on Volunteering

So, on Saturday I finished 80 hrs of community service for my SCWK 202 class (making my total from the beginning of my college career a whopping 130 documented* hrs) and I felt oh, so accomplished… that is, until I realized that my work wasn’t done. It would be completely wrong of me to stop volunteering at the height of the holiday season, especially since there are only two volunteers. I couldn’t do that. I know that some may not agree with me on this one, but I really believe that volunteering is very important. Not just for a class, but for individual development also. It provides one with a sense of self-worth and accomplishment simply because you get the chance to help others who are, in most cases, less fortunate than yourself. It’s a wonderful feeling that you get when someone walks up to you and says “you have just made my day”, or asks if they could hug you with tears of joy in their eyes, simply because you handed them a bag with enough food to last them for a few weeks or clothes that could keep them warm through the winter months.

Over the course of this semester, I spent the majority of my day, on Mondays and Fridays, at Pilgrims Inn. PI provides emergency assistance to men, women and children (in the form of donations, daycare, and a sense of security) all over the Rock Hill area and also provides shelter to families with no place to go. It strives off of the donations of others and if they are unable to accept donations then they pass them on to other organizations around the area that can. I am very glad that I decided to volunteer there. It’s taught me a lot. One major lesson I learned is that a career, no matter what path you choose, isn’t always going to be predictable. As a social worker I know that it’s not going to always be passing out donations and filing papers. This semester alone there has been a client that has gone in labor, a semi-truck full of food, and remodeling of parts of the building. The unexpected happened and about halfway into my volunteering I realized that I had to stop coming in and expecting to do the same things every time. I had to come in and be willing to face what ever was placed in front of me.

Life isn’t always sunshine and four leaf clovers people, if you haven’t volunteered before you should, you’ll gain a greater appreciation for what you have and you’ll learn that, sometimes, hard times are only lessened by hope.

Au revoir for now…

Individuality vs. Society

A few days ago, I was reminded of a conversation that took place between me and two of my friends. The conversation was on how a person becomes an individual and how they are able to stand out in a society where no one can actually call themselves individuals because of their similar thoughts and action. Now many could (and have) argued with me on this one simply because genetically everyone is different, but if you were to really sit down and think about it society is what makes an individual and no one is completely different in thought from everyone in society because we are taught what to and not to accept. Our social norms and beliefs are what tie us together.

So, what do you think? Are we really individuals, or are we the product of a society that wants us to believe that we are different? You decide.

I helped to make History!! We Did it America!!!

*Disclaimer: Those who may not follow my political or religious views should understand that I am not trying to force you to think the way I do. We are all beautifully human, and I am just using this blog to express my PERSONAL views. Please do not take offense to the content of this blog entry. I am only expressing my opinion.*

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS ACCEPTED AND AGREED WITH IT'S VOICE OF REASON. ALL WE WANTED WAS A CHANCE. THANK YOU FOR GIVING IT TO US!

If you all haven't realized it yet, I am an African American who voted for President (it feels good to say this) Obama. Not because of the color of his skin, but because of the topics that he focused upon and last night at 11:06 pm I realized that this was realy happening. A nation of people that, at one point in time, didn't believe that blacks had the mental capability to take care of themselves in their own land, allowed us to prove that not only could we take care of ourselves, but if given the chance, we could take care of others too!

We as a nation elected our first African American president. This is still a little surreal to me, but I have been in a state of euphoria since he won the whole New England region. Last night I cried tears of joy because, for once, I actually believed that my children would have an even better chance at life than I did. I cried because my grandmother cried and said that she never thought she'd see this in her lifetime; because my mother, who was born in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, finally believed that what others fought for was worth it; I cried because the man I love had a look of peace and determination in his eyes that I had never seen before and because I knew that the man I miss was in heaven praising God for sending the blessing that would cover all the generations he left behind.

As we, the Obama supporters (of all ethnicities) of Winthrop University, marched from our dorms to the major meeting places on campus all you could hear was Obama chants, people crying, and some even singing "We Shall Overcome". And as I followed the crowd, thanking God the whole way, I realized that Barack Obama is my generations form of MLK, Jr. and JFK combined. He had accomplished what so many others fought and died for, UNITY.

Now, although there are still some who still aren't as open minded as we'd like, and can't see past the color of his skin, we are all still "One nation, under God" we can make a difference as long as we keep the faith, continue to reach for our hopes and dreams and know that change isn't always a negative thing.

America, let's put the past behind us and know that brighter days are coming. Change is here, are you going to accept it? I sure have...