College Students Share Their Service Stories
Below are just a few of the many excellent stories students wrote for the workshop:
" A Cartoon Club Career? " by Carrie Cochran, The University of Montana
" Vamos A Leer! " by Ria Overholt, Western Montana College
" Viva Mexico! " by Laura Sundquist, Montana State University-Bozeman
A Cartoon Club Career?
by Carrie Cochran
The University of Montana
I began college at Willamette University with a fairly limited background. Born and raised in Missoula, Montana, I was an active high school student who participated in several community service projects. But in my eyes, volunteering was just another activity I was involved in. I came, I helped the cause, and I left, never taking anything away from the experience other than the feeling that I had done a good deed. Then I started my college career and became involved with an organization called Cartoon Club, and my perspective changed. Through my four-year membership with Cartoon Club I found a connection to my community, a link between my studies and the real world, and an inspiration that would lead me past college academia into the future. Now if you are like the majority of people I encounter, you are thinking, "Cartoon Club? Do you draw cartoons?" My answer to you is no, it is far from anything along those lines. Cartoon Club is a group of Willamette students who spend two hours of their Saturday morning playing with children at the Salem Outreach Shelter. The shelter, otherwise known as SOS, is a shelter for homeless families. It houses a maximum of ten family units, each family having their own room/apartment and sharing a communal kitchen, dining room, living room, and playroom. We were named Cartoon Club because we were an alternative to the kids watching cartoons on Saturday mornings. Our domain was the playroom and at any one time we would have between five and twenty-five kids ranging in ages from one to sixteen years old. Our activities varied from playing soccer in the backyard to holiday crafts, to educational games, to group reading, to anything else you could possibly fit into a two-hour period. I still remember quite vividly my first experience with Cartoon Club during the first week of my freshman year. I went to SOS with a large group of people and instantly bonded with this little girl named Ashley. She was probably six or seven but she was tiny, very underdeveloped, and she didn't talk to people at all. We spent the entire morning together coloring, playing on the slide, reading stories, and having a great time. After we left the shelter, the group did reflection on our experiences during the morning session. When my turn came I burst into tears. In high school I had volunteered a couple of times at a shelter for homeless men but I had never interacted with a homeless child before. Ashley was so tough yet so vulnerable, and thinking of what the next ten years of her life held was more than I could handle. To me this was a clear example of how I could make a difference in a child's life, so I kept going to Cartoon Club and kept playing with Ashley and all the other kids who lived there. I was involved in Cartoon Club for four years and was group leader during my senior year. I know we helped the kids who lived at the Salem Outreach Shelter through mentoring, tutoring, and one-on-one attention. I realize that in the full spectrum of their lives we didn't make a huge impact, but we did help and every little bit helps. In addition to all the basics that we offered to the kids - a role model, extra attention, and help with their homework - I believe we provided something far more important. We allowed them to be kids, pure and simple. We gave them a chance to have fun and laugh and play games and forget about their problems, which is something that can be hard to do for children in their situation. They used to line up at the door to wait for us to come every Saturday morning and when we'd get there they'd cheer and race into the playroom. Their joy and excitement alone made all of it worthwhile. I also realize that I got more out of my experiences at SOS than I ever imagined possible. First of all, it tied me to the Salem community and made me aware of the needs and issues of the new place I was living. It also made me feel as though I belonged and that I had something to give back to a community where I had no roots. As a leader, it gave me an excellent chance to develop my skills. I have to admit that it wasn't always smooth sailing around the shelter and sometimes it was hard to get volunteers out of their beds on a Saturday morning. Sometimes it was discouraging, but it taught me how to deal with the harder times and persevere through to success. As a sociology major it gave me a chance to see first-hand situations that dealt with theories and issues we were studying in class. I could read about poverty or institutional racism or decentralization and put a face to these abstract concepts. In my opinion, it made me a better sociologist and a more informed and socially responsible human being. Finally, it inspired my future ambitions and led me to where I am now as an AmeriCorps Member. I applied to be a Montana Reads Team Leader because of my experiences working with the kids at the shelter and knowing that I wanted to continue to do work in a similar field. Although I can't see into the future, I anticipate following a similar path and always having a career in which I am socially engaged. I am now a very different person than I was in high school. I have grown. I take issues to heart and I care about what is happening in the world around me. I become active in areas that concern me such as poverty and a child's welfare. My experience with Cartoon Club and as a student at Willamette University has significantly contributed to making me a more socially engaged person. I found a quote by Lady Nancy Astor that I feel expresses my experiences as a college student: "Real education should educate us out of self into something far finer; into a selflessness which links us with all humanity." And perhaps that is what school is really all about.
back to topVamos a Leer!
by Ria Overholt
Western Montana College of The University of Montana
There is a picture hanging on my refrigerator of a little boy's dark-haired head bent over a book. This picture means so much to me because it symbolizes an accomplishment. It is an accomplishment that the majority of us will never achieve: the mastery of a second language. This little first-grade boy, Carlos (not his real name), learned the English language, not out of desire but necessity. His parents had moved to America from Mexico two years prior, to find "the American Dream" and a higher quality of life. That path led them to a little ranch outside of Dillon, Montana where the father labors long hours at minimum pay to provide the family with a home in a tiny trailer perched on the side of a sagebrush hill. Inside the trailer, Carlos and his sister share a room in which the few toys leave little room for the sister's bed on the floor. Carlos entered kindergarten not knowing a word of English. Through the help of his teachers and a woman funded by a Migrant Children's Fund, he was able to learn to speak English. Reading the language was more difficult, though. Without strong support from home, he was not progressing at the rate of the other students in his class. This is where the idea for the project, Vamos a Leer, sprang from.
Vamos a Leer was the brainchild of Jeanna Meier-Francisconi. She identified the need in the community, and I was fortunate to be able to help her implement the program. We spent the first semester making contacts and asking questions. When working with minority groups, it seems as if everyone is willing to admit that there is a need, but no one is sure how to address that need. There is a Migrant Children's Fund in Dillon that is focused on providing in-school assistance and home visits to the families. We felt that we could supplement that and provide after-school tutorials that would bring Western Montana College and the local school systems together in a synergistic relationship.
Western Montana College prides itself on having a strong teacher education program. Our hope was that we could help Western provide a stronger diversity experience for its students while filling our need for educated tutors. Persevering through extensive communications and initial planning, we were able to begin working with two professors on campus who taught reading diagnostic classes. As part of their curriculum, they required of their students a certain amount of tutoring hours each semester. We matched up some of these college students with our Hispanic children in the fall of 1999.
The program continues to grow every year with added refinements being implemented as needed. At times we had enormous obstacles such as transportation and language barriers placed before us, but we always managed to overcome them. The real motivational factor for us was the enjoyment of working with the children and their families.
When we first started working with this project, we attended a meeting with all of the Hispanic families in the community. They were so excited by our willingness to help their children. Since then we have had numerous home visits with them and extensive contact. The home visits are always a joy because they usually feed us authentic Mexican cuisine! (Take all ideas of food you have received in restaurants and throw them out the window, because this food is like nothing you have ever tasted before.) I have fallen in love with every one of the children. They trust me and look to me for guidance. We have a little third-grade boy who hugs me every time he sees me. There is one family that had a baby at the same time that I had mine. We exchange gifts and advice on a regular basis. The families are what make this project a success.
I started working with AmeriCorps with the idea of "effectively doing my job" for two years and then moving on. I cannot walk away from it now. Little Carlos has become my motivator and my inspiration. While he is still not reading quite up to grade level, he has shown dramatic improvement. The most wonderful part, though, is that he is now excited about reading. I feel that is our ultimate success. For the past three years I have been working to receive my degree in Geology. Because of Carlos and all of my wonderful experiences these past few years, I am planning on changing my major and pursuing a degree in the Social Sciences. Now that I have begun to help people, I do not ever want to stop.
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Viva Mexico!
Laura Sundquist
Montana State University-Bozeman
Todos somos hermanos. Todos sentimos, amayos, deseamos las mismas cosas, pero vivimos en paijes diferentes. Este es el comienzo, un buen comienzo, de dias mejores. Estoy feliz de ser parte del mundo global, y estoy feliz de estar aqui 'changing a person at a time' es la major forma de hacerlo.
Maria, an Ecuadorian student on one of the Alternative Spring Breaks trips, wrote the words above. She wrote the passage in a group journal from Pena Blanca, BreaksAway 2000. For those of you who do not read Spanish I will translate for you: "We are all humans. We feel and want the same things but we live in different countries. This is the beginning, a good beginning for better days. I am happy to be a part of a global world and I am happy to be here 'changing a person one day at a time' is the best way to do it."
Eleven of my soon-to-be-closest friends (not mentally but physically) and I set out on an adventure of a lifetime to a small village near Tecate, Mexico. Prior to the trip, we had met three times to discuss the details of who was bringing the latest edition of Trivial Pursuit and at what time we wanted to arrive in Las Vegas for a potty stop. Of course, the Alternative Spring Break program required us to live-up the "city of sin," gambling, drinking, going to strip shows, etc. After we crammed a fifteen-person van with twelve students' luggage for one week of camping and very primitive conditions we set out on our journey to rural Mexico. Little did we know of the cultural and linguistic barriers or the everyday way of life we would encounter.
We met our fearless leader, Anne, in California and followed her across the border into Mexico. We arrived at our site to find majestic mountains and cool desert air. Preparing ourselves for the hard morning's work, we set up camp under the moonlight. We came to Pena Blanca to build a one-room schoolhouse. The community of Pena Blanca, with its sixty inhabitants, lacked an educational building. We awoke early the next morning to begin our construction. Our limited supply of tools consisted of two wheelbarrows, eight shovels and six buckets. We were building something very advanced for tools so simple. By evening, our bodies were burned from the sun and intense labor. "Time goes by slow staring into the camp fire after a long day's work. We mixed cement by hand and leveled the ground by the well. The work is tedious but everybody seems to be taking something away from it"(Breaks Away journal). I had never worked construction before but knew the method we were using was probably not the latest technique.
The next morning we awoke to a limited amount of supplies. Everyone we met kept telling us more supplies were on the way. We were there to construct the school and could not comprehend why the materials were not there for us. Productivity, progress, and a completed product was our mode coming from the United States. Little did we understand that the culture did not run on our time or style of getting matters accomplished. Manana (tomorrow) in Mexico is part of everyday life. We felt like we were wasting time when we were waiting for materials. Patience was not one of the group's virtues.
"It's a beautiful Thursday morning in the shadows of the mighty Pena Blanca. We've just finished our breakfast of pan dulce and platanos. Nobody really knows what will go on today. We've depleted our cement supply and the next supply will arrive yesterday (Mexican time)" (Breaks Away journal). Because of the language barrier and cultural difference we did not always know what to do or what to say, but we managed to truly enjoy our limited interaction with the community. "The people I have met here in Pena Blanca are mind-boggling. They have so "little," but they are happy, peaceful, kind people. They prepared the most delicious Mexican tacos last night without electricity, running water or extensive financial supplies" (Breaks Away journal). We realized that happiness does not always come from the material world.
Although we were unable to complete the school, we did make a solid start to the structure. With the mindset of actually finishing a school, we were a little discouraged with only a start. Materials would randomly show up or we would find our own, like using sand from the road. We managed to make the most of our under-primitive conditions.
I did not realize the impact of our service until the closing appreciation ceremony. The Mexicans treated us like royalty. They arranged the final feast at a plush yet rustic guesthouse in the desert, 20 km from Tecate. Each place setting was filled with decadence, which we starkly noticed against our dirty, sweaty bodies from a week of hard work and no shower facilities.
After the deliciously prepared authentic Mexican meal, the Mayor of Tecate and his wife began to speak of their appreciation of our services. Their words still ring in my mind: "We would like to thank our American friends who have spent the last week building a school to improve our community. They have given us more than their time, skill and energy. They have shown that we are all brothers and sisters of the same world. Even though there is a defined border between Mexico and the United States, we are all part of the human race and we need to help our neighbors. It doesn't matter the language you speak or the color of your skin, together we can make the world a better place."
They presented each of us with a plaque of appreciation. As I accepted my award, I looked into the mayor's eyes and felt such sincerity and gratitude. Television cameras were there capturing the moment as well as reporters from the local newspaper. Once thanks were exchanged again and again from both parties, loud Salsa music began to blare from the patio. They had hired a DJ from Tecate with the latest English and Spanish music. The Mexicans taught us the latest moves to the Spanish songs, and we taught them ours. When we danced together I realized how much more alike we were than different.
As we drove out of Mexico with the sun setting in the distance, my eyes filled with tears. I have never felt such appreciation for something I so thoroughly enjoyed. I went to Mexico with the intention of helping them build a school. However, I left feeling as though I had changed the world. My week of service to them will forever be utilized as a school that was started to educate young minds. "How complicated I make things back home. Here I felt like I achieved nothing - but the people of Pena Blanca were so grateful for what we started. I realized that it isn't always the big things that matter" (Breaks Away journal).
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