E: At the beginning of the semester you said that we don’t need a college degree to change the world

AMH2020 student*

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” - Audrey Hepburn. For my first service project I choose to volunteer at veterans village. This was a very eye opening for me because I don’t have anyone personally in the military but I moved to a military town when I was ten. 

Being from Jacksonville and having two military bases near by I always see veterans and in my head I had this preconceived notion that all veterans were wealthy when they came out I mean they had just served our nation why wouldn’t they be able to live a comfortable life once they got out. So to go to an apartment complex for veterans who were in a transitional period was so interesting to me. This project fits in perfectly with my major because I want to be an elementary school teacher. How does this fit in? Well I want to work in a title nine school, which is 100%, funded by the government, so all of the kids I will be working with will live in the projects and their own parents will be going through a transitional period as well. Working with the veterans showed me that not all people who live in government funded homes are drug or alcohol addicts in fact most if not all of them looked like nice upstanding men who just don’t know what they want to do in life yet. 

At my core I believe in love and respect. So this project has everything to do with that. The love aspect is covered from seeing all of the college students take time out of their crazy schedule to cook or buy supplies to bring to the veterans. WE all have lives outside of school so to take the 1-2 hours out of our day to go and help those less fortunate says something all on its own. I firmly believe that by going and making someone else’s day by a simple act is a sign of love. Sure I may never see these men again but I like to believe that by my one thing of chicken wings or by the one normal conversation then that small slice of goodness transferred over to them filling their heart with a little bit of happiness and love. 

No matter who you are I think that we all have respect for the men and woman in the military but these men that we served deserved a different type of respect. You had to have respect for the fact that yes their life may be a little rocky and mess but you had to respect the fact that they did not want to be looked at or treated any differently due to this. These men wanted to be looked at the same way we look at our peers. You had to go in there and respect that boundary and by doing that you really got to connect with the men coming to get food. I learned more about these men and their lives in that one hour by just being genuine and real with them then I think I would have learned in 5 days of serving them in a row.

 I like to think by serving these men it impacted them in more ways that I could even imagine. These men are transitioning from the military and adjusting back into society so I would hope that by serving these men it provided with a feeling of belonging, community and acceptance. With the stress of trying to find a job get food reconnect with loved ones wondering where their next meal will come from is something that they shouldn’t worry about. By doing this for them I think that it provides the men with the feeling of hope if they are having a hard time being back. Being kids coming and spending time with them I feel like it may give them hope that there is still good in the world after the war or wherever they may have been. 

Overall this project was more eye opening and inspiring then I ever thought it would be. At the beginning of the semester you said that we don’t need a college degree to change the world. At first I had the mindset that you don’t need it but it certainly would help, however after this experience helping those who may have a degree changed that. It made me realize a paper with some fancy title doesn’t define me, I define myself and I can change the world one small act of kindness at a time. “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” - Audrey Hepburn.

T: To be able to give help to anybody who is in need, in a day of age where people seem to only care about themselves, is great.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”   -  Maya Angelou

            I chose to serve food for the military veterans at Veterans Village for Thanksgiving. I was

responsible for bringing enough mashed potatoes to serve forty or more people. I actually like

mashed potatoes a lot, but I had never prepared such a large amount. As a bachelor, I generally

prepare instant mashed potatoes, so I don’t think I quite knew what I was getting into. I ended up

using a little more than fifteen pounds of potatoes. One thing I found funny, was you always see

soldiers peeling potatoes in these old war movies and here I was at eight in the morning doing

the same for the veterans. One thing I severely underestimated was the amount of time it would

take for fifteen pounds of potatoes to boil and how long it would take until they were soft.

Within thirty minutes of having to be at Veterans Village, I was still mashing potatoes, which

worked out for the best as they where still warm. Other than my food, we had quite the feast for

the veterans. I couldn’t thank the gentlemen enough who brought the two turkeys pre-carved, it

really helped a lot. Also, your ham was truly delicious. I was also really impressed with the

young lady who brought all those pies, she must have been baking for days. Overall the food

looked amazing and I think any family would have been proud to have it as their Thanksgiving

dinner.

            I chose this project because my dad was an Army veteran and I know he would of really

liked me helping the veterans. To be able to give help to anybody who is in need, in a day of age

where people seem to only care about themselves, is great. An ex-girlfriend of mines father was

a tunnel rat in Vietnam, who suffered from what I considered to be an extreme form of PTSD.

By the time I came into contact with him, he was homeless and dying from lung cancer. The

effort I saw from the V.A. in assisting this man was truly great and to now know there are

organizations such as Veterans Village stepping up to get these veterans of the street is also

inspiring. Veterans deserve all the assistance the government and citizens can give them. We

might not always agree on why we are fighting a war or support the president that is in office,

but we can all agree these men and women deserve our respect. I’m glad that at least in todays

day in age for the most part, America supports and even loves their veterans, so that we will

never have a repeat of the Bonus March. There always seems to be at least one veteran in

every family, which gives people a real reason to support our troops.

            The veterans we served on Thanksgiving were all great to be around and so full of life. It

was cool to see how upbeat they were and how happy they were to get a home cooked

Thanksgiving dinner. Once the food was all set up and the veterans were all lined up, we began

serving the food. Once we did start serving the food, it went in a blink of an eye, there fully fed

people everywhere. I served all the meats, while your professor friend (who was an immense help) servedall the side dishes, the young lady dispensed her pies, and the young man gave out drinks. I did

find it funny that all the students there were from the Sarasota/Bradenton area of Florida. I even

went to the same high school as the young man, just many years earlier. I do wish I got to

interact with the veterans a little more, as we all know veterans like to tell a story, which

sometimes the best medicine is having somebody to talk to. After we were done a few of the

veterans stuck around to help clean up and help make left over plates for those who weren’t able

to attend the dinner. All in all, the time I got to spend with the veterans was amazing. I think we

really made their days and if anything showed that there are people out there who truly do care.

Yet, as a society there is more that we can do and I hope to see this change in the future.

            What you do to help support these veterans is truly inspiring, sometimes people just need

to be shown what they can do to help and where they can start. I hope what you do inspires the

kids you have taught through out the years to be proactive and donate their time in some way.

Giving that plate of food to homeless man, was inspired by the day and the lesson you were

trying to teach each student, which is we can always do more. My original major was Radiology

Technology, but I ran into a road block. I am now one more semester away from completing my

A.A. degree. I choose Rad Tech because I wanted to help people and still make a decent living.

Hopefully in the future whatever path I choose allows me to help people and live a good life.

People just need a chance to succeed and I hope places or organizations such as Veterans

Village, continue to give people a chance to succeed.

            I am so sorry, but in the rush of the day, I never thought to take a picture of myself and

veterans at Veterans Village. Of course, I would forget something. Well thank you for a great

lesson on how our actions can affect a group of people in such a positive way. I will continue to

do what I can in the future and try to teach that same lesson to any kids I might have in the

future.

M: My parents have always instilled in me that giving towards others is the best gift I could give to myself

AMH2020 Student*

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” – Audrey Hepburn

            For my service project, I completed a box to send to troops serving in Afghanistan. Included in my box was various snacks, a crossword puzzle activity, a notebook and colored pens, and most importantly a handwritten note thanking the servicemen and women for their exceptional and inspiring bravery. When creating my box, it was important to me to send items that I knew would make the servicemen and women smile and make them happy because I know that the challenges they may face and sadness while being apart from their families and serving our country. As a first-year college student, I have struggled with being away from home from time to time throughout this semester and it always makes me smile when my family sends me a care package full of things I love. Therefore, I included the crossword puzzles and notebook to allow some fun and activity in addition to the stress that can occur on a daily basis. In the past when I have done any volunteer or charity work, I have made meals or baked as a donation and I really wanted to be able to include something “homemade” to include.

 Especially, being away in college, although it cannot compare to serving in the military, I know the feeling of wanting a home cooked meal. Putting snacks and candy in allowed me to contribute to that home feeling and honestly, who doesn’t love food! My favorite and the most important content of the box to me, was the handwritten note that I include to truly say thank you. I do not know enough servicemen and women to be able to express my sincere appreciation for all they have done to keep our country safe. Being able to include a note allowed me to communicate this to them.

            Throughout my entire life, beginning when I was little, my parents have always instilled in me that giving towards others is the best gift I could give to myself. I think this truly sparked my love for helping people and being able to make a difference in someone else’s life. I enjoy giving gifts whether it be physical or just donating my time to someone or something in need. This connects to my core values in the fact that giving back to the community and to those who make a difference in our world is not something that I should hesitate on it. These values of helping people and giving back is something that should always be a part of me and something that I should always do. As a communications major, talking and interacting with people whether it is physically or digitally, is an essential portion of what I want to do with the rest of my life. Although I did not get a chance to physically speak to the servicemen and women, getting to express my appreciation through the box was a symbol of what I wish I could say in person. I always think of my communications major as a “talking major.” It all has to do with talking and how we communicate and interact with others. I feel that it is important to know how to express yourself in ways other than actually speaking and as a communications major, this is what I am learning every day. Sending a box is not me physically being able to say thank you but it is a symbol of what I feel and I truly hope that it is perceived in a manner where they know that my service towards them is truly appreciated.

It is important to me that my box was reflective of my appreciation for what they do to keep me and our country safe. The simplicity in the bravery that they endure is more than enough and I truly could not imagine the triumphs they could face while putting their life on the line and keeping others safe. I think that this box project is a great way to be able to contribute and give back to those who are doing so much for us. Although it is not in a physical aspect, knowing is the thought that counts. It is a great way to be able to say you made a difference in someone’s day and it’s an amazing way to make a difference in your own life. We often take the small things like snacks and crossword puzzles for granted as something we can achieve with the snap of our fingertips. Those serving our country are not always as lucky and I believe it truly makes a difference in our own lives when we have the ability to help others and make an impact in someone else’s life. The community impact from these boxes would be greater than imagined as they are simple ways to give back and show that giving comes from within. I truly believe you have to want to give back and if you aren’t fully invested, you will not receive the satisfaction and good righteous feeling that comes along with it and its impact to you and others surrounding you. It is not often that we all get to make an impact from doing a simple project. By participating in the service box project, I gave myself a lifetime of opportunity to give back and influence the community around me to do the same in a small and what seems effortless way. Unfortunately, I will no longer be a student in this class, but the journey of the project does not end here for me. I most definitely plan on spreading the word about a simple way to make a big difference. I want to be able to continue my efforts through this project and expand it through by bringing people along with me to do the same.