Service Project: Umbrella-Ella-Ella-aye.

(Fall 2015 Student Essay)

Umbrella-Ella-Ella-aye.

I don't know if you have heard of this song, but it's pretty catchy. The artists is Rihanna and it features Jay-Z. I thought it was funny considering my project.

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet. I'm doing a service project, to better help my community. I'm going to be passing out umbrellas on different days, to people that could use them. I know its opposite from my quote but I hope to learn from being friendly to others. First I will pass out umbrellas at my job. I work at Budget rental service. It’s a place that people rent cars and or moving trucks. Well the first thing people forget in cars is there sunglasses or CD's. Though the second thing people forget is umbrellas in the truck or back seat. For the past 2 months, I've collected over 60 umbrellas from rental cars and most of the time people don't come back for them. So there is a room dedicated to lost and found with lots of umbrellas. I asked my boss if I could have them for a service project and he said he'd take it out my paycheck, that’s a joke. He said sure and said I'm welcome to it. So every day I would take home 2 or 3 umbrellas until now I have almost 30. I left the rest at work because when it rains and I'm at work I would ask if people would want an umbrella to walk out to their car with. Most of the time, people are shocked and very surprised. The first time I gave someone an umbrella, it made me feel good about myself.

 It was a rainy Monday, November 2nd, I was at work, and it had only been raining for 15 minutes. I was shy at first to ask because I didn't want to upset anyone. Then I see a car pull up.  I asked an older couple who walked in fast, if they would like an umbrella because I noticed that they didn't have one and they replied very thankful. After I gave it to them I felt like I did something good. It rained for over two hours and I passed out umbrellas to over five customers. My boss is a really nice person and one time I didn't ask someone, he did! They took it too. It made me feel really good that in just one day we had helped over 10 people not get rained on for the rest of the day. My boss, Mike, had really enjoyed handing out umbrellas with me. Since we had so many we could literally pass out 50 umbrellas if we wanted to. He likes doing this also because I'm cleaning the storage room.

Total Hours: Two hours, Umbrellas passed out: about 10

Today is November 8th. It poured rain all day long. I worked at budget car rental. My shift started at 8am. I get to work and its slightly raining. I went inside and got everything ready like I usually do then go outside to start the day cleaning cars. I got done with the first two hours’ worth of cars in the wash bay so I went inside for my Morning break. Whenever I want I can take a break but I've limited myself to only take a couple breaks and work as much as I can so that way I'm a hard worker. On my break I really don't break. I like to talk with my other workers if nobody's busy. My boss likes everyone to be friends with each other and talk if there's no customers so that way everyone is on the same page with work too. Anyways, a customer named Ms. Shayla came in and returned a car, she had to wait on a taxi to come and pick her up from Budget. It started to rain harder than the morning rain had. I stopped washing cars because it got windy, but I made sure we had plenty to rent. Well Ms. Shayla was a real nice lady, she was talking to my boss about being a Marine Biologists and it got my attention. My boss is a very friendly guy like I said. He likes to make his customers feel welcomed, he's been doing it for 35 years.  Anyways Ms. Shayla waited for 20 minutes for a taxi and then I asked if she would like an umbrella. She said to me, "This is wonderful, how thoughtful of you, thanks." I felt like I made a friend and help someone too. Well in 5 hours of work I helped almost 15 people that day. I felt pretty good about myself. Every time someone was leaving with one of my umbrellas I thought how much of a difference I made to their day. How much of a mood changer I did you know? I really like this project.

Total hours: 5 hours, Umbrellas passed out: about 15

Today is November 9th, I had school today, well half of school. My last class, history, canceled so I just went to my first one. On my way it started to pour so I thought it would be the perfect time to hand out umbrellas. Ever since this project started I've been keeping umbrellas in my book bag in case it rains at school. Well I got dropped off by my mom around 9 and had to do some homework before class. Well after I got done it was around 10 and I had an hour to hand out umbrellas. It looked like no one had brought umbrellas to school. I sat my book bag down and then said very loudly "Would anyone like an umbrella?” Instantly 4 or 5 people walked up to me and I gave them all an umbrella. I felt pretty good about myself, even though some people were giving me strange looks. I guess no one has ever given away free umbrellas at TCC. I went to sit down before class and a girl came up to me and asked if she could have one. I gave her one and then she said how nice it was and asked why I was doing it. I explained to her how I had a project to do and my service was passing out umbrellas to people who needed them. She had thought it was really cool. Turns out, we made great friends we talked for about 20 more minutes and then we exchanged numbers. We've been talking all day. She has done community work in the past and she said she loved helping others. I kind of called it when I asked if she was going to be a nurse. It's cool because I want to be a Surgeon Assistant. It’s sort of the same career path, Health care and all. Either way I feel like I made a new friend on this project. The other people I gave umbrellas to, were really cool to. I didn’t really exchange much conversation because it was raining. People were kind of in a hurry most of the time and said thank you or they didn't want one. It was pretty cool to pass out umbrellas at school though I hope it rains again because I still have a lot.

Total hours: 2 hours, Umbrellas passed out: about 10

Today is November 18^th, I had school today. My mom told me it is supposed to rain today and tomorrow. Well on my way to school it doesn’t look like it’s going to rain but I bring my umbrellas anyways. I get to my math class and a few people brought umbrellas. So I asked out loud “Dose anyone want an umbrella?” Two students who I never talked before said they would like one so I let them pick from like 15 umbrellas I brought to school in my book bag. They thought it was cool I was doing this. I kind of made a few new friends. I asked a girl who is also in my history class if she wanted one and she laughed and said no because she knew it was my service project, plus she already had one. I asked the teacher who was packing up from the class before us if she would like one. She thought it was so nice and cool that she offered to give me a donation, I told her no worries it’s my service project so I wouldn’t accept it. But she told me how she forgot her umbrella in the car and now she doesn’t have to worry, it made me feel really good and I think I’m even going to take her as my math teacher next semester. Maybe she will remember me and give me extra credit, that’s a joke.

Total hours: 1 hour, Umbrellas passed out: about 5

Today is November 19^th and it rained for a few hours today but the weather was just bad all together. In the morning it was nothing but misted all day then about 2 o’clock and it pours really hard till around 4 then it sprinkles the rest of the day. I stopped by the Gas station to get a drink around 12 and when I did I seen a homeless man out front. I reached for my umbrellas and grabbed him one and went over to give it to him. He didn’t say anything, so I just walked away but I felt good that I was the person to help him. Later on around 1 I was passing Pensacola Street going back home and there is an area were a lot of people walk on the streets. I was with my boyfriend so I told him to pull over and I had about 15 umbrellas one me. I went over to the bus stop and handed them out to everyone who wanted one. I had enough umbrellas for all 10 of them. I felt really good because it had poured right after I gave them umbrellas. I had an idea to go buy some ponchos from the dollar store in case someone wanted one of them. So later around 6 me and my boyfriend went and bought about 5 ponchos and I’m going to put some in my purse in case I seen someone in need of one.

Total hours: 2 hours, Umbrellas passed out: about 15 Bought; 5 ponchos

 I officially have done 12 hours of handing out umbrellas, I will document my project with this day to day journal. This project has shown me how a little kind gesture can change someone’s day, maybe other people will pick up on this and help each other out more. I would like to keep doing this on my own and just keep some extra umbrellas in my bag or ponchos in case it’s raining. I have the access and it makes me feel really good about myself. Thanks, and Happy Holidays!

Service Project: I didn’t expect to get so attached to them but I have I know that each time I go there it makes their day a thousand times better and I won’t lie it makes mine a lot better too.

“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). For my service project I volunteered at Miracles Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The lady that coordinates the activities at Miracle Hills is Patricia Walker. Mrs. Walker introduced me two women by the names of Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Bryant these women were an enjoyment to be around. Each time I visited Miracle Hills I would always stop by their rooms and gossip with them. Every time they saw my face they would just smile and tell me over and over how excited they were to see me. Mrs. Jones wasn’t able to walk and I never was able to see her out of bed but Mrs. Bryant was able to walk some but was mainly tied to a wheelchair. Both women had shared with me that they had children but they rarely came to visit them. Leaving them after each visit was so hard they would want me to stay longer with them because I was the only visitors they had. My second visit was so hard, when I made it out to my car I cried. I wondered how someone could but their parent in a nursing home could and never visit them.

Every treasure I brought them they cherished and would thank me. It truly did melt my heart seeing their smiles, something as simple as have a visit to come and talk to them made their day. Mrs. Jones would always reminisce to me about her past, I didn’t mine at all in fact I enjoyed hearing about her past. Mrs. Rebecca Jones was a school teacher for the fifth grade in Thomasville Georgia. She loved children and helping them further their education. She retired from teaching and her and husband moved to Tallahassee, when she was 78 her husband passed away. With his passing her health slowly but surely declined to where she had to be put into a nursing home. While Mrs. Bryant never really wanted to talk about her pass, I know she had one son who was still alive and one that was deceased, she was also a school teacher to. Since Mrs. Bryant was in a wheelchair she could go outside her room and participate in activities so I spent more time with Mrs. Jones who was unable to leave her bed. Yesterday I brought them both Christmas gifts and they were so happy and grateful for them.

I know volunteering was a part of my service project but I know I will continue to visit them. I didn’t expect to get so attached to them but I have I know that each time I go there it makes their day a thousand times better and I won’t lie it makes mine a lot better too. This experience has taught me that it doesn’t hurt to take a little bit of time out of your day to make someone happy and it just might make you happy like it did me. Also something as simple as visiting someone can go a long way. I hope that each visit with Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Bryant had meant as much to them as it has for me.

Service Projects: When you work with children with special needs, you make a special connection with the children you work with. They see you as a friend as well as a mentor.

            “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

-Radindranath Tagore

            My service project was done at a local private school called Progressive Pediatric. Progressive Pediatric is a school for children with special needs. I volunteered in the afterschool program. I worked with the music therapists that worked at the establishment in order to get experience for my major, which in music therapy. I am unable to include any photos due to the privacy of the children I worked with during my service project. In order to include photos of the children I would have needed to acquire permission from all of the parents which I was unable to do.

The reason I chose to do my service project at Progressive Pediatric is because I have passion for children with special needs. I think it is so fascinating how children with special needs think and how they perceive the world in a different way than typical children, especially musically. Most children with special needs are hypersensitive when it comes to the senses. Their hearing is hypersensitive so certain frequencies in music can be very irritating and sometimes painful to them. When this happens, some of these children go into what most people call a meltdown. A meltdown is very close to a panic attack, these meltdowns will sometimes bring loud screaming and holding of the ears. It is difficult to pull a child out of this state but it is possible. As a musician, I love music, it is a part of my life and it makes me incredibly happy. The reason I want to become a music therapist is to help children with special needs enjoy music they way I do.

When you work with children with special needs, you make a special connection with the children you work with. They see you as a friend as well as a mentor. They see someone who is bigger than them but is willing to sit and hang out with them when most people won’t. Unfortunately, the world is a cruel place. These children and teens with special needs have been told that they are not good enough, that they are not smart enough and that they are too different to make it in the world or make a difference. I love being with these children and letting them know that they are more than their stereotype. That they are smart, caring and beautiful people who can do anything they put their minds to. That is my impact and that is why I chose to volunteer at Progressive Pediatric for my service project.

Service Project: s far as the impact of my act of service on my educational wisdom path it showed me that no matter how successful I may become I should always remember to never forget to give back and share with the less fortunate because someone somewhere would appreciate or may be in a strong need of those blessings

The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

For my service project I used the great idea to adopt a veteran which gave me an opportunity to give back to someone who put their life on the line to protect the country I was born and raised in. 

I chose the quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow because to me it defines how mature I’ve become in the process of manhood. Giving back will be something I do regularly now, knowing that this would not have been on my mind if I was not in college in this class or trying to better myself as a person at the age of 22. His quote definitely speaks on my mindset as I put some of my own money into this great act of service to help others. Actually, I thought I would have the opportunity to give back to two veterans but ended up still buying two gifts for a veteran named Allen. Even though I did not have a chance to meet Allen in person it felt good to be able to give back and brought joy to my heart to know somebody will have some things that may be useful to them. 

Where I'm from I like to give back to the youth from time to time just because I want to be a better role model for them and even being in college I want to show them that it’s possible to move out of the rough area and avoid the negative path that they see most people take around them, education is key. So doing this act of service did not only give me a chance to be kind hearted and thankful but also something else I can go back and tell the youth where I'm from what I did to inspire them. As far as the impact of my act of service on my educational wisdom path it showed me that no matter how successful I may become I should always remember to never forget to give back and share with the less fortunate because someone somewhere would appreciate or may be in a strong need of those blessings.

Service Project: That is when I realize that I can lose all of what I have saved up at any moment and time, and there are people out in my surrounding community who may have lost all of what they have.

Maya Angelou said that, “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.” So many people go without the necessary items needed to live. Each day I wake from my bed, and I know that I will have socks to put on my feet, a toothbrush and toothpaste to brush my teeth, a nice intact wash cloth to clean my face, and a nice shirt to cover my back. 

Being a college student 235 miles away from home I find myself holding on to my coins, and making sure that I have enough money to care for myself if something huge occurred. I am always for giving a helping hand and serving by actively working to help enhance the community in any way I can, but when it comes to spending money to help others I will find myself holding my wallet tight. 

It was until I read Lao Tzu quote that reads, “The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.” That is when I realize that I can lose all of what I have saved up at any moment and time, and there are people out in my surrounding community who may have lost all of what they have.  I made an agreement with myself that I can purchase gifts and donate to the Veterans Gift Boxes to put a smile on a face that truly deserves a smile. This act of services also taught me that it is okay to give. This also taught me that it is important to be mindful of others situations and circumstances. Mother Angelou couldn’t have said it better, “people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I truly feel that I will be helping others to make someone feel good on Christmas.

Service Project: My service project also taught me that even though some people may deny that they need help with things and think that they don’t need help even though they do

Every person, all the events of your life are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you. For my service project I made a Christmas gift bag for Jack at the veteran’s village in Tallahassee and I also mowed my elderly neighbor’s yard. At first, I was planning on only providing gifts for a veteran for my service project because of how badly the interaction went with my elderly neighbor at first when I asked her if I could pressure wash her house and mow her yard to help her out. She took offence to this but I didn’t mind and apologized for bothering her and mowed her yard anyway when her car wasn’t there a week later, “Oops I have forgot where the property line was”. She later came the next day and thanked me for the yard work and apologized for the way she reacted when I offered to help out around her house.

            The reason why I put together a few gifts for Jack is because our vets need help getting back on their feet and even though it wasn’t much, I still believe that any little bit counts no matter what it is. I strongly believe that it is completely unacceptable for our veterans to be on the streets because a lot of my family were in the military at some point in their lives. Hopefully the dress shirt, socks, underwear, t-shirts, watch, and other things can help him if he goes to job interviews. For the other part of my service project, I did it mainly because I could tell that my neighbor never had people over to help her and she was in her eighties. Another reason why I felt like I should help her is because her husband, who is now deceased, was a very good friend of my grandfathers on my mother’s side of the family and I felt that I should help her since her husband was constantly helping my grandfather when he was building the house I am taking care of now.

            The impact that my service project had many impacts on my educational wisdom path. First of all, it gave me more concern for the community and community issues, it also made me more caring. This service project also educated me on the fact that there really are homeless veterans that need help getting back on their feet. My service project also taught me that even though some people may deny that they need help with things and think that they don’t need help even though they do… I learned this from mowing my neighbor’s yard anyway when she said she didn’t need didn’t need help. After I had mowed her yard she was very thankful and I think she realized that all I was trying to do was help her out.

            The impact that my service project had on my neighbor and Jack is hopefully a strong one that helps them in the future. Even though what I provided for Jack at veterans village for their Christmas even wasn’t much, it was what I could afford and I hope he can use all of the items to help him get back on his feet. I also believe the impact of what I did for my neighbor was a strong one because of the way she reacted the next day when she noticed and thanked me for doing it. I also now know that it’s okay now for me to do things like that around her house without her getting offended because I feel like I owe it to her husband to help her with her keep her house in good shape.

Service Project: But even after doing this I was still not satisfied and wanted to help more people.

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

            When Dr. Soldani presented us with the challenge of going out and doing something nice for others, I had to think pretty long and hard about it. I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I knew that I wanted to make a difference. Being my first semester up here in Tallahassee I started to notice while driving to school multiple men that looked homeless, that would stand outside the drive through asking for anything that could help. So I decided, once I knew that I had to do a service project that I would go and buy these people a meal. I did this to two men, one standing outside taco bell and the other outside Whataburger. It felt really good to do something like this. Not because I felt like a good person but because of the smiles that were brought to these peoples faces and the gratitude that I received from someone so needy. The man outside Whataburger, his name was Reggie, actually offered to give me the only dollar he had on him to pay me back, I was shocked that someone in his position would do such a thing and I politely refused.

            But even after doing this I was still not satisfied and wanted to help more people. I was at Publix about a week later and there was this little old lady in front of me that was checking out. She had used a gift card to pay for some of it, but there was still some money that she needed to pay. I could tell she was struggling to count the change that she was trying to use to pay for it but eventually came up around ten dollars short, and I could tell that she was incredibly embarrassed and told the cashier to take the remaining items back. I immediately stepped up and said that wouldn’t be necessary and said that I would cover the rest. After I paid for the items the cashier, looked at me and said that she had never had that happen in her line the entirety of her working at Publix (nine years) and added that good karma will always come back around. I then told the old lady to stand by until I paid for my items as I insisted on helping her to her car and putting her groceries away.

            Although it may not have been much, taking the time to do something nice for another no matter how small can not only change their day but can impact the people around you as well. Taking the time out of this semester and putting it toward others, has had a great impact on my life. Realizing that others have it so much worse, will change they way you look at life and make that C you received in a class look not so bad. I will forever try and keep paying forward the blessings I have in life, as I’ve learned that measuring life is not about how long you live or how much money you make, but how you affect the ones around you.

Service Project: My grandfather was so proud of me for taking the time to tell my grandmothers story.

    “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” -Audrey Hepburn. It’s always important to look out for yourself in order to be successful in life. Its necessary to make tough decisions when looking at ones own future. That doesn’t particularly mean that we have to hurt others in the process. Although it is crucial we take care of ourselves, we must also stop and take care of others. The choices we make and the actions we partake in, mold us into the person we are today. It is imperative that we are confident in our abilities to make the right judgments. Going out of our way to bring someone joy is a feeling that cannot be replaced.

    For my story project I wrote a narrative of my grandmother and her battle with skin cancer. My grandmother was a very important part of my life and my fathers. My whole family witnessed my grandmother fight this horrendous cancer. I believed documenting the beautiful moments in her life and her struggle would make a great novel.

    For my service project I decided to publish my story called “A Tribute To Mems”. I published this in order to inspire others and to emphasize the importance of spending time with family. This novel was also published as a reminder to others that people from this earth never truly leave, but forever remain in our hearts. As Mems would say never lose faith. I also decided to dedicate this book to my grandmother Mary Evans Malone and my mother Julie Haynes Malone. These were two very influential women in my life and without them I would not be the person I am today.

    As I told my father and grandfather about the novel they were grinning from ear to ear. They loved the cover and how detailed the actual story was. My grandfather was so proud of me for taking the time to tell my grandmothers story. My grandfather was also very amazed at how fast people can publish a book nowadays.

    This has had an impact on my educational wisdom path because I learned how to publish a novel. Not many people can say they have done that which makes me feel accomplished. Giving the novel to my father and grandfather as a gift also made me feel a sense of satisfaction.

Service Project: I can honestly say that donating the ps3 to a worthy cause was a great move, it made me feel excellent and warm inside, but it also made me sad as well.

“The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

For my acts of service, I chose to aid the community. More specifically my service was centered towards the veterans who served both long ago and more recently. I first started by helping out the veterans at their residence on a nice orange Thursday night in October by helping to set up their dinner for them. There were other people, fellow students and professors there as well so I can’t take all the credit for it. We were to all bring something for the dinner, and my task was to bring plenty of plates, utensils, and waste bags. Once I got there though, my duties shifted. At first I started helping to set up for food, and then as the night got under way I had the liberty of getting to know the veterans on a first name basis as I took down their names, and learned what they wanted for Christmas. Which will eventually lead to my second act of service.

 At first I had signed up to help the veterans out of my own selfish desire to earn extra points on my exam, but that all changed once I got to meet them. I met quite a few veterans that night and I got to learn a little bit about them. Overall, I had fun even though my face might not show it or I won’t act like it. For my educational path, it did enlighten me but not by much. Helping the veterans with serving their dinner and taking down their names gave me an insight as to what most veterans are going through or what they can go through after serving. It’s rather shameful to see how some veterans weren’t being taken care of as well as they should be, but for the bright side, at least they have a place to stay

. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get to know the veterans on a personal level and I certainly wish I had. I have no idea what their struggles are like and as someone who has been living with depression for the past four years, I know how tough a struggle can be. To be honest, I would love to go back there and help them more, even if it’s just serving dinner for them. If anything, helping the veterans certainly cemented the thought of helping others whenever I can in my mind. I am no stranger to helping others, or doing service like they have and it brings me pride and joy to see that they’re in good hands. However, there is only so much that I can do and I can honestly say that admire what Dr. Soldani is doing with Mrs. Sheffield, it made me feel good inside. As for my second half of the service project, I adopted a veteran by the name of Waverly, and his Christmas wish was to receive a PlayStation 3 console. It just so happened that I had a PS3 that I no longer used and the opportunity presented itself to make a wish come true. I cleaned my old PS3 of all my data and formatted the hard drive twice and made a new user profile on the system, went out and got 3 games as well as a new controller. I figured it was the least I could do, and now he and a friend can play together and enjoy themselves. That ps3 brought me an enormous amount hours of enjoyment and frustration. I know it’ll get put to good use and I hope that Waverly enjoys his new console at the end of the day. I can honestly say that donating the ps3 to a worthy cause was a great move, it made me feel excellent and warm inside, but it also made me sad as well. It made me sad that to know that this is part of a grade. Despite giving away such a precious commodity being a great decision, and an excellent one at that, knowing this will be a graded assignment slightly dampens the feeling I am actually trying to do something good. At the end of the day, the important thing is whether or not my deeds will catch on. Ultimately, I would love to see more people putting the less fortunate or those in need before themselves. Personally, I don’t like being acknowledged for the deeds and generous things I do, I hate the attention from it and it can give people the wrong idea. I have already helped people out and then they’ve turned around to show their true colors. I would rather have other people notice them silently. Actions speak louder than words and if one action can impact another person and create a chain effect that would be perfect. 

As the saying goes “A simple act of caring creates an endless ripple.” I know that not everyone has money, not everyone has material possessions, not everyone has enough food to donate, but we all have two things that we have plenty of and can give every day; caring, and time. Those two things will revolutionize the world, but for impact to be made you have to take the initiative and start your own ripple.

Service Project: Dr. Seuss said, “ To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

            Ellen DeGeneres once said, “We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.” This quote really speaks to me because of the cruel and selfish world that we live in today. It has become rare or someone to show another person kinds, compassion, joy, or laughter. Too often we let moments slip through our fingers that could have been used to brighten up somebody’s day. As I think back on this past year I am realizing that I have not done my part in trying to help make the world a better place. If anything I have become bitter and pessimistic because of the things happening around me. Every time I turn on the news and learn about the hate crimes happening all over the world I can’t help but feel compelled to help make the world a better place. But then doubt comes into my head and I always end up telling myself that I am one person and I have nothing to offer that will change the world. It wasn't until this semester that I came across a quote that has ultimately changed my mindset.

            Dr. Seuss said, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”I can honestly say that I certainly was not expecting a quote by Dr. Seuss to change my entire way of thinking but it did. I now have the confidence to take every opportunity I can to make somebody happier and to have as great of an impact on there life as I possibly can.

            For my service project I sponsored a veteran from “Veteran’s Village,”named Eli.  I bought him a set of bed sheets, a long sleeve flannel shirt, and a gift card to Wendy’s. I did this as my service project because I know that Eli will truly be thankful for my generosity. In general, I did the service project to prove to myself that it will not kill me to take a little bit of time out of my busy schedule to help somebody else out. To be completely honest, if this project wasn't a part of my grade I probably would not have done it. I would have found an excuse to avoid it and it would have never been done. I am sure there are many other people who would have loved to sponsor Eli and I am sure that he would have been just as grateful for them. I guess you could say that I did this service project for myself. It has helped me grow as an individual because I have recognized the fact that no matter how terrible my personal life may seem, somebody will always have it worse than I do. If at the end of the day they can still find a reason to smile then there is absolutely no excuse for me to walk around pouting about the latest person who did me wrong.

            Whenever I walked into the HSS building to turn in the gifts, a person standing behind me saw how the office was overflowing with presents. He asked me what all of the presents were for. I told him that they were for the veterans and he got the biggest grin on his face. So Dr. Soldani, I want to say thank you for making this project mandatory. And thank you for everything that you have done for the veterans. I look forward to many more Facebook pictures of the delicious food you bake for them. It really has opened my eyes to the fact that I can make a change in somebody's life even with the smallest gesture.  Merry Christmas!

Service Project: A well said quote that I have known of for about three minutes now is “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

 A well said quote that I have known of for about three minutes now  “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” was once said by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi has inspired many people in this world including myself after finding this quote. This quote is one I have not known of, but one I feel I have lived by in the past year of my life. I’ve realized that the feeling if giving is greater than the feeling of getting will ever give me.

       Growing up, I never really had much of a holiday season. We never really celebrated things like Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I mean there were presents but there was nothing other than that, no family trips, no family movie nights, or times spent together that I noticed a lot of other families doing. I didn't really get a good feeling whenever I received a present because It didn't really mean anything to me. Then one Christmas, a couple of years ago, I volunteered at a homeless shelter where we gave free meals to those in need. The feeling I got from seeing the smiles on those people’s faces was far greater than the feeling I got from receiving a new playstation. Ever since then I’ve always been excited to help others out, whether there was a reward to it or not. Many people at my old place of work saw me as a person that always helped others out, which was something I took pride in because I loved the feeling of unselfishness I had developed.

    For my service project , I chose to give a gift to a person in Veterans Village named Harry. Never have I met the man and me not being the most creative person in the world, I bought him a gift card to Walmart so he could choose something he really needed. I wish I could have done more for him and maybe given him a few more gifts, but have recently lost my job and could not afford to do much more. I do hope however that this small gesture, receiving a gift from a stranger will at least bring a little smile to his face. People always say smiling is contagious which is something I strongly believe in. Hopefully whatever Harry decides to get, it will be something he really wanted and will make him happy, because if he is happy, chances are the people around him will be happy and spread the happiness and joy around because thats what the holidays are all about.

Service Project: I was just amazed at how they were enjoying, something as simple as arts and crafts.

 (Student Essay Fall 2015)

            “It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something.  May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing what we have for the betterment of person kind, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.” ― Leo Buscaglia. Marianna Health and Rehabilitation Center provide their patients with lots of joy and love. Marianna rehab was established in 1970. The 180 bed facility is owned by the city of Marianna. The rehabilitation is located close to Jackson hospital and local doctor offices. The center is one of the few non-profit long-term care facility in the U.S. The center was created to give the elderly and other long- term care and rehabilitative services. The long-term staff has been providing care for nearly 45 years. The center provides a program that is devoted to the physical, social, physiological needs. The staff goes beyond to make their residents feel happy and comfortable. The residents depend on the staff to carry-out their basic needs. “ Individuals need long-term care when a chronic condition, trauma, or illness limits their ability to carry out basic self-care tasks, called activities of daily living (ADLs), (such as bathing, dressing or eating), or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) (such as household chores, meal preparation, or managing money). Long-term care often involves the most intimate aspects of people’s lives—what and when they eat, personal hygiene, getting dressed, using the bathroom. Other, less severe long-term care needs may involve household tasks such as preparing meals or using the telephone” (caregiver). The staff helps the residents with bathing, eating, and dressing. The things that people take for granted, such as drinking, grooming, and mobility. These everyday tasks can be difficult for residents.

 My casual visits to Marianna Health and Rehabilitation center, I was familiar with the facility. My Grandmother lived at the center, before she passed in 2012. She suffered from a stroke and could no longer take care of herself.  My Auntie made the decision to admit her into Marianna Health and Rehabilitation, so she could receive around the clock care. I was familiar with the day to day activities, but I really never paid close attention to how hard the staff worked. I realized how hard the staff worked, when I spent the whole day at the center. The staff at Marianna Health and Rehabilitation goes beyond to help the resident and others. The staff were really patient with the residents, some of the residents had speech and mobility impaired. The other residents can be mean and uneasy toward the staff at the center. The residents can sometimes refuse to eat or be really difficult.

            I spent the day helping with the resident at Marianna Health and Rehabilitation. I had to feed a woman, who was mobility impaired. She could not feed herself, she needed assistance. Many residents who stuffer stroke or other injuries often have difficulty swallowing or chewing their food. I feed her breakfast, which look very appetizing and delicious. The feeding process really wasn’t difficult for me, because I used to feed my grandmother her meals. She lost her feeling on her left side from a stroke and had difficulty eating. My next task was helping with activity day, such as arts and crafts and bingo. “Hobbies are not just a way to pass the time, but offer something to get up and get excited about, look forward to. Depression can involve having no "goals" or the blahs from not having anything to anticipate. And it’s never too late to begin new elderly activities. Especially if a previous hobby is no longer doable -- then people become a little more open minded about trying new elderly activities to challenge and entertain themselves”. The activities help keep the elderly memory and social skills sharp. I helped with gluing pinecones on plastic plates, so they could be Christmas trees. I believe that was a good idea, it allowed the resident a chance to express themselves. They had different types of glitter, ribbons, and string with beads to decorate their Christmas tree with. There was this sweet lady, who had never decorated a Christmas tree before. I assisted her in decorating the Christmas, I decorated it with red, green, and gold glitter. We even decorated wreath with ribbons and red littler tiny berries. I enjoyed helping her, so much I decorated my very own Christmas tree. I tried to also decorate a wreath, but I didn’t turn out how I wanted. I was just amazed at how they were enjoying, something as simple as arts and crafts. They even played in several games of bingo. I helped the resident with making sure, they were getting the right number and spots. The last thing I did was put up decorations for the resident at Marianna health and rehab center. The decorations gave the residents something positive to look at, whenever they decided to leave their rooms. I even redecorated the resident bulletin board, with blue ribbon and blue wrapping paper. The bulletin board is used to display their daily meals and staff, they state makes that a requirement. Last I sat with some of the residents, just spending quality time with them.  

I picked this as my service project, because it was something close to my heart. I know that’s all they want is someone to spend quality time with them. When my grandmother was at the Marianna Health and Rehabilitation, I refused to go see her. I refused because I didn’t want to see her sick and unhappy. Most of the people who live in nursing homes do not have a family, so someone just spending time with them is priceless. I saw a glimpse of that during art and craft, they were so happy to be out their room and around others. It changed my perspective on how hard the staffs work. Before, that day I thought just went for money and didn’t care about the resident. I saw that they really cared about them and not just the money. This service project opened my eyes to a lot different things, especially the things I take for granted.

Service Project: But what if you had a chance to change someone’s life, at least for a season. Would you take the opportunity?

Service Project

            Around this time of year everyone seems to act in a better mood. I don’t know if it is being around family, all the wonderful meals, the weather becomes cooler, or the presents at the end of the year, but whatever it is I like it. Fall time is just the best and there are endless reasons why, but what if this time of year changed for you and you didn’t have those meals, family, or presents? I know family may get annoying after awhile but if you couldn’t see them then it would be heartbreaking. We have the goods but look on the sides and see the hurt in others during this time of year. We see the people out front at stores holding buckets, ringing bells so that you might drop a few spare change in the bucket. We all want to help others but are hesitant with putting money in the bucket because we aren’t sure if the money will go to the right people or not. But what if you had a chance to change someone’s life, at least for a season. Would you take the opportunity? This is my chance to take the time and change someone’s season, this is my service project.

            My service project started out to be picking a random person that looked homeless or someone that didn’t seem to have very much and start handing them random gifts and different times of the day by many different people. This was a great idea I saw someone do one time and it just brought the biggest smile on his or her faces that it affected me and I wasn’t even involved. But that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to brighten, not only the random person, but also a bystander’s day. I wanted the generosity to spread from one person to the next just like it happened to me when I saw it happen. But my main goal was to make someone feel special. This is the greatest gift of all, making someone feel loved, heard, and safe. So instead of making it a big thing, I picked someone special that I connected with at the Veteran’s Village. My special guy is Tim.

            It was Thanksgiving Day and I had a long list of things to do that day, just like everyone else. My first stop was to the grocery store to pick up some sodas for the big Thanksgiving feast. I finally made it to Veteran’s Village and I was kind of being impatient because I needed to make it to another engagement. I wasn’t as talkative as I normally am or helping as much as I should have, but very quiet and not engaging. I walked downstairs and Dr. Soldani was down at the picnic tables chatting away with the guys that had got their food and were eating. As I stood there watching the clock tick, Dr. Soldani called me over. Hesitant, I walked over and sat down. We all started having some small talk but nothing really clicking for me yet. Dr. Soldani went to say hi to a few more people and left me to chat. One man asked me about my schooling and asked what major I was in. I replied with graphic design at TCC. He was impressed and told me that a long time ago when he was in school, he took a few graphic design courses. That’s when my day shifted and I realized to myself that I’m not here because my teacher asked me to, but I’m here to substitute for the family members that aren’t here for these Veterans.

            Tim and I continued to talk about graphic design and how so much has changed since he was in school. He was telling me that he use to draw a lot and how now a days kids don’t know how to draw on paper but are great at drawing and making creations on the computer. Mouse vs. Pencils. We laughed and shared a few examples on those differences. Just when I got relaxed Tim accidently spilled his drink and all the ice spilled on the table, and being the great guy he is, he had to get something to clean that ice up with. So the conversation ended after that and I really needed to go then. I thanked the guys around me for being here to enjoy this wonderful meal and for allowing me to hang out with them and then I packed up to leave.

            Being that it was Thanksgiving, I was thinking about how good I have it to where I can drive over to a family member’s house to eat a meal with them on this day. The Veterans didn’t have their family there so we had to step in. During this time of making memories with Tim, I realized that he should be apart of my service project. What better person to pick then the one I talked to and bonded more with. Making someone feel special isn’t buying them socks because its cheap and everyone needs socks, but buying them something that they can use or something that will remind them of you and things you share together. I had a great idea of buying Tim drawing paper and new pencils along with some shirts. I get to bring back something that he probably hasn’t done in a few years now and it will hopefully make him feel special that I remembered our conversations on that Thanksgiving Day.

            Just like Ellen DeGeneres said, “We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.”

The One Where Zoe Doesn't Buy Me a Birthday Present

--> Thursday was Zoe's birthday, the big birthday that involves the DMVand taking pictures of herself sitting behind the wheel holding her new ID.

Because it was such a big deal, and because she has put in the requisite hours driving a golf cart, I let her drive my car a little on the way home.  It wasn't that bad.  She was cautious and comfortable and respectful and excited and it was going so well that I let her park in the garage, which seemed like a great idea until I screamed. A little. Besides that, we all - house, car, mother, daughter -  survived.

On Friday Zoe is ready to drive again.
I'm not. Instead I find things to do. I make posts that will publish every 30 minutes-ish for days. I make cookies. I fold towels.  Zoe asks again, can she please drive a little today and I wince a little, involuntarily.

Her face lights up. "Your eyebrows look great! What did you do to them?"

I smile, thankful for a new and more interesting topic, but then she says, "And I'm NOT saying that to suck up to you so we can go driving...."her voice petering out at the end of the sentence at the realization of self-betrayal.

I'm game. I pose and ask, "how's my ....?" and point to one of my feminine assets which has spent the past 7 months running up and down hills.

She shakes her head.

I shake mine back.  No way. No way anything is wrong with it. I offer, "These pants are too big, it's not me...."

She shakes her head again and says "There are these things for $7 on Amazon that give you a bigger.... they kinda ADD and then BOOM and they have all great reviews.... wait let me show you... I think it's on Prime and you can get it for yourself for your birthday...."

I don't look, don't ask, and go on finding things to do.