WOO HOO

VCW VISTA team, 2010-2011, keeping that blog alive! Can you feel it in the air tonight? VCW VISTAs GETTING. THINGS. DONE. Let's keep it alive.

~ L. MACHINE

Back to work

Hi All,

It was fun meeting everyone (again) at IST. Things are going well at Whatcom Volunteer Center. I am working on coordinating volunteers for Make a Difference Day on Oct. 23. I have a bunch of furniture set aside for the day but not too many volunteers to deliver it! I am going to spend the day sending out emails and trying to get more people interested in the program.

Other than that I am working on recruiting volunteers to deliver furniture to formerly homeless veterans. Whatcom County recently received federal funds to house homeless veterans. Because of this we have several people moving into housing without furniture. I am focusing on this project for now.

I am also starting to plan my kitchen items drive. I plan for this to occur at the end of November. I think this will be a good opportunity for House 2 Home to get some publicity. I am going to contact local churches and organizations. I plan to leave boxes at these locations for people to drop off kitchen items including cups, plates, bowls, etc.

It is sometimes difficult being a one-woman operation but things seem to be going well right now.

Falling into fall... make that tripping and stumbling.

Hi All!

Man oh man- hard to believe that September is almost over! My days are chalk full of Career Fairs, school meetings, and being pulled in every direction for volunteer projects. Must be that time of year again.

Although the days fly by faster than I can fly from one fair to the next, great things are coming from it. Aside from my Youth United Alumni Project, staying on top of a couple grants, and mainting our volunteer and leadership engagements, Youth United has been asked to start a club in one of the local schools. It is a great opportunity to really make an impact directly within a school, on a consistent basis. This particular school holds the population of at-risk youth that we aim our program toward. While this will be loads of extra work, I am excited to take a step in this direction. We shall see...

Other than that- still learning how to balanace the lack of funds. :/ I suppose it's a constant learning process.

Looking forward to seeing some/all of you at the training in a couple of weeks!

Peace & Joy,

Vanessa

Everyone is at Disney

Cinderella's Castle must be bustling and buzzing with amazing people who were able to obtain Disneyworld tickets for volunteering. Goofy, Minnie, Pluto and Mickey must be excited to be surroundede by people who are willing to give their free time to help their community. And thanks to Disney's "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day" campaign, we saw an unprecedented number of volunteers come out and help in the beginning of this year. These volunteers helped with projects that supported education, environmental restoration, hunger alleviation, etc. Their effect was far reaching in many aspects of Seattle and all over the country, and it is refreshing for volunteers to have gotten rewarded with a fun, light-hearted visit to Disneyworld.

While Nemo, Aladdin and Pocahontas shake hands (or fins) with our volunteers, we still have projects here in Seattle that could use love an attention. Though we can't offer any more Disney tickets (Disney gave them all out), we can offer all of the following opportunities and perks of volunteerism:
- Meet new people in your community!
- Network around Seattle
- Learn about the organizations that do amazing things everyday
- Feel good about making a difference; create "A Whole New World" here at home
- Use your skills or build new skills (good for the resume)
- Show your neighbors you care
- And many more...only to be discovered by doing!

Want to know more about how to experience all of the above things: Join us at one of our Hot Projects coming up, we have several that could still use some extra hands! You can also choose to join a Team Works Team coming up in September! Go to www.seattleworks.org for more information on both these programs. See you all out there!

"I want it that way ..."

It's about that time in my service where I feel the need to focus on fun. We threw a fun event last week that included forming new partnerships, recruiting new volunteers, cultivating our current participant base and raising some money for a new program.

Team Up is a nonprofit that produces high-quality music events (like our Gigs4Good event) to raise funds and awareness for other inspiring nonprofit organizations while providing an exciting and accessible avenue for people of all ages and stages of life to participate in meaningful giving.

Team Up for Nonprofits is awesome! Check them out: http://teamupfornonprofits.org/

Last Thursday night the Gigs4Good concert featured Alex Mercier with Thick as Thieves, along with opening act Bekker. Both are Seattle natives themselves and put on an awesome show. My personal favorite was when Bekker decided to bust out some old school Back Street Boys. Even better news: we were able to draw a substantial crowd of over 250 people!

The money raised from the concert is going toward our new HandsOn Leadership program. It's a training course and a volunteer project designed BY volunteers, all rolled into one. HandsOn Leadership gives our volunteers a chance to create new, meaningful volunteer projects that support the needs of local nonprofits. Plus, it was designed, created and implemented by our very own AmeriCorps*VISTA Stephanie. In my opinion, that makes her Larger Than Life ...

Slow August

It was been a slow August.. for volunteers, donations and customers. It has also been a month of change. I am now five months into my AmeriCorps term. Things are up and down. I think I hit that VISTA slump but things are turning around. I have some big plans for the fall. I am planning to do a utensil/cookware drive for my program. Working with the furniture bank, one thing that is often requested but not frequently donated are utensils and cookware. So I am going to go out in the community and talk with organizations about my program and how they can get involved. I am going to put boxes at these locations so people can drop off their donations. Once per week I will pick up the donations, bring them back to the office and sort through them. Then I can organize the donations into paper bags and get them sent out to the community. This way people can get involved who don't have trucks. People who drive cars or even ride bikes will be able to deliver these household items to House 2 Home customers. I am excited for this event. We are going to run it in correlation with our one year House 2 Home birthday. I think this will raise visibility of the program and hopefully recruit more volunteers.

So slow August will turn into a pretty hectic fall! Hope I can keep up!

Lisa

WVC, House 2 Home Network

Bellingham, WA

The school year is just around the corner. The 2010-2011 NOYC program year is about to begin. After a few summer months of investigating and planning, the board is chalked full of ideas. But without any funding, many of these ideas will not come to life. Either way, the program year is about to explode with activity. I will be at summer camp next week, practicing working with "underserved youth", and then the year will kick off with a leadership training and retreat at the lovely Camp Beausite in Chimacum, WA. Best of luck to everyone!

Deuces,

Lee

panic to the people

Sometimes, when you're right around the corner from launching a big ol' project that's been in the works for months, and the work really starts piling up, and the emails keep flooding in, and the pressure builds...and your project's ugly side turns its ugly head back at you and breaths its ugly, stale breath right in your face, and the piles of paper keep on growing, and there's really no good way of knowing exactly where you're going, to whom you should be showing, the winds of change are slowly blowing the product you're bestowing, and the mountains have all but stopped showing the snow they had been snowing, there's more work to be done than you have the tools to keep track of, and the mean old world keeps stomping it's heavy, unforgiving boot down upon the deep, personal rhythm that informs and precedes the funkalicious, Zappa-tastic techtonic projection that you work so hard to convey...it's a good time to keep blog posts concise and to the point - that is to say, short.

Chase

Where oh where did summer go?!

I suppose the fact that summer is flying by can be taken as a good sign that somehow between work and my social life, I'm staying busy. Let's be honest, it's probably just work.

Anyway, I've found myself crazzzy busy with Youth United. Little did I know how much coordination it takes when running weekly volunteer projects. It has been fun to see the wide range of opportunities available to youth in Pierce County- from helping at the zoo to painting a local home, there are plenty of ways to stay busy.

In the midst of organizing these projects, I have also starting my Alumni Project. We had our first social last week, that seemed to be fairly successful with some great feedback. I am excited to tie YU Alumni into their various communities. (On this topic: If anyone has any idea how to create material for a customized tab on Facebook... shoot it my way! I have successfully created a YU Alumni tab on our Youth United page, but have no idea how to create customized content for it... hmmm.)


Aside from this, I am gearing up for the new school year! As busy as it's going to be, I am excited to reach out to more students.

ALSO- A few of us were able to attend the training last week in Seattle. I am not sure if all of you went to various trainings... but if you would like information on grant writing or "Life After AmeriCorps"- let me know! VanessaF@uwpc.org

Until next time, soak up that sun!

Cheers,

Vanessa

regroup

The NOYC has no money and lots of ideas. My fellow coordinator and I write grants, edit grants, and wait for approval to submit grants...in the meantime more ideas come to light.

The program year begins next month. Projects include retreats, camping, beach clean up, painting, teen issue campaign, and other fun things...but we must secure funding.

This nonprofit world is starting to make me uneasy. I am headed home to regroup. Maybe I will find the answer to our funding concerns in "God's Country" or maybe I will just return refreshed and enthused.

Away to Montana...

Taylor Schraudner
North Olympic Youth Corps

Moving Right Along

I have a few big projects to work on this year. The first is over, I picked up planning a conference for my organization from another VISTA at my site when I started my term. The conference happened in July, I'm pretty sure I posted about it in June. Moving right along, my next big project is to revamp VAN (the Volunteer Administrators Network, my organization) website. Right now, it's pretty clunky and outdated, but I've been thinking hard, drawing on my (limited) knowledge of how websites function and collaborating with two of my board members. I've gathered everything into a single, readable, understandable presentation. I gave the presentation at the July board meeting to awe and admiration. Now, I pass on to you the highlights of the presentation:

Megan Ingram

Professional Development Coordinator

Seattle Works

the dream and the reality

The realization that money may not exist has prompted a new round of grant seeking and grant writing. And along with grant writing comes the task of defining what it is I'm actually doing. Ahh, the elevator speech. Such a simple idea. But it seems every time I meet with my supervisor, new ideas and realities surface, constantly changing the definition of my program. Some are merely additions to provide funders what they need to hear. Some are based on.... well, the reality of coordinating a youth volunteer program in a tiny town. Sometimes I wonder if this discredits me at all- to describe my program to community members only to see them a few weeks later and tell them it might, in fact, be something different. MIGHT. I'm currently struggling with a disconnect between what sounds good on paper and what is pragmatic given the nature and scope of working with a limited number of volunteers, a limited number of community agency needs and a limited amount of interest in participating. They are high schoolers. You dig?

Here's the elevator:

The Youth Corps is a student group aimed at promoting healthy, civically engaged youth. It engages students as peer mediators, provides ongoing leadership training and allows students to design and implement their own service projects. The hours of participants are tracked for two different forms of recognition: a Presidential Service Award and a Varsity Letter in Community Service.

Now it's time to engage students as agents of change in their own community! It's time to utilize their efforts to build the capacities of local agencies! Or maybe it's time to go write grants so that these things can happen at all. Student volunteers need food, transportation and training. All things that cost money. Time to go get that $$$$$.

Peace, love and radness,

Where has the summer gone?

Seriously. One more month and counting.

This month's hightlight- HandsOn Leaders on the loose. I've helped develop the curriculumn, I've delivered it, they've participated in the training, I've given them ice cream and beer (the key to any programmatic success), they've found projects, and now they are on the loose developing their own volunteer projects! I'm excited to see what these amazing people come up with.

Finishing up my final Bridge training. Ah The Bridge. Full of interesting people, looking to make long term and meaningful impact in their community, and exploring the possibility of serving on a nonprofit board, what's not to like there?

Now to document, organize, and pass the torch. So much to do, so little time. September 3rd will be here before I know it!

sand, shoes, and friends

If Lee is a planet. And, I am a planet. Are you a planet? (NO)

But listen, if my living stipend is a planet. My education award is a planet. Are my college loans a planet? (YES)


July 2010
Taylor's VISTA experience...= bonfires on the beach, difficult ice breakers (see above), tents, teens, StaR-TripPInG, one awesome aglet, and bags of trash.

Best month yet. I got some sun. I established friendships with local teens. I removed shoes, bottles, lighters, hammers, rope, human poo, and other treasures from one of the most beautiful beaches in Washington.

Giving back and having fun one day at a time.



But listen....

Taylor Schraudner
NOYC Coordinator
North Olympic Volunteer Center

It's the small things...

I have decided it is most definitely the small things in life that keep me going day-to-day. For example...

...the fact that I just discovered the Glee Soundtrack on United Way's media drive...
...by having a simple coversation with a local cafe owner, I now receive discounted tea. It may or may not be laced with drugs, but hey, it's still a discount!
...catching a glimpse of Rainier and being surprised everytime.
...ridiculous YouTube videos passed amongst co-workers... what a great invention.
...how gracious Charlotte and Jim from the Banana Stand are to give a poor VISTA a free frozen chocolate-covered banana every week. YUM.
...how at the end of the day I am living in one of the most beautiful places in the country, in a city filled with some of the most quirky and caring people I have ever encountered, all while being on a mission to do GOOD. Wowza!

Now to make some friends... hmm... ;)

But on a somewhat serious note, I'm starting to feel at home in Tacoma and at the United Way. This whole 9-5 business is a bit more taxing than I had anticipated, especially during these gorgeous summer months, but I'm finally starting to see some progress with my VAD goals. What a concept! Currently, my focus has been directed toward establishing a Youth United Alumni Program for our recently graduated students during their first couple years out of high school. It has definitely challenged my technological skills, but I'm on the up and up!

More to follow soon! Until then, happy VISTA-ing!

Vanessa

Keeping it up!

Things are going well here at the Whatcom Volunteer Center. I feel like I'm in a good stride. I feel like I have a handle on coordinating the furniture bank. Our program was recently featured in the Bellingham Herald, (here is the link..

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2010/07/07/1507618/whatcom-countys-virtual-furniture.html)

Because of the article in the paper we have received tons of furniture donations. This is great because we are able to help more of our recently homeless customers fill their homes but it also means we are scheduling deliveries several weeks out. The program desperately needs more volunteers. I have spoken with numerous neighborhood associations and faith-based organizations about getting volunteers to support our program. It just seems like everyone has something to donate but then they do not have the interest to volunteer.

Perhaps it is the beautiful sunny weather that is keeping volunteers away. For now the program is going well, I have recruited some new volunteers that will start deliveries next week.

Sometimes I get really overwhelmed by my job. I stress because it is my job to find people beds to sleep on. Maybe I care too much but I think you have to care to make a difference. Hopefully as time goes on I will learn to manage this stress.

Lisa Hust

Whatcom Volunteer Center

House 2 Home Network

Bellingham, WA

Get out and soak up some sun

I don't know about you, but I've been going through some serious sunshine withdrawals. Here's a suggestion of how to take advantage of the beautiful weather during the work week.

We're fortunate to be able to both work remotely, and to be provided with laptops that makes it easy to do so. Here's a list of parks in the Seattle area that have free wifi. If you're not in the Seattle area, which you're probably not, try googling it.

You could convince your team to join you on a blanket outside for an afternoon. Who knows, maybe it will inspire some organic conversation!

Freeway Park: 700 Seneca Street
Occidental Square: Occidental Ave South & South Main Street
Victor Steinbrueck Park: 2001 Western Ave.
Westlake Park: 401 Pine Street

Note: All parks are open from 6am - 10pm. Use seattlewifi for the ssid.

Grab your floppy hat and get outside. Oh ya, you should probably clear this with your supervisor before.

A perhaps-innapropriately detailed day in the head of a wannabe VISTA

I regularly wonder whether I'm cut out to be a VISTA. Usually this occurs around 8:00 a.m. on a weekday, when I'm getting ready to commute to one of my sites. Barely awake, blurry-eyed and stumbling to the stove, or toilet, or maybe the shower, if I can get the synapses to fire I think to myself, "I feel awful. This isn't how VISTAs are supposed to feel in the morning. VISTAs start their day feeling refreshed and confident, springing out of bed fully groomed, nourished, and eager to manhandle whatever thankless frustration their project demands, delaying the day's progress only long enough to throw on their cape and tights and kiss the framed picture of Grandma atop the dresser before darting out the door," or some variation thereof.

By the grace of Big Caffeine, morning despondency is temporary. After two or three coffees I feel much better. I think to myself, "Man, I feel great. Much better than earlier. I feel much more like a VISTA. Heck, I feel better than a VISTA. I can do just about anything I want. I should climb a mountain today. Maybe I'll run a marathon this week. How many miles are in a marathon? Twenty-Six? I'll be twenty-six soon. It's a few years down the line, but you know how time sneaks up on you. One day you're barely able to walk, sitting in your Batman jammies playing peacefully with your Megabloks, then BOOM you're twenty-three, out of college and taking responsibility for things that matter. Twenty-three...I'll be old before too long. Better get that marathon done before then..."

Rarely does the same rush last more than a few hours, though, that's what I've learned. By 12:30 or so I'm thinking, "Man I'm hungry. I need to eat some lunch. Why, though? Everyone knows VISTAs don't break for lunch. VISTAs don't eat, they just keep finding differences to make and capacities to build. Why can't I pull this off? What is wrong with me???"

The shame of being inappropriately hungry at lunch time is only the beginning, however - it gets worse. For only after gorging myself on a delicious and sizable meal of sandwich and soup do I realize I've fallen for a trap - I'm really, REALLY sleepy now. The caffeine has worn off and all my blood is rushing away from my brain and toward my stomach, leaving me feeling like a zombie in VISTA clothing. "I thought I was done with this sleepiness after that coffee this morning. This isn't supposed to happen to VISTAs. It's not fair! It's not fair!!!! Why, Big Caffeine, why?"

Only by concentrated force of will am I able to make myself continue with the activities necessary to my project. And only by continuing with the activities necessary to my project do I feel any better. Making the small, slow steps of progress necessary to my project- maybe that means locking down a volunteer reader, or finishing part of a grant proposal, or a blog - I realize a very important thing. I realize that even a slow, tired, regular-person-in-a-VISTA-suit like me can fulfill the duties normally reserved for a full-blown VISTA superperson. Sure it takes a whole lot of effort (and coffee), but, by God, I can do it. And what's more, fulfilling my goals as a VISTA helps others as well, which feels really, really good. With this new, more optimistic outlook I receive the productive burst of energy I never thought would come. The once-small, hindered voice in my head is now roaring, "I AM VISTA!!! I AM VISTA!!!! I AM VISTA!!!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRRRRR......"

I go home, I sleep, and in the morning the cycle begins again. It seems a little depressing to have to wake to the same sleepy uncertainty every day, but that's also part of the fun. Finally hitting your stride after feeling unsure feels great - like Christmas - and if you ask me, it keeps you human. Besides, if you were absolutely confident in everything you do from beginning to end, everyone else would hate you.

The End.

xoxoxo,
Chase Hill

Summer Means Farmers Markets

Mmmmm....
The sun is finally out and it's grilling season (or for me, pretend grilling on the stove). Whatever your method of cooking food in the summer, we all know fresh fruit and veggies are irresistible.

So I venture into my local farmer's market, yum. Fresh greens, homemade breads and my favorite (especially for warm weather), ice cream. BUT, all of the veggies and fruit are priced higher than the grocery stores, and all I want is to do my part to buy local (and eat delicious food). No worries! Most farmer's markets take EBT cards now! Even the nationally known Pike Place Market takes EBT!

Here's a list of just a few of the Seattle Area farmer's markets that take EBT:
Broadway (Sundays, 11am - 3pm, May 9 through Dec 19, 2010)10th Ave E and E Thomas, behind the Broadway B of A on Capitol Hill
Columbia City (Wednesdays, 3pm - 7pm, April 28 through Oct 20, 2010)4801 Rainier Ave S, at S Edmunds
Lake City (Thursdays, 3pm - 7pm, June 3 through Oct 7, 2010)NE 125th and 28th NE, next to the Library off Lake City Way
Magnolia (Saturdays, 10am - 2pm, June 5 through Sept 25, 2010)Next to the Magnolia Community Center at 2550 34th Ave W
Phinney (Fridays, 3pm - 7pm, May 28 through October 1, 2010)67th and Phinney Ave N, in the lower lot of the Phinney Neighborhood Center
University District (Saturdays, 9am - 2pm, Year-round)Corner of 50th and University Way NE, in the University Heights lot
West Seattle (Sundays, 10am - 2pm, Year-round)California Ave SW & SW Alaska, in the heart of the Junction

There are more markets out there that take EBT, just ask.
It is important to note that some markets have a token system where you swipe your EBT card at the market center and then get tokens to spend at each booth.

Give it a try. Treat yourself to some fresh local yumminess.

New Frontiers

When I first started working with the volunteer reader program, preschoolers were sort of like zoo animals to me, cute from a distance but terrifying up close. I saw my job as finding enthusiastic trainers to tame them, nothing more. As far as I was concerned, if there were people out there crazy enough to willingly enter the lair, I was more than happy to cheer them on from a safe distance. I had worked with older children before and completely respected the mission of the program, I was just fairly certain that my work with children would remain entirely behind the scenes at least until they begam to develp some semblance of human-like awareness.

To my great chagrin however, a day came when two of my greatest fears came head to head. It was quickly becoming evident that as someone who saw a young child as a distant relative to a leprechaun or a lawn gnome, I had no business telling people how to read to children. I have always been a fanatical perfectionist and taken pride in giving 100% to my work, and now I had to decide what I was more terrified of, a classroom ful of 3-5 year olds, or proclaiming to all of King County that I had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. So, as it always does, my obsessive compulsive side won out and I became a volunteer reader [shudder].

Unlike many of our volunteer readers, I can't say that I was especially nervous on my first day of reading. I truly believed that only certain kinds of people have a rapport with small children, and only these people can make a real difference in their lives. What did I have to be nervous about when I expected to be a piece of furnature in the room? As for the children, I imagined them as a single entity that would tear through the school like a tornado, leaving me and my pile of forgotten storybooks in its wake of destruction.

From the second I walked into the classroom for my first weekly hour of reading I knew I was wrong. When I opened the door the whole class came running to greet me. Who was I? Why I was there? Did I know that I had pretty long hair like a mermaid? These weren't zoo animals at all! They were curious, they had personalities and names, and I couldn't read to them fast enough! Even in my first few weeks as a reader the kids associated me with books and knew that if they wanted to have that coveted one-on-one time with me, they would have to bring me a story to read. They only problem with this incredible enthusiasm was the fact that before long I had five or six bringing me books as soon as I arrived. In an effort to restore order and repress the very real zoo animal like qualities that were coming out in the children as they fought over who would read first, the teachers quickly developed a list of names for me to go down each time I read.

As for reading itself, it has been amazing. The children have a real interest in and enthusiasm for reading, and it's been nothing but a joy to help foster that in them. One of my greatest worries was that I would have nothing to talk to the kids about as I read. Again, I completely underestimated them. They love to talk about everything! They have endless questions about what's going on and how the characters are feeling, they love to count things and tell you about animals and colors, and if you ask them if they have a kitty cat at home, you had better be prepared to settle in and listen to a five minute speech about Fluffy and his heroic exploits.

As I always tell our volunteers, the relationships they will build with the children are one of the most important elements of the volunteer reader program. The stories mean more to the kids when they can talk about them with an adult that they know and trust. The children at ReWA have become so comfortable with me, that some of them are even trying their own had at reading aloud. One little boy took this responsibility so seriously that he would snap at me to be patient and listen when I asked too many questions, and even used his teacher's time-tested tricks for keeping restless kids quiet when I tried to talk to him too much about the book.

So that's my story. Not only am I now able to talk to new volunteer readers frankly and honestly about the program and provide them with the kind of support they deserve, but the children I'm working with have taught me that preschoolers are hungry for knowledge, and that the adults in their lives play a huge part in what they learn during those important early years. One of my most memorable moments was when a little girl proclaimed to me "that goose is very foul-tempered!" How else would she have picked up language like that unless an adult had been reading to her? What our readers are doing for these kids is extrememly important, and I am so proud to be a part of it. Besides, my mom now has a hope of getting grandchildren someday, so everybody wins :)

Going the Extra Mile

The school year is coming to a close, and many of our volunteers are packing it in for a few months...or for good. This has been a bit of a sad and frustrating time for me; volunteers that I supported for months and have developed genuine relationships with are suddenly abandoning me. I do understand why they're doing it. Summer is a busy time of year for most people, and when falls comes back around many people are going to be hesitant to recommit to a program that wrecks havoc on a tradiational 9-5 work schedule. The problem that I'm having is in the fact that it seems like my 10 months of hard work are slowly going down the drain. I suppose that I should think about all of this in terms of how many children were read to in the time that these volunteers were able to be in the classroom, but as someone who only gets to see the impact that the program makes from the inside of an office, that can be very difficult.

I would like to share a story that helped to brighten my attitude about my current situation, and has helped me to see the enormous impact that our volunteers have in just a few short months with the children.

Many of our reading sites had a graduation ceremony at the end of the school year, and several of them invited their volunteers to attend. At one of these sites, two women who had been reading for less than six months decided to show up and support the children they had been reading to for an hour each week. When they arrived, they were surprised to see undeniable proof of the impact that they had made in the children's lives. Some of the parents had been unable to attend the ceremony, and these volunteers (who were by now trusted role models in the lives of the children) were able to stand in where they could to ensure that the children with working parents felt loved and included. The site director was so pleased with this turn of events that she let us know what had happened just as soon as she could.

Celebrating Volunteer Readers

This is something that I posted on the United Way of King County's Blog a few days ago. I think it's still relevant for this though, voulnteer recognition is always fun :) If you read RSVP's newsletter, you can get a better idea of what we actually did for this volunteer. In addition to the party, the volunteer got a poster, flowers, and was able to donate a book to each child in the class on behalf of the UWKC.

In March of 2010 the Volunteer Reader Program celebrated a remarkable milestone: three years of spreading the love of literay to King County Preschoolers! Even more remarkable is the fact that several of our volunteers have been with us since the beginning. We got the opportunity to attend a celebration in honor of one of these volunteers back in May. Not only were site staff, volunteer reader staff, and the children on hand to thank this dedicated volunteer, but RSVP was also in attendance to recognize all of her hard work. RSVP is a program that encourages people 55 and older to volunteer in the community. They offer numerous benefits to seniors that want to get involved with local businesses and nonprofits, and they work hard to ensure that everyone that signs up with them is matched with a project that meets his or her needs and interests. Without the help of the people at RSVP who sent this devoted reader our way, this celebration would never have taken place. You can read more about our RSVP volunteer and the celebration in honor of her three years of service in RSVP's summer 2010 newsletter: http://www.solidground.org/GetInvolved/Volunteer/RSVP/Documents/EIASummer2010.pdf.

A Successful Conference

Hello there, I'm a new voice on here. My name is Megan and I started my VISTA term with the Volunteer Administrators Network and Seattle Works in April. I was thrown into planning a conference on volunteer management immediately. Luckily for me, Bevin Wong (another VISTA at Seattle Works and contributor to this blog) had been working on the project and laid very good tracks for me to follow. The conference happened on June 8, so I didn't have time to blog about the planning process. But now that it's over and I have feedback results, I'm going to give you a recap!

The conference was for VAN, which is a network and resource for volunteer managers. We hosted 85 managers and 14 speakers. The theme of the conference was "Invest in Ourselves" because often volunteer managers are under-valued (and under-paid, under-resourced and any other under- you can think of) when really, they enable organizations to expand their efforts and continue running. So we wanted to give the people who came tools to both increase their productivity and make them feel good about themselves.

Things I never thought about when planning a conference:
-You have to get petty cash for a raffle. Huh.
-Nametags need to be alphebetized otherwise they're impossible to find at registration!
-Speakers are actually pretty willing to present for you, for free, if you ask them.

The good news is that once things are set up for success, the day of the conference goes smoothly! And people had a good time (in the feedback survey, the conference was rated about 3.5/5 in all categories!) which is all anyone can really hope for.

Also, I'd love it if you checked out the VAN website!

Megan Ingram
Professional Development Coordinator
Seattle Works/Volunteer Adminstrators Network

The Launch of HandsOn Leadership

After many hours spent developing curriculum-Seattle Works is kicking off a brand new leadership training program next Tuesday, designed to equip individuals with the knowledge and tools to be an effective volunteer project manager.

We've designed the training to cover the best practices in volunteer engagement and how to develop volunteer projects, while growing one's understanding of their own leadership capacity.

Why Project Management Training?

1. We've been hearing from our long-term volunteers that they are looking for the next step -- more in-depth/complex projects, and the opportunity to work more closely with the nonprofits they are serving. They want to apply your skills, education and knowledge to enhance the capacity of under-resourced organizations.

2. Nonprofits need help engaging volunteers in new ways. Working with volunteers is awesome. It's also a lot of work. In a financial climate where nonprofits are doing even more with less, developing trained volunteer leaders to partner with them expands their opportunity to effectively engage with volunteer teams. Skilled volunteer managers are a valuable resource.

The Course HandsOn Leadership combines a training course with practical application.
HandsOn Leadership coursework focuses on:- Project Management 101- Leadership- Community engagement- Done-in-a-day project development- Personal reflection
Following the course, participants will form leadership teams develop a large scale project (30-50 volunteers).

It is exciting to finally see all of our hard work together. I'm also excited to see the projects our participants develop.

For more info on HandsOn Leadership, feel free to contact me or check out our website: http://www.seattleworks.org/AboutUs/index.php/handsonleadership.html

let the good times roll...

Organizing at the local food bank warehouse.

Picking litter from the streets of Port Townsend.

And coming soon in the summer of 2010, Jefferson County Youth Corps students will be gardening, assisting on a local farm, volunteering for the Northwest Kiwanis Camp, helping out in soup kitchens and cleaning up local beaches and parks. A few of the latter are verbal commitments for now, but when these 17 year-olds see the value of a project and are given an opportunity to hang out with friends, their follow through has stood. And their positivity has been contagious.

How exactly does a service project become fun? I don't know the answer to this one. But I keep telling the Youth Corps students, "come to meetings and we will brainstorm, take care of business and it will be fun. If you come to this project we can lend a needed hand and we can have fun". Maybe it's just a little beginner's enthusiasm, but so far... it has been fun.

The challenge will be maintaining this positivity as the program expands. The students involved in the Youth Corps are all familiar with each other. I want to reach out to anyone and everyone attending high school in East Jefferson County: the atypical volunteers, the typical "achievers", those who aren't involved in athletics or school clubs, guys, girls, freshmen and seniors. How do we keep the fun alive as the student base becomes more diverse? When it is more than friends? This would probably be easier to answer if I had an answer to the first question. How was it fun to begin with?

I guess I believe there is no ceiling for the fun and meaning in life's activities. Especially when the impact is visible. And especially with a few helping hands. Let's see how things roll on...

- Lee Routledge

I'm learning all kinds of wonderful things as a VISTA. Here are a few:

-There's no end to the good you can do when you are connected to the right individuals in a community.
-Follow every lead, and take every opportunity to help.
-Money runs everything (the title of "grantee" should come with a set of handcuffs and a box of kleenex).
-Traffic police have never heard of VISTA, and don't care how little money you make.
-If you want to play in the snow during the summer, you've got to walk an awfully long way up some awfully steep hills.
-LASER = Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
-Post-participation, praise your productivity-prone volunteers verbally, vociferously, vehemently, and vocalize their value before they bounce back to business as usual.
-Coolness comes in strange packages.
-No matter how bad things get, at the end of the day, the only person who can lick your wounds is you.

I'll update if I learn more.

Chase

A ray of sunshine

Greetings all!

I'm not going to lie... I've been feeling a tad discouraged lately. It seems that every direction I turn, I'm confronted with hurt and sadness. Maybe this is because I'm now in the position to see pain in it's full light? I'm not sure, but nonetheless when I receive e-mails such as the following from students, it brightens my day (and makes a permanent spot for itself on my bulletin board). Read with caution:


"Hello! Thank you so much for the alert: I will convey it to my parents! After the inevitable season of mourning they are bound to engage in, I'm sure they will settle upon leaving my little brother at home with as much ease as a walrus settling upon an ice drift in the Arctic- assuming they do so with considerable ease, and assuming there are walruses in the Arctic, as well as ice drifts. I joke! This is no problem at all, in fact! Anyway, thank you for very much for letting me know, and I do look forward to meeting you as well! Many thanks!"
(Sent from a Varsity Letter in Community Service Award Winner)

Makes me laugh everytime. :) I share this because even through all the suffering that is happening in our world, there are people (such as the student above) that want to make it a better place. And as ridiculously cheesy as this sounds, it keeps me motivated. Hopefully you find a tinge of motivation there as well, and if not, at least a good laugh. That's all for now.

Paz,

Vanessa

Dig It

A typical volunteer is not a 21 year old, male, seasonal fisherman. Last month, I received a call from a young man who wanted to get involved in his community before he left for Alaska. The following week he started reading with elementary students who needed a little extra help. This summer he is going to play sports with at risk youth for 4 hours a week. He told me enthusiastically, “I really dig it.”

Before my VISTA term I did not understand the importance of volunteering in a community. I did not know that the American Red Cross is composed of 96% volunteers. I did not realize that volunteers complete the majority of maintenance on the Olympic Discovery Trail. I did not know that Port Angeles volunteers feed over 150 citizens every Friday evening. I did not appreciate the relationships forged between volunteers and children in need. I did not understand the demand for volunteers in the nonprofit world. I did not fully understand the change that can be created by volunteers.

President Obama’s noted in his Inaugural Address, “we need a new era of responsibility—a recognition of the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our Nation, and the world. These are duties that we do not grudgingly accept, but rather seize gladly, firm in knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit than giving our all to a difficult task.” Volunteers really can shape a better tomorrow.

My question is, how can I recruit more atypical volunteers? How do I communicate that volunteering really can be fun? I know they would "dig it" if I could hook them up with the right opportunity.

Be Kind. Work Hard. Give Back. Get Things Done.

Taylor Schraudner
North Olympic Volunteer Center-Youth Coordinator

Human Race

The biggest thing I have been working on the past few weeks is the Human Race. It is an annual fundraiser for the Whatcom Volunteer Center. I was given some logistical jobs including figuring out how many balloons we needed and where they should go. It was a really fun event. We had a couple hundred people show up for the 5k run/walk and 10k run. I ended up working the finish line, pulling tags of the winning racers. It was nice to have a break from the usual office work and to get out in the amazing sunshine even if I got really burnt.

Rebecca, who has been training me will be leaving in a few weeks. Then I will be all on my own. It is pretty daunting taking over the furniture bank but I can do it. Right now we need to focus on getting donations. Our need for furniture is really high but our donations are trickling out. I'm not sure if that is because it is the summer or what is going on. I tried to reach out to the college population for donations. We asked students at Western to donate their furniture to our program instead of throwing it on the streets but that was ineffective. I'm not sure where to go next. I still am meeting with neighborhood associations to talk about the furniture bank and try to recruit volunteers and donations.

Overall, things are going well. Working hard to live off of this VISTA budget but making the most of it.

Lisa

Whatcom Volunteer Center

House 2 Home Network

Life After AmeriCorps

How strange it will be for me to not be an AmeriCorps VISTA anymore.

It has truly been such a substantial part of my life for nearly two years now that I am confident the transition will be palpable. Wherever I go from here, literally and figuratively, the impact that this extraordinary organization has had on me will not easily fade.

Numerous lessons come to mind, when reviewing all the vast experiences I have been so privileged to be a part of, and take with me for the rest of my life. My hope is to pass these on in every instance I have the opportunity. In this way, my time as a VISTA will live on and the legacy of eliminating poverty will become more of a reality.

Between. This adjective is where and how I feel. Although this balancing act has always been present in my position, it has lately been more pronounced. I feel like even though recommendation letters have been very forthcoming, actual job opportunities have not been so quick to materialize. Please let me be able to continue this service in a different capacity, BUT be able to take care of myself and those I love at the same time. Is this to much to ask?

A Day of Caring

Music filled the room. If melodies are the language of compassion and understanding, then literally we had “A Day of Caring,” like no other. The students at VSAA were well prepared and so this was one of those rare occasions where all I had to do was enjoy. After a little trouble with the directions that the students were given, we arrived at Colombia House, a lovely retirement center in the heart of Downtown Vancouver. They practiced in the backroom for a while as the clients filtered in.

Names reasserted their relevance through the mouths of there students, representing their school, community and future. There were at least four Beatles songs sung, a Frank Sinatra classic on trumpet, a soulful rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, as well as current hits like Love Song and even some original tunes.

I met a gentleman named Will, who told me he had come to every VSAA Performance there since ti began, five years ago. Every students gets this chance to participate in this day to give back to their community. The panorama of instruments and talents reminded me of the school’s mission. There were twenty projects offered for the students to chose from, half of which I am happy to say I helped put together. Afterward, I followed up with the organizations to see how everything went for each agency.

Furthermore, the students and clients thanked me for being there. Gratitude and success seem to go hand in hand!

Catching Up

I work in an office with two other VISTAs. The other two VISTAs are funded through the Opportunity Council. It has been really confusing getting that part straight. Our VISTA requirements are slightly different as they are able to have face to face interaction with their VISTA leads. Because their leaders are here they meet once a month in a group setting to talk about their projects and touch base. This is sort of like the conference calls we do as Volunteer Centers VISTAs. Further confusion has occurred over writing blogs and the PPR.

Work at Whatcom Volunteer Center has been pretty heavy. I'm busy alone with my project on top of getting used to what my requirements are as a VISTA. However, I think I finally have a hold of things! A bit late, but better late than never!

Watch out world, here I come!

So! My project is coordinating a furniture bank for people who were recently homeless and been housed through case management. Right now I am reaching out to the community by meeting with neighborhood associations. It is really interesting getting to hear the issues facing each neighborhood. It is also great spreading the word about the furniture bank and getting people excited about the work we do.

It is only 6 weeks in and it is going so fast. Not too much to report now, hopefully next time!

Lisa Hust

House 2 Home Network Coordinator

Whatcom Volunteer Center

Renewing America

"This is President Barack Obama. In the story of America the greatest chapters are moments of challenge when we see people serving their country and one another. Volunteers who step forward in the hospital corridors and church basements, along levees and fire lines. And the next chapter is yours to help right... Lets renew America together" -President Obama


The North Olympic Youth Corps members were recognized for their hard work on April 30th. 13 students were awarded their Varity Letter of Service and 12 received their Presidential Service Awards. Together these 30 teens served approximately 6,350 hours! These are young citizens working together to renew America one hour at a time.


-Taylor Schraudner
North Olympic Volunteer Center
Youth Corps Coordinator

Kick Off

When I was offered the position of Jefferson County Youth Corps Coordinator I had no idea just how the job would pan out. Things are moving forward, but I am still curious and excited to see how this all unfolds. I knew I would be creating and coordinating a varsity lettering program for high school students. I didn't quite realize how much say I would have in all of this. And apparently, it's a lot. "Hey, you go there and you figure out how to create and coordinate it!" Hmmm.... not entirely what I expected, but I won't shy away from opportunity and challenge. There is a so much room for this program to grow and benefit Jefferson County's students and communities.

So far, I've composed a grant to fund a project for my Youth Corps, and I am gearing up for our initial meeting this Thursday. Now to wrangle in the students! This last friday night I had the pleasure of helping the Port Angeles Youth Corps students cook a Friendship Dinner at the Methodist Church. I can only hope that my Corps can evolve in to something so inviting and fun. I've seen the potential for this project and I'm striving to establish something as meaningful in Port Townsend. This time next month should be very interesting.

In other news, VISTA life is treating me well. I am now a Peninsulite (if this isn't a word, it is now) and enjoying it to the fullest. Until next time, be kind, give what you have to give, lend a hand, grow a little and have fun doing it!

- Lee Routledge

Boy Oh Boy

Lemme tell ya, this first month of the VISTA life has been one gangsta whirlwind. I can't imagine experiencing some of this stuff anywhere else...

1. Where else do you have reason to drive 38 hrs. across the country with all your possessions stuffed into your coupe, with no guarantee of shelter, finance or camaraderie upon arrival in his new, strange home?

2. Where else do you live in a hellish, smoke-filled pit with insane old-schoolers because its the only place you can find on short notice (i've since moved out)?

3. Where else are you thrust into service, the nature of which you have little to no experience, with two different agencies, in two different towns, coordinating programs that don't yet exist and, for that matter, have not yet been meaningfully conceptualized? Where else is that considered pleasant news?

4. Where else do you meet some topsy-turvy, rabid-cool, grape-soda-slammin, grandma-pajama-wearin mamma-jammas like Lee Routledge and Taylor Schraudner who make you know you're not as insane as items 1-3 may have made you feel?

5. Where else are you surrounded by natural beauty the likes of which you hadn't before known, and hikes that make you feel like the king of your own little world (for at least one afternoon every week).

6. Where else do you meet old people that are way cool?

I can't think of a place on earth where all of the above apply. This year will be unique.

In conclusion, VISTA is awesome and I'm adjusting well.

Love,
Chase Hill

Officially Living the AmeriCorps Lifestyle

Well team, it's official! I've been approved for food stamps, financial assistance at the YMCA, and trading cleaning duties for free yoga at a local studio (never to conflict with my work schedule, of course). Pair this with my housing agreement of dog-sitting for free rent, along with cheap hair-cuts at the local salon institute and a couple happy hour specials here and there- and BAM! I'm suddenly working the system. ;)

Aside for becoming accustomed to this new lifestyle, my assignment is going well. The program, Youth United, that I am working with at the United Way is preparing for their annual Varsity Letter in Community Service Celebration that is quickly approaching! This year, we have over 300 high school students that volunteered more than 145 hours apiece in the past year to earn their Varsity Letter. Pretty cool stuff. To think that I could have possibly lettered in something and worn that stylish jacket... hmm. But, I digress...

My program consists of myself and my supervisor... SO it's a busy busy time right now! It has been exciting to be given so much responsiblity right off the bat though. We are holding the reception at the Tacoma Dome, expecting about a thousand attendees. I guess that the governor of WA spoke last year! We invited Obama, but he's tied up in Haiti at the moment. Bummer.

After the big reception, I'll begin diving into my VAD a bit more.. working on the alumni portion and a few grants. We have a former Youth United member that will be interning for the summer- so it will be great to work with her on the alumni relations piece.

Aside from learning to live the cheap life and navigating the United Way system, Tacoma has been extremely inviting. The transition from MN went much more smoothly than anticipated. Yes, I could use a few more friends... but I suppose with time... patience is a virtue, right?

Well, I'm off! Enjoy the final day of AmeriCorps week~

Vanessa Fraenkel, Youth United Assistant, United Way of Pierce County

Walter

Walter is my secret weapon. The first time I met him was in our Innovative Services NW Adult Day Health Center amongst a group of clients headed inside the living room area. I saw this gentle looking man who is hunched over, not really moving, barely audible, but whose smile takes over his whole face. He reached up to me and his arms asked for a hug. Who knows how long it lasted, but it was epic. This man needed a hug and knew how to give one. What a character!

From that point on, whenever I brought a potential volunteer to meet the group I would make sure they experienced Walter's long gaze and arms if they were so inclined. It never fails! Warmth just permeates from his eyes to his toes. As I got to know him, I found that his personality was just as powerful.

He sits in the same chair, that happens to be first when entering the center. Setting his walker to the side, just so, he would fall into the familiar arms and let himself sink into that safe space. In fact, I often wouldn't even be able to see him until I turned the corner and entered the circle of chairs. However, I have taken to checking for his walker and then just petting his head and peeking around the corner and embracing his smiling face. He sure seems to love this and holds onto me for dear life. Next, he will undoubtedly ask for a book, by which he means a magazine. If I bring him back the one he wanted, he will immediately will place it into the bag attached onto his walker. This is Walter.

Now one day I was sitting and eating lunch with Walter, when someone called me over to another table. I happen to leave me cell phone on the table for only a moment. When I returned, what did I see but the superhero, this Walter, holding my cell phone in his hand. I had to do a double take! I looked at the phone and discovered that Walter was looking at my calendar. I glanced back up at him and he flashed me a super-smile that was nearly blinding. “Walter, did you take my phone?” I asked. His answer was outstretched arms and I just cracked up.

The next day, I was downstairs with a volunteer and had just handed Walter his magazine when he pulled me in for an extra long hug. As I was lifting myself up, he whispered in his best mumbly voice, “When will you marry me?” Surprised, I responded, “Walter, did you just ask me to marry you?” He smiled and nodded. “Awww, you are so adorable!” So now I know that smile will live with me forever!

Completing a Commitment before Breaking My Commitment

I recently accepted another job and will be leaving my term of service early. However, I want to make sure I don’t completely flake on the commitments I have made. In an effort to contribute to AmeriCorps Week I am trying to compress the projects into one day. After all, if I take no other lesson away from the time I have served it is this – work smarter not harder. So I am using my best VISTA problem solving skills to make this happen in one day.

I can start by making promotional material for the NACL food drive and AmeriCorps and make awareness posters about shelter hounds and writing to your mentor… but how will the homeless people know who they are?

Oh I got it, I can have a hound help me decorate awareness name tags for a homeless shelter and I will write letters to my mentors about the importance of volunteerism and AmeriCorps… wait, I forgot about the Letter Carriers Food Drive.

OK, I’ll have Letter Carriers write to their mentors about holding a food drive and have homeless people walk hounds… but that leaves me with too much arts and crafts.

What if I have Letter Carriers walk a hound while picking up food and delivering awareness posters about volunteerism. I will then drop off name tags at homeless shelter where I will have residents write letters to their mentor. Close, but I can do better…

I’ll give homeless hounds with name tags to Letter Carriers as a thank you for being a mentor to the community for their volunteerism and I’ll make awareness posters to promote the event!

Then reflect on my VISTA ingenuity.

Waiting...

Has anyone shared this experience? This is an example of the blessing and curse of working with students. It all starts with an email. "Can you please help me?" The response is quick and optimistic. "I'd be happy to. Here's what you can do." Weeks may pass and then another, more desperate plea. "Do you remember me? I need to have these hours done in two weeks!"

With patience and promise, again, I ask that they call me as soon as possible so that we can work out the details. After another few days, at least, I will receive another similar email with an apology for not calling, but letting me know they still are need of hours. If they have given me their number, all this time would also be spent trying to reach them via cell or text. When I finally do get them into a program, their energy and enthusiasm are unparalleled. Clients can be seen smiling and meaning is manifested. As one manager and I remarked, "they are great, when they are here."

After months and months of back and forth, she came. This student is a state amongst herself. Showing up about an hour late, I brought her straight to the activity and helped her get started. The clients were full of stories and questions, to which she engaged with them extensively and intensively throughout the day. Once I even saw her cry. Listening and learning she began posing her own questions and laughing with an ease that I was very happy to experience. I believe that she truly made a difference to all those she helped. Everyone enjoyed themselves, including our student.

I would walk in the door and hear, "when is she coming back?" As her hours were completed, time will tell if she will keep her promise of returning. As of now, I am waiting...

So I misunderstood the instructions for posting on this blog, and I wanted to try and catch up with the other great, insightful VISTAs on this team. In reading this blog I've noticed a lot of complicated feelings about the job of a VISTA, and I wanted to put in my two cents.

First and foremost I've seen this position as a learning opportunity. I'll admit, it's hard to never see the impact that you're making, and to work extremely hard for what you know is a fraction of what you know you could be making at something entirely different. It's also really different for me personally to be given so much responsibility (managing 137 volunteers), when at my previous jobs I wasn't even trusted to stand at the customer service desk.

I think the most important thing I've learned is that sitting at a desk and delivering indirect service isn't for me. However, I think a year worth of doing something I'm not always crazy about is worth getting the experience that will ultimately help me get to where I WANT to go. After this year I'll have an idea of how a non-profit works, and I'll be able to take that information and use it in the sort of grass-roots work that I think I'd prefer. Also, I now know that I absolutely love working with children. If I hadn't stumbled upon a VISTA job where I'd get to work with preschoolers, I might be on an entirely different career path right now. As it is, the plan is to work with kids in the social work or hearing and speech therapy fields.

So yes, I have days when I will pull my hair out if I have to send one more email or make one more spreadsheet. But I've decided to take it for what it is and learn from it. I know that this time next year freaking out about my PPRs will seem like no big deal.

The Aftermath of Disney Give a Day Get a Day

Two months ago, if you had asked me what my feelings were on the Disney Give a Day get a Day promotion, I would have been less than enthusiastic. I had the whole thing sprung on me the day after I returned from my holiday vacation, and from what I could tell at the time, the hundreds of emails that I received were from self-interested people that cared about Disney first, the kids second. People would be so blunt as to tell me, "I want to get this reading thing done by [a specific date] because I'm going to Disney in March," or, "can I read twice? I want two tickets."
Our program requires a six month commitment and encourages volunteers to develop strong and lasting relationships with the kids they serve. There was no way I was going to go through an hour of paperwork just so that John Doe could use the kids in our program for a day and get into Disney Land for free.

My feelings on the whole Disney program have softened though ever since I've had the chance to watch some of the truly caring volunteers that Disney was able to send our way. These were the people that got so excited when they saw our program description that most of them forgot to register for the Disney Ticket. I'm not holding taking the ticket against people (I know how expensive they are), I just sometimes think that sometimes a few dedicated volunteers that are going to stick around and get to know the kids are more valuable than a lot of flaky volunteers that are going to do the minimum and then bail.

So I have to admit (somewhat grudgingly) that Disney did do me a service in getting the word about my program out there to people that might not otherwise have heard about it. February was our biggest month, and I probably have the Give a Day get a Day program to thank for that. I can't help thinking though, if I had spent the hours that disappeared while I answered emails actively recruiting instead, could I have started even more volunteers?

What do you guys think? Do programs like this cheapen the volunteer experience, or help make it more accessible?

FROZEN SPIDERWEB

This is dedicated to all those I could not serve....

I feel like I
should write a song to sing
to all those I have witnessed
give

to all those who lived.
As I think
about it all
Don't want lyrics
or a chorus
a hook

with a beginning and
an end
Body
where people can measure trends
My gift is a
poem
where the story
is sustained

A reflection of
the tireless arms
that remain
outstretched
even when pushed away.
Words where the meaning is
translucent
transformational
tributary.

A lesson of balance
is what I will take from
my years of structured service;
from trying too hard
too long
to serve
to give what I can
and no more

I see a blue iridescence
brilliant in the light
invisible at night
How subtly strong
and sound
is she

with her deceptively
tiny threads
they are different from every angle
the colors change
the direction differs
the expectations escalate

can you see
what you can do?
It is the spiral
that beckons and hypnotizes

paralyzes

what will I do now?

The Best of Intentions...

I was cleaning off my desk the other day and came across a Certificate of Appreciation I received in January and it made me laugh (on a day I REALLY needed it) so I thought I would share the story with all of you in case you may need a little laugh.
So here’s the back story to the fateful day…
The UWPC Volunteer Center was invited to speak at a Professional Development Conference at a university that was looking for an interactive and informative presentation on volunteerism. The presentation was supposed to be between one and one and half hours but we didn’t have any training like this on hand so I was told to turn down the offer. However, I felt as the local Volunteer Center, we should make an effort to talk to community members about volunteering and I believed there was worth in developing a basic training so I got to work. Throughout the development I was repeatedly told, especially when I asked for feedback, “don’t worry about that, don’t put too much effort into it, it doesn’t need to be perfect, they're expecting too much, it’s okay to give a 10 minute overview of our services and leave, don’t feel obligated, you can cancel at any time, don’t go stressing yourself out.” But I knew this had worth so I argued my point and stuck to my convictions… and stopped asking for feedback. I persevered like a good VISTA and managed to put together the training in addition to my other, more important work.
The fateful day…
I woke up early and unbelievably arrived at the university a half hour ahead of schedule. I met with the contact person and she set me up in the training room, handed me a sign-in sheet, a stack of evaluation forms and an envelope with a Certificate of Appreciation inside. She then said good-bye and moved on to her next assignment. I stood in the room alone wondering if the upfront certificate made any sense. What if everyone filled out an evaluation saying the presentation was awkward and useless? I put that out of my head and went over my notes. After a while I checked the clock and realized to my dismay that the session was supposed to be starting and I was still alone in the room… maybe the faculty and staff at this university were perpetually late like me? Then I saw someone coming – relief! She walked through the door, looked around and said “I was afraid I was going to be late.”
We struck up a conversation about what may have gone wrong… people on that campus apparently often do run late… the university had decided not to have people pre-register for presentations so I had no idea how many people might be showing up... It was an 8am presentation on volunteerism… There was another presentation happening at the same time… Maybe my proposal on the presentation wasn’t eye catching enough (in my defense, I had written the proposal prior to writing the presentation). After my one participant finished sharing other mishaps about the university not having people pre-register for presentations I gave her some information about the Volunteer Center and ways to get connected to volunteer opportunities and let her off the hook. She thanked me and as she walked out of the room she said “well I guess I’ll sneak into the other presentation, I think there was standing room only.” Afraid of what I lost to, I hesitantly asked “What’s the other presentation.” Smiling apologetically she replied “Protecting yourself against identity theft.” Suddenly not so ashamed about my utter failure I chuckled and waved good-bye.
Lessons learned...
1. Identity theft is more relevant to the general population than volunteerism 2. This one’s stolen and paraphrased... sometimes it’s about the journey not the destination 3. Convictions are great but a sense of humor is a necessity 4. Don’t hand out Certificates of Appreciation BEFORE a presentation… in the end I would prefer if my read “This certificate is presented to Samantha Murphy with appreciation for the most amount of effort ever put into recruiting one volunteer.”

2010

The new year has been fantastic so far. I am really starting to connect with the PAHS students. Friday we will be hosting the “Friendship Dinner”, we will be cooking and serving a meal for 100-175 community members in need. The teens are excited about it and have committed their Friday night to serving the community. The relationships I have developed with these teens is one of the major contributing factors in my decision to stay a second year.

Taylor Schraudner
North Olympic Youth Corps Coordinator
North Olympic Volunteer Center

Interpreting Service

Something I love about this service...so much to learn. I recently had the chance to join in an Interpretive Writing Workshop. It was actually helpful in terms of grant-writing and proposals in general! Here is a sample of what the instructor had us write to begin the session and use words creatively.

"Dancing dandelions
Dissipate diverse drek
Lo and behold
What do you know,
Words become verbs
And inspire a literal
Transformation
Inclination
Inspiration
The folly and flirtatious fun
Of precarious and carnivorous
Punctuation."

Not until I engaged in this workshop on Interpretive Writing did I realize the amount of time I have spent writing for my service. At this point, I could finally begin to conceptualize the power of each word I present. Intentional use of every phrase will make my aspirations and objectives clearer, more concise and therefore more likely to happen. Consequently, this learning experience I expect will provide a very positive product in this, my second year of service as a VISTA.

Interfaith Day of Service SUMMARY

In case you are not able to view these images, please click on the following site...

http://www.motionbox.com/videos/4c99dab41b1ee8c9c4

What is the Interfaith day of Service?
"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." ~ Martin Luther King
The Clark County Interfaith Day of Service honored the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr. by bringing together people of many cultures and faiths to serve. Through our shared commitment to service, we went beyond mere tolerance of diversity to build positive relationships as we worked with one another. We hope various faith communities will join us for this fun event in the future.

Martin Luther King Day: January 18th, 2010
175 people of all ages and faith traditions met for breakfast, generously provided by Loaves and Fishes, at 8:30 am at the Luepke Center. After several interfaith activities and comments from Rabbi Elizabeth Dunsker and Subeeh Siddiqui, a local Moslem youth leader, we all adjourned to our service sites. We returned at noon to reflect on ways our lives and faith are nourished by service.

Service Sites

Americans Building Community Inc. (ABC)
Engaged in Service: 16
At the home of an elderly woman, recently hospitalized suffering from Alzheimer’s, two hours were filled pulling down sheet rock with crowbars and hammers, in the family room, laundry area, and bedroom. Furthermore, volunteers tore down shelves, cupboards, a stove, sink and counter, siding on the porch, and demolished the entire kitchen. This woman's house is being rehabbed to either be sold to cover her care or for her to live with her adult son, who will care for her. In fact, this very son of the woman was there, working with us. He commented, “Thank God for you people.”

“This activity was totally unexpected in the best way possible.”

Empty Bowls
Engaged in Service: 40
Empty Bowls Decorated: 20
Empty Bowls was a very fulfilling workshop given for the benefit of raising money for Loaves and Fishes. Originally, there was a class of 20 adults, each to paint one of the 20 bowls. Given the popularity of the event, 10 children from the Boys and Girls Club and 3 of their counselors, joined us. The discussion before the children arrived was one of political and faith-based causes and solutions for hunger, but when the children all sat cross-legged in front of their bowls, the essence changed from the head to the heart!

“Without understanding a concept such as hunger and starvation one cannot begin to solve it.”

Interfaith Day of Service Logo/Poster Contest
Engaged in Service: 7
Volunteers were given the chance to help design next year's Interfaith Day of Service Logo! Utensils and examples of logos were offered and then the participants themselves were given free reign to create what they believe should symbolize this extraordinary event next year. In the end we came away with eight viable options to choose from that showcase various perspectives of our community.

Loaves and Fishes
Engaged in Service: 30
Loaves and Fishes gave our volunteers an opportunity to deliver hot, nutritious meals to the elderly of our community. These meals were prepared from start to finish by our willing group.

Meals Prepared: 200

Mercy Corps Action Center
Engaged in Service: 8
An interfaith group of 8 people visited Mercy Corps' dynamic new Action Center and learned how they, individually or as part of a faith community could support International relief efforts. Due to the most recent devastation in Haiti, this was their primary focus. Over one hundred dollars was raised for this worthwhile cause.


“It made me look at the world in a completely new light.”

Oak Bridge Teen Shelter
Engaged in Service: 12
Teens painted a mural designed by a local artist. The sketch was pre-posted on the wall of their home so that the two hours spent painting would be optimized. Kids between the ages of twelve and fifteen took brushes into their own hands to benefit their peers who may not have had the same opportunities. Everyone enjoyed the artistic chance to express themselves and their hopes for those who live in these walls.
“I never got to do anything like this before!”

Project Linus
Engaged in Service: 27
Drawing on Muslim quilt squares with fabric markers, was just the beginning. Next, the participants took the squares, stitched them together with printed fabric, to make quilt tops. Additionally, they took fleece and knotted the ends to make blankets. All of these blankets are distributed through Southwest Medical to kids who have endured a traumatic experience. With this comfort in mind, uplifting designs were created that would appeal to these youth. At least six participants have plans to return, while others will donate what they have!
“We all make a difference in our own ways!”

Vancouver Watersheds
Engaged in Service: 15
Together with an estimated 150 volunteers from other organizations, volunteers with the Interfaith Day of Service Vancouver Watersheds Team assisted in planting shrubs at the Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway. All of the volunteers helped plant 5,000 tress and shrubs over the course of the day, and helped spread mulch to protect the newly planted saplings. One IFDS volunteer stated that he now has a greater interest in volunteering regularly, while another said she was very happy to have the opportunity to help the environment.


Closing Gathering:
We celebrated our collective work by viewing the work of each team and sharing what was learned and valued by each service team. Participants also learned about additional opportunities to serve through A Parents’ Guide to Family Service in Clark County.

"I had a wonderful MLK service day today with 2 granddaughters...met some great people and quilted for children who have experienced trauma. We all agreed we want to do it again next year. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the dream that Martin Luther King, Jr. had!"

With Gratitude….

A STORY OF FAITH

Sleep did not come easy for me the night before our big MLK Day event. Concerned with the rumblings I heard from talking to volunteers, that people were coming but hadn’t registered online, I lay thinking that this service literally never ends. I had done all I could before I turned in, but everything leftover kept creeping into my mind. Finally, a thought of surrender to the service I had done came over me, “Everyone will be in their right place.” I fell asleep.

We awoke early to a chilly but clear January morning it was the beginning of a new year. Months of work was about to manifest itself. Students that had been part of the last few weeks of planning showed up to lend a hand setting-up for the day. In just an hour, we placed all the pre-made centerpieces on the 15 circular tables Loaves and Fishes had kindly prepared for us. Additionally, we put together 2 registration tables, one for the reregistered and one for those who had not registered, 8 information booths for each of the volunteer service sites, and made sure that our 2 microphones were working. We just finished as people started to wander in the door.

As I knew that at least some of our participants or groups would not be registered, I stood by the registration table to expedite the process. Four of our service sites were flexible with numbers, I had double checked, and I had a excel sheet of the interested volunteers for the limited service activities. With the three extraordinary people behind the desk, we were able to place our newcomers quickly and proficiently. Moreover, we had a trio of welcomers to smooth out the process. Despite all the preparation, we still had a line! While I was so grateful that this event would be well attended, I tried to balance the wants and needs of the volunteers with those of the service site projects. These six amazing individuals made it possible to start our opening ceremonies only fifteen minutes off schedule. Simultaneously, we replenished breakfast, thanks to Loaves and Fishes once again, switched one of the speakers, and coordinated two games that instigated dialogue amongst all of the different groups that came together.

Wow, without a breath, it was moving forward and the time had come for the Martin Luther King Jr. short film I had put together. There always seems to be technical difficulties of some kind, but as it played and I observed the eyes of those watching and saw a range of emotions that put me at ease: gratitude, insight, curiosity, motivation, sadness and hope. As I felt everyone getting anxious, we were off to our service sites. Each Volunteer Leader transitioned their groups into the service portion of the day, that would make up their next two hours. They had sign-in sheets provided by Hands On Greater Portland, our partner in purpose and liability, and instructions for introductions, as well as reflections. I heard later that some activities needed more time, and some needed less. All I knew was time lept away from me as if it was just as excited as I was.

Almost three-fourths of our participants returned for our closing! We ate lunch and became one for a moment in the willingness and readiness to understand each other. There was a beautiful showcase of the products made, as well as the meaning of what we had just done. Although, there was also supposed to be a slide-show of three to five pictures from each site, I did not have enough time before the conclusion the event to provide this visual closure. However, I did promise that everyone would receive it before the week was out. Instead, we handed over certificates and parting words.

While I write this, I am analyzing all the registrant numbers, placements, and evaluations,. It turns out that we had double the number of participants expected! There were 175 people spread between 8 different service sites. Nonetheless, having spoken to the exiting volunteers and leaders, as well as reading over all the thirty surveys we received from those who gave us feedback and advice for next year, overall the service was worthwhile and full of meaning!