Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Experience #7: Full-Time Volunteer Service Panel (2015-16, T3)

On Thursday, May 19, we had visitors from Franciscan Outreach come to our class: Dan and Katie, two full-time volunteers, Merrill, the volunteer coordinator, and Megan, the director of the volunteer community. Students had the chance to ask our panelists questions about volunteer life, community life, and working directly with marginalized people. Here are some thoughts from Brittany Parker and Thien Han...

Brittany Parker

This week four people that worked at Franciscan Outreach came to visit us and talk to us about their lives there. They told us about their living situations and how they live off their money. They don’t pay rent, but every two weeks, they get paid and receive a weekly $50 stipend and $25 a month for public transit. They’re supposed to live off only their stipend so they can connect with the guests that come to stay at the shelter.

It’s an amazing thing that these people volunteer to help other people that they don’t even know. It’s really incredible to me that they can love random people and want to genuinely help them out of the kindness in their hearts. Nowadays people are so heartless, and they don’t care about anything or anyone. That’s why things turn out so inadequate in life, because people are so darn careless.

We only care for ourselves, and we don’t care about the world and the people in it because we’re too focused on things like money, power, and all these other materialistic things that don’t mean anything. It’s such a greedy world. There’s no way people should be hitting the lottery for $36 million while there’s people starving in the streets. There’s no way that some people should own planes and yachts while other people don’t have houses. Even if you earned it, you still owe. If I was walking down the street and I had $5,000 on me, I would feel wrong giving a homeless person only a quarter.

After hearing the volunteers talk about their experience at Franciscan Outreach, it has me thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life. I’m seriously thinking about doing some volunteer work over the summer. I’m not sure what I want to do with my life because there’s so many things that I love to do. I love writing, ceramics, acting, photography, and I love helping people but I can’t seem to think of something to do with my life that involves helping people besides being a nurse or doctor. I don’t do well when I see blood and things like that so that life won’t work out for me. However, some volunteer work actually seems like a good place to start.

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Thien Han

Franciscan Outreach takes applications before July every year. The community has a soup kitchen from 5:00 to 6:30 seven days a week, a limited number of beds inside of a shelter for those who don’t have a place to sleep overnight, and laundry service for people need clean clothes for their job or just  to stay clean. Volunteers in here have to treat everyone with respect; everyone is welcome but they have to watch for the people with alcohol to keep the shelter as safe as possible. The people that cannot stand up or who are acting too abnormal will be asked to leave because the community doesn’t have mental care service. (Editor's note: Franciscan Outreach tries to be all-embracing but recognizes that a small percentage of clients may have to severe of mental disabilities or may to severely addicted to peaceably reside at their overnight shelter and are in need of greater help than this particular service can provide.)

The full-time volunteers have to work 40 hours a week, but they have been provided their own bed to stay without any rent fee. They receive $200 per week for groceries, $50 per week as salary, and $25 per month for transit, and this money comes from charity and donations from other good people. When they work in here, they often feel challenged, frustrated, and helpless, but on the other hand, they have more friends, family, and so much other good things in their own lives. As they work in here, they are also learning through working with other people, they can know more kinds of people.

There are two themes of CST are relevant here - Preferential Option for the Poor and Marginalized and Dignity and Value of Human Life. We shouldn't prefer to be poor or treat care for the poor as optional but we must remember there has always been poor people around us no matter where. Jesus calls us to consider the poor in every decision we make, personally, communally, and socially. Although we have not have to become poor ourselves, we must consider the consistent ethic of life that calls us to respect life in all forms at all stages from the beginning to the end. Jesus calls us to view and treat all human life as inherently and valuable in all forms at all stages of life.

First I thought it isn’t fun to have a full-time service commitment, but after talking to them, I have changed my mind, it is fun and also cool when I can make friends with different types of people and become more social, like these volunteers do. I have done some service, but it was only for one day. I know it will feel really good when I help other people and see their smile on their face. Although their outside might not look good, the thing is they often very happy and can be a motivation for me to participate more. We can help these people by donating to the community, ask for help on social media, or just volunteer to these places to give them a hand to help more people without wanting for return. Like Dan (a volunteer at Franciscan Outreach) said, we choose to do because there are massive problems in the society and we must reach our hand out to help.

Note: Minor grammar/style edits have been made to each post not affecting the content or perspective of these students.

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Friday, May 13, 2016

Trip #5 & #6: Chicagoland Methodist Senior Services & Franciscan Outreach Marquard Center (2015-16, T3)

On Wednesday, May 4, students from our class visited the Chicagoland Methodist Senior Services facility, Wesley Place, on Foster Ave. We collaborated with their activities department to match seniors (high school students) to seniors (elderly residents) for an art activity. Starting from a conversation/interview led by the student, the seniors and seniors got to know each other for a few minutes. Then, each pair gathered some magazines, stencils, stickers, and more and worked on a poster-board collage with their elderly partner. What follows are some thoughts from Antonio Diaz and Andrew Pendergast.

On Thursday, May 12, students from our class traveled to the Franciscan Outreach Marquard Center to assist the full-time volunteers and staff with various tasks around the center. To support their ministries, which include a 365-day-a-year soup kitchen, shower and laundry facilities, and social work/case management, students pitched in with maintenance, cleaning, clerical work, and more. Since students are entering the big stretch to prepare our final papers, they were exempted from writing reflections for this experience, so pictures are included at the end of this post.

Antonio Diaz

 This week in our Catholic Social Teaching class we took a trip down to a senior center. When we got there we had to participate in an exercise with some of the people there. We had to communicate with one of the people living there and ask them what their hobbies were. After that, we grabbed poster board and some magazines and started cutting out pictures that resembled the person's interests. The people who come to this place live in the apartments above and come downstairs to have a good time and relax.

The people being marginalized are the senior citizens in society. And it isn’t just happening here in Chicago it is happening all over the world. I don’t know the answer to why this is happening but I think it happens because older people are seen as fragile and not interesting and instead of communicating with them we just push them to the side.

At first when the people living in the facility came in, it was a little uncomfortable because I thought maybe they wouldn’t want to communicate with us. But a couple minutes in me and and one of my classmates, Brittany, started talking to a woman named Gladys, and she started talking to us about her past, about how she was a public school teacher and how she used to travel to all types of places. She is an amazing human being, but she was a little older and couldn’t walk too well and couldn’t hear too good either. As I was talking to her, it dawned on me that one day my parents are going to be this woman's age, and it terrified me to see my father or my mother living in that home. I can’t imagine myself putting my parents in that place because it seems lonely, and I would feel like I have betrayed my parents because they went through the trouble to raise me when I couldn’t. (Editor's note: Wesley Place is a nursing home, intended for elderly people who need more significant nursing care around the clock. Some residents must live in a facility like this due to their medical condition, but many nonetheless are not visited by family members and friends with regularity.)

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Who do you blame for how these people are being marginalized? Do we blame the children or the caretakers of the people living there, or do we blame the people who take care of them in the facility, or do we blame society for putting these people to the side? I understand that there are some people who don’t have anybody to take care of them and they have to be put in these facilities. But what about the people with children, how do they feel about being there? I understand that there are people who can’t afford to take care of their parents, but the feeling of being in that facility and your loved ones are outside I would imagine that it makes them feel upset. I don’t think that there is much that society can do for these people because I think that these people aren’t too worried about making new friends but would rather want to get back in touch with their family and friends.

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Andrew Pendergast

The people involved were senior citizens who lived in community. We were able to hang out with some of the people and make them timelines with papers and magazines and just be able to chill with them. They are neglected and ignored because of their age and this is very sad. Some can’t hear as well and some just don’t remember things anymore and we just leave them to die. Mostly because we might not have enough time for them or it hurts to see them get older. This happens everywhere which is pretty sad, but it’s what happens when people get older.

The greatest thing about Wesley Place is that it was non-profit, which makes all the things they do out of love for that person. It helps out many people who require assistance when they get older which then in return makes a comfortable life for them. Socially it makes things a lot easier because they are then able to socialize with people around them rather than be neglected in their own homes. The staff there were also pretty kind and considerate which was really nice to see. As for history, I believe that by having these facilities it makes it easier on the families to be able to live their lives and not worry about their family which could distract them.

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I feel that what we did would be considered Solidarity, because we are always stepping out of our comfort zone to help spend time with people who normally have no one. Christ calls us to love and act as if we are brothers and sisters to those in need because that is a love that is very deep and hard to break. Also it could be considered part of the Call to Family, Community, and Participation. I believe this because we are able to spend time in different communities and help them realize they are loved and deserve not to be ignored.

I personally feel that I am very aware of this naturally, and I believe that it should be solved. I have grandparents who are getting old, and it's hard to think about what might happen to them when they get checked into a home like that. I don’t want them to turn into vegetables. I believe that I can use the CST teachings later to help support me in my spiritual journey of trying to find out who I am as a person while loving people for who they are and now how they look.

This is an issue that will continue, so we should all work together to find a way to make sure that everyone can feel equal when they get older. No one wants to die alone. There's always many ways to make people feel included so there should always be something available. Overall, love is life, and everyone should know how it feels to always have someone there and to be mindful of the people who actually live in those situations. Since they know more, it’s easier to make them a place to stay where it actually feels like home.

Note: Minor grammar/style edits have been made to each post not affecting the content or perspective of these students.

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Instagrams from Marquard Center:


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Thursday, May 5, 2016

Trip #4: Misericordia Candy Days (2015-16, T3)

On Friday, April 29, students from class ventured to the corners of Irving Park/Damen/Lincoln and Irving Park/Western to assist Misericordia volunteers with the Candy Days fundraiser. Volunteers walk around the intersections during red lights to solicit donations from stopped cars. Donors receive some Jelly Belly jelly beans and a hang-tag to support Misericordia. Here are some thoughts from Brittany Parker and Thien Han...

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In case you need a refresher, here's the link to our first post explaining what is posted to the blog. And without further adieu, here are some thoughts from Brittany Parker and Thien Han on their experience with their new elderly friends...

Brittany Parker

Misericordia is a home for mentally unstable people. The employees that work for this organization have many jobs, and people raise money by walking around intersections. I don’t know how these people walk in the street, back and forth, for many hours straight. I was sweating and my legs were hurting for walking around for two hours. However, walking back and forth down the street collecting money from those that would give whatever they could give was fun. I actually felt like I was helping.

Every time someone donated money, I started smiling so bright because it made me so happy that they were giving money for a great cause. I think people donated to me mostly because I was walking down the street singing “We are the World” by Michael Jackson. People either smiled at me and gave money, or just smiled, or just pretended like they didn’t see me. That made me so mad because I know you saw me see you, so don’t pretend like you’re looking on your phone. One of my peers reminded me to not show anger because then they won’t donate.

How did it feel when I was ignored? It felt like I didn’t matter because even though it was for a great cause, people acted like it wasn’t worth their time by ignoring us. Maybe I’m being very sensitive but this is how I felt. I understand if people don’t have money but we’re not asking for a lot. A measly penny would’ve been enough. It’s the fact that people cared enough to contribute.

That is what’s wrong with the world today. People are too careless and then they have the nerve to complain about how our society is and how the world is chaotic. If you don’t contribute or do anything to help make the world a better place then you have no room to complain. This is similar to people that don’t vote. They always complain about Mayors, Senators, Presidents, and other things that consist of voting. Then they have the nerve to complain about who the winner is when they didn’t even contribute their duty of voting. If people can’t put forth something to help out people in need then they should have no right to complain about it, it’s hypocritical.

How do we act? What would God call us to do? What needs to be done is being able to give anything that you can to help out others in need. Anyone can help out doesn’t matter if you only have a little to give or a lot to give because any little thing is helpful. We can volunteer, donate, or we can do both. People in Misericordia are marginalized because of their conditions but that’s something they just can’t help. They need our help in order to be apart of society. Either way people must reach into their hearts and find the will to want to help because if not, then what's the point?
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Thien Han

There are people in Misericordia, where they help people with developmental disabilities, community support, etc. We were helping Misericordia to raise money by asking for donation from the drivers who stop at the intersection between Irving Park and Western. We have to wear a thing that looks like a bag with a hole at the bottom and the sides have been cut, but it looks cute and cool - it has two pockets in the front to put jelly bean bags in one and the paper to hang in the car so other people can see who they helped in the other pocket.

So we stood on the walkway while wearing the outfit with a small can on one hand to collect donations and the paper and the jelly bean bag in one hand. Each time the light turned to red, we had about forty seconds before the light turned back to green, when we had to go back in when the turning light changed to green because the cars will move and the other leaders didn’t want us to get hurt. The people being asked for donations have a lot of types of responses, like ignore us, give reasons, and responding in a friendly way. Some people didn’t even look to see who we are, and I think that some drivers think we are homeless or maybe a fake group so they decided not to help us.

I think the theme of Catholic Social Teaching relevant here is the Preferential Option for the Poor and Marginalized. We do not need to prefer to the poor; we should not treat caring for the poor and marginalized as optional. But Christ calls us to consider the poor in every decision we make, personally, communally, and socially. And the Dignity and Value of Human Life tells us to respect life in all forms and at all stages from conception till natural death.

I think what I did there was very good because I can experience the homeless feeling when they try to ask for money and rarely some people give them money. I never been in such a situation, but I know it can really bad because, especially when the temperature outside is chilly and they still have to keep standing there for all day.

We should help the homeless everytime and everywhere, by just basically sit down and talk to them, asking them how are they are, or even giving them money, even though some of the homeless maybe using our help and use those money not for food but for drugs, alcohol, and other bad things. The safest way to help them is donating to those place like food pantries, disabled center, and all the place that help the homeless.

Note: Minor grammar/style edits have been made to each post not affecting the content or perspective of these students.
 

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