Thursday, March 31, 2011
Corporate Responsibility
The other day, I was sitting in the breakroom at work, eating my lunch. I was kind of staring into space when something caught my eye. On each table there was a flyer, as there is, every month talking about Target in the community. There was an article that talked about how Target was a part of so many communities, all over the nation. Target is committed to sustainability by having energy star appliances in use in their stores, committed to education by participating in school library makeovers, committed to healthy communities by being a founding organization for Alliance for the Healthiest US - promoting health and well-being. It made me feel so great to be a part of a company that is bigger than me, my store, my state. Target is not only the coolest store in the industry - it also has a very high standard of Corporate Responsibilty and I am more than proud be a part of it. Target is changing the world on a daily basis and I will change the world by finding a way to bring events to my store or participate in the ones that are already happening!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Community Service Works
So the past two Spring Breaks at Northwest I have organized some service projects in my building that involved painting the floor hallway walls and stairwell walls. Last year the students and staff that volunteered was mainly from my building. It was a great experience to spend time with staff and students from my building and to really get to know them on a deeper level. It is amazing how much you don't really know about a person's life until you really stop and take the time to ask. The group of seven volunteers were closer after that week and they exceeded the department expectations by completing two floors of new paint when everybody thought they wouldn't even complete one floor.
This year for the spring break project I decided to take a different angle and open up the service to all students not knowing what responses I would get. There was some advertisements and a campus wide email to ask for volunteers. In all 20 students responded and surprisingly 12 of those responses were students who lived off campus. That was a shock to me as I would never expect students who moved off campus to come back and help out. The project this time was to repaint two 8-story stairwell walls and there was a significant larger crowd helping. Nonetheless, we completed the project in 2 1/2 days and people that did not know each other until this project worked together and actually grew friendships.
The whole reason for this blog is a quote from a senior who lives off campus. I found this status posted yesterday on his facebook and it stated this, "Spring Break 2011 has been awesome so far! I helped with a project on campus and met some new cool people! It was truly a rewarding experience and the Dieterich Hall stairway walls look pretty good now!"
Reading that quote made me realize why I do projects like these knowing that I could easily be taking it easy or going on vacation. Providing the opportunities for students to come together and help serve the campus community is the sole purpose of community service and that makes all the difference in the world.
This year for the spring break project I decided to take a different angle and open up the service to all students not knowing what responses I would get. There was some advertisements and a campus wide email to ask for volunteers. In all 20 students responded and surprisingly 12 of those responses were students who lived off campus. That was a shock to me as I would never expect students who moved off campus to come back and help out. The project this time was to repaint two 8-story stairwell walls and there was a significant larger crowd helping. Nonetheless, we completed the project in 2 1/2 days and people that did not know each other until this project worked together and actually grew friendships.
The whole reason for this blog is a quote from a senior who lives off campus. I found this status posted yesterday on his facebook and it stated this, "Spring Break 2011 has been awesome so far! I helped with a project on campus and met some new cool people! It was truly a rewarding experience and the Dieterich Hall stairway walls look pretty good now!"
Reading that quote made me realize why I do projects like these knowing that I could easily be taking it easy or going on vacation. Providing the opportunities for students to come together and help serve the campus community is the sole purpose of community service and that makes all the difference in the world.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
A realization...
Sometimes when Matt asks -- "how did I change the world?" -- I have a very hard time articulating what impact I have on the world. I mean, I always see how others change my world.
However, it was not until this week that I saw some progress with a young boy with whom I am working. I became involved with a mentorship program through Prevention Specialists of Missouri. Through this program, I mentor a 3rd grade boy.
To give some background:
It's been 9 sessions, and it has been very interesting. The first session, we were working on homework, and it came to a section where he had to read, reflect, and write. When he started to do it, he quickly gave up and hid underneath the desk. Thankfully, the next few sessions, his homework was completed before mentoring time.
However, without fail, the next time we worked on some homework that seemed slightly difficult to him, he shut down.
It's been such a struggle to help affirm that he is smart and can work through the homework. It's highly doubtful that he gets that type of affirmation at home.
One thing that I have observed is that he loves to play. When things get tough, the first thing he asks is, "can we go to the gym?". Another thing I have observed is how creative he is. We will sit down and play with Jenga blocks and make these worlds that are fun and interesting.
My hope for this child is that he will grow up to be a strong member of his community that is confident in himself and his ability to positively impact the world. However, sometimes, I feel like that no matter what his teachers, other mentors, or myself do, he will always have this challenge of self doubt.
The glimmer of hope:
Due to my job, I had a meeting that was forced on my calendar during the time the mentorship program occurs, so I had to miss a session with my mentee. I figured, "great, all the progress we have made through being present consistently will be demurred".
However, when I came back the next week, the first thing he said was, "you weren't here last week." It made me smile. He wasn't upset. But he was glad I was there that day.
Then we proceeded to work on homework. (Some of the homework stumped me). When he would start to shut down, I would continue to encourage him, and he would keep trying to figure it out. Before the end of the session, we were able to finish the homework without him hiding under the table and to play.
Conclusion:
It was not really until this moment that I realized that I am impacting his life. I am changing his world--for the better.
Moral of the story--consistency is key; never give up hope.
However, it was not until this week that I saw some progress with a young boy with whom I am working. I became involved with a mentorship program through Prevention Specialists of Missouri. Through this program, I mentor a 3rd grade boy.
To give some background:
It's been 9 sessions, and it has been very interesting. The first session, we were working on homework, and it came to a section where he had to read, reflect, and write. When he started to do it, he quickly gave up and hid underneath the desk. Thankfully, the next few sessions, his homework was completed before mentoring time.
However, without fail, the next time we worked on some homework that seemed slightly difficult to him, he shut down.
It's been such a struggle to help affirm that he is smart and can work through the homework. It's highly doubtful that he gets that type of affirmation at home.
One thing that I have observed is that he loves to play. When things get tough, the first thing he asks is, "can we go to the gym?". Another thing I have observed is how creative he is. We will sit down and play with Jenga blocks and make these worlds that are fun and interesting.
My hope for this child is that he will grow up to be a strong member of his community that is confident in himself and his ability to positively impact the world. However, sometimes, I feel like that no matter what his teachers, other mentors, or myself do, he will always have this challenge of self doubt.
The glimmer of hope:
Due to my job, I had a meeting that was forced on my calendar during the time the mentorship program occurs, so I had to miss a session with my mentee. I figured, "great, all the progress we have made through being present consistently will be demurred".
However, when I came back the next week, the first thing he said was, "you weren't here last week." It made me smile. He wasn't upset. But he was glad I was there that day.
Then we proceeded to work on homework. (Some of the homework stumped me). When he would start to shut down, I would continue to encourage him, and he would keep trying to figure it out. Before the end of the session, we were able to finish the homework without him hiding under the table and to play.
Conclusion:
It was not really until this moment that I realized that I am impacting his life. I am changing his world--for the better.
Moral of the story--consistency is key; never give up hope.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Born This Way
Many people know that I really enjoy Lady Gaga. It's not the crazy outfits, the interesting videos, or the tell it like it is interview style that makes me passionate about her. It is the message she sends to people and the kind things she does...such as donating tens of thousands of dollars to charities in areas where she performs.
On a Born This Way side note, I came across this blog that documents experiences of people who are LGBT from when they are little. The guy that made this is changing the world. Check it out at http://www.bornthiswayblog.com/ Great job with showing young people that it is okay to be themselves!
Keep changing the world folks!
On a Born This Way side note, I came across this blog that documents experiences of people who are LGBT from when they are little. The guy that made this is changing the world. Check it out at http://www.bornthiswayblog.com/ Great job with showing young people that it is okay to be themselves!
Keep changing the world folks!
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