Andrew Fann HONR 2750-H01 Professor Arnold 11 May 2012 Final Reflection Just a couple weeks ago, I found

myself writing my mid-term reflection with very little to talk about, because I hadnt done hardly any of my community service. Like most things in my life I procrastinate and as much as I didnt want to do that in this class, but ultimately I did. That wasnt the end of the world though and in some way Im glad that it worked out that way, because if I had finished up my hours prior to the events I ended up working at, I might not have been so reluctant to join. The first service project that I was involved in was Niner Neighbors-Rooms In The Inn. For this project my friend Mitch Harper (who is also in our class), and I volunteered at the YMCA of Matthews. While we were there, we helped prepare food for the homeless men that came in and stayed the night to stay in a warm and loving environment. We sat down and socialized with the men there and talked mainly about basketball. It was fun talking about this and watching the NCAA tournament that night because it took the focus off them not having much and putting it on something that all of them liked, which was sports. I found this as a way to communicate and connect with them since I love basketball and play it myself. After the games went off the guys went to bed and all the volunteers crashed on the couches for a little bit, before we had to get right back into the swing of things. The next morning we woke up and prepared breakfast for everyone and sent them on their way. It was said to see them go because

they were so nice and kept reminding us how much they appreciated our help. It was truly a blessing. I would have done more with Niner Neighbors than just one night, but they finished up their season after that night. Two weeks following working with Rooms In The Inn, I volunteered at Relay For Life. This was my favorite project that I got to work at. Relay For Life is an annual event whos purpose is raising money and awareness about cancer all across the nation. It is for a great cause and I am so proud to say I helped at this event. I had a personal connection to this event as well. Just a little over a year ago, I lost both one of my grandmas due to complications of cancer and other contributing factors and the other passed away being a breast cancer survivor for over 40 years, both had fought cancer their whole life. At the actual event I was one of the walkers for The Honors Program tent for three hours, and worked at the tent making deep fried snacks the rest of the night. Our tent was the last one to come down and we were the last group left on the track walking at 6 a.m. The event was a twelve-hour event from 6p.m to 6a.m. I saw many people that werent even students or from UNC-Charlotte that were there walking and participating in the events. That just goes to show the magnitude and meaningfulness of this event. It was worth working the whole time because I knew what this event meant to everyone that has had to deal with cancer whether it was immediate or down the line dealing with friends or family. It was also fun to raise money for the tent beside us who had a karaoke machine, so I tried along with some of my friends to keep everyone entertained and laughing. It was a blast and I will definitely be helping again next year. The final organization that I worked with for community service was the Second Harvest Food Bank, in downtown Charlotte. This was yet again another wonderful place

that I was fortunate enough to work at and get involved at. The Second Harvest Food Bank is much more than just a food bank, while they do distribute food to many different organizations and agencies that in turn distribute it to the needy; they also have other products besides food. They have paper towels, toilet paper, and diapers (just to name a few), which they also give out. Everything that comes through Second Harvest is either donated or salvaged; some of the main contributors that supply them are Wal-Mart and numerous grocery stores. The actual building that they are housed in is very large. While we were there we met a very excited and enthusiastic staff that was so happy to have volunteers. Our first job on day one was to sort packing of bread, paper towels, and toilet paper, to see if they could keep it and give it away, or if it was to damaged or bad to distribute. We worked with other volunteers from Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. The late shift that day, we worked with Mrs. Gracie on sorting through donated food. We went through a ton of boxes deciding if an item was ok to go ahead and distribute, or if it was bad thus being placed in the trash. They take any type of food just about, but like you would guess the items they have the most of is canned goods. I went back the next day and did food sorting again. It was awesome to see how much food we had to give out and change someones life with. The only thing I would say about volunteering here was that we didnt get to see first hand the people in need that would receive everything we worked to put together and sort, but it still was a main and important part to the whole process and it wouldnt be possible to distribute the food without our help those days. In my mid-term reflection I thought that the true answer to what it means to be a volunteer was being someone that can help out someone in anyway and is willing to give up there eyes, ears, time, and whatever in their everyday life to help someone less

fortunate, would be the ideal definition of volunteer. I can say now that through my involvement this semester in community service that definition is pretty spot on, but I would add one thing. As cheesy as it may sound and over-used as it is, community service is not about the hours, nothing in life is really about the time you put into something; yeah that is a very important component, but its really about making a positive and everlasting impact on others around you that are less fortunate or dont have the same opportunities as you and making life a little easier, a little brighter and better!