Perdina Brisbon Boyd Hill Community Center

Where the student volunteered their time 

I volunteered at the Boyd Hill Community center in Rock Hill, SC.

How the service activity reflected concepts learned in the HDFS curriculum

At the Boyd Hill community center, I was served a mentor for young children helping them with a variety of things from personal skills to homework. I got the opportunity to teach and create fun activities for the students. I also got to experience diversity with the kids and the parents who came in.

How the student networked with other professionals while participating in the activity and what they gained from that networking

I got to network with a lot of other Winthrop students who enjoy working with children. I got to network with figures in the Boyd Hill community like the local police officer that serves the Boyd Hill community and others in the community who come in and teach lessons to children. From this networking I have gained a lot of new contacts a lot of insight of what the Boys Hill community needs and how I can create better programs as a future FLE .

 The potential effect the service activity and/or the service organization can have (or does have) on the community

The impact that this afterschool program has had on the children is amazing it gives them a safe place to come, help with homework and a place have fun. This afterschool program keeps the children in the community from getting into trouble and it also provides resources to the kids and families. While I was volunteering at the community center two events were held the Halloween Spooktacular and breakfast with Santa. Both events invited the families in the community out to have fun during the holidays.

 A general reflection on the assignment (e.g., reactions, feelings, life lessons)

Overall this was a fun assignment for me I love working with children and it also gave me a break from school and time to have fun with kids. The children looked forward to seeing college students because they think that we are “cool” and they really look up to the college students that come and help them. From this experience I learned a lot about myself and this experience has also helped me with my vision of what I want to do with my degree after graduation. I also learned a lot about the Boyd Hill community. 

Shakina Frasier: Tender Hearts Ministries

1.     Where the student volunteered their time

I volunteered my time at Tender Hearts Thrift Store in Rock Hill, SC.

2.     How the service activity reflected concepts learned in the HDFS curriculum

The service activity reflected concepts learned in the HDFS curriculum because the thrift store is just one entity of the entire Tender Hearts Ministries Outreach Program. The thrift store sells discounted clothing, shoes, books, movies, toys, appliances, furniture, jewelry, paintings, and bed linens to help those affected by poverty be able to afford the basic necessities in life that others are privileged to have. Tender Hearts Ministries has an outreach program for women specifically who have been in domestic violence situations and need to start over with their children or the women may just be down on their luck and need some extra assistance. Tender Hearts Ministries offers housing, access to the food pantry, as well as a GED program, and a job assistance program. The HDFS curriculum is all about finding ways as an FLE to help others who may not know where to get help or how to start. Tender Hearts Ministries is all about educating the women that they help, and helping them to realize that there is better out there, and they can achieve it. No matter what their circumstances might be. Also at Tender Hearts Ministries, many of their employees are adults who have exceptional needs. The adults that I worked with were from across the spectrum and they are given jobs at Tender Hearts Ministries to have a part in their community and live a regular life, providing for themselves by going to work every day.

3.     How the student networked with other professionals while participating in the activity and what they gained from that networking

During my time at the Tender Hearts Ministries Thrift Store I was able to network with the two in store managers that have been working at the Thrift Store for years and hold it near and dear to their hearts. It was beneficial for me to see them so passionate about the services that they can provide to the community of Rock Hill. Neither one of the managers have college degrees in HDFS or Social Work but they did let me know that, all you need to have to help others in their time of need is a big heart and no judgement. They said all that to say that, you never know what someone is going through and it takes a lot of courage for someone to breakdown and say that they need help. So, when they come to you, be as open minded and nonjudgmental as possible.

4.     The potential effect the service activity and/or the service organization can have (or does have) on the community

Tender Hearts Ministries has a huge effect on the Rock Hill community, in my opinion. Tender Hearts gives back to the community in many ways; their outreach include, the thrift store, food pantry, and women’s program. Tender Hearts is always accepting donations as well, I think that my favorite part of the thrift store is that the items that are sold, are not worn or damaged; there are some great clothing items and other things being sold there. So, for the people of Rock Hill that are being affected by poverty to be able to go in this store and afford nice things is a great thing, because in their minds they probably feel as though it was not possible.

5.     A general reflection on the assignment (e.g., reactions, feelings, life lessons)

Overall this was a great experience for me, going into it, I thought that it was going to be boring and I would not enjoy it because the description on Eagle Impact was that they needed volunteers to hang up clothes. But my mind was quickly changed on the very first day I was there, yes, I tagged and hung up clothing for most of my time there but the interactions I had the connections that I made were worth it. I have a better appreciation for adults with exceptional needs as well because they can function in this world just like anyone else, they just need someone to believe in them and give them the means to do so. Life lessons that I learned were that you must be mindful of not what you say but how you say it, love everyone, and be open minded. 

Bentley Jones- Saint James Church

• Where did I volunteer?
•  I volunteered at my home church, Saint James Church, with the middle school and high school youth groups. This church is located in Charleston, SC.

• How did the service activity reflect concepts learned in the HDFS curriculum?
•  As a chaperone and volunteer with youth and young adults you also have to act as a mentor to them. In doing this, you can refer them to resources that can help them. You can also be that resource that they may need in order to get their life back on track. This can kind of connect with the FLE portion of the HDFS  curriculum though while I may not be educating them on things, I am able to give them the resources they will need. 

• How did I network with other professionals while participating in the activity? What did I gain from that networking?
• Networking with other professionals while participating in the activity was relatively easy because I was forced to. When I say forced, I mean I was placed in groups with other adults and chaperones from other churches in the area. I was able to learn different activities they do with their youth groups and also get to learn about the other resources that were in the area that I didn't know about, that could be very useful to my students. From that networking, I not only learned about other resources available my my students, but I was also able to learn about resources that I could use personally. Lastly, since I was the youngest person in the adult groups, I was able to gain insight from the other chaperones that have been doing what they're doing for a while now, but I was also able to provide insight to the older adults because I had different views than they did as well. 

• What is the potential effect the service organization can have (or does have) on the community?
• This organization provides teenagers and young adults with the opportunity to learn more about God and allows them to find a safe place to worship Him. It also provides students with a safe and nurturing environment for them to go and get help if they need it. Not only that, but it also provides students with a mentor, whether it be the youth leader, chaperons, volunteers, or even older students in the youth group, there is always someone there to help if you need it. 

• Assignment Reflection
• This assignment allowed for me to carry out my beliefs, it also allowed for me to see that maybe I would like to work with teenagers, even though I have a concentration in early childhood studies and not adolescent studies. It was very interesting to see how when taking students out to a place where cell phone service is scarce, and they actually get their phones taken away, how much they pay attention and appreciate that quality time with their friends and other people around them. I would really like to possibly continue down this path to help students stay on the right path to carry out their full potential. 

DaiJahnique Jackson- Urban League of the Upstate

On the weekends when I go home, I volunteered my time at the Urban League of the Upstate. The Urban League is a non-profit organization committed to the principle of equal opportunity for all citizens in housing, education, employment, and economic development, without regard to race or socioeconomic status. I use to volunteer here during my high school summers, so they were more than happy to have me back in the office. I would basically assist everyone in the office with any tasks that they needed to be completed, but while doing that, I was able to experience how impactful this organization was in my local community. People would come in looking for jobs, housing, and assistance, and it was really inspiring to be in an office full of people who were so eager to help out people in the community in any way that they could.

The Urban League reflects the concepts learned in the HDFS curriculum because the organization provides large number of resources and services for families and that is very important because different families have different needs.

I was supervised by Diedra McEntyre, which was a great networking opportunity. She introduced me to so many people, whenever they would take kids on field trips to different places she would invite me at her expense, and she even paid for me to participate in SAT and ACT workshops. I am so thankful to have her in my life because she did a lot for me just because I spent my summer helping her out. Once I came to college, any letter of recommendations I needed, she made sure I had them from her with no hesitation.

The Urban League of the upstate has a MAJOR impact on the community. Their areas of service is education, jobs, and housing, Their education and youth development programs provide the youth with the critical skills that they need to excel academically, avoid at-risk behavior, and become engaged members in their communities. Tutoring, college preparation, and leadership development are some of the many educational advancement tools offered. Through training, career building, and job placement services, they help equip individuals with tools needed to enter or re-enter the workforce. Their center for working families offers a full range of essential economic resources for low-income residence to help them succeed in the workforce, stabilize their finances, and build assets.  Their housing programs offer families long-term, sustainable solutions that focus on building assets through savings and ownership. Their wealth accumulation services include financial literacy education, budgeting, credit counseling, home ownership, foreclosure prevention and loan modification.

Volunteering at the Urban League was one of the impacts of me choosing the career choice of a school counselor. If I don't go into school counseling then I still plan on doing a career that allows me to help people in the community such as organizations like the Urban League.

Ashley Smalls Volunteering at Tricounty Family Ministries

1. I went home over the Thanksgiving break and found a great volunteer opportunity on the news one evening with my mom. The Volunteer Coordinator, Marsha Alterman was advertising how she was packaging food and passing them out to anyone who wanted to stop by. It was mostly for the homeless or people in need. It was located in North Charleston, SC, and was called Tricounty Family Ministries.
2. Tricounty Family Ministries reflected what I have learned from the HDFS curriculum and this class in particular about FLE through showing me what an impact people can have on a community. I learned that family doesn't have to be blood but a sense of belonging. Anyone could have the title of being your family because they could have a special bond with you that is genuine form the love and care you have shared with one another. I got hands on experience working with diverse groups or people from different gender, races, and ages and serving diverse people.  I developed an understanding of how essential being educated about family life is, to ensure all families are successful.
3. This was my first-time volunteering with Tricounty. I met the Volunteer Coordinator and she explained to me what she has for the North Charleston community all year round to provide food for the homeless.  Three days a week, around the Thanksgiving holidays and Christmas holidays she gets donations of meals from restaurants in the Charleston area, hotels, business, and shelters so she can service them to the community. She was the only face I saw on the news when I found out about the organization, her networking on T.V. gave me the opportunity I had to meet her.  Also, while at the center I got a chance to meet some of the other volunteers as well. I met mothers, families, church goers, high school students, and even people who lived close by in the community. These people were from different parts of Charleston and were in different stages of their lives. Meeting these people and networking has taught me that it's always good to know how to be vocal and talk about yourself, and also being kind to others because you never know what opportunities lies ahead for you, that could lead you into a career.  
4. Every city has a good area with great schools, neighborhoods, and stores, and every city has a bad area with not the same resources as the good parts. This service activity specifically reaches out to one of the bad areas in North Charleston regularly to focus on making a difference in people's lives. It shows people who may be struggling to find their next meal that there are people who care, and want to see them live successfully as well as others. 
5. I think this was a great assignment to give the class. With having an HDFS degree at some point in our careers we will be working with diverse groups of people, whether that's teaching a class or working one-on-one, with a company, or non-profit organization; this assignment gave us a mandatory way of gaining experience. I am glad I found out about Tricounty Families Ministries because I didn't even know it existed and it's a great way for me to gain service hours while being at home during breaks. This was the first year I did community service on Thanksgiving and it felt really good to give back. 

Destiny Johnson/St. Stephens Elementary School

Destiny Johnson

1. Where the student volunteered their time?

I volunteered my time at St. Stephens Elementary School in St. Stephens, SC where I was mentored by Terneika Dingle. I chose this particular place because I have done my senior service learning project there as well as other community service assignments. I am familiar with the staff and they are all so passionate about their students. This school is located in an area of poverty and most of the children in this school are affected by poverty. I know what it was like growing up in a low-income home. It really does affect how well you perform in school. This school is known to participate in all kinds of service activities to better their students as well as the families. For example, in October I participated in a #DeviceFreeDinner where students and parents had dinner at the local Wendy's without using any of their technology devices. Wendy's provided the families with free frosty's for participating. They make the necessary steps to care for families as well that will influence how families interact with their children.

2. How the service activity reflected concepts learned in the HDFS curriculum?

One particular activity I participated in with the school was the Trunk-or-Read Reading Fest. St. Stephens Elementary partnered up with the "Reading Partners of SC" to help make reading a treat for students by providing books during Halloween. Students were to visited the trunks of cars to receive books on their reading levels'. If the car they chose did not have their reading level, they were to say "I like to read" in order to receive candy instead. The parents who showed seemed to really enjoy this because it was unlike any Halloween event they had ever participated in.  There was also face painting, music, nail painting, popcorn, music, etc.

3. How the student networked with other professionals while participating in the activity and what they gained from that networking?

During the days I volunteered I spoke to a lot of the staff about my future plans and what I wish to achieve after graduating college. I learned about a lot of possible places I could seek employment in the Rock Hill area. I remember us discussing how the most effective way to find out about jobs is through networking so I used this to my advantage. 

4. The potential effect the service activity and or the service organization

can have (or does have) on the community.

 The school developed their own "Basket Brigade". Baskets of Thanksgiving foods were created to donate to families in need during the holidays. The families are not selected by need but are required to register to receive a basket. On November 21, before Thanksgiving, the staff selected individuals to go out and deliver the baskets to those who were elderly or did not have transportation. Although I could not attend during delivery, I participated in the registration part of the program. There were about 70 participants. I thought this was a really great thing to do since most of the families were of low-income. It is a way to show parents that the educators care.

 

5. A general reflection on the assignment (e.g., reactions, feelings, life lessons)

I really enjoyed working with the staff. They were really caring and loving. The treated their students as if they were family. Every small service made a difference in someone's life. I also loved the idea of giving books to the children to read. I remember being in a school where a lot of the students were below average in reading. 

Angelica Burgess- Second Harvest Food Bank Of Rock Hill

Second Harvest Food Bank

Where did I spend my time?

- I decided to volunteer my time with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Rock Hill South Carolina. Mrs. Mary had a vision to help individuals in the Rock Hill community. She has a daycare where she offers assistance to parents in needed called "Love and Cherish." She wanted to reach out and help more, she wrote a grant and got the opportunity to service as a site that gives free food to those in need, food and other household necessities. I helped unload the truck and organize the foods that the patrons would receive. Once the food was placed out I would ensure the patrons got the correct about of the supplies provided and help them take things to the car if needed. 

How the service activity reflected concepts learned in the HDFS curriculum?

-In HDFS we learn the importance of finding resources for our clients. This is a great resource for our clients that are in need or going through a financial hardship. Second Harvest reaches out to those in need and also college students that are away from home and may need help. Sometimes clients can be in a financial hardship this offers great assistance and hearty and healthy food choices. They offer things such as spinach, various types of lettuce, fresh meat, milk, juice, water, and so much more. The opportunity to get free food is provided ever Wednesday and Friday until all the food is gone. This allows them to get food that will last them throughout the week and be well feed nutritionally. This follows the HDFS curriculum in knowing the needs of the families you serve. We often talk about how knowing our families personally whether its their personality or their personal needs. It is important it is that we are knowledgeable so we can better aid families within the community with the appropriate resources. This service has made me more interested in starting food banks in other areas of need. With the knowledge that a family life educator gains from the classes provided its definitely possible to get something similar to this started. Second Harvest is a federally fund program that requires a proof of income because it is a need based organization. Along with the proof of income individuals must show proof of residence because the food is given per household. The volunteers that handle this paper work are trained to know what to look for when processing the paper work of the patrons.

How the students networked with other professionals while participating in this activity and what they gained from that networking? 

I mostly volunteered on Fridays with other community participants.  There were to major professionals that I believe I made great connections with. Second Harvest food bank went and served the elder at a retirement home.  There I met the manager of the the elderly, she had a similar story to what I wanted to do and her path landed her a job with the elderly. She had a Social Work major where she worked in New Jersey with local teenagers finding them necessary resources to have a successful future. Talking to her and hearing her story was a great way to make a connection. During our time together I let her know I was looking for an internship incase she knew of any places or she wanted to give me an opportunity at her facility. 
I think it would be useful for me to get to know Mrs. Mary she has so much wisdom on ways to get connects and things for those that are in need. She does not sit around and allow things to come to her, she chases after them. When individuals are in need, they run to her for assistance for anything such as a walker or a stove, and she uses her networking skills to get the needed items for her community members. I would like to sit down and speak with Mrs. Mary on how she is able to write grants and get some much for her community members. 

The potential effect the service activity and/or the service organization can have on the community:

The second harvest food bank has a great impact on the surrounding community. The services it offers meet the needs of many people in the community through the connections and partnerships Mrs. Mary has made. It helps ensure family in need are fed for a few days. They are then allowed to come back again for more foods, this gives them the opportunity to ensure their family members are fed for the entire week. Mrs. Mary is always working to meet the needs of the individuals in her community. She makes herself an available resource to those that are in need. She has had to learn how to discern those that are in need or those that are trying to abuse the system. It is sad that individuals would abuse the system and take from those that are truly in need. 

General Reflection:

I thoroughly enjoyed my volunteer experience with Second Harvest. I am keeping in contact with the individuals I connected with and decided to make this one of the community services that I do often. Mrs. Mary has a heart of gold and I just hope that as I continue to grow in my field, that I am able to give back to my local community and make an impact as strong as the one she did. Her name will be a staple in her community because she is selfless and had a vision to help others, her vision became a reality and impacted many lives. I am willing to volunteer with this organization any time because I am able to see how they are helping others and the impact it is having on the community. From Mrs. Mary I have learned that your life goals don't have to be just to benefit you but they can truly impact the world around you for the better.