VIEW: What People Are Saying
"There are so many different groups to get involved with on campus but VIEW puts you directly in the issue and it has been a great spot for open discussion involving many different points of view on the topic of Hunger and Homelessness"
- Alyse, Growing Healthy Kids Participant
"Being a part of VIEW over the past 2 years has helped me to learn not only about the issue of Hunger and Homelessness but it has also helped me grow as a person. I've improved my large event planning skills, time management, and leadership abilities. It's been one of the most rewarding things of my college career to see this big event come together."
- Deborah, Site Development Leadership Team
"Volunteering at the homeless shelter helped me evolve as a person. I used to have a lot of stereotypes about homeless people but now I realize they're just like you and me."
- Abid, Washtenaw County Shelter Association Participant
"I think what I got the most out of VIEW this year was that in everything you do, what matters the most is the people involved. I feel like I am so goal oriented all the time, and through VIEW, I have learned that when trying to make an impact or working in a team, you have to think about your relationships with people. I have to constantly think, am I giving everyone a voice? That's what I love about this program; we care about each other just as much as our goals to impact the community!"
- Jamuna, Team Coordinator and Avalon Housing Participant
Volunteer of the Month: March
Billy Chen
Volunteers of the Month are chosen because of exemplary commitment, enthusiasm, or contribution to VIEW, and general awesomeness.
This month's volunteer is Billy Chen. Here's more about his life and his experiences with VIEW ...
Interview with Billy:
- What is your hometown, year and major?
My hometown is Rochester Hills, MI and I am soon to be a sophomore. My major is currently undecided but I am hoping to go into business, with hospital administration as a future career. - What site do you volunteer with and what does your organization do?
The site that I volunteer at is Vineyard Ministry Center. The site is a church that offers a food pantry for those in need. Every Saturday that I go to volunteer, I either help move food into people's cars, serve some snacks that are provided, or food pack, which is going through the food pantry with the individuals and putting what they want into bags. - Give a memorable experience from volunteering.
One memorable experience from volunteering is that one gentleman, with whom I was helping to move the food to his car, told me that I was a great character for being in this program. Hearing this was very humbling, knowing that what I was doing was really being appreciated. - Tell us about your plans for volunteering in the future/how do you think you'll carry your VIEW experiences with you.
In the future, I hope to continue with VIEW, volunteering at the same site, Vineyard, and also engaging in other various volunteering programs as well. I have developed a passion to help others out and VIEW has helped me discover this. With the experiences that I have had, I plan to be more open to new opportunities and not be afraid to take time out of my day to help others. The E/Ts have taught me a great deal about teamwork, and I will be able to apply these skills outside of volunteering as well.
Volunteer of the Month: February
Atari Burutolu
Volunteers of the Month are chosen because of exemplary commitment, enthusiasm, or contribution to VIEW, and general awesomeness.
This month's volunteer is Atari Burutolu. Here's more about her life and her experiences with VIEW ...
Interview with Atari:
- What is your hometown, year and major?
I am a 2nd year psychology major from Taylor, Michigan. - What site do you volunteer with and what does your organization do?
I volunteer with Washtenaw Literacy from 4:30-7:30 on Mondays. At our site we work one-on-one with people who are trying to improve their English as a second language. The adults at this site range from being able to speak very little English to almost fluent in the English language. It is very rewarding working with all types of individuals. - Tell us about your challenges at site and how you've dealt with them.
At site the only difficulties I find myself facing is understanding what the student is trying to tell me. Because of the language barrier, sometimes they only know how to say certain words or phrases in their native language and not in English. In these situations, patience is the best option. Sometimes asking more questions about the phrase helps to clear up any confusion. - Give a memorable experience from volunteering.
Since I haven't been at this site for very long, my most memorable experience is my first experience at this location. I went in not really knowing what to expect, or if I would be able to have a conversation with the adults, but I was very surprised with how smoothly it went. The people I talked with had great stories to tell about their lives and were very interested in my life as well. It was a fabulous experience. - Tell us about your plans for volunteering in the future/how do you think you'll carry your VIEW experiences with you.
I am looking forward to volunteering more in the future. This year has really opened up my mind to important issues not only in the world but nearby in our communities. I definitely want to dedicate more time to the volunteer groups I am currently in, including VIEW. I will carry these VIEW experiences with me by trying to get more involved in the issues addressed at VIEW even after this school year has ended.
Volunteer of the Month: January
Dane Ranney & Diana Searl
Volunteers of the Month are chosen because of exemplary commitment, enthusiasm, or contribution to VIEW, and general awesomeness.
This month's volunteers are Dane Ranney and Diana Searl. Here's more about them and their experiences with VIEW ...
Interview with Dane:
- What's your hometown, year and major?
My hometown is Dayton, Ohio. Senior. Physics. - What site do you volunteer with and what does your organization do?
I volunteer at East Middle School in Ypsilanti, through Growing Hope. My volunteer organization attempts to inform people of the nutritional values of food, and the economic benefits of being able to grow your own food, and using it to help the community. - Tell us about your challenges at site and how you worked to overcome them.
One of the major challenges I faced last semester (and on into this semester) was coming up with a lesson plan that would keep the children interested, and teach them learn something new. I have worked with children before however, I was never really in charge of coming up with a list of what we we're going to do. So, this was a big step for me. - Give a memorable experience from volunteering.
I guess I don't have one very memorable experience volunteering, but I have little instances which come to mind. One instance that really comes to mind happened towards the end of last semester. Well, each class, we would present the children with new information (whether it's how a greenhouse works, the major elements needed to grow plants, etc.), and we would have them write it down in their journals (that we made on the first day of class). Each class, we would go over that material, hoping that the children would slowly start to learn the new material. Well, towards the end of the semester, the students knew most of the information by heart. We would call on the kids, and each of their hands would shoot up, and they'd tell us what they'd learned. I knew that we had a big impact on these kids. They were learning information, that would hopefully change their lives for the better. - Tell us about your plans for volunteering in the future/how you think you'll carry your VIEW experiences with you.
My future plans for volunteering may include Americorps. I have been thinking about grad school, find a job, and possibly joining a volunteer agency, such as Americorps. Right now, I am trying to weight all of the options (the grad school, job, and americorps), and find something that works. I have talked with people over at Growing Hope about joining the Peach Corps and Americorps, and the experiences they have had. So, there is a good chance I might end up volunteering. But yea, I believe that VIEW has had a big impact on me. In the two years that I have been with VIEW, I have been exposed to a variety of issues, some of which I really didn't have an idea about until I was immersed around people dealing with these issues. When I grew up, back in Dayton Ohio, not a lot of concern was given to issues outside the community. So, being able to see these issues that people in Michigan, as well as around the country, are dealing with, had a big impact.
Volunteer of the Month: December
Nicole Rumao
Volunteers of the Month are chosen because of exemplary commitment, enthusiasm, or contribution to VIEW, and general awesomeness.
This month's volunteer is Nicole Rumao. Here's more about her and her experiences with VIEW ...
- What's your hometown, year, and major?
I am from Farmington Hills, MI. I am a senior and graduating this Winter 2008! My major is Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science but I would eventually like to go into Pharmacy or Public Policy. Or a combination of both. - What site do you volunteer with?
I volunteer at Alpha House, a homeless shelter that is located in Ann Arbor, MI. - What does your organization do and what do you do at site?
At site, I like to get involved by playing with the kids, and getting their mind off of their current situation at hand. We bake cookies, play hopscotch, tag, and paint. I think the kids really appreciate our visits and they are always so enthusiastic about whatever project we decide to do, which makes me feel excited as well. - What is a memorable or powerful experience you had at site?
One time, we decided to bake cookies. This was our messiest, and greatest, project in my opinion. The kids brought out the cookie cutters, and we were well on our way to making some delicious chocolate chip cookies. We helped them make cookies in the shape of stars, flowers, and tried to freestyle some as well. I think the ingredients list may have been slightly skewed though, and we overmeasured the amount of butter, because the cookies ended up slipping in our hands as we tried to put them in the oven. The end result was cookies that would have dismayed any doctor, but the kids really enjoyed the cookies and ate a plateful of them! - Any hopes or goals for the rest of the semester at site?
I hope that we will be able to play with the kids again, as they really appreciate and look forward to our visits. It is a great feeling to know that we are valued in these kids' lives. I also look forward to getting to know the rest of VIEW better, and the great people at my site! - How did you hear about VIEW and why did you get involved?
I heard about VIEW through a friend of mine I expressed to him that I felt a need to get more involved in the campus community. I had been volunteering at numerous places over the past few years, but I wanted to get more involved with volunteering on campus, and VIEW perfectly juxtapositioned these two interests of mine. I was drawn to VIEW because I wanted to get involved in a consistent manner ••• not just once every month or so. I liked the frequency, and I also like how VIEW aims to educate the site participants about disparities in Washetenaw County. Even though I have lived in Washtenaw County during the school year for the past four years, I was unaware of many of these issues and did not know how I could possibly get involved. VIEW has helped me to bridge that gap, and the lead team has been especially effective and encouraging in my ability to do so.
