My name is Tara Shen, and I am a Teacher Education (grades 4-8) major at The University of Memphis. Today was my group's last day of Alternative Spring Break Staycation. We went to the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association office to deliver meals to seniors. It was my first time working with MIFA. At the office, we got "I am something good in Memphis" stickers, which we happily put on our shirts. We split up into teams of two and three. We drove two routes. Today was my favorite day of the week. It was really nice to get to meet and talk to the nice people we delivered food to. At one of the houses, there were "caution: dog" signs. However, when Emilie, our coordinator, knocked on the door, there was no dog in sight! What luck! The other group, consisting of Christina, Jasmine, and Brandy met a lady who cried as she talked to them. As I learned of this happening, I was touched at heart. It felt great to be able to meet people such as this lady, who truly wanted to share her story with us. I felt proud to be a MIFA volunteer. After delivering the meals, we went to Four Way to eat soul food. I had the best fried chicken I've ever tasted. Four Way was a great choice. Then, we went to Peabody Hotel to look at the ducks and go to the rooftop. We walked through Beale Street and past the Elvis Presley Statue. It was some us' first time seeing the statue. The ducks in Peabody were so pretty, swimming in the fountain. Some of us did not know that the ducks march across the hallway into the elevator, which carries them up to the rooftop where they live in a room. They march twice a day. We also learned the history of these ducks. The rooftop is really pretty, but there were big pictures of kids looking out the window in this house on the rooftop. The pictures were posted on the inside of a window. Brandy was the first to notice, and we all jumped at the sight. It was creepy! Afterwards, we headed to Mud Island. The place felt like a beach! There were some pretty houses that lined the street. We had fun throwing rocks into the river. It is really nice to have such a big river (the Mississippi River) in Memphis. There were so many cute dogs on Mud Island. We then reflected on the week, sharing what we learned. Some of us shared that we learned a lot of Memphis history. I personally thought it was great to participate in the Memphis community, which made me feel so much more a part of my city. Alternative Spring Break Staycation has truly been a rewarding experience, which motivated me to continue volunteering in Memphis, taught me so much about our city, and made me feel proud to be a volunteer in a city filled with loving people, dedicated workers, and motivated students.
My name is Morgan Gerke and I am a sophomore at University of Memphis studying Sociology and Spanish. Generally, I try to be involved in my community and one day I hope to work for a nonprofit, so the Alternative Spring Break seemed like the perfect mix of service, experience, and fun for a week away from school. Today was the last day of service on the ASB trip to Atlanta and, personally, it allowed me to gain some perspective on the hunger and homelessness issue that we were trying to tackle all week in this city. We left the house at 7 AM and drove to the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Atlanta to serve meals to about 200 hungry and/or homeless people. Bill, one of the head supervisors, was enthusiastic about the work that he and other volunteers do for the organization, and it was rewarding to interact with the people and see how my service was directly affecting the issue of hunger in Atlanta.
After serving the meal, we got the history and tour of the church and then we went on our way to the Center for Pan Asian Community Services. Their mission is to create an easier transition for new immigrants (of any national or racial background) by utilizing social services and promoting self-sufficiency. Hearing the mission and goals of the organization really opened my eyes to the difficulties that immigrants may face when they move to America and it is great that Atlanta has a structure there to support them. We ended up doing some hands-on projects for CPACS, which was what the group had been waiting for all week. It was great to see the before and after pictures of our projects and made the experience even more fulfilling. Since it was our last night, we got a lot of free time to spend at the house. After some planning throughout the week, we were able to surprise Angie (our coordinator) for her birthday. It truly was a great end to a fantastic week of service!
