The Good Hotel in San Francisco emphasizes how you can contribute to the community you visit. They hosted a party for volunteers from Project Open Hand, 826 Valencia, and onebrick.org among others.
Yea Good!
The wait is over…almost
I interviewed at the California Academy of Science today. The program is rather intense but they allow you to develop your own programs. Since I have a background in Biology and Sexuality the volunteer coordinator thought I might be able to develop a cool program on mating. However my training doesn’t start until Janurary.
After the interview a spent a few hours in the mueseum itself. It’s really amazing. Here are some photos of my favorite rain forest exhibit. I totally want to go to Borneo now.
No on 4 Visabilty
We are on four corners at SF civic center and there are a dozen volunteers at Mission Street
Yea! No on Prop 4!!!
Cereal Killer
Cereal killer apron with red fruit loop ‘blood’ spatter. Not sure it will survive travel to 826.
One 6 more days…No on Prop 4
I can’t believe it’s only 6 days until the election. Today, I volunteered with Planned Parenthood at a Health Fair at College of San Mateo. We gave out condoms, dental dams, lube, and chapstick. We also spoke to a lot of students about No on Prop 4. I can’t believe there are only 6 days left until the election!
Most of the students are between 18 and 22 so they can easily put themselves in the shoes of person under 18 and what she might go through should Prop 4 pass. It was really great to hear their enthuasism. In honor of them, I’m posting a few You Tube videos that No on 4 supporters made. They are spoofs of the Mac/PC ads. Funny and informative.
Mac/PC ads - No on Prop 4
Mac/PC ads - No on Prop 8 - also very funny!
What if the negative ads were aimed at you?
Popular press outlets like the New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle are writing a lot about negative campaign ads aimed at candidates. Writers and pundits from both side of the aisle lament negative campaign ads claiming that they hurt American citizens by flaming party divisions. However, I have yet to see an article focused on the way negative messages about gay marriage hurt gays and lesbians citizens. Unlike negatives campaigns ads aimed at one particular person, negative campaign ads and messaging that disparage gay marriage often also vilify an entire groups of American citizens, namely gay and lesbian individuals. One Prop 8 ad in California suggests that gay marriage and by extension same-sex love threatens families and churches.
I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to turn on a television and see an ad claiming that your desire is destroying institutions that have stood for generations through war and political upheaval.
Working at the NSRC this week, I had the priviledge to work on a press release that publicizes a recent research study linking marriage amendments and attendant negative messaging to psychological distress among gay, lesbian, and bisexual citizens. I hope that the story gets picked up, but more importantly I hope that gay, lesbian, and bisexual citizens are treated as citizens and provided the same opportunities as heterosexual citizens to marry.
The funny thing about hair
Not having to worry about my hair is a trivial but great perk of volunteering. If anything volunteering actually encourages bad hair. I wear a hair net at Project Open Hand; a baseball cap when working with One Brick.
Blowing drying my hair for a fundraiser Thursday Night at the NSRC felt odd, especially since I spent that morning with women suffering from breast cancer.
Fixing hair your hair, while often annoying, has always felt like an almost universally feminine activity. When I first started volunteering at the grocery center sponsored by The Avon Foundation I assumed I would be in a room full of women undergoing chemotherapy. I expected that many of them would have no hair as a result.
Surprisingly I saw few women without hair at the grocery center the first two weeks I volunteered there. Thursday, I helped a client how was much younger than the typical clientele. I figured she might be the daughter of a client helping her with errands. She had silk long dark hair that came to her shoulders. I did not think any thing of the fact that she was wearing a baseball cap.
When I returned with her groceries, I started to lay them out on the counter so she could double check what I brought. For a moment she took off her cap. She was missing all of her hair at the crown of her head. She was indeed the client, even though she was only a few years older than me. It reminded me that despite clients easy going exterior, they are all ill and coping with things I can even imagine. I thought of her as a stood blowing drying my hair. Instead of being frustrated at how long it takes to blow dry my thick hair, I was thankful.
Me in a hair net!
Later that night, going to a fundraiser.
An apology and a promise to do better…
This morning, I’m feeling very disappointed in myself. Just as I was getting a small but devoted following for One Year Volunteer, I slacked off posting. It’s been two weeks since I last posted. Last week I was visiting family in North Carolina and Virginia, and I missed Blog Action Day.
I’m back in San Francisco now, and I’m determined to be more disciplined about posting. I’m sorry for slacking off. Look for regular, more exciting posts starting today. Since we are in such an important political and economic moment, I’m going to incorporate comments on the current events alongside of my personal observations at volunteer activities.
In a few minutes I’m off to Project Open Hand to help with the grocery center. Tonight I’m going to a fundraising event for the NSRC. Hopefully I’ll be able to meet Dr. Ruth!
It’s mostly a blur…
I sat down this afternoon to write blog posts for the days I missed last week. Sadly, everything seems to be a blur now. I know exactly what I did, but I’m definitely missing a lot of the details I like to write about. Here’s a brief recounting of what I did, and some superficial reactions to the work. I’ll be more on top of it this week. Promise!
Wednesday: I volunteered for the No on Prop 4 Campaign. I did IPVR (In Person Volunteer Recruitment) at the Farmer’s Market again. I enjoyed it a lot more that I remember from past experiences (as evidenced in past posts), but I still only managed to get three confirmed volunteers. One week I’m sure I’ll be able to break that record. When the Farmer’s Market ended, I spotted by City Hall briefly and thought about going to the memorial for Del Martin. I figured I’d better get back to work. Once back at PPGG I helped gather all of the supplies necessary for a phonebank in San Mateo that night. Then I was sent home early with a list of volunteers to call to see if they would phonebank. I called volunteers between 6 pm and 8 pm. I got four to sign up and spoke to two women who had already signed up. Most folks didn’t answer the phone.
Thursday: Thursday was a really busy day that left me hungry and my feet aching. I started the morning at Project Open Hand’s grocery center. First we served women with breast cancer. My only frustration were plastic bags that wouldn’t open no matter how many times I rubbed my fingers across the top. Later we transititioned the entire grocery center to handle clients with HIV/AIDS. Apparently they get different food choices from the women with breast cancer. This was my first day volunteering at the Grocery Center, and it was fun but at times a little monotonous. Once I finished at the grocery center, I rushed home to shower and change before heading to 826 Valencia to tutor. I tutored four boys for the first time. We actually laughed a lot. They found my southern accent continually amusing. Despite some cutting up, I got each student through their entire homework packet. After I left 826 Valencia, I headed to fundraiser for No on Prop 4 and South Dakota’s Healthy Families (organizing against the abortion ban). The fundraiser was packed, and by the time I got there there were no chairs left. My feet burned by the time the VP debate was over, but I was really happy that the fundraiser made more than $1300 (which they spilt between the campaigns). I helped friends from the No on Prop 4 campaign comb the crowd for volunteers. I got four confirmed volunteers!
Friday: I spent my second morning at Project Open Hand on Friday. This time I worked in the kitchen where I peeled and cut carrots, cut heads of broccoli into manageable florets, and diced potatoes. Unlike the grocery center were I got to interact with clients, the kitchen is populated with volunteers. I meet two really great volunteers who I chatted with the entire time. One was a woman from Turkey. She has recently started volunteering at POH and I will be working with her each week from here on out. Since we were working with food, we talked a lot about cultural differences in food. She couldn’t believe that American’s eat potatoes at breakfast. Another volunteer was working off court ordered community service hours by volunteering. He was hilarious, but sadly won’t be back another Friday because his hours are done. After I finished at POH, I raced home to pack for a weekend in Point Reyes National Seashore. We had no phones, tv, or computers so I couldn’t blog. However I did find that they need volunteers on ocassion, and I hope to be back soon to volunteer with the National Parks Services!
I’m just happy to be sitting down
On the bus to 826 Valencia after volunteering at Project Open Hand this morning. POH is really fun but tiring. I bagged groceries for breast cancer and AIDS patients from 9 until 1, and now I’m off to 826 Valencia. Tonight I’m attending a fundraiser for the no on prop 4 campaign. I’ll try to post tonight; if not I’ll update the site tomorrow!
