The power of the community

One of the most interesting things I've noticed over my experience is how important accountability and a sense of family can be to an individual. I've also seen how both of these factors can come together in the form of various programs designed to ensure that even if struggling those in the church community know they have a place to turn to that can help them. More and more I have read about programs that are helping to ensure that children have enough to eat on the weekends when they cannot receive a regular meal at school. Many members of the church volunteer their time to help not only their community, but those outside of it because they want to achieve a greater purpose by doing good for others. They also do a number of charity bike rides to help raise money for various community projects and provide activities for younger children so that they'll have a place to go when their parents are busy working.

Having a group of people that all know each other and generally like each other is astonishing to me. I work with over 100 people at my job and I'm still struggling to get to know half of them on what I would consider to be a friend based level. The church is so different everyone is open to listening about the problems each other faces and is ready and willing to help or give advice if needed. They have  vision for their community and what they know needs to be changed. It's a force that has a lot of power especially come election season and one that I hope more political minds pay attention to. A number of problems could be alleviated and solved if more communities came together in a similar manner.

The church and family

I've been going to church with my former high school athletic trainer for nearly 3 weeks now and the experience has been awesome. As I previously mentioned I am not at all a religious person. I am very science motivated and that has really steered me away from the church as I got older. I decided to focus on the black church for my service learning because of the importance it has to the community. I've read countless articles and book chapters about the importance of the church and the family it forms and I just wanted to see it for myself. I have definitely not been disappointed. I was welcomed with open arms and everyone was anxious to learn all about me and my background. I quickly told them all that I was there to really observe and see how the church works as part of the community and was greeted with a number of stories.

One of my favorite stories was from a middle aged woman who told me about how the church kept her out of trouble as a young girl. Her parents were in and out of the house and she often ran with what she called the wrong crowd. After getting in trouble for shoplifting some of the church elders staged a sort of intervention with her. They told her they were her family as well and expected better of her. They were holding her accountable for her actions and had her do volunteer hours in the soup kitchen they ran until she could understand what real struggle was. It was so fascinating to hear about how a group of people not even actually related had taken such a stock in her life. It made me think about teaching and how if more teachers held their students accountable and made them feel a part of a classroom family that maybe this gap could begin to be closed.

The church and dance

Just a short post as I continue compiling my notes from the past two weeks. Over the past two weeks I have been attended church with a former teacher of mine from high school. He attends the Life Church in Ocoee which is predominantly made up of African American members with a few exceptions. I've also been volunteering with an after school dance program for urban youth called Royce basically working to help with some of their technique. I've come across two central themes at both of these experiences and that is the idea of community being an extension of family and accountability. I'm working to compare and contrast both of these themes because I think it is very interesting how well they both resonate.

Dream Big

This week I learned the importance of dreams and sharing them. Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of working with whales and dolphins. 8 years ago that dream came true and it has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I think I often forget just how lucky I am to have been able to achieve my dream. This week I met a group of young girls that were just fascinated by our whales and wanted to know everything about them. I had the best time answering all of their questions, introducing them to the whales, and letting them in on the secrets on how to tell which one is which. At the end of our conversation one of the girls told me she wished that she could work with them one day. I got the opportunity to share my story with her and tell her exactly how I came about doing what I love to do. I wanted her to know that she could absolutely achieve her dream because I am living proof at it. By the end of our conversation she hugged me and thanked me for being one of the few people that she felt believed in her. It was such a special moment for me because I knew I made a difference in her life if even for those few moments.