So I forgot to mention one thing that I think is really important when it comes to my service. Since one of the big discussions we had in class was about whether we'd continue with our service work at all I feel like I should mention something.
I knew for sure that I'd continue volunteering at Bridgepointe by the end of the semester, but I wanted to think of a way that I could take it a step further and do more for them than just volunteer a few hours every week. Last time I volunteered I came up with an idea that I hope is going to be a success.
So there is this old man at Bridgepointe who wheels himself up to the nurses station every day and asks if he has any "letters, phone calls, or telegrams." Every time I had to see the nurses tell him "no" and see the disappointment on his face it killed me a little inside. So I decided to contact both Bridgepointe and my English teacher from high school to suggest an idea. Students could get writing practice and help out the community by writing letters to the residents and they could get a sort of pen pal. If I've seen any issues at Bridgepointe a big one is that the residents get very lonely sometimes. These letters could help them feel less lonely and I'm sure it would help. I haven't gotten everything for it figured out yet but I'm really excited about it.
Since I get home for Christmas break much earlier than the local schools in my town do, I'll have time to talk with teachers and try to figure something out for next semester. I really hope it works out because I feel like it would make the residents so happy!
I am excited to hear that you will be continuing with your service beyond the course. I am planning on serving a lot over winter break, which is sad because I missed a lot of those hours that I could have used towards the class. It would have been better for me to take the class second semester, but after I finished the internal research report, I figured that I had already put in too much effort into the course to withdraw. I was sad that I only had a chance to attend one event at the place that I thought was going to be my primary service venue, but it turned out fine because I got a chance to spend time with people from the organization that I used to work for.
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