This summer I was given an extraordinary opportunity to work with two local organizations for the La Verne Summer Service program. The summer service program allows students to gain work experience and volunteer within a community while earning a scholarship for their work.
My goals prior to starting my summer service were to gain work experience and interact with the community to gain more confidence in myself. I was able to gain that and much more, as I got to know my supervisors and coworkers as well as the people we were serving at each organization. The experiences not only allowed me to develop great friendships and mentors that I hope will stay in my life but I also was able to learn about myself.
At the Inland Valley Hope Partners administrative office in Pomona, California I was able to become a part of the office staff and serve the homeless populations of LA County in a variety of different ways. I learned receptionist skills as well as improved my professional and customer service skills. During my phone screenings and interactions with members in the homeless shelter I was challenged with the emotional strains of not being able to help everyone who called in. This encouraged me to keep working towards my career goal to be able to help a larger number of individuals in need. By working with the homeless population at Inland Valley Hope Partners I was able to learn more about how our government works to help those in need, as well as learn about the population itself. I believe that the IVHP staff did a great job of working to build relationships with the shelter residents and even members of the community who didn’t need shelter. I also greatly appreciate the opportunity to work in an office setting with so many influential individuals who are dedicated to their cause.
While at my second site, The La Verne Church of the Brethren, I was able to learn what it really means to work together and live peacefully as a community. I worked on a children’s camp and the many organizational aspects needed to put it together. What surprised me the most about my experience was the willingness and concern from this religious community towards the success of this event and the church as a whole, as it was very selfless. The pastors of the church do a great job of making inclusive a priority within their community. The COB is able to put on great events and have a high number of volunteers because they make church members feel informed, included in decisions and desired in the community. Most of the work we did for peace camp was possible because of the hard work and donations from community members.
During peace camp the children were divided into groups and given small team tasks, the children would attempt the task and there would be conflicts. Some of the typical conflicts that would arise would be one child attempting to assert their will over all members of the group, or members of the team getting frustrated with each other. Our job as team leaders was to ensure the children kept their purpose in mind and tried to pressure the goal in a peaceful manner that worked well with the team. This lesson is something that can be applied even to most adult interactions, if one keeps their goal in mind and remains courteous of others when working with a team, then the result will be positive.
Both of my experiences came together to strengthen my hope that communities are able to together to help each other, it just takes the proper focus and motivation. When I am older I hope to work for local government to help communities in need. My career path was decided after I relaized how much of an impact a few dedicated individuals can have towards their cause. In both the IVHP and COB offices the staff is composed of less than ten people, but because all of the staff have a genuine passion about what they are working towards as well as great organization in the division of labor, both organizations are able to make positive strides forward for the communities they serve.