Over the past semester I have done sixty hours of community service for my service learning course. I chose to participate in something I have been doing for 3 years now because of the great benefits that I receive from it. I work with a group known as the M.A.S.H. or Mainstream adults who are Mentally and Socially Handicapped. A group of volunteers from the North Pinellas YMCA (Rob Danneman, Rob Girardinelli. Kristi Pratt, Andrea Panarelli and our supervisor Doug Barnette) get together every other week for 5 hours and allow them to participate in activities previously planned by one of us. The question you may all ask is what does this do for me? Well for starters it makes me feel really appreciated, it allows me to take part in something that is a lot of fun and help others in the mean time. I have also learned time management, responsibility, and how to work as a team.
What I do with the group makes me feel good about myself. During M.A.S.H. some of the members parents chose to stay and wait for their child. They may play cards with some of the other parents, work out, swim, or cheer their child on as we play a group game. However, they are all never hesitating to thank all of us for our support. I work hard to make the evening fun for the members and it feels great to know and hear that we are appreciated. The parents all know I do not get paid to be there every other Friday night, so they pay me with their praise on what a good job I am doing. For instance, we have a young adult in our group that needs assistance going to the restroom. Another female volunteer and myself are the ones that assist her. It is not an easy job because neither one of us are very strong so each time we learn an easier way. The first time assisting her was a little aqward but she has a great sense of humor so we usually laugh our way through it. Her mom is built so little that I am amazed how she handles it but I guess when you have been doing something for so long (19 years) it becomes old habit. She knows it is not easy and thanks us all for providing Erika with a fun atmosphere to go to on a Friday night.
I have learned a lot of different skills over the past three years that I did not even realize I learned until I sat down to write this reflective paper. The main thing I have learned is time management. We have to all be on the ball throughout the night to allow things to go smoothly. Many of the members get very impatient with us and it seems to be that their attention span for being bored and at a stand still is about ten minutes. Therefore we always have to be on our toes about how much time is remaining for each activity. I am in charge of arts-n-crafts so when I go to plan an activity I have to decide how much time it is going to take for the group to finish it. Then I have to make sure the other volunteers know ahead of time how long my project is going to take so that they can plan around what I have decided to do. My activity usually goes first because it takes the longest to complete. Most of the group games that we do can be played for a short period of time and can be used as fill ins where ever we need to put an activity so the night appears on going.
Responsibility has been a big issue for me to overcome. When I first started to volunteer for this group it was sometimes hard to find out my priorities. For example, many of my friends wanted me to go out on Friday nights and now that I am volunteering at the YMCA, going out is virtually impossible. Telling my friends no was very difficult in the beginning and I was tempted to dip out of my commitment many of times but now I would not give up going to MASH for anyone. I really don't see myself as a volunteer sometimes, I see myself as a member. I love to have fun and play the games just like the rest of the group the only difference is I wear a YMCA Staff shirt and they do not.
Everyone should learn how to work as a team sometime or other. I have definitely learned how to do this with the other volunteers. It is so important for us to communicate and to help each other throughout the night. If we were not to communicate many things would not run smoothly. For instance, one night I forgot to warn them that our activity was not taking as long as I had planned and when I brought the group to the next event the other volunteers were not very prepared. We have also learned to help each other out in a crisis situation. If the game is not running smoothly or the group is not having fun it is up to us all to try to come to the rescue and think of a different activity for them to play. Sometimes we get really stumped and have to ask the group to think of a game they might enjoy more than the one they were originally playing. I consider this teamwork because they are just as much a part of our team.
In conclusion, my reflection of my service with M.A.S.H is a great one. I have had an excellent time with them and plan to continue to be a volunteer with this group until my schedule no longer permits it. I have never really sat down to write exactly what I get out of participating in this program, until now. I have learned a lot over the past three years that I have doing this. In the past few years that I have participated in these Friday nights I have been complimented on my efforts more than once. My job in this group makes me feel really appreciated, it allows me to take part in something that is a lot of fun and help others in the mean time. I have also learned time management, responsibility, and how to work as a team.
