Volunteer Quotes That Make us Feel Warm and Fuzzy - Part 1

It really is my pleasure to participate with Chicago Cares and Read with Me at HGS. I am SO happy organizations and opportunities like this exist!

Meet Your AmeriCorps: Joyce

Hello!  My name is Joyce Cruz and I’m an AmeriCorps National Direct member serving with the Chicago Cares Youth in Service Program.

I participated in another year of service with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) in 2008-2009.  This program involved a lot of hands-on, direct service work, similar to what many volunteers do here at Chicago Cares.  I worked 40 hours a week helping non-profit organizations complete projects that couldn’t have been done otherwise.  Let me tell you, moving over 100 dressers and mattresses into studio apartments is not normally something I would choose to do.  However, reminding myself that that these apartments would serve as some people’s first stable housing in years made me keep going.  Because of my year in NCCC, I knew volunteering would continue to play a large role in my life.

To me, it’s always been the direct service work that makes everything so meaningful.  From the hugs you get from a child you tutor to the satisfaction of seeing a house you helped build finally finished, it’s the process of getting to the end result and the satisfaction of seeing it that makes me feel inspired.  It is that same feeling that drew me to work with an organization like Chicago Cares and what drives me to make sure these young volunteers become inspired through service.

My role within the Youth in Service program is to provide young volunteers with an engaging and meaningful service experience.  We do this by creating custom service projects for each group of volunteers that vary by the group’s size, age range, and interests.  So far, I’ve developed 78 custom service projects and engaged over 1,150 youth volunteers in service. 

For me, one of the best things about this position is having the opportunity to lead some of the projects we create.  That’s when I get to see these volunteers’ first ‘aha’ moment; when these young individuals realize they aren’t just giving to someone in need, they are getting something back as well.

It makes me remember my first ‘aha’ moment, and I’m glad that the work I do still gives me these moments today.

Leader Spotlight – Stacy Collins

“I hope through my positive energy and attitude I’ve inspired young people to continue their community service.” ~ Stacy Collins

Like many Chicago Cares leaders, volunteering has always been an integral part of Stacy Collins’ life. Stacy has dedicated time to many organizations before her work with Chicago Cares - as a big sister in the Big Brother Big Sister program in Indianapolis, she helped guide young teens as a mentor and friend for two years.

Volunteering through Chicago Cares since 1998 and serving as a Youth in Service Leader since 2007, Stacy has been a constant and present role model for Chicago youth, much like her work as a Big Sister. When asked about her favorite part of service, Stacy said, “I like having the opportunity to show youth volunteers that volunteering and giving back to the community is fun and rewarding.”

Stacy currently leads Youth in Service projects, serving seniors breakfast and offering companionship once a month. “I enjoy being a positive role model for youth volunteers and a ray of sunshine for seniors who deal with issues of isolation on a daily basis.” Witnessing this positive interaction between senior residents and teens is the inspiration that keeps Stacey going as she helps build the ethic of lifelong service in the next generation.

THANK YOU Stacy for all that you have done and will continue to do for the youth of Chicago. Your dedication and enthusiasm for service have helped motivate young adults in the direction of service learning and community volunteering. Leaders like Stacy enable Chicago Cares to have a dynamic presence in the community!

Nominate a Volunteer for a Star Award

Here at Chicago Cares, we're extremely proud of our volunteers. It’s because of the hard work of our volunteers and leaders that we are able to provide continued excellence in our work and make a difference in our communities. In an effort to show our gratitude and appreciation each year we present the Chicago Cares Star Awards to outstanding members of the Chicago Cares community. This year, we need your help to find those who are truly going above and beyond the call of duty. Perhaps you have encountered an amazing volunteer, project site manger, or team coordinator who has inspired you through their compassion and commitment to volunteering - help us recognize their commitment and impact!

To nominate a Chicago Cares volunteer click here, Leader click here, or leader team for a 2010 Star Award click here.

Thank You, Intrepid Chicago Cares Leaders!

The 17th Annual Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon was a resounding success thanks to you - OUR FEARLESS LEADERS! A HUGE thank you to everyone who led one of the 38 inspiring projects, those who volunteers and even those of you who could not lead or volunteer but suggested others to do so! THANK YOU. Without you, important work that improved the loves of nearly 30,000 Chicago students could not have taken place.

It is not just the school down the street, but the school down the road

 Originally posted by Kris Smart and re-posted on the HandsOn Blog.

It is not just where your kid goes, but where every kid goes that makes a real difference in the future, in the community, in the city you live in, in the country you are from.

The first time I walked into a Chicago Public School was a Saturday morning after riding a school bus across town with 40 other Chicago Cares volunteers.  We met at a coffee shop, then gathered on the bus, and rode through the vast diversity of Chicago’s neighborhoods towards McCormick Elementary School in Little Village.

When I got off the bus, I stepped onto the asphalt of the playground and noticed a US Map painted on the blacktop next to a World Map.  The colors were bright, and kids were hoping from one state to the next, looking at the different countries, laughing.  When they noticed us, they smiled and ran over to the volunteers to greet us.

In the classroom, a second grade class, we sat in the low tables, tiny chairs with construction paper and glue sticks, glitter and sand.  We talked about Oceans, who lived in the Ocean, what was the water made out of? We talked about creatures and sand and we learned together about coral reefs.  I told them about my Ocean, the Pacific, and how as a girl I would collect shells walking along the water’s edge.

We made our own oceans out of 2 liter bottles, water, sand and salt.  There were smiles, and laughter, and glitter in our hair.  They were happy.  These kids, who come out every Saturday to discover their world with a group of equally committed adult volunteers.

That was in 1998. All those second graders have graduated High School and many moved on to College.  Many of those volunteers are still going every Saturday to McCormick Elementary School to make a difference for the next set of second graders.

 

We do this.  We do this every day, not not just Saturdays, and not just at McCormick.

We build community when we get involved. At the pantry.  At the senior center.  At the homeless shelter. At the Park.  At the home for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

We build community when we pack a box of food for a family.  We build it when we play bingo with a senior who is otherwise isolated.  We build it when we work with an adult to create a resume and cover letter.  We build it when we turn a lot into a garden, growing produce for the community.  We build it by getting involved. By being a part of something larger.  By forging a connection.

We build it through service.

On June 12, I will watch the sunrise over my city from the south side of Soldier Field.  I will stop a moment from unloading boxes from the back of a truck or setting up computers in my tent to see the light hit the glass and reflect back off skyscrapers. I will drink in the way it makes Lake Michigan dance.  And then I will continue to ant boxes, unload trucks, set up computers and get ready for the 6,000 Chicagoans who will join me that day in building a better city.

 

We will not only paint, landscape, organize libraries and create murals and mosaics at over 40 schools in one day, but we will raise money to make it possible to support communities across Chicago through service the other 364 days in the year.

If you can, think about coming out.  Or sponsor me! Every dollar counts, and you know what? So does every hour.

Meet Attucks Academy

Over half of the 285 students of Attucks Academy are homeless, making the school their most stable and structured environment and often, their only source of meals. Despite these barriers, their test scores in math and reading have jumped 82% and 29% respectively in the past 2 years! Join the Attucks Team and give the students a learning environment as bright, warm & inviting as the school culture the administration has fostered!