Abi: Journal 1

Day 1 (October 31):

Today was the first day of Winterim in Make-a-Difference. We were given a textbook all about service learning along with an assigned NetBook and binder. The class read part of chapter one, which explained what service learning even was. Before I even came to this Winterm, I didn’t know that there was a difference between community service and service learning. In fact, I initially called this course Community Service before I came to the class. In the textbook, we learned about the different types of services. There are direct, indirect, research,and advocacy. Later that morning, a man by the name of Dan Wilkins came as a guest speaker. As Mrs. Ariss went to greet him, I couldn’t exactly see him. I wasn’t expecting him to come in a wheel chair! Mr Wilkins was a very down to earth person who shared so much of his knowledge with us. I am so glad he came to talk to us about discrimination in for disabled people because it really changed my outlook on them. He was an outstanding storyteller, and was a really great inspiration knowing that he drove himself to do anything an abled person could do. Although the talk was long, I learned a lot from it that I will never forget.

After lunch, we went to the Cherry St. Mission’s “Gift and Kind shop”. It was a long drive, and it was pretty cold outside. When our group of ten people arrived, we were greeted by a couple of people who worked there. The area was in inner-city Toledo, and the building was very run-down. IT smelled like leaves, and there were organized sections of clothing, shoes, and home decor everywhere. Our job was to help organize. The boys and girls got split up into two groups. The girls helped with sorting clothes, folding them, and putting them away. The boys carried and built some shelves to put clothes in. Overall, the shop was a good experience that opened up my eyes to what the reality of the world is. Not everyone has well-rounded life like most of the students at MV. I think that most of us take it for granted, and don’t realize that conditions are much worse. This shop made me feel like there is always help if someone was in need. By helping with the store, even though we were not directly helping someone, it left me feeling like I did something that was worth my time.

By Abi Raj