Hedyeh: Journal 1

Day 1 (October 31):

Today, Dan Wilkins came to school and spoke to us about people with disabilities and also the Disability Center. Also, we went to the Gift and Kind Shop and helped out there for a couple of hours.

Dan Wilkins has many stories to tell, most of them invoking strong emotion. He was very personal when he spoke to us today, and very passionate for his cause. I think each of us was able to make a direct connection between the things he was saying and our own lives. Even though he spoke for an hour and a half, I felt captivated - he was funny. He approached a subject that many people choose to ignore, and wasn’t afraid to delve into it. Dan Wilkins offered an insight into the world of the disabled and gave us a point of view on his topic of choice that most people never get to see and experience. He kept our interest and spoke as if he was having a direct conversation with every one of us, and he hit home.

The Cherry Street Mission’s Gift and Kind Shop was a tiny slice of our own community in a nutshell. It was basically a bunch of people giving back to their community by doing something kind of like what Goodwill does - except that their stuff is all free. The work wasn’t fun - it was tedious and dull, to be honest, but talking to friends and hearing the volunteers talk to each other made it a tad bit more engaging. It was a great way to give back.

Today was an interesting first day, and in my opinion its highlight was Dan Wilkins. Hearing him speak about the disabled, I find myself eager to do some direct community service work at the Disability Center.

By Hedyeh Elahinia