I have been working in the volunteer business for about two and a half months now, I am learning more than I think I ever could about anything and everything. New Orleans is a fascinating city to do volunteer work in because not only is there a culture that seems to have been built on and for volunteers by Hurricane Katrina, but the city welcomes you with open arms and hearts if you have the time to give to them. Volunteering is one of those things that really allows you to see the true generosity and kindness of the human spirit, not only are you seeing people who are willing to give a year of their lives to help, but also you see a different side of humanity, the truly grateful one.
Volunteering breaks down into two distinct parts at its core; the volunteer and those are being served.
Being a volunteer for a whole year is a truly daunting task, and I never whine because no one ever said this year would be an easy one. I am in a program where we take the time to examine all parts of who we are, it is unique and one I will never get to experience in the rest of my life. Down here in New Orleans, when you say you are a volunteer to anyone who is a local or who has been here since Katrina, the instant response from just about everyone is "Thank you for being here, and if you need anything just call, and God bless you!" I can't tell you how many people I have had say that to me. Whenever I told people up north that I was doing a year of volunteer work, and I would tell them it was in New Orleans, they would say "Good Luck, New Orleans is really needing to be rebuilt." When I got down here, I was always told be just about everyone, we as volunteers are not rebuilding New Orleans, that has been done, we are helping to sustain and heal. Sustain the almost near death city, by helping to provide services like mine which help people who can't always afford a new home, find the resources and be walked through the processes of buying one. Healing the wounds that were opened by Katrina, like what I do within Jericho Road, by working within Neighborhoods trying to get people to break the walls of difference and work together to create a safer place to live. I said earlier that you see through volunteering how truly generous people are; this I have found in two separate terms; people like to help those who volunteer, because they want us to be able to continue doing what we are doing. But also there is a spirit that is drawn out when you volunteer, a generous heart is called upon. You learn how to just forget about the politics of the situation, and just do what needs to be done.
The second distinct part of volunteering is those who you are serving, and those I have found to come in all shapes and sizes. I have heard stories from every type of person down here in New Orleans about how they received help from a volunteer, and how that touched their lives forever (and some of these stories come from before Katrina.) When I came down, I came with judgements about whom I would be serving, I had this assumed identity of the people who truly needed help down here. Then I got here, and realized that I would be helping middle income to low income white people, let me just say honestly that was not who I anticipated working with. But over the past two months I have heard their stories about how they are desperate for help in revitalizing their neighborhood, how they just want to connect with those who have been living in their neighborhood all their lives. I am also finding out that the web of differences in New Orleans is a complicated one, I can't say how difficult it is to really delve in and figure out why Jim doesn't like John and Judy. But that is not what I am discussing here, I am talking about how my own perceptions of who needs to be helped in New Orleans were fundamentally changed by the work I am doing in Central City. I have also found a newly kindled spirit for the work when I did some very happenstance volunteer work the other night. I was hanging out with my boyfriend the other day, helping him and his friend set up their ritual for Halloween (they are Wiccan,) well it turns out that she works with a church non-profit every Saturday called The Desmond Project, which is an organization that on Saturday makes food for an hour and a half in the kitchen of a local United Methodist Church, and then they take the food and go feed the homeless under the I-10 over pass for two hours. What an experience it was to work with people making food, but then to go and serve it to people who some have not eaten in almost a week. So many smiling faces when started setting up, and all of the truly grateful thank you's and God Bless's when we were serving. One man started crying while he took the food away because that was the first real meal he had had in almost 4 days. When I say, seeing people who are truly grateful for what you are giving them, it was the most heart wrenching thing to do, but it was probably the most enjoyable experience I ever had.
Volunteering has truly become a major part of my life, and I don't think I will ever give it up. I don't think after this experience I will be able to, I will always be doing volunteer work in some way, probably not for another whole year, but definitely on a part-time basis. I don't usually say this, but I think that God has truly shown me what my destined work is for my life. I am a volunteer!
Also on a side note, I would love to see comments more often, just like knowing who is reading my posts. I only know how many of y'all are reading them, not who. Even a short post is cool.
Well peace on earth y'all!
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