Location: Ruth Shriman Christopher House
Date: Friday, June 7, 2013; 5:15-7:00 pm
So far in my career with Chicago
Cares I had been participating in what they term as
‘Ongoing Programs’ - regular projects on evenings and weekends.
However, Wilson first told me about a program that does not advertise on
the calendar, but has several projects in a month. This was a program where young people learn
how to serve the community, and you as a volunteer leader mentor them in this
activity. This program is called
‘Youth In Services’ and rather than
describe it, I will just quote from the Chicago Cares
website:
“We know that young people don't just want
to talk about change; they want to be the change, and they want to start today.
In just 5 years, our program has introduced over 20,000 Chicago youth to
volunteerism. More than just counting
hours, our Youth in Service program encourages students to make positive
changes in their communities through well-rounded volunteer service programs
touching the areas of poverty, aging, human services and the environment. We believe that by educating youth on social
issues, engaging them in meaningful service and empowering them to be agents of
change, we are fostering a new generation of leaders grounded in the ethic of
community involvement. The Youth in
Service Program places groups of 8 to 18 year-olds in meaningful volunteer
opportunities throughout the city of Chicago. These customized service projects
are created around the interests and schedule of your youth group, to meet a
critical need in Chicago. We work to ensure that students are leaving each
service experience ready to continue making a difference long after their
project with Chicago Cares is over.”
When I found out about this
program, I immediately wanted to be involved since this would not only allow us
to make an impact in the community - just like ongoing programs - but we would
also be able to guide the next generation of volunteers. I had mentioned to Wendy that I was
interested in learning more and she had arranged for a phone call for me to
talk with Katie from Chicago Cares, who leads the YIS program. She told me a bit more about the program and
then agreed to let me “shadow” some
of the leaders. As luck would have it,
Wilson had asked me if I would be interested in joining him that evening at a
YIS event and I mentioned to Katie that this could be my first shadow
opportunity; and she agreed.
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| Cans opened with WWII technology |
So it came to be that Wilson
picked me up and after some difficulty in finding parking, we arrived at the
senior center. The kids – about 8-10 of
them –and their chaperon Shanna, were already on site and had begun prepping
for the project. We would be cooking a
meal of baked beans, hot dogs as well as dinner and fruit salad; followed by a
game of Bingo. The first problem was
opening the cans of beans and try as we may to find a can opener, we were
unsuccessful. Finally Wilson resorted to
opening the cans with his Swiss knife, and pointed out that this is how they
WWII soldiers did things – using it as a teaching moment for the kids. I looked around and saw kids spread across
the room chopping onions and bananas and other fruits. Wilson asked if I could help out with the
baked beans and I was more than happy to participate. We had a big pot in which prepare the beans,
but it needed to be scrubbed before we could use it. After searching for
some cleaning materials and coming up short, Wilson just decided to use some of
the Bingo prizes for the same. After
washing the pot I put it on the stove-top and its wide base meant it occupied
two of the burners. I started sautéing
the onions and then added the 4 cans of baked beans that Wilson had opened. As they simmered, I looked around for some seasoning
and finding only cayenne pepper, added a bit of it – being careful not to make
it spicy.
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| The hot dogs |
While the beans were cooking, two
of the kids had set up a grill on the side and were grilling hot dogs. Some of the others had already started
mingling with the guests, which was heartening to see since this was the whole
point to the exercise. The beans were
done and we started plating them in bowls and giving to the kids to serve. The hot dogs needed condiments and since there
weren’t enough bottles, we removed some ketchup, mayo and mustard into bowls
and distributing them on various tables.
I walked around and found the guests to be friendly and talkative. One lady was wearing the most extravagant
jewelry and looked please as a punch when I complimented her. Since everyone was now ready to eat, I pulled
up a chair and sat with a couple of residents.
The lady’s name was Hannah and she said she had a degree in Philosophy,
having gone back to college at the age of 57!
She was telling me that she spends her time on the computer and prefers
a Mac as compared to a PC; though unfortunately her current Mac was broken and
she was trying to get it fixed. She said
that she has three kids, all on the West Coast and more than anything, wanted
to go see her grandchildren. That was
easier said than done, as was pointed out by the man John, who said that these
were low income apartments and money was a precious commodity. So when a computer got broken, it was very
difficult for the residents to get a new one.
I looked at the wall and saw a big spot where the TV used to be and John said that it had been stolen. It seems
some folk came in the middle of the night and took at, along with some of the
gym equipment. There are few things in
life more reprehensible than to steal from our seniors and even more when you
considered that these people were not exactly affluent. It’s really a shame that the facility had not
invested more in ensuring the security of the residents and their property.
The dinner was over and Bingo was
about to begin. I walked about a bit and
then sat next to a guy who was doing sketches on the paper napkin. I complimented him on the sketch and he
pointed towards a person whose sketch it was.
His name was Jerry and he was a retired police sketch artist. He told me that years ago his sketch had
helped the police catch a murderer and all he had to go on was different pieces
of information from various people. He
said that sketching is a habit for him and restaurants usually don’t like him
visiting since he uses up their napkins, though he never leaves home without
his small pocket sketchbook and crayons. He said that sometimes people in the
tavern pay him to sketch them. I said
that with a skill like this he must be quite popular and he pointed to the
woman across from us and told me she was his girlfriend. He said that besides sketching he also liked
to play harmonica and that he had four brothers who had served in WWII, two each
in Europe and the Pacific. I asked if he could sketch me and he was more than
happy to do so. I told Wilson later that
this is where volunteering had brought me – having my picture sketched by a guy
who used to do so for murderers and criminals!
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| And that's me as a police sketch! |
The Bingo was on, with one of the
kids calling it and others helping the residents. One person sitting on my other side got bingo
and I called it out for him. He went over
to collect his prize and came back with something that looked like a cleaning
solution, though we couldn't tell. The
game was over soon and the residents started leaving. I chatted with the resident coordinator Bruce,
who asked where I was from. I said
McClurg Street, an answer which I feel is accurate, but he was referring to my
childhood. I said I was from Mumbai and
he talked about some liquor related deaths over there. He said he was Irish and that’s why the topic
of alcohol! I said that it may have been
due to poor distillation, though I have no idea what I was talking about.
One of things that separate YIS
from ongoing Chicago Cares programs is the final period of reflection. In most of the typical projects, all of us
leave at the end without any debrief. In
YIS, the youngsters are required to discuss their experiences as a group. Usually conducted in a circle, we assembled around
the table instead. Wilson asked me if I
would lead it, something that I was delighted to do. I stared by asking the kids what they had
enjoyed most and they said it was the interaction part with the seniors. Then I asked what we could do better and one
girl said that they would love for even more interaction. This was extremely refreshing to hear and the
kids said that they love coming to this project – having done this before - and
learning about the residents. I said
that the residents are our guests and though we are cooking for them, this is
not a restaurant. We need to constantly
engage them and make them feel welcome.
I mentioned to the girl who had said we should have more interaction, that she
should take the lead next time in making sure everyone is talking with the
seniors. If she saw that I wasn’t
conversing, then she should even call me out!
The kids left and Wilson was driving me home. I told him how much I had
enjoyed this project and how I wanted to do more. I said that this model of serving at two
levels – with the mentoring and our clients – was one of the best that Chicago
Cares has. He agreed, saying that we are
not only building the next generation of volunteers, but the next generation of
leaders as well. He told me about another YIS
project that he had led recently, and which comprised of travelling youth from
Hawaii who had served breakfast in another community. He told me how they had run out of food and
how the volunteers had preferred not eat themselves, but ensured that all of
the guests were fed. It takes great
character to voluntarily serve at such a young age. I was proud of everyone who was involved today –
the kids, Chicago Cares, leaders like Shanna and Wilson, Hannah, who had gone
back to school at her age and also Jerry, whose sketches I had kept. I for one cannot wait for my next opportunity
to serve in the YIS program.
*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy
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