Day Three At Seabury | Li Wang

The day three of service, we are going to a organization call Seabury. Seabury is a organization that provide resources for aging population. One of the program that we get to help is call age-in- pair. What we going to do is pare up with one senior and help them clean up house, do any yard work, or anything that the family need us to get done. YSOP asked us to ride the city bus today. It was very different compared to the metro system. The city was changed very quick. From the big buildings to little tiny houses. I was very surprised that in Washington DC people builds their houses next to each other without a gap between buildings. They have a lots beautiful architectures. When we get off the bus stop. The Seabury volunteer coordinator Rachael come pick us up to their central location. She gives us a short orientation about how the organization it’s funded and what kind of service they provide. After that she took us to one of the family we going to serve today. The woman that we’re going to serve her name is Miss Jones. Rachel told us that Miss Jones it’s one of the customer they have for long time.  She is always preparing and have a list of things want volunteers to work on. When we get to Miss Jones’s house.  She did not expect us to show up. But she quickly told us what to do, and what needs to bee work on in her house. We cleaned up her basement and polished all the furniture’s. We also get back to Seabury and make some birthday cards for April birthday customers.

Rachel and ASB Crew

Dinner at &Pizza

M.L.K. Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

ASB Day 3 | Nibras Karim

The third day felt a bit shorter. We went to Food & Friends, which is an organization that provides meals, groceries and nutrition counseling to people living with life-challenging illnesses that often lead to dietary restrictions. We set up an assembly line, packaging meals for specific restrictions. The work reminded me of the same type of work we do at our Food Bank in Kansas with the Food4Kids program, where we package food bags for the weekend for kids with food insecurity. We were able to package hundreds of meals and we were working so fast that the supervisor was surprised every time we needed a new job. Although I felt very productive, I realized that I missed the human interaction we had from the previous days. I think that working actively with other people the solve problems is what gives me energy to continue working.

Day 3

Today we helped out an elderly woman by the name of Ms. Jones. She was very sweet and kind and it reminded me a lot of my grandmother when I helped her. She was 85 years old but she looked nowhere near that age. I’m happy I was able to volunteer and help her out because I understand the struggles that elderly people go through, since I’ve worked with them prior. I also saw the African American museum and I was very intrigued by the artifacts and culture. Day 3 was definitely a success

The service behind the service – Bri Williams

On the 3rd day we went and packed lunches or dinners for the people who had dietary needs, that may not be able to assist them selves. We pack over 400 meals for Food and Friends and the peoplr they serve. No, we may not be known or got to see the peoples lives these meals impacted, but we did the service behind the service. The whole tine the food and friends staff thanked us over and over again for the help we were giving them. That shows that they sinply care about their jobs and the service they provide. It was well organized with 2 different kind of labels. Knowing that we are helping 400+ people by packing these meals is a great thing. People are getting healthy free foods and that is not something easy to cone by. Doing the service behind the service has a lot of great outcomes too.

Day 3 | Hayden Schrag

For our third day, we traveled along the metro to Seabury, the Age-In-Place. They are a nonprofit organization that cleans and provides services for elderly folk that cannot physically do it themselves anymore. In Washington D.C., there are strict laws of maintain your home. For instance, if your lawn isn’t mowed before it gets too high, you could be ticketed with a $500 fine. Many of these elderly people must live off a 300-500 dollar check a month from the government, so not being able to cut their own grass could put them out of their own home. That day we went to Mrs. Jones house. At her residence, we polished her kitchen cabinets, dusted many photos, and cleaned the basement. Unfortunately, there was a little miscommunication, she had other people over redoing her bathroom, and with us also there, there was as many as 15 people in one small house. After tripping over each other for an hour or so we finally got what we needed to do. Although we couldn’t be much of a service it was great learning about the organization does, because I know their clients appreciate so very much.

Later that day we went to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Reserved tickets are backed up for almost 2 years, and our group found that they release a certain amount at 6:30 a.m. We spent over 4 hours, rushed through, and still didn’t get to see quite all of it. It was amazing experience realizing what all African Americans have done, and still do to make the United States an extraordinary place to live!

We also visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, FDR’s Memorial, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial

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Day 3/4 | Baylee Brown

This post is going to be a little bit about day three and day four of our service trip! Yesterday, we went to Food and Friends. This is an organization that supplies meals for people who are have chronic illnesses, the organization delivers hot meals, grocieries, and other food items people may need. This organization allows people who can’t get up and make dinner or lunch themselves, to really have a home cookies quality meal. The coolest thing was that Food and Friends packaged their meals to a variety of nutritional need that vary from heart healthy, allergy friendly, diabetic, and puréed food options. When we arrived they instantly put us to work packaging the food that was being delivered that day. We loaded them onto carts and they were rolled out to the cars for delivery. This organization was very dependent of volunteers, even the drivers were doing this on a volunteer base and were not paid employees. They staff was so friendly and thankful for our service it was pretty cool!

We got done at Food and Friends at about 12, and lucky for us we got to explore the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. I have to mention that the wait list for groups to go is two years long, there are only a handful of tickets they hand out online, and at the door.  We got up extra early to snag online tickets, and our whole group was able to attend! If you are ever in DC that Museum is amazing, and I highly suggest it! There were even a few things about Kansas in there!

Day four is our last day of service and I must say it is hard to think about going back home! Today we attended Central Union Mission, which is a faith based emergency shelter. Awesome fact is this is the longest running organization in Washington D.C. It is been around since he late 1800s, because when soldiers can back from the war, injured, sick, and tired they would offer them a place to sleep and a hot meal! It is mainly for men but they do accept families, it supplies temporary shelter and more long term shelter. In order for the men to get the more long term shelter they have to take classes on various subjects including; job training, spiritual transformation program, alcohol and drug counseling, and various other programs. We first started off in the temporary shelter making beds, folding sheets, towels, and sorting bed linens. Throughout the time some men would walk in and out of the room, and they were so thankful for everything we were doing. After that we moved in to serving lunch, and that was an awesome experience! We served soup, bread, and salad, I got to scoop the soup! I thought it was really awesome how thankful they were for our service. At all the sites I have been at they expressed their gratitude often. Most of our sites have been centered around direct service, this site made me feel like something I was doing really could change someone’s day. It made my day to see how thankful people were, when I thought it was something small.

Day 3: Dear Hayden Spencer, My Unexpected Son | Stephanie

Dear Hayden,

I am not sure where to begin when writing a letter to you! Let’s just start from the beginning…I never expected to have another son, but then I met your dad and well you were part of the package. That package brought two little special gifts in to my life. Being part of a blended family is a challenge and I want to compliment you on not only doing it, but also doing it well. You have a tender, kind, and loving heart that is enjoyable to be around.

As I sit here reflecting on this my third day of service work in Washington DC, I am at a coffee shop with windows overlooking the exit of the Metro station at 14^th & G Street. People are coming and going. Many with headphones attached to their iPhones listening to what I am not sure. There are different ages, gender, socioeconomic status, and race. I wonder where they have been and where they are going. I know where you have been and often think about where you are going. As you graduate college and enter the “real” world over the next few years it will be exciting to watch you continue to grow.

Let me tell you a bit about my day. Today we volunteered at a place that I have served before called Food & Friends. As a group we put together over 300 meals. These meals are for those that are referred by their doctor. They are battling different challenges in life: cancer, illness beyond their control, diabetes, amongst others. They will be delivered these meals at no charge right to their door. I believe that you would have enjoyed today. A place like this would flourish with someone that has a heart like yours at the wheels.

As you go out in to that “real” world don’t let it mold you. Please don’t put those headphones in and tune out the world.  It needs you. Be true to your heart and use it to change the lives of others. You have an attractive personality. You are a people person. I believe that the Lord will use you in ways that you do not yet know and I for one look forward to seeing the fruit of His work in you. Who knows, maybe someday you will have the opportunity to serve in Washington DC!

I Love You,

Your Stephmommy

Day Three | Kellie Deutsch

This morning we went to Age-In-Place. This organization provides free home maintenance for eligible elderly individuals. The volunteer coordinator said that their program focuses on preventing homelessness. She explained that D.C. has certain requirements to maintain residence, so if an older person is not capable of maintaining their house and doing things like mowing the lawn, then they will be fined $500 and will continue to be fined until they are forced to move out. Therefore, Age-In-Place provides services for older people to help them avoid being evicted and becoming homeless. The plan was to go to an older woman’s house and get a lot of chores done, but there was a miscommunication so when we got there, we only had a small handful of tasks to do. I was a bit disappointed that we couldn’t be more helpful and clean more, but the little we did still made a difference. In addition, I was grateful that I got to hear about the services that they offer since they are so unique. 

We also got the opportunity to visit the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture today because a few brave souls in our group woke up at 6:30am to get us all tickets. I was extremely grateful for them doing that because I had been wanting to go so badly. This Smithsonian better educated me on African American history and slavery. We spent 3.5 hours in there, and I enjoyed it all! It was extremely informative. I felt as though I could have spent an entire week in there and barely get through all the information and displays.
Then, after the museum, dinner, and a reflection time, a couple of us went to the MLK, FDR, and Jefferson monuments! It was a little cold outside, but I still had a fun time exploring the city, enjoying the monuments, and hanging out with the group. 

Day 3 | Katie Deutsch

Today we served at Seabury Age-In-Place, a non-profit that provides yard work and house cleaning to low and moderate income older adults, while also ensuring these individuals do not become isolated and lonely. Age-In-Place was founded when a group noticed that their older neighbors in the community were finding the physical and financial demands required to stay in their homes more and more challenging. This small group then rallied together and began going out to local seniors’ homes and serving where needed.

Our volunteer coordinator, Rachel, described the many ways in which senior citizens in particular can become susceptible to homelessness and cycles of brutal property as they age. For example, in D.C., home owners can receive fines of $500 if their grass extends above 10 inches. Many senior citizens cannot push a lawn mower themselves to ensure their lawns remain below this regulated benchmark. A $500 fine could be what forces someone out of their home. This fine is just one example of how vulnerable senior citizens with low to moderate incomes are to homelessness. 

Our group assisted a woman named Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones had lived in the home we cleaned for nearly all her life. As a senior in her mid-80s now living alone, Ms. Jones and community members like her, are those disproportionately impacted by poverty. It’s vital for these individuals’ livelihood to have reliable support from organizations such as Age-In-Place. It was humbling to learn more about this organization in particular and inspiring to hear the relationships they have built with their clients over the years, supporting and caring for them every step of the way. 

Day 3! The Value of Service

Today was filled with countless adventures our first stop was to volunteer with an organization called Seabury. This organization provides elderly individuals cleaning and maintenance services so they can continue to live in their own home. We had the opportunity to help clean a woman’s house and even though we didn’t do very much every little bit leaves an impact. That’s one thing I have realized is that even the simplest menial task can make a difference. As well as it is important to realize that you can’t change the world in one day. You chip away at it day by day knowing in the grandeur scheme of things your intentional actions truly do matter and have power. 

Thanks for reading!!