[Community-service] Service: support, dream, reality

[Chris Parsons]

Hi all,

I see this division as a place where we can come together to discuss all 
things community service and how we can get involved. To that end, I see 
this division as a support system/network and a resource, and I see it 
promoting involvement in service projects on a national, state, and local 
level.

Support system/network: This one is close to my heart because I, personally, 
am not one of those people who is always comfortable getting out there and 
doing something. I want to get involved, but I don’t always know how and 
sometimes worry about what a certain project might entail. We talked about 
this at the organizing meeting, and some of the participants gave reasons 
why they might be hesitant to participate in community service. I want this 
to be a place where we can all come together—everyone from those who have 
done a lot of community service and can share their wealth of experience, to 
those, like me, who want to be involved but who maybe aren’t as sure about 
jumping right in, to those who have never done community service before and 
don’t know where to start. I want this to be a place where we can all come 
together, share ideas and experiences, and encourage each other. I think it’s 
really important to have someone who’s done the type of service project you’re 
considering who can give you some tips and give you just the push you need 
to get out there and get involved. I think this group can do that.

Resource: This one goes hand in hand with the first one. I see this as a 
place where we can share information about community service—from service 
opportunities to articles about general community service-related topics. 
Most important, though, is the possibility that we can all be resources for 
each other about how to get involved in community service. There are blind 
people who have done all kinds of community service, and I see this group as 
a way to bring us all together to discuss our experiences and to provide 
tips, advice, and suggestions to each other. The philosophy discussions we’ve 
had on some of our membership calls have been a good start for bringing some 
of us together to discuss community service-related topics and have 
generated some really good discussion, and I definitely want to see those 
continue when the group becomes a division. Also going along with the 
resource idea, I’d like to bring back guest speakers on our conference calls 
to discuss their community service experience. Then, recaps of these 
presentations can be posted on our blog and reach even more people.

Service projects: I think the first two items are really important, but 
ultimately, this division should encourage people not just to network and 
discuss community service, but also to participate in community service and 
to get involved in their local communities. We’ve talked about both a 
service project at National Convention and collaborative projects with the 
training centers. On top of that, I’d like to see individual affiliates, 
chapters, and members take on projects on the state and local level so that 
people can meet needs and get involved in their own communities. I want this 
division to have national scope, but I want it to reach every state on a 
local level because that way, people can be helping others right where they 
live. Then, when an affiliate, chapter, or individual participates in a 
service project, they can share their experiences with the group, which 
might end up giving another affiliate, chapter, or individual an idea for a 
project to participate in or suggestions for how to do a particular activity 
as a blind person

The ultimate goal should be for us to get out there and participate in 
community service not as blind people, but as citizens of our communities 
with the ability and desire to give back. I think that by providing support, 
being a resource, and encouraging participation, a community service 
division can help us meet that goal. So, let’s get involved!

Chris


-----Original Message----- 
From: Darian Smith
Sent: Sunday, October 23, 2011 8:43 PM
To: Community Service Discussion List
Subject: [Community-service] Service: support, dream, reality

Hello all,
  when we think about  the challange of plunging  into the unknown or
venturing into  a place that others may not believe it possible for us
as blind  people  to do we  find ourselves needing support, looking
for answers and  dreaming of possibilities.
  What are the things you  see in a community service division?
  what is the support you would like to see? the  answers you would
like to  find and  the dreams you have for   such a presence and
possibilities you imagine spring from it?

in service,
  Darian Smith

-- 
Darian Smith

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

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