[Community-service] Skills Lead to Service

Thu Aug 11 01:58:28 UTC 2016

good idea, will do it


On 8/10/16, Darian Smith via Community-Service
<community-service at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>  I might also  send it to my affiliate/chpter list if it were me. besides if
> a thing is so good, we share it.
>  It would be interesting/beneficial to see  how people  react to it. this
> might help create a bit of excitement around your idea. I think it is cool
> to see how things  organically  develop
>> On Aug 10, 2016, at 6:43 PM, Cheryl Fields via Community-Service
>> <community-service at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Well, I actually just sent him, President Richard Payne, the article.
>> However, I am thinking of asking a speaker from Ohio AmeriCorps
>> office, what do you think is the best way to handle this?
>> I have always wanted to volunteer with this org and have never taken
>> the next steps, smiles.
>> I would love to be part of that group. In this job market there are so
>> many blind people that may be able to build their skills and secure
>> employment via this option.
>>
>>
>>
>> On 8/10/16, Darian Smith via Community-Service
>> <community-service at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> Thank you for suggesting to forward this to your affiliate, and I think
>>> you
>>> should do this.
>>> What are you thinking regarding a speaker from AmeriCorps, it’s a large
>>> program  which has may fits  for many of our members. Interested to
>>> discuss
>>> how to make it most impactful  for the largest  number of folks in the
>>> affiliate.
>>>
>>> There is also a service engagement committee which is set to convene
>>> soon.
>>> people are needed to help think of ways we can help engage our affiliates
>>> on a chapter level.
>>> If you are inclined you should   consider joining it.
>>>> On Aug 10, 2016, at 6:08 PM, Cheryl Fields via Community-Service
>>>> <community-service at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> This is a great article and I am glad you shared it. Ohio is planning
>>>> our state convention and I am forwarding this article to our President
>>>> and suggest we have a speaker from AmeriCorps.Blessings, Cheryl
>>>>
>>>> On 8/9/16, Darian Smith via Community-Service
>>>> <community-service at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>>> I don’t really like sending stuff that has to do with myself because I
>>>>> kind
>>>>> of think it to be a bit arrogant.
>>>>> Gary Wunder mentioned this article at our seminar and business meeting,
>>>>> and I was both surprised and honored that he did.
>>>>> This was an article I wrote for the braille monitor a few years back
>>>>> and
>>>>> almost forgot that I had actually done so.
>>>>> I hope you enjoy and I would love your thoughts of and relating to the
>>>>> article.
>>>>> Here’s hoping for more than something relating to “ nice article”
>>>>> *smile*
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm12/bm1206/bm120606.html
>>>>>> <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm12/bm1206/bm120606.html>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Braille Monitor                                                 June
>>>>>> 2012
>>>>>> (back
>>>>>> <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm12/bm1206/bm120605.html>)
>>>>>> (contents
>>>>>> <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm12/bm1206/bm1206tc.html>)
>>>>>> (next
>>>>>> <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm12/bm1206/bm120607.html>)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Skills Lead to Service
>>>>>>
>>>>>> by Darian Smith
>>>>>>
>>>>>> From the Editor: Darian Smith is one of the primary people working to
>>>>>> form
>>>>>> a community service division in the National Federation of the Blind.
>>>>>> He
>>>>>> believes that service can have a transformative effect on both those
>>>>>> we
>>>>>> serve and members of the public who observe us providing it. Here is
>>>>>> what
>>>>>> Darian says:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Looking back on my time as a student at the Colorado Center for the
>>>>>> Blind
>>>>>> (CCB), I realize that that experience has given me many precious
>>>>>> memories,
>>>>>> a more positive attitude, and some valuable skills. I expected a lot
>>>>>> when
>>>>>> I decided to attend the CCB, but never did I imagine that the staff
>>>>>> would
>>>>>> expect so much of me. Never have I been challenged at such a basic
>>>>>> level
>>>>>> to question my fundamental beliefs about blindness and to demonstrate
>>>>>> them, not only in the words I say but in the actions I take.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> After graduating from the CCB in April of 2004, I began to see just
>>>>>> how
>>>>>> many doors might open for me if I dared to try walking through them.
>>>>>> If
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> was willing to try, my new attitudes and skills would not only let me
>>>>>> do
>>>>>> something good but actually do something great--great for enhancing my
>>>>>> experience, great for strengthening my self-concept, and great for
>>>>>> helping
>>>>>> the country I yearn to make a better place. These realizations came
>>>>>> quickly; the courage to implement them took longer to develop.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In early 2008 I decided I would join the AmeriCorps program.
>>>>>> AmeriCorps
>>>>>> is
>>>>>> a government-funded network of service organizations and programs that
>>>>>> engage people from diverse backgrounds, ages, and abilities in
>>>>>> community
>>>>>> service. Even before I attended the CCB as a fulltime student, my
>>>>>> interest
>>>>>> was piqued when I attended a 2002 summer program and observed a group
>>>>>> of
>>>>>> youth from the National Civilian Community Corps (an AmeriCorps
>>>>>> program)
>>>>>> working on the Braille library and doing other work on and around the
>>>>>> building. Their friendliness and positive attitudes made such an
>>>>>> impression on me that I hoped someday to do something as noble and
>>>>>> inspirational to others as these volunteers were to me.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> After completing programs at the CCB and growing up a bit, I decided
>>>>>> in
>>>>>> 2008 that I would take a good hard look at the AmeriCorps programs to
>>>>>> see
>>>>>> if there was a place for me. I applied and was interviewed. I talked
>>>>>> about
>>>>>> my background, my time as a student, the challenges I faced in
>>>>>> learning
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> deal with blindness, and the lessons I had learned about helping
>>>>>> people.
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> said that I thought AmeriCorps was the best way for me to turn my
>>>>>> positive
>>>>>> intentions into tangible action, and within two months I was accepted
>>>>>> to
>>>>>> serve.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In October I reported to the Denver campus, and there I met many great
>>>>>> corps members, amazing team leaders, and an outstanding support staff.
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> was the first blind person to serve on the campus, and I faced
>>>>>> questions
>>>>>> about what a blind person could do. They ranged from the basic "How
>>>>>> will
>>>>>> you find the bathroom" to "How will you handle your tray in a food
>>>>>> line?"
>>>>>> Much of what I had to prove dealt with mobility: everyone thought I
>>>>>> was
>>>>>> smart and admired my motivation, but could I really get around by
>>>>>> myself,
>>>>>> and could I be competitive in situations where mobility was required?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My team leader for most of the corps year was Keara, who was kind,
>>>>>> caring,
>>>>>> patient, and socially aware. She also had a best friend who was blind,
>>>>>> which was why she was picked to be my team leader. The assumption that
>>>>>> someone with special experience or training would have to assist me
>>>>>> turned
>>>>>> out to be a problem throughout my training and service, but I can't
>>>>>> say
>>>>>> too much about Keara, her giving spirit, and her unflagging
>>>>>> determination
>>>>>> to see that I participated fully.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The first month of my ten-month term was devoted to training and team
>>>>>> building. This is the routine for all corps members. In the training
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> team leader is the mentor, the disciplinarian, the coordinator, and
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> coworker who helps trainees on projects. In late October my class was
>>>>>> inducted into the corps and went on to our first assignment. My team
>>>>>> went
>>>>>> to Boulder, Colorado, to work on an environmental project pulling
>>>>>> weeds,
>>>>>> working in irrigation ditches, and building and maintaining trails.
>>>>>> This
>>>>>> was hard work but well worth it, given the skills we gained.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My next assignment was in South Texas doing canvassing work. The
>>>>>> team's
>>>>>> job was to help people get aid as a result of the damage they suffered
>>>>>> after hurricane Ike. The one thing that stands out for me is the
>>>>>> Southern
>>>>>> hospitality the residents showed our team and their unwavering,
>>>>>> uncompromising spirit. Their generosity was nothing short of amazing;
>>>>>> even
>>>>>> in their time of need they expressed real concern and a commitment to
>>>>>> helping their neighbors.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My third project was by far the most boring. I was in Alabama doing
>>>>>> construction work, and, while members of my team climbed ladders and
>>>>>> carried materials, I too often found myself pulling nails out of
>>>>>> boards.
>>>>>> Certainly this job needed doing, but it wasn't work that let me be
>>>>>> very
>>>>>> creative or helped me to feel that I was part of a team building
>>>>>> something
>>>>>> in which I could feel pride. The location of the assignment, an hour
>>>>>> north
>>>>>> of Tuscaloosa, also made it difficult for me to find after-hours
>>>>>> activities. I spent a lot of time coordinating public relations and
>>>>>> outreach events for my team and personally getting ready for the
>>>>>> national
>>>>>> convention.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The highlights of this part of my tour were working on an old school
>>>>>> house, a nearly one-hundred-year-old structure we wanted to keep
>>>>>> upright,
>>>>>> and trying to make it through the rain storms that followed after the
>>>>>> almost daily tornado warnings. In this part of my tour I applied for a
>>>>>> team leader position on one campus. This in turn led to four other
>>>>>> interviews. Unfortunately, I was not offered a position with any of
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> campuses, but I was determined not to let this disappointment detract
>>>>>> from
>>>>>> what I came to the corps to do.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My final project was in Denver. I was selected to be a crew leader in
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> Summer of Service program that engages at-risk youth in community
>>>>>> service
>>>>>> projects. The crew leaders make sure that structure is being
>>>>>> maintained
>>>>>> and that the young people are working as a team. The job also includes
>>>>>> maintaining vital team records and a list of the team’s
>>>>>> accomplishments
>>>>>> while overseeing its finances. The team I led camped and worked in the
>>>>>> local community and learned something about life for young people who
>>>>>> are
>>>>>> involved in gangs. We did some serious work, but we had time for fun
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> relaxation as well. We went to the movies and to several parks. One
>>>>>> was
>>>>>> the Lakeside Amusement Park, where I had my first ever funnel cake.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Graduation day was a proud moment for the youth participants in the
>>>>>> team
>>>>>> I
>>>>>> headed. It was amazing to see how quickly they had bonded. We were
>>>>>> surprised at what we felt; separation after only a few short weeks
>>>>>> found
>>>>>> us shedding tears and vowing to stay in touch.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A few weeks later it was finally time for my team to reflect and
>>>>>> celebrate
>>>>>> as our time in the program drew to a close. On July 23, 2009,
>>>>>> AmeriCorps
>>>>>> NCCC Class XV graduated. Again there were tears of joy and sorrow, for
>>>>>> these ten months had forever changed all of us. Our call to serve had
>>>>>> helped, if only in a small way, to better the parts of the world we
>>>>>> touched, but for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,
>>>>>> and
>>>>>> what we gave came back to us in blessings and memories we will carry
>>>>>> throughout our lives.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Looking back, I see that my experience was not everything I had wanted
>>>>>> it
>>>>>> to be. Not everyone reacted to blindness as I hoped they would, but my
>>>>>> participation did make a difference in perceptions--my own and the
>>>>>> perceptions of others. This experience revealed things about me that
>>>>>> have
>>>>>> caused me to look more deeply into who I am, the service I want to
>>>>>> give,
>>>>>> and the person I want to become. I have had to come face to face with
>>>>>> some
>>>>>> shortcomings in myself, but I've also realized that I have an
>>>>>> important
>>>>>> asset. I am not afraid to try, not afraid to push the envelope, and
>>>>>> not
>>>>>> so
>>>>>> afraid of failing that I am content to stay within my comfort zone.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Now that I've finished with the corps and have gone back to school,
>>>>>> I've
>>>>>> realized what a major impact service can have on others and on those
>>>>>> who
>>>>>> serve. Nothing is more fulfilling than finding a cause greater than
>>>>>> oneself. I believe that our chapters can and should be involved in
>>>>>> service
>>>>>> and that, by visibly serving others, we will go a long way toward
>>>>>> changing
>>>>>> the perception of blind people. Through service we can move from being
>>>>>> perceived as the takers who must be served to being the providers who
>>>>>> not
>>>>>> only do for ourselves but care enough to help in our communities.
>>>>>> Through
>>>>>> our words and, more important, through our actions, we will convince
>>>>>> our
>>>>>> fellow citizens that we have something to offer, and through service
>>>>>> we
>>>>>> will help to change what it means to be blind.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'll leave you with a short reflection connecting service to
>>>>>> blindness.
>>>>>> When I went to the CCB, it was to learn skills and attitudes that
>>>>>> would
>>>>>> help me be the best I can. Service was my way of putting the theory I
>>>>>> had
>>>>>> been taught to the test. It was my way of figuring out whether the
>>>>>> attitudes I thought I believed were things I could talk about and
>>>>>> whether
>>>>>> I believed them enough to translate them into action. Service has
>>>>>> given
>>>>>> me
>>>>>> a way to show both me and the world that I can go to unfamiliar areas,
>>>>>> meet new people, and make significant contributions. The CCB was the
>>>>>> first
>>>>>> step; service was the second. Both are steps on the staircase to
>>>>>> independence and interdependence, and I commend both to all of you for
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> liberation climbing these stairs brings to all of us.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> (back
>>>>>> <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm12/bm1206/bm120605.html>)
>>>>>> (contents
>>>>>> <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm12/bm1206/bm1206tc.html>)
>>>>>> (next
>>>>>> <https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm12/bm1206/bm120607.html>)
>>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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