[nabs-l] {Disarmed} From a Requirement to a Desire:

[Ryan Silveira]

This is fantastic!  It's such an inspirational story.  Kaiti, you
write with such touching eloquence.  Great job!  Darian, thanks for
sharing this.

Ryan

On 2/9/14, Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at comcast.net> wrote:
> Good afternoon, Darian, and everyone,
>
>          Good article about giving of oneself
> however, another means of achieving this, I have
> found, is not necessarily through outfits whose
> mission it is to sort of disseminate time and
> particular tasks of a donor to those that are believed to be
> in "need.
> " From how I see it, what they call "need" is
> spontanious, playing out in all places, at all
> times.  to give of yourself during moments of
> spontaneity, hugging someone on the street, or
> listening when someone opens up on transit or at
> a bus stop, any spaces in which people tend
> toward coexistence and human interaction.
> for today, Car
> 408-209-3239
>
>   wrote:
>>Thanks for sharing! My parents got me into
>>Future Reflections, and I found the speech very
>>meaningful! Sent from my iPad On Feb 9, 2014, at
>>9:37 AM, Darian Smith <dsmithnfb at gmail.com>
>>wrote: > Good morning, > > last year i had the
>>privilege of meeting a young lady from Ohio. She
>>contacted  me to express interest in serving as
>>a part of the community service group project
>>that was to  help out with the book fare at the
>>2013 national Convention, and  to speak at our
>>annual seminar. > Though she went on to win a
>>national scholarship, she was still gracious
>>enough to attend the seminar and give a great
>>speech  that ultimately ended up in â EURO oe future
>>reflectionsâ EURO  which is the official publication
>>of  our parents division.  Today kaiti Shelton
>>serves as a leader in our Ohio affiliate as
>>president of itâ EURO (tm)s student division and  chairs
>>the convention service project committee (CSP)
>>of the community service group. > below you will
>>find the  article.  I hope you find it as
>>enjoyable as I have. > > > Future
>>Reflections        Summer 2013 > > (back)
>>(contents) (next) > > From a Requirement to a
>>Desire: > Why Service is Important > > by Kaiti
>>Shelton > > From the Editor: This article is
>>based on a speech Kaiti Shelton delivered to the
>>Community Service Group at the 2013 NFB national
>>convention in Orlando. Kaiti is a sophomore at
>>the University of Dayton in Ohio, and she was
>>awarded a 2013 NFB National Scholarship. > >
>>When I was in kindergarten, my mother enrolled
>>me in Girl Scouts. For the next seven years I
>>spent much of my free time camping, hiking, and
>>working to earn badges with my friends. Along
>>the way my troop also did small things to give
>>back to the community in which we lived. I
>>remember planting flower bulbs and pulling weeds
>>outside my elementary school, helping to
>>decorate the display case in the school commons
>>area, and working at an event to benefit St.
>>Jude's Research Hospital. The event, called the
>>Mathathon, is similar to the American Cancer
>>Society's Relay for Life. > > Back then I didn't
>>really understand why my friends and I were
>>doing these things. As I handed out water
>>bottles to runners at the Mathathon, a part of
>>me couldn't help but wonder, "When is this thing
>>going to be over so I can go play?" Even when I
>>ran my two laps around the school's baseball
>>field to complete my work in the Mathathon, I
>>wondered when I could stop running; I was tired,
>>hot, and thirsty. I knew that what I was doing
>>was nice, and that it was good to help people,
>>but I didn't understand the intrinsic value of
>>service. Whenever I did something, I expected an
>>award in acknowledgement of my actions. > > That
>>all changed when I joined my high school's
>>Student Senate as an advisory representative.
>>One of the requirements for maintaining
>>membership in the Student Senate was the
>>completion of fifteen hours of community service
>>per semester. A lot of the activities Student
>>Senate offered for members to earn service hours
>>involved making the school look nice in some
>>way. Major events included decorating the gym
>>for dances and painting festive pictures and
>>sayings on the cafeteria windows each month to
>>celebrate holidays or special events. > > While
>>I probably could have participated in these
>>activities to an extent, I didn't think I would
>>be able to give back as much as I wanted to. I
>>didn't want to sit in a corner idly waiting for
>>something else to do while my classmates
>>performed visual tasks. I realized that if I was
>>truly going to give back, I would have to create
>>opportunities for service that would align with
>>my strengths and afford me a real chance to help
>>to the best of my abilities. > > My mother
>>played a major role in helping me get started.
>>First she agreed to let me help her with a
>>project she had been working on for years. An
>>advocate of Braille literacy herself, my mom
>>wanted to create a Braille book lending library
>>for the Sightless Children's Club, a nonprofit
>>organization in Ohio that seeks to provide
>>assistive technology to legally blind students.
>>While my mom kept track of the donated books and
>>made a list of titles, authors, genres, and
>>grade levels, I made Braille labels to stick on
>>the spine of each book for quick browsing on the
>>shelves. The books were then packed into boxes
>>and taken to the club's location, where they
>>have since been stored in a library room of
>>considerable size. > > Once the library project
>>was complete, my mom suggested that I capitalize
>>on my love of music and my knack for working
>>with kids. As a child I had attended music
>>programs at the Cincinnati Association for the
>>Blind and Visually Impaired. My mom thought I
>>might love to give back to that program. I took
>>her suggestion, completed volunteer training,
>>and began volunteering at monthly music groups
>>that winter. > > A Passion for Service > > I did
>>not quite know what to expect when I showed up
>>for my first day of volunteering. I was a
>>freshman in high school. I had only a vague idea
>>what music therapy was, and even less of an idea
>>of how or why it worked. I did not have a set of
>>instructions telling me what to do or how to do
>>it, and I was briefly taken aback when I was
>>told that some of the students were nonverbal
>>and used wheelchairs. I had never met anyone who
>>was nonverbal, and I had had limited contact
>>with wheelchair users. I realized that, just as
>>I wanted to be treated normally, the students I
>>would be helping would want the same thing.
>>After briefly observing the group and noticing
>>how the two music therapists assisted the
>>students, I began to assist them myself. By the
>>end of the day I felt more at ease, and I had
>>aided several students in playing their
>>instruments of choice. > > As I continued to
>>help with the music program, I realized that I
>>loved volunteering and looked forward to making
>>music with the group members each month. A year
>>into my volunteer work, I realized that music
>>therapy interested me, and I planned to pursue
>>it as a career. I was recognized with the
>>agency's Paul Silverglade Youth Volunteer Award
>>for my contributions to the youth services
>>program. I was surprised, honored, and grateful
>>to be given such an award, but at that point I
>>knew I was doing service for purely intrinsic
>>reasons. I was no longer after awards and
>>accolades as payoffs for doing a good thing. The
>>benefits I received as a volunteer were far more
>>important than any plaque ever could be. I had
>>found a career that excited me, as well as a
>>passion for community service. I continued to
>>volunteer at the monthly music groups for the
>>rest of my high school career, and I still visit
>>when I am home from college. > > The Impact of
>>Service > > In spite of a hefty course load at
>>the University of Dayton, I am still extremely
>>interested in giving back to the community. I
>>manage to juggle this interest along with my
>>homework and classes through involvement in
>>several campus organizations. Last year I
>>volunteered with an after-school music program
>>called the Edison Music Project at one of
>>Dayton's inner-city elementary schools. I taught
>>basic piano, clarinet, and percussion to fifth-
>>and sixth-grade students. I joined the coed
>>service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega, and I have
>>participated in service projects including
>>cleaning up trash around campus, ushering for
>>the spring musical, and participating in a dance
>>marathon to benefitt the Children's Miracle
>>Network of Hospitals. As a member of the
>>University of Dayton Music Therapy Club, I have
>>provided musical enrichment to nursing home
>>residents, teens with developmental
>>disabilities, and patients at Dayton Children's
>>Hospital. > > Last semester I participated in
>>what was possibly the most powerful service
>>event of the year. Along with the sisters of
>>Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional women's music
>>fraternity of which I am now a member, I went to
>>a St. Vincent de Paul women's shelter to play
>>for the residents. The women were deeply moved
>>by the music; they laughed, cried, and were very
>>appreciative of our performance. It was great to
>>see that something as simple as music could
>>change someone's day and make her so happy. > >
>>Another powerful service project in which I
>>participated as a member of the greater campus
>>community was an annual program called Christmas
>>on Campus. Interested University of Dayton
>>students sign up to adopt a first- or
>>second-grade child from one of Dayton's less
>>privileged elementary schools. The students
>>provide the children with a small Christmas gift
>>and chaperone them as they enjoy a few hours of
>>kid-friendly activities on campus. I really
>>enjoyed spending time with the second grader I
>>was paired with. I felt like I helped him have a
>>good time right before the holidays. > > More
>>recently I have been an active volunteer with
>>the first Ohio BELL program. I hope to assist in
>>other NFB programs in years to come. Each of
>>these service projects has shown me the
>>importance of giving back to the community and
>>using my talents and skills to help others. > >
>>Conclusion > > What does involvement in
>>community service mean to you or to a student
>>you know? Community service has several
>>secondary benefits that are great for
>>volunteers. On the extrinsic level, volunteering
>>can assist students build rÃ(c)sumÃ(c)s that are
>>helpful in applying for jobs and scholarships.
>>Students might even earn an award for their
>>service. Aside from the socialization that comes
>>from working as a member of a team and
>>interacting with others, students who volunteer
>>also have opportunities on the intrinsic level.
>>They can gain empathy and compassion for others,
>>improve their communication skills and
>>confidence, and find a career they are
>>passionate about pursuing. Unique to blind
>>students are the opportunities to learn patience
>>for answering questions related to blindness
>>while actively demonstrating that blind people
>>can lead independent lives and contribute to
>>their communities. I believe this is probably
>>the best way to educate the public on the true
>>nature of blindness. > > However, it is
>>important to bear in mind that service is not
>>about building a rÃ(c)sumÃ(c) or looking good to a
>>scholarship committee. It should not be done for
>>the purposes of building social skills or as a
>>means of searching for a vocation. Furthermore,
>>the goal of doing service as a blind student
>>should not be to educate the sighted public.
>>Service is not about what is good for the
>>volunteer, but what is good for the person or
>>people the volunteer is seeking to help.
>>Sometimes those extrinsic rewards will come
>>along as the result of service, but when service
>>is done for the right reasons those byproducts
>>will be far more meaningful. I encourage all
>>students to become active servant leaders in
>>whatever ways they can and to strive to do so
>>solely for the intrinsic value of helping
>>others. I also encourage parents and teachers to
>>help their students find ways to serve that
>>utilize their unique talents and capabilities.
>>Charles Dickens wrote, "No one is useless who
>>lightens the burdens of another," and he was
>>absolutely right. Blind students can serve just
>>as effectively and with as much sincerity and
>>compassion as their sighted peers. Whether the
>>project is a large-scale mission trip to a
>>foreign country or an hour of volunteering at a
>>community food bank, the important thing is that
>>it is being done. > > The National Federation of
>>the Blind Community Service Group is currently
>>working towards becoming a division. If you are
>>interested in joining the group or aiding in the
>>transition to division status, please contact
>>Darian Smith for more details. You can reach him
>>at dsmithnfb at gmail.com. > > Media Share > > >
>>(back) (contents) (next) > > > Darian Smith >
>>Chairperson, Community Service Group -National
>>Federation  of The Blind. > (415)215-9809 >
>>dsmithnfb at gmail.com > > â EURO oe > "I don't know what
>>your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the
>>only ones among you who will be really happy are
>>those who will have sought and found how to
>>serveâ EURO  > - Albert Schweitzer. > >
>>Your  unwanted vehicle can be  just what the
>>blind need to make possibilities reality.    >>
>>Donate your car to the National Federation of
>>the Blind today! >> For more information, please
>>visit: www.carshelpingtheblind.org or call
>>1-855-659-9314 > > > > > >
>>_______________________________________________ >
>>  nabs-l mailing list > nabs-l at nfbnet.org >
>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or
>>get your account info for nabs-l: >
>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/mikgephart%40icloud.com
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>nabs-l mailing list nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get
>>your account info for nabs-l:
>>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/carlymih%40comcast.net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ryan.l.silveira%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Ryan L. Silveira