[Ohio-talk] What is community service?

[Cheryl Fields]

Good DayOhio! The post below was sent to the Community Service
Division today. I wanted to share and know how others in Ohio feel
about this...Maybe, we can think of a service project to complete
collectibely during 2017 state convention...

Good Morning,
  a few days ago we discussed the definition of community service in
general and specifically it’s definition as it relates to our
Community Service Division.
   As it stands today, the purpose of the division is to encourage
blind people to serve in their community, either by themselves, with
their family, friends, chapter members, neighbors, etc.
  If people don’t know where to start, the division helps them find
out where they can. If people are hesitant to start, the division
encourages them.  If a person faces difficulty serving in their
community, the division does what it  can to help the person through
it.
  We are a division of the National Federation of the Blind, which
means we support the programs and policies of the NFB,  and
consequently everything we do is based upon the foundational positive
philosophy of blindness that all of us in the NFB believe in.  Another
words we believe that as blindness is not the characteristic that
defines us or our future, that blindness does not define or limit us
in the way we can use our talents and passions to give to the world we
were born into and live in. We have long held the belief  that the
real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight, but that the
real problem of blindness is people’s attitudes and misconceptions
about blindness and blind people. We believe that blind people are as
normal as anyone else, having the same interests, likes, dislikes,
hobbies, desires and fears as anyone else.   Our division believes
that  serving in our communities is just the most logical  step down
the path to true  independence and equality in society, making this
not just a nice thing to do,  but as essential to everything we do.
  We believe that just as it is important  for us to be out in the
public to protest discriminative practices, or out in force in the
halls  of our legislature to let people know what we want and need,
that it is just as important to be out in our community, showing just
what we can do and be.

  While service has the benefit of helping others first and foremost,
it also allows us  the opportunity to teach and learn at the same
time. When we serve our community, we learn about issues we didn’t
know existed or of stories people share that might cause  us to view
the world differently.  There an also be tangible benefits.  Through
national service programs such as AmeriCorps or teach for america, we
gain professional level skills that make us more attractive to
employers, life long connections and friendships  and assistance to
help us through school.  As a division we can bring these
opportunities with programs and organizations closer to our reach by
letting them know about our mission and those who share in the call to
service.
  So  at the end of the day, we want to not only encourage service ,
but to expand opportunities for blind people (individually and
collectively) to serve   wherever the need to serve may be and where
their desires and interests lead them regardless of what society tells
us they can or can’t do.


  Do you agree with this explanation? disagree?
  what else comes to mind?
  Darian

Darian Smith, President, National Federation of the Blind Community
Service Division via Community-Service<community-service at nfbnet.org

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-- 
Wishing You All the Best,

Cheryl E. Fields


A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human
life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will
never sit.
--D. Elton Trueblood