Final Service Project Reflection

As I have always said, I have thoroughly enjoyed my volunteering experience with Dubuque Regional Humane Society. What has been surprising about my experience is probably this; just how much I have enjoyed my volunteering experience. I won't lie, when I first heard about how much service we had to do this semester I was slightly horrified and not looking forward to it at all. However, now that I am nearing the end of my service hours, I continue to realize just how great of an experience I have had at DRHS. Side note: I am not meaning to sound over enthusiastic or cheesy, I am being very truthful. That could come off an ingenuine, but I am not trying to have it be.

What has been rewarding about my service has been the knowledge that I am giving the animals at the shelter a better life, just by giving them the love and attention each and every one of them deserve. One of the high point is when one of the dogs that had been at the shelter for the longest and the workers were afraid would never be adopted WAS adopted. His name was slug, and he was the sweetest dog. The most difficult part of my service was finding the time, as I am quite busy with track, work, homework, etc. I believe this was the case for everyone, but in the end, it is all working out with hours, etc. 

Although I have volunteered before, the longevity and consistency of this individual service project has shown me that volunteering long-term and at the same place is a lot more rewarding than volunteering every so often. You get to meet new people and become friends as you see them a lot more often, and you notice more just how much your help is appreciated and needed. I plan on continuing my volunteering at the Humane Society next semester as well. 

On Charity

One of my favorite Thomas Merton quotes I have found thus far in "No Man is an Island" is:

 “One who is content with what he has, and who accepts the fact that he inevitably misses very much in life, is far better off than one who has much more but who worries about all he may be missing . . . the relative perfection which we must attain to in this life if we are to live as sons of God is not the twenty-four-hour-a-day production of perfect acts of virtue, but a life from which practically all the obstacles to God's love have been removed or overcome. One of the chief obstacles to this perfection of selfless charity is the selfish anxiety to get the most out of everything, to be a brilliant success in our own eyes and in the eyes of other men."

From this quote, I gather that one of the main concepts behind charity for Thomas Merton is not the perfect charity-driven life, but rather a life in which one seeks to live in perfect love and communion with God. For Merton, it seems to be more personal, at least in his definition of "selfless" charity. Merton seems to speak about charity more in terms of love, which contrasts to Massaro who seems to refer to charity more from the viewpoint of Catholic social teaching. However, both seem to get at the same point with what charity is, although they define it a bit differently. My own definition of charity is giving back to others, not necessarily always others in need but also to one's friends, family, etc., and doing so out of love. I would define the relationship between charity and contemplation to be that contemplation is something one must do before or after performing an act of charity-in this way, one has the ability to learn and grow more from the experience. Not only are you physically helping, but through contemplation, you are helping yourself grow emotionally and spiritually. 

Final Service Reflection

*Note-I initially thought the blog prompt was asking about our individual project, so that's what I wrote it on. After commenting on someone else's blog I realized my mistake. Therefore, instead of deleting my reflections on my individual project I am simply going to add a paragraph below commenting on my group service project.

In our group project, we went to Stone Hill where we first were set up with elderly people in their rooms to visit and talk with them. Austin, Coleman and I met with an elderly woman who repeatedly told us to travel as much as we can and that the "good life" was to have a family. We then helped out with bingo night, and then helped out with crafts and played some cards afterwards. Overall, the reception was positive as multiple elderly people told me how happy they were to see some young people around, and the workers told us how grateful they were for us to join in. Although when we were playing euchre the game got a little intense (the elderly mean business on their card games) overall they all had a good time. My contribution to the project just helping out with visiting with the elderly, and during bingo I sat by a woman hard of hearing and let her know when her numbers were called. I also helped with cleaning up during the craft portion of the night and overall helped with planning on where we were going for the project.

It is without a doubt that I love my decision on where I am doing my service this semester. Animals are always something I have had a passion for, and so this service opportunity lined up exactly to something I looked forward to doing every time I showed up to do service. Although sometimes I do admit getting in the car to go do service seemed like a pain, once I showed up I would switch gears from being lazy and selfish to excited and grateful. I love the time I have had with the Humane Society thus far, enough to continue on into next semester.
Again, what I do at the humane society is to give dogs a playmate and to take them out on walks outside. If it weren't for people like me, then the dogs would stay in their kennels the whole day. Also, as I have volunteered for more than 10 hours I became a certified pet handler which means I am allowed to take the dogs out myself from their cages and can also help other volunteers or prospective animal buyers take the dog/cat out they so desire. The reception I have had with the animals and people who work at the shelter is definitely positive. The Humane Society is an underserved population, as they are CONSTANTLY in need of people to take the dogs out, as the people working there have other duties they need to handle such as feeding the dogs and cleaning their cages, working the front desk, handling all documentations, etc. The list is endless. The reception I get there is always positive as my service there is constantly needed.
My experience in this individual service project is different from the group one as it is just that, individual. The responsibility is up to me to ensure I get the hours done, and that I am handling myself well at the shelter. With the group project, the responsibility is shared. Honestly I liked the individual project better so far because 1. I get to work with animals and this is one of my passions and 2. it is my own responsibility; I don't need to rely on others to get the job done.
If anyone reading this gets the chance, go to the Humane Society. :)