This semester I enrolled in this course to fulfill the service experience requirement in the honors program. I had taken CIS 112 last spring and really enjoyed my time at God’s Pantry. I had felt that I was making a difference in my community by being there. I have always been interested in nutrition and so this organization was a perfect fit. I then did a non-profit project for WRD 203 with a group of pre-vet students. We worked with The Kentucky Wildlife Center to raise awareness about rescuing and rehabilitation Kentucky’s native wildlife. We did not have to put in any hours here but we did have to go and do interviews about the mission and the financials of the organization. Looking back I guess this was a form of a needs assessment. We were making a video and were trying to find out what they wanted put in the video for the public to know. I have greatly enjoyed my experiences with non-profits in the past despite my own questions on the subject. I have always struggled with the relief aspect of non-profit work. I found this quote last semester which I think is one of the most fitting explanations of what my views on non-profits are. The quote went “the rehabilitation is key, but relief is necessary. And I will keep giving relief until the problem is solved.” This class has given me a new lens through which to look at the non-profit sector. I enjoyed being able to learn about the five pillars in this class. I was able to use them as a guide for how mutually beneficial service should be. I definitely agreed with the reciprocity pillar because I do think that the only way problems can be successfully fixed is by having those with the knowledge and capabilities to make change work hand in hand with those who are suffering and know what they really need. I also liked the pillars of partnership and capacity building. This was personal for me because my father and grandfather all work really hard to provide for their families. I can’t imagine the dedication that it takes to put in a 60-70 hour week and then also coach my basketball team. I was fond of this pillar because I am a strong believer that you have to work to better your own situation. I really think that the development side of non-profit should grow. I think that like the quote relief is necessary but should be scaled down as more people go through the rehabilitation process and again become self-sustaining members of society. I was terribly interested to see how this played out at a place like the Salvation Army especially after hearing about the Doe Fund. I had two opposite experiences while working at the front office. I was assigned to shred some documents of old case files and went over to the lodge to get them. I saw a lot of people that went to talk to the case workers about their situations, whether or not they ever followed through I don’t know. I do know that many of the people that come to shelter often return, sometimes several times. I also saw a young woman talking about the random drug test that are done at the Salvation Army. My mind automatically went to why am I helping someone who waste their money on drugs? But then I remembered the class lessons about legislative and social barriers like stereotyping that these people have to face. I decided to go into these volunteer hours with an open mind and listen to what the people there have to say. I really thought that this was a good thing especially after talking to the workers in the Boys’ and Girls’ Club and hearing their aspirations for the kids. Throughout this course, pillars like these have helped me to hopefully be a better servant at these organizations. Hopefully, I will have made a difference in someone’s life by working with them as a partner who was willing to help and also to listen.
-- Ashley Mattingly
-- Ashley Mattingly