CBS Service Learning students have submitted these statements at the end of their service committments.
The statements are shown with student permission, and provide insight about the value of the program for all parties.
G.O. Mohawk has allowed me to experience a different way of life unbeknownst to me. Before my trip to the G.O. Mohawk Community, I had never met a Native American or truly gotten a chance to understand their culture. I think the greatest insight I gained from G.O. Mohawk, was the notion of being thankful. The Native American individuals emphasized this whenever they spoke with us and also conveyed it in their day-to-day living. This concept tied in closely with Global Outreach's pillar of spirituality, which I can say was strenghtened as a result of this trip. I often find myself reminiscing the moments spent on the Kanatsiohareke (Ga-na-joe-ha-lay:gay) Mohawk Community. I promise myself to never let those memories fade--even if I tried, I don't believe it would be possible.
Jeanette Asabere
Volunteering at Concourse House has been an amazing experience for me. Concourse House is a place for homeless women and their young children to live. There are 42 families that live there. Concourse House has many programs set up that enable the women to assume responsibility for themselves and their children. It also works to get these women prepared for today’s work force and bring stability to their families. I worked at the after-school program where I helped the kids with homework and did other fun activities with them. These kids do not have a lot. Anything you can give to them they more than appreciate. They are a great group of kids and I have really grown close to them. The director of the program, Homesh, is a great guy and really appreciates any help he can get. I did not have one bad experience while volunteering at Concourse House and I will continue to volunteer there for the rest of my time here at Fordham. I strongly recommend volunteering here if you enjoy kids, and want to make a difference in someone’s life. They do not have a lot of positive influence in their lives, but they are still young enough to not really realize it yet. These kids are in great need for people to be there for them, and through volunteering here you may accomplish that. Overall, I have no complaints about volunteering at Concourse House and highly recommend at least trying it out if you are interested.
Lizzy Neal
For me, participating in various community service projects has been one of the greatest highlights of the semester. I volunteer at Phipps Head Start, which is a day care/ learning program for 2-5 year-olds coming from underprivilged families. I help the kids with active learning, either in the drawing section, the building blocks area, the sand box, the kitchen, or the science table area. I teach them, and they really do pick up the things I tell them. It's funny how they quickly immitate anything I do. I also take them outside to play in the park, and it's so much fun. Besides teaching the kids, I also bond with them emotionally. There's a couple of "special needs" children, and I love working with them. As a volunteer, I have the opportunity to help those kids in way that their teachers don't have time to. Sometimes the teachers are so busy just keeping 35 kids in line all day that they don't have time to really pay attention to individuals. So as a volunteer, it's nice to know you can make a differnce in a kid's life. I'm also on the E-board for Big Brother and Big Sisters, which is an amazing group. It's a great volunteer opportunity for anybody on campus, even if you don't have time. You're not required to go to every single event. If you see a flier, just come to the event. It really helps out the club, and it does a lot for the kids. For instance, BBBS holds a toy drive every Christmas season, and the toys that go to some of the kids are the only toys they get. So whatever you can do means a lot.
Dominique Severino
I believe that a project is what you make of it. I volunteered at the NY Botanical Gardens at the Children's Garden. It was a really great experience and I learned a lot about nature and the environment while volunteering. Also I met a lot of other FU students who were volunteering with me. All of the families and kids who came to visit were awesome. At times I sat down with some kids read books to them, and played with the puzzels and other toys that are there. Through this I was able to teach them what I know about nature and the Children's Garden. This made my experience a lot better on days when the garden was not that busy. The garden staff is really helpful and grateful to their volunteers. I have had a really good experience here, but I think that next year I am going to do something different that relly gives back to the community that we live in. The gardens is a great place, and an easy way to volunteer your time to a NYC famous non-profit landmark. But if you want to truely give to people who don't have as much as you have, a better place is an organization like P.O.T.S. where you are directly involved with people who need your help. Good Luck and remember that volunteering is what you make of it.
Vanessa Mortillaro
Hey everyone. Let me start off by saying if you are interested or thinking about doing CBA Service I highly recommend it. It is a great program! When choosing a service do not think about the convenience or the easiness of the community ervice, really think of does this interest me, how beneficial is this going to be not only to me but the community. I say this because when you take on a service that you are interested in, and feel like it can really make a difference, it is very fulfilling. You will, and can never know how much it influences the lives of others as well as your self until the end. In many cases you truly come out a changed person. Personally, I feel that I was the one to gain the most from my services at the Boys and Girls Club, Big sisters, and the St. Martin of Tours Church. Through these experiences I really learned about myself. For example, I learned what my capabilities are, and how much I had to offer to others that I never knew I had. I also realized that I have very good time management skills and was able to take on more hours than I expected. Also, that my stories and life experiences were a great help to kids who are less fortunate, in a sense, I felt like I was giving them hope. When doing CBA service you should want it to be a good experience, one that you enjoy going to not dreading. Really think about what you want to do before you go ahead and jump into it. If you enjoy working with children I strongly suggest joining programs such as the Big Brothers and Big Sisters or the Boys and Girls Club. They are great programs that are very close to and on campus. The Boys and Girls Club and the Big Brothers and Big Sisters meet at different location in the Bronx as well as in Martyr Court right on Fordham University's campus. This CBA Community Servce experience has taught me alot not only about myself, but about others. If I had not taken the opportunity to be part of this experience, I may not have discovered how much I love working with underpriviledged children. I was able to share my knowledge and life stories with these children that will hopefully assist them in the future. I recommend strongly to other college students to work with either, or both, The Boys and Girls Club and The Big Sister Big Brother Programs. Volunteers are always needed for these amazing programs. These two programs are not only a fun learning experience, but you are also making a difference. You may not be able to see the difference that you are making for these children right away, but the truth is every word, every interaction that you have with one of these children is influencing their lives for the positive. You also encounter very few problems when working with these children because most of them are so excited to be there. You are overall working in a fun, happy, and learning environment. Well good luck and trust me you will not regret joining this program; I know I will be doing it again next semester
