Sorry Old People, Your Grandkids are Cooler

Old People make me Sad

Old People can Eat!

Amazing Grace pt. 4

Once again, I'm back at the Amazing Grace carehome with more of LeeTee! I came to the carehome around 6PM and she was eating her dinner. She said she wanted me to come back after her doctor appointment to read her the other half of her bed time story.. Cinderella! I went home and did homework until 9PM.. which was when I went back to the care home to read LeeTee her bed time story. By the time I was there, she was already snuggled into her bed with her jammies on. As soon as she heard me walk in, she got really excited. I decided to bring in a little treat with me to enjoy her story time. I baked her brownies when she was at the doctors, so they were fresh. So while I read her the ending to Cinderella she had some brownies and milk. After seeing how much she enjoyed my company, I felt really good about myself because the look on her face was really heartwarming. On another note, ever since this day I've been coming in and out of the Amazing Grace Carehome to visit LeeTee and bake her goodies.

church fundraising

Its time again to decide where i would like to do some volunteer hours. I was thinking if i should try something different or if i should do one of the other things ive done already. This time i worked at the same location but did something different, at holy spirit church. This time i worked a booth at the festival. I did this with some of my friends just so i wouldnt be that bored.

What i had to do at the booth was try and sell food for a fundraiser for the church. We were trying to get some money to help the school out. We had many booths throughout the holy spirit parking lot. We had food, games, and a stage, for singing and dancing. Working at the booth was fun because its good to know you are serving for a good cause.

What ive learned at this fundraiser is that its jot easy to keep up the pace. You need to be quick and prepared so that the line doesnt back up. I also learned that doing something for others is a good feeling. Everyone is having a good time while feeding the hungry church goers and helping the holyspirit church school.

feeding the elderly

For my next set of community service, i didn’t know if i should volunteer at the same place or if i should try something new. I thought it would be nice to try something new, so i did. This time i volunteered at my local church here in fremont, Holy Spirit. I didnt know that the church, after certain massed, has a small breakfast/lunch service for the people who attended that mass.

So after the mass i went to the small hall, where the elderly ate, and i helped prepare the food. We had salad, mixed fruit, soup, and some brownies. After preparing the food, Father Matt came in and led the prayer. After doing that i had to help hand out the food to everyone there, and there was at least 50+ elderly people. Of course once everyone was finished eating their meal i had to help clean up. And let me tell you, cleaning you was the worst part of this whole thing because i had to sort everything out from trash, recycle, and compost.

Honestly, i enjoyed volunteering there. Why? Because all the elderly people are so nice. Theyre so sweet hearted. I liked it also because i know i was really helping them out, and because the fact that theyre old and they cant really move like they used too, i know that they were really glad that they had someone to help them with this kind of stuff. I would like to volunteer here again in the future.

Pow Wow

The last day for the Native American Studies Program was Saturday June 9,2012. They ended it with a Pow Wow which is a small gathering where they dance and they have jewelry, leather, shoes, purses and other really interesting things that they make. When I got there I saw many people there. They were mostly watching the dancers who had some really interesting outfits. Many Native Americans had feathers and really colorful jewelry and leather shoes. Some had booths where they were selling hand made jewelry, kits to make leather purses, clothes, and other things. I went to every booth and I bought a few things like crystal rocks and this really nice rock with a horse craved in it. The horse is suppose to symbolize inner power freedom. Thats one of the things I really like about the Native American culture everything has a meaning.
As we walked over to the next booth we noticed a really big pipe we asked the person what it was for and he said that in the transition of  a boy to a man they were to smoke out of the pipe with their father. Also whenever they had company over they would ask the man to have a smoke to show them respect and welcoming. Mike who was the man in charge of the booth said that women werent allowed to touch the pipe in fact they werent allowed to do what men did like shoot arrows or throw spheres something Mike said that really caught my attention was "women are givers of life men are takers of life" what he meant was that since women could give birth they gave life therefore shouldn't take life by killing that was a men's job. He also said that when there were many men in charge it was usually the elder woman who made critical decisons in the tribe. This was really intresting to know.
We then walked over to the dancers and there were these little girls with some really nice outfits I asked if I could take a picture with them and they said yes. Then I met this older dancer who wore a really nice outfit with lots of feathers and bead he told me that the Pow Wow waa a gathering where all tribes came together. I asked him how he felt about the way their lands were taken away from them and he told me the coolest story about how his great great great grandfather was the first Native American to become a U.S citizen. I found his story really intresting.
I really enjoyed working with the Native American program I learned so much about their culture and it made me realize how we all see things in a different way. For example, my culture can be similar to the Native American culture but it can be really different as well. The kids I met from the different trbes thaught me so much about them and how they are different. Unfortunetly the Native American Studies Program is over due to school ending so we wont be able to go till school starts. Im really glad me and Edgar joined this program and I cant wait to go back.

Nothing Else but Pow Wow

June 9, 2012 was the last day for the Native American Program. They ended the program with a Pow Wow, which is a small gathering where they have many different activites throughout the day. They have many booths like jewelry, leather, shoes, purses, and other interesting things of the Native Americans.  When we arrived the first thing that i saw was all the booths filled up with people. They had a variety of things in every booth. Me and Jazmin had enough time to go to all of the booths. But there was one that caught my attention, it was a booth with hand made leather purses and shoes and another booth with handmade pipes and flutes. The thing that was very interesting of the leather purses and shoes was that they looked and how sturdy they seemed. They felt very comfortable and smooth. What i liked about the pipe booth was the meaning of the pipe. The meaning of the pipe is the transition from a boy to a man. When a boy proves to be a man him and his father smoke and this is how they bond. I found that very interesting because i have never heard of that before.

Something else that caught my attention was their outfits, they had all kinds of nice colored decorated beads and feathers. I really enjoyed my last day at the Pow Wow. It was really fun and i learned so much about the Native American  culture. Hopefully Jazmin and I can go back next year. We choose this program because we both felt that we didnt know much about the Native Americans. But in these couple of weeks I learned so much about them and how my culture is the same and different from theres. Hopefully the kids learned many things from us, not just our culture but how everybody is different in each others way.

The Finale

Kellie and I starting the walk

This has been one of the best experiences of my life. I never knew that the day would actually come to walk 18 miles overnight in San Francisco. Yesterday, Kellie and I went to San Francisco and headed towards Fort Mason where the initial walk started. We were both wearing our AFSP t-shirts, and had our new walking shoes on. As we got to Fort Mason, we saw so many other people that had the same shirt as us. I’m guessing there was about 2,000 people there on the grass waiting to start the walk. When we got there, we checked in and walked around for a bit. There were a lot of booths around and one booth had a wheel to spin, so we spun it and got free bracelets that said AFSP on them. Another booth had beads that you could grab. The beads symbolized how you have experienced suicide yourself. I grabbed the blue beads which meant I supported the organization, and then I grabbed the silver beads which meant that I knew someone who was a soldier who committed suicide. There were a lot more colors as well that symbolized different things.

SO MANY PEOPLE!

When we finished walking around, we decided to sit down for the opening ceremony. At the beginning, the staff started a big stretch group. It was really cool to see all of us stretch because there was about 2000 people there which made it look really cool. After the stretching was done, the opening ceremony began and people started sharing their own experiences on suicide. One man talked about how his husband committed suicide and than his dad right after. And then another man talked about how his teenage daughter committed suicide while she was in college. I never really thought that this was going to be an emotional experience for me, but after hearing those stories made me so emotional. Kellie and I literally couldn’t stop crying. I think everyone that was there at least had a couple tears from this. But the stories gave us a lot of motivation to complete this walk and it influenced everyone to finish strong.

After the opening ceremony, we started our walk, and it was awesome! It was like we were all one clan walking with all this power. I felt really strong and capable of walking the 18 miles. The walk was great, the weather was really nice, and the people around me were so supportive and friendly. There were a couple of rest stops that had snacks and then at midnight there would be a small meal handed out. But Kellie and I brought food instead because we didn’t know what was being handed out. During the early morning hours it got a little chilly. During the walk the staff handed out these foil blankets that would keep us warm. Everyone had one of these blankets so it made the walking much louder with all the crunching from them. I thought it was really funny because we all looked like baked potatoes wrapped in foil. 

The Finish Line

Closing Ceremony

The walk was really tiring for us but we got through it because we had so much motivation from everyone else. Once we got back to fort mason at dawn, we felt so accomplished. This was one of the greatest moments of my life when I finished the walk. Everyone was cheering us on as we got back. I was cold, tired, and emotionally drained, but the generosity and positive attitude from everyone else made me in a great mood as I finished.  Walking for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has made me realize that suicide is a big deal and we need to help prevent things like this from happening. I’m so proud that I contributed to this organization, and I hope I made a difference in someone’s life that has thought about suicide.  

Catching the Dreams

Jazmin and I went to the Native American Program again. Christina was very excited that we've been going because most people only go for a couple a days and never return. And now she says they can do more projects because they can make smaller groups and there easy to control. We have been going for the past couple of weeks because we both have so much fun helping the kids and doing fun projects with them.I also think they enjoy us going because they always want to be around us.

One of the project we did was making a dream catcher. The dream catcher was very fun to make but it was also hard. Christina gave us a kit filled with all of the materials that we would need to make a dream catcher. There meant to catch the bad dreams and let the good dreams go to the sleeper. Hopefully it catches all my bad dreams because Christina let us keep them. The thing that really pops out of me is how the native americans have a totally different culture. Even though we do not know all of there culture is was nice to know some of it. We are very excited to return and keep doing more projects with the kids and learning more about there culture.

Dream catchers

Last week me and Edgar went to the Native American program. We got their and sat in a table where all the kids were at. We knew they had been testing so we asked them how that went. Most of the responses were just whinning, they said it was hard and boring. Others said it was easy and fun since they didnt get homework. Then Christina walked in and told us she had something fun planned. She put us in groups of three and gave us each a bag. She instructed us to take everything out of the bag and set it on the table. In the bag there was a circled branch, colorful yarn, string, beads, and feathers. She then said we were making dream catchers. Dream catchers have several meanings to different tribes. Some believe that dreams are sent by sacred spirits as messages and in the center of their Dream Catcher there is a hole which allow good dreams to reach the sleeper. As for bad dreams the web traps them and they disappear at dawn with the first light. I was really excited to make this although it was difficult. I had to have a lot of patience and try really hard not to mess up. After I was done doing the web I glued on the fathers and waited for them to dry.

It was so much fun making the Dream Catcher. What I enjoyed the most was learning about the Native American culture and what the dream catchers symbolize for them. I find their culture extremely intresting because they see the world in their own way they make everything have a meaning and a purpose.

Finally!

I tried to volunteer a third day at Dolly's this Saturday but they weren't open. I ended up having to volunteer at the Salvation Army again. The Salvation Army looks terrible compared to Dolly's. At least I'm getting my hours and working for a worthy cause. I had to hang up clothes and put toys in bins. The clothes were mostly baby clothes and they were hard to fit onto thw huge hangers. Trying to figure out how they'll fit took the longest time! After I finished hanging up a bag full, my aunt handed me two bags of toys. A lot of the toys were broken and I didn't understand why someone would donate broken stuff. I had to throw around 15 toys away because they were either broken or in really bad condition. A whole bunch of stuffed animals were filthy and stained with who knows what. I ended up filling up only one bin of toys that day and of course, I had to clean up already cleaned tables again. The tables weren't dirty! None of the clothes we hung up or any of the toys touched the tables! I don't understand why the heck i had to clean these darn tables. I think the other volunteers just wanted me out of their way. Oh well, I finished my hours and got what I needed as well as helping out the community.

This social issue is important because there are a lot of people in need of clothing for their children, food, toys, and any other supplies that can help them push through hard times. Donating to and supporting charities such as Dolly's and the Salvation Army can and will help the community and can help people fight against a financial struggle. Doing good for others has an affect on you and the whole community. Any little thing you do for a charity can make a huge difference in peoples lives.

Same old Same old

I volunteered a second time at Dolly's Closet.  We had to do the same old thing, hang up clothes and put toys in bins. The clothes were so dirty. I hope the people taking the clothes will wash them. My aunt and I were wearing white gloves and by the time we were finished hanging up 3 bags full of clothes, our fingers turned yellow. It was disgusting. A lot of the clothes donated this time were brand new. They had the price tags and stickers still on them. The clothes were pretty stylish too. I know the people taking the clothes home were really appreciative that they were mostly new and in good condition. This time around, my aunt was packing food into bags to give to the people. Fresh fruit, muffins, eggs, bread, and milk. After the clothes were hung up i had another job to do. Whenever the boss rang the bell, I had to run to the front counter, grab a ticket, then run back to the fridge to give the paper to this woman who took her job too seriously. She was probably the only downer in the whole store. It was nice to see all the people smiling once they left with clothes, shoes, and food. It made my day.

This social issue is important because many people can't afford to buy clothes, food or shoes and need all the support they can get. Many thrift stores sell cheap clothes and other items, but at Dolly's it's always free.  People love all the help they get from Dolly's and can come home with new things for their family.  Many families are helped by stores such as Dolly's.  There are places that donate goods to thrift stores and other charities to help the needy.  Many people are able to save up money for their family when they dont have to pay for food, clothes, and other items.  These charities help people when they really need financial help and support.

Amazing Grace Pt. 3

As you have seen in my past posts, I have been helping the same person at the same mental care home named LeeTee at Amazing Grace. Once again, I have helped her this time around again. Well, due to me having a late schedule at work and tight schedules around the week, I had to come in at 9PM. When I came in, LeeTee was getting ready for bed. I felt really rude because I felt like a disturbance. I asked the care giver what he needed help with and what I could do to help LeeTee during night time. He said that LeeTee really likes stories, so I decided to read her a book to sleep. I read her Cinderella. By the time I was half way done with it, she had fallen asleep. So I decided that the next time I was going to volunteer, I would read to her the second half of Cinderella. So by detail, I dressed LeeTee up in her sleeping clothes along with the caregiver. LeeTee's blind so we had to guide her to her bed and help her get tucked in. I pulled up a chair and sat next to her reading the short summary of Cinderella off my phone. Apparently, Cinderella and Snow White were her favorite Disney characters because she used to read them to her children. She also told me that for halloween, her children all dressed up as Disney characters and she made the Cinderella costume. Overall, I really like how LeeTee and I have bonded to a close friendship throughout the volunteer experience that I had with them. I seemed to be a really close friend of hers now and she tells me a lot about her past.

i'm back

So for my fourth community service location I went ahead and volunteered at the Centerville Presbyterian Church again. I headed over there after school today, and since I've volunteered  here before, the ladies let me start as soon as I got there. I went and got my community service paper filled up, and was ready to lend a helping hand. There was a line like last time, but let me tell you.. This time it was a whole lot more, all sorts of people were standing in line, from ages 7 to elderly men and women. I went ahead to the kitchen and got my apron on, and came back into the front room to meet up with everyone so we can all say prayer. After that, like usual, we opened the doors and the people started rushing in. 


This time around, I didn't only help set up things, the ladies at the church let me pass out food to all people that were in line. Which was a pretty cool experience, because I was actually being included and doing something hands on. It's crazy how this place is probably the only place some of these people can get a hardy meal at, and yet they weren't being greedy or picky at all. I was actually really inspired from their reactions. We were pretty much serving the same things as last time, but some people had donated ice cream, and I helped serve ice cream to all the little kids. This was a nice treat, especially on a hot day that today was.


I guess this organization also relates to poverty, not being able to fulfill your basic needs just because of a foolish thing like money. It's truly amazing to see these wonderful people, like me and you just being able to have somewhere to rely on. Some of these homeless people have such strong and fascinating personalities, to have such strong hope and faith in the world when they probably don't have anything except the clothes on their back and their family on their side. I'm glad I went here the first time, because that's what kept me coming back one last time. This church is filled with the sweetest staff and a great kind of energy that fills the place, I'm happy I took the time to volunteer here.

My Last Days

Going to Cabrillo for the fourth time, I started to realize this is the last time I will be volunteering. As this equity project comes to an end, I will always keep this memories that I had with these kids helping out with their homework, playing soccer, and the indoor activities. I enjoyed coming out and helping these kids and teaching them things as they taught me things as well. I feel like I benefited these kids by volunteering them as a get a warm joyous feeling when helping these kids out.

On Monday, after school I arrived to Cabrillo to see that they were not in their seats doing homework, but instead having an activity, which was Karate. The activity was taught by a karate instructor and his two assistance as they helped the kids in self defense. It was interesting to hear that these kids do this every Monday and it looked fun. I think this sort of activity is good for these kids as it can clear kids minds from stressful schoolwork and also getting a good workout out of it. I am glad that Prop 49 exists for these kids, as it brings assistance to students and support for education in a safe, constructive environment, providing alternatives for children after school, instead of wasting it with other nonproductive activities. After karate I helped the kids for their homework for the last time.

This whole project experience was an eye opener as it brought me to help these kids. I enjoyed helping these kids and appreciate prop 49 and the staff for taking this initiative of the after school program. It benefits these students by raising their grades in school instead of being non productive after school.Volunteering teaches us that helping out is a good thing to make a change in society and in ourselves. That hopefully we will still help further on and make a difference for others and help them became a better successful person. It can be a something little or something big that we could make a change on someones live and that will make us a better person as we reach for equity.I will not forget this experience and will return next year to visit these kids as they opened my heart to volunteer. 

See you later, NOT goodbye!

I decided that i would keep comign back to cabrillo. These kids are really fun to work with and i wouldnt want to just stop coming. I enjoy coming out and helping these kids and teaching them things everyday. Not only do I teach them but they have taught me many things aswell. I really like this after school program because these kids have benefited from it. I talked to one of the teachers the other day and she actually told me that many of these kids have gotten better grades than when they started the school year and that the kids who had behavior issues get in trouble a lot less. This made me happy because i know that i have become a part of something that is changing someones life even if it is a small change.

Today was a very chill day. I helped the kids out with their homework. They dont have much because its the end of the week and its almost the end of the school year. I think its funny how these kids are just like us. They cant wait for school to end and summer to officialy begin. Once they were done with their homework the kids went outside and just chilled in the playground.

My experience with this equity project has been amazing. I got to meet new people through out this program and remeber bits of my childhood. Its funny how a lot of these kids remind me of me when i was smaller. I will definetly be coming back to help out these kids again.

Kick Ball ! ! !

When school ended me and Steve went straight to Cabrillo. When we got there we did the usual thing, we went to the office to sign in then we went to the class room and check in. After i checked in i went with my little buddy's Oscar and Maria. I had to read to them before we went outside to play some kickball, we read the same book about bread oscar likes that book. After we finished reading we went outside to play kickball. It was my team against Steve's team , oscar was in my team he kicks the ball hard for a little kid maybe because he likes to play soccer. My team was beating Steves team and Steve was really trying and he was kicing the ball hard so he can win.

At the end of the Kickball game Steve's team won, but it didnt matter because everyone was having fun and left happy at the end of the day. We went back to the class room to sign out and we were helping cleaning up the room putting up the chairs and putting back the books. After we finished i was waiting for Oscar and Maria to get picked up because oscar was always the last one to get picked up. And it seemed like he was scared to wait for his parents by himself. So i waited with him to get picked up. After they came to picked him up from school i went to the office to sign out. It was a good day.

Our Last Day x(

Coming back to cabrillo for our last time, we announced to all the little kids that we would not be coming back after this day. They all awhed at us and asked us why. We explained that we were volunteering and that we were going to be finished with our project. The kids had to do homework packets but they had completed most of it the day before. They all had just math to finish as they find math the most difficult subject and they get confused.

Me and Andy circulated around the room very fast helping all the kids finish up their math work. After all the little kids got help, we were done so their was nothing to do. The teachers said "it was fine, you guys can play hang man or heads up 7 up." We had a vote count on who wanted to play what. Heads up 7 up won, so we chose 7 kids to step up in front of the class and the rest had to put their heads down. We played the game a couple rounds and switched to hangman because me and Andy wanted to write words on the board that the kids would not get. The kids actually ended up winning like 2 times out of 5. We chose some hard words. Playing these types of games the time goes very fast and as soon as you know it me and Andy were saying bye to all the little kids.

Volunteering at cabrillo turned out better then I thought. It was fun, we got to help out a lot of kids in need of help. Things were done and completed. We even got the chance to play activities with the kids and play some games inside of class. It was a experience I never had done before but after doing it I feel good about myself that I actualy helped out. Mr.Hudson had told me if I volunteer a lot and I'm commited to helping out on after school programs she would end up giving me a job forever! Maybe not forever but a part time job or something just for extra cash. After all, everything turned out great and went home!

Crazy Work Outs

This time when we went to the studio I was super excited. The little girl that I wrote about in my last post her name is Yssabell. She’s about five I was really excited to try to dance or teach them again but this time they did more of the work out practices. Where they work on there core and arm muscles and leg muscles. I honestly didn’t realize how many muscles you use while they danced. The last times we were at the studio I thought I was just sore from soccer the day because it was so fun and I didn’t feel it until this time.
I do soccer and gymnastics for like 3 months I thought those work outs were hard. Those work outs that those girls go through are crazy and the fact that they are so little and doing it. We did a lot of things I had done before we stretched for about twenty minutes, in soccer you stretch for like five at practice and go into it. This was way different after the stretches we did other work out things that have names in Hawaiian but don’t really translate. One of the ones I thought was super hard was where you walked like a duck but you had to keep your arms straight out. Keeping your arms out you would think would be the simplest thing but it was actually really hard because they get sore from being like that. When we took a break I couldn’t wait to sit down. Its so tiring and the practice wasn’t even close to being over.
The second part of the practice all the little girls and older girls put the entire dance together since it wasn’t the first time they had tried this and the little girls had gotten better it worked really good. This is the part where Alicia and I got to just watch. It was weird because even though we were standing off to the side we kept on moving incase the little ones got stuck but they didn’t, for the most part. They kept repeating the dance over and over again. It looked really good by the time we left.

Take time to do something good

So for my third community service location, I picked a place called Dolly's closet in Newark. Dolly's closet is a place where all sorts of things are being donated to the less fortunate. The main purpose of this organization is to offer clothing to the people who really can't afford to go out and buy it. I chose this place because I was in desperate need of a place to volunteer at and Adriana told me how her aunt works at a place called Dolly's closet, when she told me about the organization I automatically knew I wanted to check this place out. I went over to Adriana's house right after school today and we left our things there and headed over to Newark. When we got there, we got introduced to everyone, and got started pretty quickly. The ladies that worked there were probably the funniest people I had ever met, especially Adriana's aunt. As we pulled up to Dolly's closet, there was already a line of people waiting to get in. As soon as those doors opened, everyone would rush in.

The front room was just a plan rectangular room with a bunch of clothing racks spaced neatly all over the room. Each rack had different kinds of clothing, and most of them were labeled, for example "women's skirts, young men or toddlers." There was an office desk at one end, that's where you get all your paper work done and you get registered to get your stuff. At the other two corners were shelves that included things like shoes, hair products, goodie bags, hygiene products, etc. We got started in the back room, where all the magic happens! The back room had all the things that were donated, things like food, clothes, and simple all around the house products that everyone needs. The ladies told me and Adriana to open the big black garbage bags and hang all the clothes that are in them. There were a couple of racks in the back room, with like millions and millions of hangers hanging on them. There were like 10 huge bags, with clothes that ranged from little kid clothes to teens like me and you and to the elderly. When we hung the things, we went out into the front room to arrange the clothes in the racks. Sometimes we wouldn't even need to because as soon as we rolled the rack into the room, the people would just take them off that rack. 

I really had a good time volunteering at this place, it really made me appreciate the things I have. I mean I know that's really cliche because people say that all the time, but do they really mean it? I'm sure we get told to appreciate what we have multiple times on a daily basis, mostly by our mom. We usually just push it off to the side but when you see something like what I saw today, it really opens up your eyes. I think this organization connects to the fact that poverty exists, it's out there and it's waiting to be noticed. It really inspired me to see that these people that have their own life to run come in here and spend time to help the people that don't a lot of attention from time to time. It really did make me have a whole different perspective on poverty, and on families that worry about what they should feed their kids tomorrow for dinner, I'm glad I chose Dolly's closet. 

Partner in Crime

Nabila and I volunteered at this organization called Dolly's Closet in Newark.  Again, my aunt was the one who introduced me to this organization. It looked like a typical thrift store.  There was a line with around 30 people standing outside Dolly's.  We entered the store and I felt really awkward because I wasn't sure what I was going to do as my task.  Nabila and I went to the back of the store where there were about 6 other women volunteering there.  Many of them were friendly and fun, but there was 1 that I thought took this job a little too seriously.  All the women who volunteered were "regulars" and knew exactly what they were doing.  First we were told to put boxes of hair dye on the shelves in the store.  This made me feel good because people actually donated "luxury" items and people were able to get make up, hair dye, new shoes, and beautiful unused clothing.  After we put all the boxes on the shelves, we were told to hang up clothes.  There were so many clothes! Stacks and stacks of bags full of clothes!  We probably hung up a little over 250 pieces of clothing during the 2 hours we were at Dolly's.  There were bags of food that were provided for the customers if they had a ticket that they received at the front desk where the woman in charge would sit.  Each time the bell at the front desk rang, a woman would rush down the hall to grab the ticket and give it to the woman filling the bags with food.  Once we filled the rack of clothes, we had to roll the rack out into the main room and hang up the clothes where they belonged from Infant clothing to Men's clothing.  There were so many people in the store looking at all the clothes and half the clothes we hung up were taken home that day.  There were so many smiling faces in the store and the volunteers seemed really happy that they were able to help people in need.  I felt like we actually made a difference in people lives.  My Aunty Renee told us that we were able to take a few things home for ourselves.  Nabila and I were always eyeballing the nice things that were donated to Dolly's.  We took a few cookies for ourselves.  I don't know about Nabila, but I felt like I was stealing from the people in need! The volunteers just laughed at us when we said that. Although I was totally exhausted after working for 2 straight hours on foot, I felt like it was fully worth it and I will definitely volunteer at Dolly's Closet again.

This social issue is important because there are so many people around the TriCity area that need help financially and can really used help from these organizations.  Free food and clothes were provided for these people and they were able to have luxury items as well.  People will especially need all this help during the holidays so they will be able to give their family and friends a great dinner and even some gifts.  Seeing that people are so appreciative of all the help volunteers provide them is really a satisfying feeling.

Are you kidding me?

This Saturday I visited my Aunt Renee in Newark. She has been on welfare for 13 years. Since being on Welfare doesn't just "hand you free money," you have to volunteer for community service. The Salvation Army is an organization that provides help to all people who are going through financial crisis'. This is where she volunteers the most.  People come from all over the TriCity area for this help. The Salvation Army provides items from food to clothing up to gifts for major holidays.  My aunt was in charge of keeping inventory. Any new items that were donated recently had to be put on a list and put in a stock room.  I had to hang up clothes, some that smelled really disgusting.  I probably hung up around 200 clothes by myself.  Around half of them had stains on parts where there really shouldn't be stains.  I was really uncomfortable with doing this task.  I didn't feel like the people donating the items were really donating them because they felt like they were doing a good deed.  I felt like they were just trying to clean up around their house or something.  All the stuff donated was really worn out.  If I were to donate things to the Salvation Army, I would at least make sure that the clothes were in better condition than how I saw them.  The people volunteering with me were really appreciative for all the things donated.  There weren't many people that came in to look for clothes or toys but they were looking for food for their family.  The Salvation Army had bags full of fresh produce, bread, canned goods, and juices.  Around 5 groups of people came in while I was volunteering.  About 2 groups of people had children with them.  The children actually passed up the toys we had on display.  I was shocked, but the toys were in poor condition.  I just wish that people would donate better looking toys.  
After I was finished hanging up clothes, my aunt had me clean tables.  I was kind of upset about it because I thought I was going to be continuously doing something that can help someone except cleaning stupid tables.  The tables weren't even dirty! My aunt told me that during the summer, they throw events to try to get people to donate to the organization.  One event was Bingo.  It sounded like it was a lot of fun.  Hopefully when this event happens I'll be there to either play or help advertise the game.  I'm kind of excited to volunteer again but I'm also hesitant because I really do not want to be stuck cleaning already clean tables.  


The social issue is important because there are millions of people in the US alone that are having a hard time financially and they depend on organizations like this to support their family and themselves.  Organizations like this are everywhere.  People appreciate all the help they can get when they're going through rough times.  Help with food and clothing can really save a few bucks in their pocket and with that money, they can be able to pay off bills and maybe save up for some luxury items for their whole family to enjoy.  

Last Day

For my fourth day of volunteering I chose to go back to Cabrillo since I enjoyed it the other two times I went. It was the same routine as the other times: going there after school, signing in at the office, and going to the class room I help at. Once I signed in at the office I went to room 28 which is the class room I always go to, to volunteer. I got into the class and signed in like the teachers have told me to. The after school program wasn't like last time where the teacher was doing a math lesson on the board. This time the kids were just doing their own thing as in what they needed to get done which was their homework or they would read. One of the teachers in there told me to just walk around and ask if anyone needed help since some of the kids are a bit shy to ask for help, so I did that for a while but no one needed help so I sat down at the big table. Finally a little girl named Monica came up to me because she needed help reading a book called "Dear Dumb Diary". I had her read the story to me and just helped her pronounce some of the words she got stuck on. As she was reading two other little girls came to the big table and joined along, I forgot their names. I had them take turns reading the story. We didn't get through the whole story because time was running out. I ended it short with them because I helped them put their chairs on the table like they're suppose to before they leave the after school program.

This social issue is important because its good to help one another out especially in school, because that is where their future starts at. I really enjoy helping the kids out in room 28 because they're all really nice and seem to like the help they get. I think these after school programs are good for the students because it helps them get their work done since they have about three teachers in the room, enough to help about 15 students. Its a good work environment because most kids cant focus at home since there are a lot of distractions like T.V's and computers etc.

A Trip to the Doctors

For my fourth Equity Project post, Liezel and I decided to go to Palo Alto Medical Center in Fremont to volunteer. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures except for outside of the building.

After school Liezel and I walked to my car and I drove to the medical center that is located near Walnut and Paseo Padre. We parked, walked in and waited for Liezel's mom to come out of the lab area. Liezel's mom came out and directed us to the H.R. person in charge and her name was Arlene. She told us to put all of our stuff in the break room of the Laboratory and she gave us a tour of the medical center. This area wasn't a very crowded hospital since it was only like a clinic. She explained to us how we weren't really able to do much since we didn't do a thorough background check and how it was last minute.

Our first job that we did was push around a lady in a wheelchair to a different part of the hospital. I think this was a really cool thing to do since we were able to talk to patients and help them have a better day. I forgot what this lady's name was unfortunately but she came to the hospital a lot since she had a lot of medical problems that came with age. She was living alone in California so she didn't have family taking care of her. I felt like Liezel and I made her day a little better since we were able to talk to her and have a friendly conversation. She is really used to being alone which made me feel really bad because I feel like as you age, that's when you really need family the most.

After pushing an old lady in a wheelchair, the next job we did was help another little lady move from one area of the hospital to the other. Liezel and I weren't really that used to the medical center so we walked with a nurse to help us around. I remembered this little lady's name which was Barbara. Today she was here for a check up and all we did was walk her from the room where they drew blood to the food cafeteria. Since she just gave blood the doctors made her eat food so Liezel and I accompanied her as she ate. We talked about where she lived and where she grew up and how she lives now. I thought she was so cute and little I wanted to take her home.

Liezel and I didn't do much after eating with Barbara since talking with her took up a lot of the time. After that we greeted patients and put magazines onto the tables. I felt kind of weird and awkward since we were in the waiting room for sick patients...

Overall this was a good volunteer experience. It's nice to talk to new people and learn what their lives are like. Volunteering at hospitals are a good experience to just meet new people and see how they're struggling. You never know how much of an impact you have on somebody because just from what I learned today, not many people have as much family and friends to have that take care of them. The last thing you would ever want is to be sick and not have anybody to care about you. A person that you might see that day, might not be there the next as sad as that sounds. So it's important to always acknowledge all the people around you. My visit to the hospital made me cherish life and not to take a second for granted and another thing I learned was to value my health.

3 stage

we see homeless people everyday and most days we keep on going not stopping to think for a second how that person is going to eat shower or get a hair cut. we don't stop to think.we should all of us and unfortunately not all of us will. that is why nahale and his students get the word out.

as for our volunteering we have our food and gifts signs and flyers now its time to get out there and pass them out i don't mean at school. we go post them in businesses make should everyone who knows anyone knows tat we are doing this and they should come. proving to be the hardest part because it involves alot of traveling going to different auto shops in Fremont getting the word out.

then its back to the shop to take inventory and get a game plan for tomorrow make last min calls in set it up because at 0600 the next day we were setting up and smooth sailing from there. 

A week later

We came back a week later because the principle Ms.Hudson told us to come back in a week because the kids were going to have STAR testing. I came back with Steve G. but this time Daniella was not with us because Ms. Hudson gave her a schedule with the days she had to come. It was only me and Steve , we went to sign in the office then we went to the class room. We had to sign in again , Steve went to his group and i went to my group of two, the same ones from last time Oscar and Maria. I was helping Maria and Oscar with there Language Arts packet. I was wearing my Washington High School sweater and Oscar kept starring at it. He told me if i play soccer i said yes i do, then he kept asking me questions about soccer and Maria was asking me questions about soccer too. whats your favorite soccer team? whose your favorite player? do you score a lot of goals?.

While i was helping Oscar and Maria i noticed that Oscar had a crush on Maria because of the way he acted when Maria would of talk to him. he would of blush and just stare at me. It was time to leave so me and Steve sign out. The teachers told us that we are going to do Activites out side the next day. It should be a good day and we shouldnt miss that day.

Time To Bomb It!

Activites? Me and Andy wern't going to miss this day, seems like fun. After me and Andy got out of school we came straight to cabrillo. As soon as we came to the class the kids were bearly getting ready to take their stuff and head out. I saw that the teacher had a bag of bouncy balls. She explained to us that we were going to be playing kick ball with the kids. I was juiced, kick ball is one of my favorite things I like to play especially when you get that feeling when you kick the ball, and you can Bomb It!

After we came outside, me and Andy were going to instruct the class and pick teams. To make it even I had my team, and Andy had his. Honestly I didn't know what these kids were capable of, so I didn't know if I had chosen my team wisely. Going to the kick ball field me and Andy played rock paper scissors to see who would kick off first. Sadly Andy won the rock paper scissors, so I took my team to the outfield. Through out the game it was pretty even since, the kids cannot kick that hard or catch that well. It was fun and funny at the same time. At the end of the game, my team was kicking and their was 2 kids on bases. Andy's team was beating mine so I decided to kick, knowing that their was 2 of my players on the bases I was going to unleash my Atomic Kick! I kicked it so hard that we won, and Andy got mad at me, I supposedly cheated.

Ever since the teacher told us that we were going to play kickball, I knew I was going to have a great day. All the kids seemed happy aswell, we all had fun together. No one was complaining and everyone had good sportsmenship, when the kids thought that one another were cheating we always would tell them to let it go because after all its just a game. Its just to have fun, and not get angry at people for something that means nothing. But I also told them, you can only get mad if their cheating so much that you can't enjoy playing. After all it was a good day, Me and Andy went home satisfied.

All Kids Aren't Brats

I went to go visit my old elementary school, and they had an afterschool program called Prop49. Which was a program that had fun things for the kids to do, like soccer, basketball, drawing..etc.Its basically letting kids find what they like to do, or what they're good at. I think it's a great program for elementary schools because if school wasn't their thing, then maybe sports will be something they could be very successful in. The kids were so excited for afterschool and to stay just to play and have time with their friends. To them it was another recess that they liked to do and last longer than usual. If you actually got to know these kids, they aren't bad after all. Most of these kids have no choice, but to stay there because their parents are still at work and cant pick them up till later. This program ends around 6pm. There was one little boy who didnt was still waiting on their mom, he looked pretty sad. I thought it was because he wasn't dont playing games. Although, I asked him why he's so sad, and I would never think he would give me that response. He said he didn't want to go home since there's nothing to do and his parents don't pay attention to him. It made me pretty sad to hear that.

The social issue is that afterschool programs are very helpful for those families who don't have the time to pick up their child afterschool. Single parents have to work more than one job to support their families, and good thing these programs end at 6pm which is a good time for those who can't pick up their kids at 3pm. Plus it gives kids the time to get some homework done or even give them something to do because they don't have much  to do at home. Also I think that these programs are good for those kids who are neglected at home, people who help out these programs are really caring towards these children, and it really brings the angel out of them. I would most definitely volunteer again for these afterschool programs. Especially visiting my old elementary school.

What A Smooth Day

Once I got back to volunteering I came with Andy once again. This time Daniela didn't show up, but after talking to Daniela she had told me that the principle had gaven her a schedule/dates on when to come. Me and Andy just show up and volunteer and Mr.Hudson had no problem with that. Back to the same room, the kids were happy to see us again. They look at us like kids, just in bigger form and it funny how they talk to us like if we were in the same grade. Its pretty cool thats why I liked volunteering here, plus it brings me back a lot of good memories that I went threw that makes me the person I am today.

Going back to the room the kids that day were going to be reading individualy. I found out that it was a ELD afterschool program for those who have problems learning in class, or being too distracted. If the kids were reading they would ask for help, or help on understanding words that they didn't know. Thats where me and Andy came into place. We would circulate around the room untill the kids raise their hands and ask for help. Mostly the whole time it was quiet, but all the kids were reading outload silently. After everyone was done reading they were alowed to do any homework they have not completed the day before.

After knowing that the class was in a ELD program made me see that kids actually do need help. Them asking me for help or Andy, makes me feel like we are actually helping the kids that have trouble understanding subjects or reading. The day went great, kids completed their left over homework and the teachers let us go a bit early since we had the class going and actually helping constantly through out our hours. The teachers had told us that the next day the kids were going to be playing outside activites based on votes, so she told us not to miss out!

Back to Cabrillo

In our first volunteer place me and Steve Gonzalez and Daniella Ayala went to volunteer at Cabrillo Elemantary School. In our first day we went to the office and asked them if we would volunteer in the school. The guy told us that there was alot of people voluntering already and it was too full. Me and Steve didnt know where else to go because we needed to volunteer somewhere already as soon as possible. Then we saw daniella talking to the principle and the principle told us that we can volunteer the next day at 3:30 in room 28.

We came back the next day and we had to sign in the office before we go and volunteer in room 28. We went to the room and we told the teachers that we came to volunteer. They told us to sign in againg, so we did and one of the teachers told me that i can start of by reeding a book to two kids and help them read a book about bread. I was helping a kid named Oscar and a girl named Maria.

The little kid had trouble reading in English i was helping the little boy oscar read, he had trouble reading in english. The girl Maria had a little bit of trouble too. Then i noticed that the class was a ELD class, it reminded of me when i was in ELD. It was time to leave so we sign out and the kid asked me if i was going to come back againg i told him that i was. i felt good helping the little kids read.

Chocolate heals everything

For my second volunteer opportunity I went with Jesse to Safeway to sell treats to people to support breast cancer. We were the only to participants for this one because Chen and Latrell were busy. There was a catch to us selling the treats, we had to wear bedazzled bras. We wear the bras because the women that walk in the 5k walk to spread awareness wear them. A lot of people did not know why an thought it was weir that we did wear them until they actually took time and talked to us and learned more about breast cancer ad about the walk.

It is important to support breast cancer because a lot of women have it and are being diagnosed with it every day it is an on going battle for a lot of women and they need all of the support they can get. My aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and she had a three year battle with it. It was amazing to see my aunt become such a strong person and fight it everyday. In 2007 she overcame it an there are no traces of cancer but she had to get her left breast taken out. If I had lost my aunt i would. My know what to do she is so close to me that is why I decided to team up with Jesse and support this Cause as much as I can.

I showed up early to help Jesse make the chocolate covered treats. We decided to not sell cupcakes do we can give more people variety and for us to have a chance to make more money for the cause. It is amazing how many women came up to us and thanks us for "doing such an amazing thing"

Time for the Show!

In my Equity 4 post, I went back to Cabrillo to help finish what I had started and helped out with the Talent Show as their MC and advisor. I posted in my Equity 3 post that I felt really strongly about the musical and theatre arts. It's my passion and what I hoped to achieve from this picture was to inspire someone who has yet to discover if it is his/her's too. It was my first time MC'ing so I was just really nervous overall.

In the last rehearsal before the show, which was when this was taken, the kids were all riled up because some of them had just gotten back from science camp. I never went to science camp so I don't know what it's like but from the reactions from the students it seems really fun. As I got them all under control, some of them started to forget the lyrics, some forgot the dance moves to their routines. When they did, I pulled them aside and asked them to talk to one another and practice their act once or twice more. When they got back on stage they were really on point and most importantly they were having fun!

These kids were really different from when they started. They had an extra boost of confidence and vitality. They were more in sync than ever before and I was honored to have helped them.

The night of the Talent Show came and boy were we nervous. We were pacing back and forth making sure everything went as smoothly as it could. Every act was ready when the door was opened to let everyone in. Every seat in the theater was packed after 10 minutes and that just boosted our morale even more!

Overall it was an amazing night. There were some screwups, mostly because of us, but the kids were amazing. There was one girl, Vy Nguyen, who had messed up during her performance and she was crying outside after and I came out and sat with her and talked her through it. I told her that everybody makes mistakes, shared some of my on-stage screwups (like falling face first in a musical) and I told her that the most important thing was that she kept on going. She smiled and came back to the stage and got ready for bows. These kids were amazing and I hope they find joy and passion in everything they do. Thank you Cabrillo. Thank you so much :)

the second stage

being homeless does not leave you with alot of options. it makes thing harder to eat, sleep and bath. or get a job or make money in anyway. you're basic day to day living is luxury to a man on the streets. there are those homeless men that are doing well maybe the stress of there lives made them just leave  stop paying bills and move out onto the streets they have bank accounts with money in it no job no house you real worries.

for the second stage of the car show we stared to bring in food, drinks, and raffle prizes. we had to call our connections and have people donate because we needed a profit or our cause was in vein. so i called car clubs because the more people the more canned food we get and the more money. i called the pacific cost rambler club to bring out cars and sent them flyer's. next i called the owner of glacier ice to see if we can get someone to give or sell us ice at cost. the last person i called was the senior vice president of Apple which goes to me church Mr. bob Mansfield and asked him to donate something anything. i emailed my uncle and asked him to bring his Lamborghini or porshe or maclairin any of his exotic cars.

Like Father, Like Son

           For the third volunteer work I volunteered at my Dad's work to help him out with a few electrical wiring through out his building. My Dad is always the one to be called on at his work because most people there dont know what's going on with problems and rely on him to fix it for them. He got called back to work on a late Saturday night and I asked to come along so I can do another volunteer work for this project. He agreed to take me and we headed off to Orical in Pleasonton. When we got there I had to put on a one piece suit and go into the electric room to fix what needed to be fixed.

          As I came into the room I can see what my Dad has to deal with everytime he is called into work. We identified the problem in there and he gave me a few tools and told me what i needed to do. There was some exposed wire hanging out in one of the big machines so I had to remove it as much as I could and try to replace it with another one. After I stripped the wire a bit i finally pulled the exposed cord out and stripped a extra cord to attach it to the old one. It took a couple hours to do it all but it was finally done and I took off the suit and we headed back home.

         This was great to be able to hang out with my Dad and see what he really does at his job here at Oracle. The social issue here was that there was some electrical problems that no one else in the building knew or wanted to do so my Dad and I helped out. If we didnt come or nobody else did, who would fix the problem and what could it lead to later on down the road? It' better that we did this because we solved a minor problem that could've lead to something bigger than it. Helping my Dad was great and i'm glad I could've been there to give him a break and help out.

Cans For Show!

Cans For Show!

As the 9th annual car show at Washington High School was starting, the program was all about collecting cans so we could donate it to tri-city homeless shelter. We were getting short on collecting cans and the date was almost due. We were in a situation of buying cans with our own pockets because there was so much less donations. I decided to go around my neighbourhood with a flyer asking for people to donate cans, as I explained my cause to them. I got lucky enough to get cans from almost every house I went to. At, the end of the day I collected 32 cans subtracting the expired one's. Who gives expired cans of food?

              Me and few other students had collected cans good enough for the shelter, and it was a new experience to me because I had never done anything like this. This helps to reach for equity because now people who aren't able to feed themselves or their families, people who has to stand out on the streets on pouring rain or sunlight to collect money to feed themselves now have food just like us. They might be suffering from some disease or have bad records so people won't hire them to work, so their is no source of income. This event helps them get food and not let them sleep with an empty stomach.



School fun time

I wanted to do something that involved working with kids so i decided to look and see if there were any day-cares or after school programs i could help out. I found one in Mountain View, California across the bay. The name of the school is, Monta Loma. Where i once used to go back in 5th grade. They have a after school program there so i decided to go down and check it out. I talked to Connie Sawdey asked ask her if it was alright if i were to help them out in the after shcool program. She said of course and told me what i would be doing. She said just to help them in playing games like, basketball or soccer and to just get along with them and make sure they have fun. Which of course is easy for me because everyone loves me and I'm just that amazing.


I had a lot of fun to be honest it was really nice to teach kids how to play basketball and watch them learn. It was also fun seeing them try to make all the shots and struggle with it. Might seem mean but if you were there you would see that it was quite cute. A boy named, Henry, age 10, really interested me. He was one who i helped most with the sports intermurals and such. You can tell his parents have little influence on him due to the fact that he was very shy and the other children seemed not to notice him at all. Trying to get him involved with everyone else was difficult. So some one on one was a better aproach. He stay at after care at the school for little over two hours. Though the times there dude exceed two hours to me i don't think it would be too much fun to stay at school for two hours. Plus with the other children not recognizing you. I talked to one of the counselors and asked what is up with him and why he has to stay so long. Carrie, the counselor, said  his parents are divorced and his father may not be the best and some days forgets to pick little henry up. Which to me is awful. Parents should always make time for their children no matter what. So i felt bad for Henry. Not to neglect the other children i decided to hang out with Henry for the rest of my time there.


This is a social issue because poor little Henry was a child in need. They this is only an after care and would not seem to have needed children, Henry was one of them. A child you is ignored by other kids and even his own father at times. No child should have to go through that. So yes indeed Henry was a child in need, and i am so very glad to have met that young boy. I am glad i can give him my quality time that he doesn't get from other people who should be given it to him. He is a smart boy and deserves the best and im happy i can at least make one day of his life better. 

School where after car program was held. Monta loma elementary 

Passing the Reading Clinic

On the last day of the Reading Clinic I was so sad to see the children leave but excited to see how far many of them have come.  The children had figured out that there was a party for them outside because some teachers and staff at the school were preparing food, drinks and eating supplies.  If there was going to be any sort of reading that day, the setting up and cooking ruined it.  Most Clinicians had realized that the students weren't going to read because they only had about 15 minutes so basically they had a free period where they could talk to their friends and hang out.  The one lady who yelled at my student for going to the bathroom was there and she was on high alert.  There was a basketball hoop all the way across the Gymnasium and I heard the students ask Mr. Santonastaso if they could play basketball and he said "sure, but be careful."  And they were but this lady yelled "Hey!" so loud that all conversations were ended and seeing what was going on.  She walked over to them, took the basketball from their hands, and demanded an answer for who let them play and when they tried to speak she wouldn't listen.  Then she walked away like nothing happened.

After about 10 minutes had passed, the students were excited because they were ready to receive their diploma for completeing the Reading Clinic.  My student went up towards the end of the line and he was so happy to have completed the Clinic.  Once they received their diplomas they were able to go and take a book of their choosing.  Many students were disappointed that they weren't able to get the one that they wanted but some of the children were very nice and traded.  It took about 15 minutes for about 25 of them to receive their diplomas and once they did, they were so happy to show it off.  Many of them showed it to their parents and the smiles on their faces were huge.

After the ceremony and a brief congratulations to all of the children, we went outside where there was a party with food that had been brought by the parents and faculty.  What really touched my heart was seeing my student eating his food and sitting by himself reading the book he just chose.  Now it was my turn to brag saying "He didn't want to be here, look what I did."  I felt like I had accomplished a lot with him and it was a shame to see him go.  His mother came over and introduced himself and she thanked me tremendously because even at home, she can't get him to stop reading.  She began to tear up because she knew he wouldn't have done well in school if he didn't know how to read well, she also knew of the harassment that he would deal with if he didn't read well.  I told her it was my pleasure working with her son and that he loves books on violent and dangerous animals.  As I was leaving I took one look back and said "I'm coming back next year, for sure."

Me and my student who had just gotten his diploma, because of privacy reasons I had to keep his name anonymous

Helping them to get ready!

Vivian took this photo of her brothers which are also my cousins:)

   Finally come to the last equity post and this time I didn't go back to the math tutor that I used to go because there weren't much people going last time and I think students are pretty much done with their homework and class, and now it's just waiting for the finals to deal with. I looked at vivian's previous post and knew that she volunteered at Walters Junior High for the after school tutoring and homework program, so I decided to go volunteer with her this time. Since I went to Walters for my 7th and 8th grade, I am quite familiar with the stuff over there and because of that, I wasn't worry as much as before.
   On last Friday after school, I went to Walters with Vivian and Ye. Ye joined us because he went to volunteer with me last two times and he felt that same way as me that there won't be much student at the math tutor because it's almost final. We arrived at Walters around three and we walked to the classroom where the homework club was held. By the time we got there, the sun came out as if it knew that we will be there and the kids can go outside to finish their work under the nice weather with the sunshine. The kids went outside and started on their homework or study. My cousin were part of the homework club so I went to them and see if they have any problems or questions. They were fine so I went to some other kids to help them with homework. Some of these kids are preparing themselves for high school after the summer and I talked to them about high school and shared my experience with them. High school is going to be harder and tougher, and it is not like junior high school anymore. After you get into high school, you need to stay focus and keep track with all your work. Also, your grade in high school will affect your future and who you will be. You need to be independent and know how to take care of your own stuff once you get into high school because your teacher can't always help you on your work like junior high. Those kids were really focus when I told them  about my experience and I hope they listen to my advice and do their best in high school.
   After the volunteers that I have been done, I experienced a lot. Not only on the knowledge on helping the students but also working with those kids and share with them about the future. Teaching different grades of kids are so different. Like the elementary kids, there are the hardest to handle among the others. Teaching elementary kids are sometimes really hard because they might not listen to you or they argue with you on what they think should be right. The junior high kids are better and sharing my experience of high school with them were really good. It helps them to be prepared for high school. For high school, the most challenging thing is knowledge because sometimes I don't know how to help them with the problems. For the big part, helping students in the community by tutoring benefit the kids that I helped and also myself. They go to the tutor or after school program maybe it's because of their family can't afford private tutor for them or their parents need to work that they can't take care of their kids on their school work. I hoped that the little stuff I did for the students can really help them and benefit them and the society.

An unfortunate ending

Breast cancer is a very bad issue because it cause a lot of tragic endings to people's lives. There isnt much that we can do to solve this problem but Jesse, Jordan and I are doing all that we can to help this cause. For the last part of the project we baked cupcakes to try and raise money and send it to a bras for a cause foundation. We raised quiet a bit of money and it was a good experience. We had a long day ahead of us and little time to work.

The night before we went to Safeway we gathered at jesses house to make some cupcakes. Nobody had any idea of what to do so we were up for a while trying to figure out how to make cupcakes. None of us had any experience of doing this and jesses mom was not there to help us this time so we had to do this all on our own. We got distracted at time and messed around a lot but in the end we made some really good cupcakes. The next morning we wanted to get a head start on the early morning shoppers so we met at Safeway and we set up our booth. When Jesse went to get the bras we put them on and you could already see the people laughing, pointing, and smiling at us. We made and sold a lot of money and cupcakes early and it went on throughout the day. A lot of the kids were laughing at us and asking us questions like, "why are you guys in bras? They are for girls" we clearly explained why we were wearing the bras. We were making a lot more money than we have before then a group of women came up to us sobbing and crying about the cause. One of them actually had breast cancer unfortunately. She had gotten rid of it but then she got it back again. It was very sad and they donated a lot of money because they said we were truely amazing for helping out this cause. A lot of people actually donated and didn't want cupcakes which really helped out a lot.

This was the best experience that I had because it was heart warming and we made a lot of money to help out this cause of breast cancer. A lot of women are getting this and they are the ones who have been donating the most and we are just trying to help out the cause by giving all the money to a foundation. I really enjoyed working this time and I had a good time. I honestly would love to work there again if I could. I'm hoping that Safeway does this again because I know how big this issue is and I really want to keep helping out and serving the community well.

Respect Your Elders

Just like teens, elders like to go out and have fun. Even with a health condition, they like to go out and socialize with there peers. I went to Bingo night to help set up and escort the elderly to their seat. They were just like us, talking about how they'll win against there friends. Talk some smack, but who doesn't do that? I thought it was so cute that they were having the time of their lives just being able to play bingo, or even be out of their home. I helped clean up after them, or serve them food or drinks if they needed some. It was pretty fun, and you learn a lot from them. This one lady started dancing when one of her favorite songs went on, it was that one song by James Brown..I believe it was I feel good? I'm not sure if that's the name of the song, but she was explaining how they got down. Also  that she feels that today our type of  "dancing" is just too much for her eyes to see. If her parents saw her doing that she'd definitely be locked up till she was 80. Which we had a good laugh about, and I felt like it takes a lot for someone that old to open up to me since most elderly today don't like talking to  what she calls "selfish" children.

 People nowadays don't realize what the elderly had to go through growing up. Its not like our generation where we have all of the new technology to entertain us. They valued their family more than we do today because we're so caught up with these new gadgets. I think us kids now have much more freedom and say in things than they did. People were drafted into war, they didn't have a choice, but life or death. Now we can choose whether we  want to enlist or not. Honestly, feel like the only reason the elderly are mostly bitter is because the youth are so rude to them and don't even pay attention to what they've gone through and sacrificed.

The social issue in this is that some of the elderly who live in care homes today get abused because people don't have the patience and the care that all people need. Just because they aren't able to do things for themselves. Doesn't mean we should treat them like they're not human. What if that was your grandparent and someone would treat them poorly and not help them with their needs? I don't think you'll like the way they would be treated. So, treat them like they're your own. I would definitely love to volunteer and help out again to these wonderful elderly people.

Back to Elementary !

To volunteer I decided to go back to Cabrillo my old school that I use go to, with Daniela and Andy. We had to talk to the principle to see where we were going to volunteeer at. Their is many programs after school for the little kids. When I use to go there, not much help was provided by the school since it was unwealthy. I was glad to see that the school is now doing way better and their is a lot of help to those who need it. The principle was telling us that their was already alot of students volunteering at the school. We didn't want to volunteer anywhere else so we kept trying. Mr.Hudson decided to put us in a room with 3 teachers, but we were going to replace their spot so she can grant us our volunteer hours. She told us when to begin the next day, and explained that she was going to give us a orientation before we start.

As the next day came, we were at the school. Me and Andy were suppose to meet up with Daniela but we couldn't find her. We signed into the office, and went straight to the room to start our volunteering. We were introduced to the teachers and the students. First I thought all the kids were looking at us like creatures, but I sat down with a group of kids that I was going to be working with. After 2 minutes all the kids I was working with started to goof around and they were constantly asking for my help. Finaly Daniela shows up with the principle, and tells us that we missed the orientation but since we are guys she said it was alright. The kids were working on packets, that included coloring specific pictures with the directions of what color to use and how many to color. They had a bit of math and sentences they had to write. They seemed so distracted that they really didn't do much and threw crayons all over the place. I ended up picking the things they threw, and started guiding them to encourage them to do work. Guiding them step by step, showed me a positive response that it got them doing work. They ended up finishing their packets and I just enjoyed making jokes with them.

Working for the first time at the school with the kids was not that cruel, instead I enjoyed helping the kids out and actually encouraged them to keep doing their work. After volunteering the principle told us that the kids were going to start their star testing and they will not be needing us. For the whole next week I did not volunteer anywhere and I told Mr.Speckles. I did not want to volunteer anywhere else, most of the places is doing labor or chores for other people. I rather help out then do something anyone is capable of doing. After the week had passed I went back to the school and decided to keep volunteering there.

This is Harder Than it Looks

For our second volunteer service (four weeks ago; late post is late), Zoë, Auriana and I went back to the Tule Ponds. I think I was more enthusiastic than both of them, as I was the only one that really wanted to come back instead of trying to look for a new place to volunteer at. I enjoyed the work from the week before and wanted to continue helping the environment and people at the establishment.



Us pretending to be sexy--Ignore me, I blinked

The supervisor guy (Brandon) said that because we came later than another group of kids, he didn't really have anything for us to do. He put us on a hill behind the visitor center and told us to dig up the weeds. We were joined by an 8th grader and then another kid a few minutes in, and then Corrina showed up to help us out. We were glad for another friend to talk to during our work, and gladly welcomed her toour mini task force. The work itself wasn't too bad; the lack of shade made it a little worse than it should have been but other than that it was pretty fun.

Different weeds were easier to pull up than others. Corrina and I spent at least 15 minutes trying to get out one particularly stubborn one, and then we kind of just gave up and walked awy and hoped no one would notice. Aside from the tall ones with giant roots, the smaller ones were easy enough. However, other factors impaired my ability to get weeds out as well. One part of the hill was very steep, and I could bately stand up straight without losing my footing. Zoë stayed up on the steep part of the hill and worked on those, something I think she's pretty brave for doing. I tried to dig out a weed from where she was and nearly fell down the hill.

Us after we finished our work

The whole things was fun, but kind of pointless. Brandon himself said, "There's not much for you to do... I guess I'll put you on the hill to get some weeds out." It felt as if all of our hard work was wasted on stuff that didn't really need to be done, but I enjoyed it anyway. It's been good excercise and a way to get out of the hosue and talk to friends on a regular basis. I look dorward to being able to go back to the Tule Ponds, and maybe next time doing something more usefull (and we all know how that turned out--again, late post is late.).