Day 2: Pressure Washing Perception

I'm not a serious conversationalist, but I'm observant when it comes to people and their personalities. Today I met Esther Dumas, an elderly lady with a warm welcoming smile. She asked for our help to pressure wash the outside of her house and kindly offered us goggles, drinks, and a lesson from her son on how to use the pressure washer. As a team, my group took turns pressure washing the house. Since there was only one pressure washer, time management and teamwork became a priority. I was very surprised by the spirit and the encouraging words of my group mates as each person stepped up to use the pressure washer. We didn't need to discuss a strategy or a plan we simply understood what needed to be done and who should do that. When a teammate needed help someone was there not even questioning anything to land a hand. Today I realized that service of any form brings people together because we are working towards a common goal to give someone happiness and a peace of mind. In the end, as we were leaving admiring our work and thanking Esther Dumas for her hospitality we all boarded the van a little triumphant for accomplishing and learning something new. On our way back I thought about Esther and her family and how they worked together to make us comfortable, appreciating our work in the beginning just as much as there did in the end. We landed a helping hand together as a group, and now I feel as if I'm not alone in wanting to change people's perception of community service. 

Community Voice

Volunteering today at community voice was an exhilarating experience and it reminded me that service is only half of the job, we must also connect with the people who we are serving so that they can know that there is someone who cares about them. I never expected that trimming trees and raking a yard would turn into a discussion about life with the owner of the property. It was just simply amazing to see someone open up to us and tell us about his life when he barely knew us, and the way he engaged us showed that he enjoyed our service and company, and more importantly he saw us as more than just volunteers. If today was just a preview of what we have to look forward to this week, then I know that AWB 2015 will be wonderful.

--Brian Cornelius