This Semester Was So "Fetch"

It's hard to believe that this semester is almost at a close! I'm excited for new beginnings, holiday festivities, and for a break from school work... but I'm not so excited about having to say my goodbyes and start all over next semester. The good thing about a new year is a new outlook. A new chance to fix our mistakes and set new goals for ourselves.

A big new year's resolution of mine is going to involve civic engagement. I'm so excited to finally declare my platform (once I decide what to make it, that is, haha). To take a look at my volunteer hours from this past semester (in an entertaining way I promise), you should watch the video that Lesley, Jessica, Rebecca, and I made. It's called" Mean Girls: LaFayette style." Sadly, it was too big of a file (20 minutes long) to load on Youtube, but I can show it to you if you ask! But until then...

See you next semester! :)
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I Wanna Be a "Millionaire" So Freakin' Bad

Forum Date: Monday, November 26, 2012

Dr. Barry Morris, the current city council person for Florence was our speaker during the last forum. There are 6 people on our city council and the mayor makes person #7. Dr. Morris worked in UNA's Economic Department. He has dedicated his service to his family and to the public/city of Flo-town.

"Love your neighbors. Love yourself."
That opening quote was my favorite part of Dr. Morris's entire speech. He explained that sometimes we forget that if we aren't mentally and physically strong ourselves, we can't be expected to help other people.

I appreciated that Dr. Morris was one of the few speakers that was real with us. He discussed the importance of budgeting (something that I have got to work on) and gave us a website to help us: www.MINT.com. Hearing him talk about budgeting made the future and becoming a "big girl" suddenly became very real. I loved the worksheet he gave us titled "How to be a millionaire without winning the lottery." It was really educational and made me want to go out and save my money. If I actually had any money to my name, that is.

When I was younger, I was assigned a project in which I had to decide what I would spend my money on if I had a million dollars. Did I decide to buy a fancy car? No. Did I plan to travel around the world? Nope. I, Emily Alves, decided to open a zoo. Funny, and quite unrealistic, I know. If given that same amount of money today, however, I think that we all know what I would use it for.

If I was a millionaire, this is what I would do:
1. I suppose I would be partially practical and save part of it. Be responsible. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
2. Can you say SHOPPING!? I would be doing some serious retail therapy. I can't even imagine being able to walk into Free People and actually buying some of their clothes. Gosh.
3. Donate to charity. The hard part about this step would be to decide which organization to give some money to. For me, that's why picking a platform for my civic engagement is so hard.

Another adult concept that Dr. Morris filled us in on was that it is "better to give than recieve." Civic clubs are built on that concept.

The History of Tom Osbourne

Forum Date: Monday, November 19, 2012

Tom Osbourne, the guest speaker from this past class, worked for 34 years in UNA's Department of History. He was also ordained a deacon 10 years ago into the Episcopal Church of America. He talked to us about his work in the prisons with Kairos (a prison ministry) and the Help Center, an organization that was formed in 1984. The Help Center is run by volunteers, people just like us, who offer assistance to those who need it (whether it is in the form of clothes, food, or ultility and medical bills).

"I thought I would do this to help them, but it was a great blessing for me," Tom explained. This concept is kind-of hard to grasp at first (especially since it may seem like he's being selfish). I don't want to re-hash things that I have already said in previous blogs, but, once again, there's nothing wrong with helping others out of the goodness of your heart and getting that warm, fuzzy feeling at the same time.

Something that Tom said towards the end of his speech really stuck with me. "The reason it works is because they pour love on them... they've lived with hardship all their lives and they get all the love." If only everyone poured love on the world and its people. There's entirely too much hate. I'll admit that I'm not always the most optimistic person, and that's something that I need to work on. Here Are 15 Things That Make Me Happy:
1. Glitter, my favorite color
2. Happy go-lucky music. Bring on the 90's and 80's flashbacks.
3. Random 2 AM Waffle House runs
4. Watching romantic comedies
5. Laughing... laughing a lot. The kind of laughter that makes my stomach hurt.
6. Bubble baths
7. The smell of magazines
8. Painted nails
9. Retail therapy
10. Running
11. Babies. Babies. Babies. Babies.
12. Oversized t-shirts
13. Freshly fallen snow
14. Being around my family and friends
15. Life. Life makes me happy :)

 Make brownies, not war.

iBlog

Forum Date: Monday, November 12, 2012

In an effort to avoid boring and loosing what little followers I have, this blog post is going to be a tad different. The blogs I've done in the past have been the same-old, same-old: Just me re-hashing whatever words of wisdom our speakers have told us and somehow connecting it to my college lifestyle. As a result, I have a serious case of writer's block from being stuck in such a repetitive rut. I may have to be quarantined.

Today I will, instead, dedicate my post to... other blogs. Call it what you may (blasphemy, genius), but I give you, on this lovely Friday morning, THE LIST.

John Rusevlyan, a local real estate agent, who serves as the immediate past president of the Florence Rotary Club was our speaker this past Monday. He grew up in Arlington, Virginia and graduated with a business degree from Longwood College (that went division one, just like UNA is trying to do) in 1987. He moved here to Florence in 1993 (with no job, mind you) and worked in the financial investment industry from 1994 to 1999.

One of the first questions that he asked us was:
Where are you going?
That question could involve several different topics: Travel, your present destination, the future. I suppose the interpretation is up for debate. Whatever the meaning, John wanted to spark some thought. I immediately thought of my major and one of my personal goals that goes along with it. Someday, I want to start a successful fashion blog. One of my inspirations is... drumroll please...
1. http://www.eatsleepwear.com/
Blog Description: My name is Kimberly and I am a graphic designer, fashion blogger, and cupcake enthusiast. This is my style blog.
My Thoughts: I admire people who have a God-given talent for fashion. We all know those people who can pull off any outfit, let their clothes reflect their personalitites, and stand out no matter what the setting. For me, I sometimes feel like I have to force myself to pick out a matching outfit. I'm still guilty of committing those fashion faux-pas and standing in front of my closet for hours on end, undecisive. I'm hoping that, in the future, these things will come to me and that I will be known for doing something that I love.
Snapshots:

 

Another thing that John talked to us about was the object of rotary:
1. The development of acquintance as an opportunity for service.
2. High ethical standards in business and professions (i.e. are you going to do the job you said you were going to do).
3. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life... be consistent.
4. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world of fellowship of business and proffessional persons united in the ideal of service.
It makes me happy to see people who are able to have happy families and find time to make the world a better place through civic engagement. One lady who does a wonderful job of balancing the two also happens to write a blog. Feast your eyes.
2. http://www.ohjoy.blogs.com/
Blog Description:
My Thoughts: My favorite thing about this blog is the fact that the author has some purpose behind her posts. After Hurricane Sandy hit, Joy made a blog titled "For a Cause." She added some clothes and accessories to her shop in which all proceeds went to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief. What a genius idea to have an online yard sale!
Snapshots:

 

 

 



The following is my personal favorite. It really nothing to do with the speaker... I just love little children and have grown to love this family. Enjoy.

3. http://www.tazaandhusband.com/
Blog Description: She has lots of freckles. He wears lots of bow ties. Welcome to our little blog.
After meeting in New York City on the corner of 65th & Broadway while attending school (him, Columbia. her, Juilliard.) We became best friends, then fell in love and then were married in the summer of 2007.  We began this little blog a few months later as a way to share bits and pieces of our little newly wed life in NYC with family and friends.
My Thoughts: Precious moments, like the ones shown in the pictures below, make me happy beyond belief. They remind me, that in a crazy world, there still exists some good.
Snapshots:

 

 

"A Change Would Do You Good"

Forum Date: Monday, November 5, 2012

CHANGE. That word pretty much sums up what occured last Monday and goes along with the rest of my life recently. We were supposed to listen to Elizabeth Moore, a lady who works at the Red Cross, but she was unable to attend due to Hurricane Sandy keeping her on a tight schedule.

Last forum served as sort of a "check-up" on everyone's volunteer hours to date. I'm pretty sure after Vince called on the first "victim" to talk about his or her civic engagement, all the other students tried their best to blend in and become flies on the wall. Although there were a select few who had already completed all their volunteer hours for the semester (props to them), Vince seemed a little worried about the rest. He wants to make sure that we all look for volunteer opportunities that have some connection to us and that we understand the whole point of this whole civic engagement project. Instead of just viewing our 10 hours as another thing on our to-do list, he wants to encourage volunteering that isn't mandatory.

While I think it's definitely important to put an emphasis on the importance of investing in other people besides ourselves, sometimes we need to be a little selfish to maintain a balance. If someone were to overcommit themselves by trying to handle too many things (like school, extracurricular activities, work, family, friends, volunteering, social life, and religion), where does the focus go? It's better to make a few commitments. In my opinion, one of our top priorities, at this point in our lives, should be our future. Point blank. If not that, then why are we even at UNA? It's vital to look at the big picture: If we get good grades in school and learn new things, we can keep our scholarships, graduate, and, hopefully, find a job. When we bite off more we can chew by trying to be involved in everything, however, we push school aside to make more room and things start to crumble.

Right now, I'll admit that I need to work on my planning. Procrastination has always been a skill of mine that also doubles as a curse. I'm trying to overcome that, so that I can manage my life better and have more time to do things like volunteer.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Forum Date: Monday, October 29, 2012

As I've said before, I am ecstatic about my newly declared major (as of last semester): fashion merchandising. When people ask me why I went from being an undecided major in the Arts and Science field to something completely opposite, I tell them this:

I have always been determined to pick a career that wouldn't seem like work. My hope for the future is that I will get to work hard doing something that I love. Because I have always loved writing, clothes, reading magazines, and designing yearbook spreads, I put them all together and came up a solution. My dream job is working for a fashion magazine in New York.

In my fashion classes that I started taking this semester, I have learned so much about textiles, advertising, designers, you name it. One of the designers that my teacher is currently obsessed with is Billy Reid, a famous man whose corporate headquarters happens to be located in downtown Florence... only a few minutes from UNA. I'm sure you can imagine my excitement when an employee of Billy Reid came to speak to us during the last forum. Bradley Dean, who works for Billy Reid, wears many hats when it comes to his job. He is Billy Reid's digital design director, photographer, social media coordinator, graphic art designer, and creative director. That's a mouthful. He graduated from UNA (Roar Lions) with an art major and an entrepreneurship minor.

In addition to being involved in his work life, Bradley makes sure to save time for civic engagement as well. He said that what he does in volunteering helps him with his work and personal life because it makes him a better leader. Although he has learned leadership skills from working at Billy Reid, he also has a better understanding of how to follow. His example is this video:

 

Even though that video is a funny and entertaining way to explain how to follow and spread change, the topic it covers is important. It can be useful to all of us, especially when volunteering. Although volunteering with Billy Reid doesn't fit under my civic engagement plan, it does go along with my major! :) Billy Reid is looking for college students willing to help pick cotton not far from UNA that will be used to make clothes. How cool would that be to put on my resume? I might have to look into this opportunity.

 

I'm going to leave you with some words of wisdom from Mr. Bradley. "No matter where you go in life, don't forget you're a part of something bigger; you DO have a say. It takes being civically engaged on some level to make change."

Chew on that food for thought.

Not Your Mother's Junior League

Forum Date: Monday, October 22, 2012

During today's forum, I learned about an organization I haven't heard much of. In fact, my only recollection of any mention of this group was in the book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I also learned a little more about where I would and would not like to volunteer in the future. Allow me to explain.

Our speaker, Leslie Tomlinson, is a part of the association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. which works with women to build better communities. She is currently a sustaining member of the Junior League of the Shoals. According to her, its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. She informed us that Junior Leagues in general:
- Develop the potential of women
- Improve communities by addressing the most critical needs of a community
- Promote volunteerism
- Provide networking and social opportunities

All of the above are great characteristics for a civic engagement organization to have; however, as Leslie continued talking, she gave me the impression that the organization's priorities are out of order. The "social" portion of the Junior League seemed to be stressed and publicized more than anything else. I appreciated that she went ahead and warned us about the stereotypes that exist involving Junior Leagues (like it being an adult sorority); however, her rebuttal was not very convincing. The Junior League is exclusive to its participants because of the strict rules required to join as a member and volunteer, yet the organization pushes for more volunteers. In order to be a member of the Junior League you must:
- Be a female
- Be at least 24 years of age (none of us in forum even meet this requirement)
- Complete at least 60 hours of civic engagement a year (none of which can be used for a different organization)
- Attend the weekly meetings

I feel like you should be able to volunteer no matter what the purpose behind your volunteering. Even though there might be slightly selfish motivations pushing you to volunteer (like using your hours for a class), that is perfectly okay. You are still doing good things nonetheless; your motivations don't change the outcome of your civic engagement. I also don't quite understand the minimum age requirement (what special ability comes at age 24?). I think that the maturity and responsibility level of a person should be judged, not their age. Although I won't be volunteering with the Junior League anytime soon, I certainly appreciate what that organization does to help the Shoals community and empower women.

So I don't seem like such a "negative Nancy," let me tell you about what I did agree with. When Leslie told us that we have to love an organization to stay with it, I couldn't help but nod my head. That's why she stuck with the Junior League; she saw progress even through the hard times when it seemed like an exclusive club. Even though I feel that the League still has a while to go, they have improved over the years. A few years ago, you could be rejected simply because of your race. That's both unethical and unfair to society... everyone has an important part in positively improving a community. The book I mentioned earlier, The Help, couldn't phrase it better: “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” Now go change the world. And read The Help while you're at it.

RED.

Forum Date: Monday, October 15, 2012

RED.

- adjective
the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum; commonly associated with danger, sacrifice, passion, fire, beauty, and love.

Red is the color of the ruby, freshly picked strawberries, the H&M clothing store sign (my new obsession), and santa claus's hat, among many other wonderful things. I know it sounds silly to spend so long talking about a color; however, that particular three letter word means so much more to me than just its appearance. Before I explain myself, I first have to make the connection to our last speaker. In the meantime, try not to die from suspense. 

Last forum our speaker was Jackie Hendrix of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce. He is a part of the Commerce's board of directors, the Northwest Shoals Scholarship Foundation board, and the board of directors with local home builders. For the majority of the class period, Jackie explained what he does on a daily basis in his workplace to make the Shoals a better place. He then reiterated what a lot of our other speakers have already told us by telling us some benefits of volunteering like networking and building our resume.

When I see the color red, I immediately think of the organization (RED). (RED) harnesses the power of companies and people to help fight AIDS. When you purchase something from a company that sponsors (RED), a portion of the profits directly benefits the cause. Since I am currently unemployed (I don't have enough money to donate) and my platform involves helping children (both indirectly and directly), I plan on spending my spring break with the other members of UNA's Alternative Break Board.

My top site choice is the domestic one in New York involving HIV/AIDS education in the LGBT community. Because HIV/AIDS is a topic that many people in today’s society tend to either avoid talking about or simply overlook, I want to help change that. From participating in behind the scenes work with the GMHC walk to preparing health kits, every small effort will help bring about a bigger awareness to such a critical topic. As I researched some statistics, I was shocked that I was not as educated about this topic as I thought I was and that this disease is not a bigger concern outside of the LGBT community.
In 2010, 1,000 babies were born every day with HIV.
In 2011, that number was down to 900.
Seeing those physical numbers reinforced a fact that I already knew: no one (of any age, race, or gender) is immune to HIV or AIDS. In addition to interacting with the residents of New York and becoming a part of a healthy lifestyle revolution, I feel like helping with prevention is the first step to a cure. Traveling to New York has also always been a dream of mine. The fact that the issue that interests me the most is paired with a site choice I would love to visit seems almost too good to be true.

Coming up, December 1 is world AIDS day! Help me spread awareness by wearing something red! :)

The color red is also... drumroll please... the title of Taylor Swift's new album set to release on October 22! Ladies of Lafayette: be prepared to hear that CD on repeat while I shower, haha. Anyway, her whole album is about love derived from passion. The world needs more love and less hate, don't you agree? Since the only things you can control are your own actions, help spread love by helping others through volunteering. 

Jackie brought up the point that 80% of people don't volunteer. If you do the simple math: only 10% of people DO volunteer. Our goal as a class should be to change that statistic by going above and beyond what is required of us. Sure, we all have to complete 10 hours a semester of civic engagement in order to renew our scholarships and remain members of the HP, but fulfilling our duties as active citizens and good people requires so much more. We have to realize that we each have duties outside of our selfish needs and wants. That is why, although our schedules as college students are hectic, we should try our best to volunteer in an area(s) we are passionate about. There are so many things in this world that need positive improvements aside from the issues that get the most attention like poverty, teen pregnancy, and childhood hunger.
In the words of Jackie Hendrix, "See a need, fill a need."

The Giving Tree

Forum Date: Monday, October 08, 2012

When I was a little girl, books were my best friends. My parents took countless pictures of me after I had accidentally fallen asleep on a huge pile of books. I never let anyone else borrow my books, for fear of the spine getting creased in the whole "sharing process." Plus, who knows when the urge to re-read a book would strike me? And call me crazy, but the smell of opening an old library book made me the happiest person alive... and it still does to this day.  Just to fill you in on my volunteer hours up until now, I am planning on volunteering with Success by 6 at their Mall-o-Ween event. On Halloween, I'm going to help pass out candy and books to children at the mall. I can't wait!

One of my all-time favorite children's books is The Giving Tree. That story, although geared towards a younger audience, can teach everyone an important lesson about giving to others.

John Lane, our guest speaker from the last class, summed up that particular moral by saying that, "Giving is more than money, but it is never less than money." Each of us have time (although not very much) and talents in abundance. There should be nothing standing in the way of us participating in our civic responsibility. Civic responsibility is defined as the "responsibility of a citizen." It dates back to Ancient Rome whose citizens wanted to help the Roman Empire. Today, less people are willing to volunteer out of the goodness of their hearts. John, who happened to be my favorite speaker to date, was one of the few exceptions to that fact.

One of James's triplets, James, was born with cerebral palsy. Because of that, he and his family became acquainted with United Cerebral Palsy (UCP). That organization sponsors the Life Without Limits marathon on October 27, which is another volunteer opportunity for us. When his son passed away, his family started visiting the Healing Place and Ms. Kay Parker, and remained active volunteers of UCP. As I listened to this man talk about his love for his family and the causes he is involved with, my heart melted. Just by listening to him talk for a short amount of time, he impacted my life and motivated me to become a better person.

I still vividly remember everywhere I have volunteered because my civic engagement has impacted my life as much as it has touched the lives of those I help. For example, in high school I got the chance to travel to Atlanta, Georgia to volunteer with Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child. I inspected and packed boxes (with toys and necessities) for underpriviledged children in third-world countries. I will NEVER forget the atmosphere of that warehouse. Everyone there was in such happy spirirts and had such good hearts. November 12-19 is this year's box collection week and I plan on donating one!

John reminded us, in this nearing holiday season, that material possessions only make you feel good for a short amount of time. When you find all of your happiness in making and spending money, it seems that the "feel good has an expiration date."

The way you feel when you change the world and give to others, however, doesn't have an expiration date.

We are Family

Forum Date: Monday, October 1, 2012

As soon as I found out that Gina Mashburn from the Big Brother, Big Sister Program was coming to talk to us, the song "We are Family" immediately began playing in my head. Yes, if I could have it my way, my life would be a musical. Although that would require me to have some singing abilities... which I have yet to acquire. Once again, I digress.

Getting back on track, Gina graduated in 1987 with a degree in sociology and a minor in art and Spanish. She was the case manager of BBBS from 1989-1996, worked at the Sheffield City Schools mentoring program (which partners with BBBS), and was hired as the director of the local Big Brother, Big Sister program back in March.

The Big Brother, Big Sister Program is an agency that helps children that need a good role model relationship. A majority of the kids are boys, so there is a huge need for male volunteers.

The Big Brother, Big Sister Program really hits home for me. In high school, I participated in my school's version of this organization and was paired with a girl a few years younger than me. When I first met her, she was the shyest little thing; I would carry on most of our conversations and plan all of our get-togethers. My main job was just to listen to her. Most of the kids involved with the program didn't have parents that were involved in their lives, so having an older role model available to listen to them speak their minds meant the world to them. Slowly, but surely she began to open up to me and trust me with her secrets. It was then that we truely became friends and she started coming to me for advice. It was an amazing feeling knowing that I was directly impacting a child's life in a positive way.

Even though I can't participate in the Big Brother, Big Sister Program here in the Shoals area (I don't have a car), I am excited to say that I will still be able to volunteer at one of the program's events. In December, there is going to be a gift wrapping station at the local mall for several days. WORDS CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE HOW EXCITED I AM FOR THIS. I love, love, LOVE wrapping presents. I'm practically a pro, so if you're volunteering with me the answer is, yes, it will be a contest. ;) This will help fulfill my civic engagement duties AND will also fall under my platform of volunteering in the community and helping children. Dear December, please hurry.

I Want to Be a Part of It: United Way!

Forum Date: Monday, September 17, 2012

Current Mood = Loving life :)

Current Music = "Howlin' For You" by the Black Keys. Can't get enough.

Quote of the Day = "The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." - Dr. Seuss

Commence the random singing:
Start spreading the news.
I'm leaving today.
I want to be a part of it.
UNITED WAY!

I apologize for the outburst of song; however, I found the lyrics to be rather appropriate to this blog entry's topic: Success by 6 and United Way.

Before our speaker, Emily Baker (the SB6 director), came to talk to our class, I had only briefly heard about both groups. I was aware that Success by 6 is the Honor's Program philanthropy and that United Way was the organization that Step Sing (the lyrics above are from the HP's mash-up to New York, New York) donates their profits towards. After forum ended, however, I had a newfound appreciation for both programs and a better understanding of what they do.

Success by 6 is a program of United Way that advances education in early childhood. That particular organization is all about preventing problems like teen pregnancy, crime, and poverty. United Way (non-profit) sponsors the Success by 6 of Northwest Alabama and works to advance the common good by focusing on education, income, and health. Currently, U.W. serves 20 partner agencies. Emily wanted to get involved with Success by 6 as soon as she found out that nearly half of America's kindergarteners are behind. That's how much early childhood education matters; it affects us all.

United Way gives away books and coloring books to children in need. For now, they are focusing on Lauderdale County. Soon, they will be offering the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, where a child can register to get one book a month until their 5th birthday. As soon as Emily informed us of these reading programs that SB6 sponsors, I was hooked. I would LOVE to spend part of my civic engagement doing that! Since I'm a bookworm and have been reading since I was just a little girl, I value books and want to do everything I can to help improve child literacy. If don't think childhood education is important, watch this video.

 

Now, about Emily. She graduated in May 2012 at UNA with a Bachelor of Science in HES with a concentration in child development and a minor in family studies. Before she even graduated college, she had a job with Success by 6. Yes, you did read that sentence correctly. Feel free to read it again to help ease your shock and confusion. There Emily is helping out a cause that she loves and getting paid for it before she finishes school, and here I am just hoping to get a job sometime soon after graduation.

You may be wondering... "How does this involve me?" If that's the case, perk up your ears.
Experience DOES matter. Life, especially your college years, is all about making connections and networking. Whatever you do, don't wait until it's too late. Make sure that you show your employers your passion through your work, so that, one day, you can get the job of your dreams!

Follow Your Passion, Not the Pack

Forum Date: Monday, September 10, 2012

Current Mood = Motivated. I’ve got a lot of things to do this week and I’m determined to prioritize and plan instead of procrastinating.

Current Music = ANYTHING GLEE.

Quote of the Day = "Live your own dream, not someone else's."

Well, hey there ladies and gents.

During our last honors forum I had the privilege of listening to the sweetest guest speaker, Ms. Kay Parker. Kay is the director of a non-profit organization that offers education and grief classes for children and adolescents who have suffered the loss of a loved one. She told us that she got the urge to start that support group, called The Healing Place, after she was asked the following question:
"What would you do for a living, even if you didn't get paid for it?"

Because The Healing Place is located in Muscle Shoals and involves assisting the younger generation, volunteering there would fit right into my civic engagement plan of helping out the Shoals community. Kay also explained that a volunteer's job is to listen to a child if they choose to talk and to play with them, not to give them difficult advice! In her conclusion, Kay said that while she may get tired physically, she NEVER gets tired of doing what she does at The Healing Place. Instead of complaining about what is wrong, she chooses to focus on what she can do by making a big difference helping one child at a time. That, to me, is the epitomy of a role model.

After hearing Kay's passion for her work speak for itself and reading the motivational poem she gave us entitled "Start Something" by Earl Woods (my blog title is taken from its first line), The Healing Place is definitely a volunteer opportunity worth considering.

Until next time, Emily.

Welcome Back

Forum Date: Monday, August 27, 2012

Current Mood = Crazy tired from band practice.

Current Music = "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by none other than the great T-Swifty herself

Quote of the Day = "It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at LEAST the equivalent of what he takes out of it." - Albert Einstein

Dear Fellow Bloggers,

Behold the first of many blog posts to come during this semester. This post just happens to be the product of a serious chocolate high and some inspiring Taylor Swift background music... so prepare yourselves.

Ever since I finally declared a major (fashion merchandising) and a minor (journalism) last semester, the future has served as such a motivation factor in my studies and life. As it turns out, one of my goals for this year was to practice my writing skills and put my minor to use by writing my own blog.
Granted, I had hoped to become a popular fashion blogger and didn't expect to be writing about civic engagement; however, volunteering is something that has always been near and dear to my heart.

To start off the first sophomore Honors Forum class of the year, Vince told us that each honors student is required to have 10-15 hours of service per semester upon graduation. While that may seem like a lot at the moment, when the community service projects are spread out, the task is much more managable.

Because I have always loved little kids, I am thinking about dedicating my time and efforts to helping out young boys and girls. My love for UNA and the city of Florence has only grown throughout my stay here, so, if possible, I would like to focus some of my civic engagement on children in the Shoals community. Over the summer I was thinking ahead and looking at different organizations to join this semester when the group Alternative Break Board caught my eye. ABB is a student led organization whose purpose is to offer direct service opportunities to the UNA community during fall and spring semesters to help create a campus culture of active citizens. I'm really excited to apply to work with the other members of that group in the future, both in the Shoals community and abroad during spring break. The HP website's huge list of civic engagement opportunities available just a few minutes away has only added to my list of possible volunteer choices!

As the first list of many to come, allow me to now pin-point the top two (very common, I might add) excuses people use to avoid volunteering and what facts Vince gave to bust those myths.
Objections to Service:
1. Sometimes you have to travel to the "bad part" of town.
2. The people may or may not really need your help.

Rebuttal:
1. Yes, sometimes when volunteering you will have to travel to the poorer communities to help those in need. In those situations, I feel like the efforts you put forward will have a greater visual impact on an area and you will be able to get that internal happy feeling from just the smallest change you cause.
2. Have you ever heard of the saying "It's the thought that counts?" Well, I feel like those words of wisdom apply in this situation. 

In closing, there are days 365 in a year... why not use at least one of them to volunteer?

XOXO, Emily