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.