On our arrival at the hostel, we were told to walk into the "New York Room", and was definitely blown away by the decor of the place. It is a red room, filled with a variety of photography. We were curious as to what this photography was about, but soon enough, learned that it was taken by a 16 year old and her mother. They are venturing on a 6 month adventure around the world creating a documentary. How cool is that?! They are a family from Toronto, and this picture was actually taken by the girl in her hometown of Toronto. It is called One Billion Rising. The name came from a statistic that 1 in 3 women will be beaten or raped in their lifetime. She was trying to encourage the international movement for women's rights to take awareness against violence. I'm really impressed at her maturity and passion for photography and her ability to capture significant themes in a simple picture.

-Michele

The most important part of today was realizing that service, regardless of its magnitude, is significant. This piece of knowledge may seem irrelevant in the face of our most important life decisions but it was all but inconsequential to me. Growing up in a community where the relevance of the service was directly linked to its impact left me with the opinion that the small things didn't matter.

Today I learned that affecting people on an individual level in many ways is just as necessary as helping on a massive scale. Seeing the smiles, relieving thanks and seeing them react to the slight improvements in their days has done more for my outlook on philanthropy than years of volunteering has.

The inspiration and passion with which the organizers fundraised and celebrated was amazing.

Kevin Pierre Louis 

Mandy: Everyone is Human

            My day started off with volunteering my time to Manna of Life Ministries.  At first it was just their staff and our group of 20 some volunteers causally chatting and making the sandwiches to give out.  Then, the service really started.  I stayed back at the Manna House to help give out sandwich bags and soup cups to the people who arrived at the house.  Most were from the homeless shelter across the street and knew the Manna Staff personally.  The staff introduced us and the homeless shared their stories.  For instance, this one man actually was not homeless at all and still came.  He was at one point, homeless, after losing his job.  Then after a long and hard job search, he obtained a job in a school and started to provide for himself again.  He still shows up to Manna every Saturday to keep himself grounded and to remind himself of how fortunate he is.

            Hearing his stories and more really made an impact on me.  By listening to these people, I was able to empathize with them and see them as actual humans and not just homeless people.  I could humanize and connect with them.  This service day was unlike any other I have experienced yet.  Usually after volunteering I feel good about myself because I helped out a person and made their day better.  But after this day, I feel accomplished instead of pride.  I feel like just by listening to them actually made a difference in their lives and made them feel better.  I believe by that connecting with the people who need help is more important to their well beings than just providing the necessities to them. 

   -Mandy 

We started our day taking the train to Manna's Life of Ministries. Walking through the doors, the room was filled with love and compassion. I instantly felt the love and warmth of the people around me. We were ready to make a change. I decided to go with Mike and Cindy to an out reach and serve at local gas stations and a homeless shelter. Being in the car with Mike and Cindy,I really saw how much they loved serving. They made it a daily routine to save lives. Going through the different locations, I was baffled by the way people just like me were living. Even though they were struggling , they had a glimpse of hope in their eyes when they saw us coming. Their smiles brought me so much inspiration. I never knew I could ever make an impact on someones life ,especially someone I barely knew.The greatest highlight of my day was when we went to the homeless shelter. As we were out in the rain, handing out sandwiches and fruit a homeless man approached us. We gave him the food and he thanked us back with a word of wisdom. "You are the future," he said. He told us that we are the ones that will change the future , the ones that will make the world a better place for people like him. Those words will stay with me forever. A man who was in great need of love and motivation was the one motivating us.

-Sara

Monika's Moments: Oh, the Places You'll Go

This was the mural that was in the soup kitchen. It really spoke to me because as members of the community, there is no where to go but up. This is just a bump in the road and there are many things that they can accomplish. Then as college students, we really have our whole lives ahead of us. And yes, right now we all have a specific major and path in mind, but that can all change in an instant. Plans change all the time and we have to let life  guide us because you never know where the journey may take you.

Today I went to the soup kitchen to volunteer. I really liked the style of it. It was restaurant style, meaning that there were waiters that served the community members, rather than it being cafeteria lunch style with a line up and people dumping food on trays. There was a variety of things that the soup kitchen offered, so at least the people got a choice of what they wanted to eat. I personally worked the clothing area. The place had a rack of clothes that people could take. Some people took bags and others took one or two items. My engagement in the community was good. I was able to see that the members really appreciated the services that they received at the soup kitchen. Whenever I volunteer I always feel humbled in some way. For example, I know that if I was in the situation that the members were in, I know I would want someone to be there for me and help me out, especially with food and clothes. The staff was really nice, which makes volunteering more fun and enjoyable. Thus far I have learned that there is a whole world outside of PhilaU, yet we have the same issues everywhere. By this I mean that the same problem of hunger that me tried to solve today is right in our backyards. We need to help our own people in order to conquer the world.

--- Monika

We are Here!

"A" Team 

Last night, after an adventurous Megabus ride and Subway trip, we made it to the beautiful New York City Hostel! The Hostel is so awesome! The lobby greeted us with an awesome neon blue sign and the walls of the Hostel is covered by artwork and photographs. Everything was very clean and the staff was very welcoming and  We got in kinda late, so we took a small tour of the place. ordered pizza, and went over the details of the trip. I think we are all excited for what the next couple of days hold!

Today is the first day that we are going to serve. It is currently 7:00 am, yes in the morning...but we are here to serve others, not ourselves!

Anyway, stay posted for details on our first service day!

Student Diaries: Serving in My Backyard

 

This past summer I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Ghana and Guyana to serve others. Those trips were amazing and I am very grateful for the experiences I had there.

Recently though, I have been learning that I don't need to travel across the world to help those in need. In America, there are many people that are in poverty, homeless, or just in need of a helping hand. I go to school very close to Center City, Philadelphia, and when I walk through the streets of the city, I see many needs.

I want to learn how to serve the people in my area and so this March, actually in 3 days... I am traveling to New York City on a service trip for 5 days. I know, I know... New York isn't the same as Philly, but I think the lessons I learn in New York will be very valuable and applicable to Philly. I am traveling to New York with the Honors Program from my school, Philadelphia University. While in New York, we will be staying in a Hostel and will be serving at the Caldwell Temple Soup Kitchen.

I think the thing I want to learn the most on this trip is how to relate to people that are homeless or might not be in the best situation. I want to hear their stories and see them as real people. I know I often walk by homeless people on the streets of Philly without taking a second look, but that isn't right.

I have so much, and the least I can give is my service and time. Hopefully this trip to New York City will be the start of me serving in my own backyard.

~ Chantal
   www.wandermission.weebly.com

Honors Alternative Spring Break Trip

This year, for spring break, 22 members of the Philadelphia University honors program will be traveling to New York City. The trip will be five days long, from Friday, March 13^th to Tuesday, March 17^th. We will be staying in a Hostel in the heart of NYC. We will also be serving at the Caldwell Temple soup kitchen.

This trip is a great opportunity for college students to visit another city and volunteer. Our group is super excited to spend our Spring break giving back to those in need. 

We will be posting trip updates everyday, so stay posted!