AGainst All Odds ClubHouseVolunteering at the Against All Odds Clubhouse started out as a huge challenge for me. The Clubhouse is a recovery center for people with mental illness. As a psychology major, this was a defining moment when deciding if I was going to be able to work with the mentally ill population. There are other options for psychologists if I discovered that I was not comfortable with this. At first, I disliked it because I felt that there was nothing that I could do to help anyone. Throughout the remainder of my time there, I learned that just by me being there, people would not have auditory hallucinations that day. When I would spend time with the people at the Clubhouse, it did help them. Even though I could not cure their illness, I found an alternative treatment. This made me realize that I could definitely work with the mentally ill population in the future.
Big Brothers Big SistersBig Brothers Big Sisters is a non-profit organization that matches mentors with at-risk students in elementary and middle school. I had one male student for a year named Zach, and we played a lot of games, but in the end, he did not want to continue to miss his classes because of the program. Then, I was matched with Alyran. Alyran and I had a great relationship. We played games, talked about her life, made bracelets with the rainbow loom, and did brain puzzles. Alyran was extremely smart, and she was so respectful. I thoroughly enjoyed working with her, and I really love this organization.
I have also done many other short-term service projects with my fraternity and other organizations that I am involved in. |
RaFT Crisis HotlineI volunteered over 100 hours at the RAFT Crisis Hotline. This hotline specializes in suicide intervention. I went through special training where I learned skills in active listening and empathetic response. I learned how to properly handle a variety of different calls. I also did several overnights at the hotline where I spent the entire night there since it is a 24 hour hotline.
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