I have never took interest in volunteering until recently. My recent experience changed my attitude and my life. I saw how my involvement could make an impact in people's lives.
When Brandon started his new school, I knew I wanted to get involved, but I didn't know how. Then I saw the advertisement looking for volunteers in the library. My first instinct was, "What can I do in the library?" and "I can't read to the kids, they will not understand my speech." Well, anybody who knows me, knows the words "I can't" do not exist in my vocabulary. Ok, so let's try it. After signing up, I soon received an email announcing a "library volunteer" meeting. I was hoping the meeting would calm my fears
I arrived at the meeting a little late, which did not help my anxiety. After sitting in the meeting for a few minutes listening to the librarian, Mrs. Forbes, I began to feel more relaxed. She had a very bubbly personality, and she gave me a warm smile when I rolled in late. As I was sitting in the meeting, I began to think, "I still do not know what I can do in the library, but Mrs. Forbes seemed like someone I could figure this out with".
The first day of my volunteering I was really nervous. I felt awkward and I did not want to go, but I knew if I wanted to get past my fear I had to confront it. As I opened the door to go into library, I saw about 20 kindergarteners staring back at me. Mrs. Forbes introduced me as "Ms. Dina", and said I would be helping them in the library. She said it in such a "happy go lucky" tone, it looked as though the kids did not give it a second thought. Mrs. Forbes continued reading the Halloween story. When Mrs Forbes finished the story, she dismissed the kids by rows to go pick out books. After they found their book, the kids were to sit at the round tables and read.
As the kids were gathering their books and sitting around the tables, Mrs Forbes announced that I was there if anybody wanted me to read to them. My first instinct was "Oh, I have nothing to worry about, none of these kids are going to want me to read to them."
Then it happened. A tiny little girl's hand bolted into the air. As I saw her hand go up, I figured she wanted to ask Mrs. Forbes a question. Mrs. Forbes asked, "Would you like Ms. Dina to read to you"? She nodded, with a big smile across her face. Since I can not remember the little girl's name, I will name her "Maria". After she nodded, I rolled over to where she was sitting. As I approached, Maria greeted me with a bright smile. She looked adorable in her black and pink outfit and her black hair pulled back in pig tails. I also admired her pink & black nail polish.
When Maria showed me the book she wanted me to read, I began laughing to myself wondering if this was a joke. The book was about "The Day of the Dead", it was written in Spanish. I did not know if this was a blessing or a curse. At least I would not have to worry about her understanding me, or not understanding me. I began reading the story not knowing if she was understanding me, in English or Spanish. Regardless, she obviously enjoyed my presence, smiling at me adoringly as she was turning the pages. As I was reading, all 6 or 7 kids at the table were staring at me. I looked at the boy sitting next to me and asked him his name. Instead of letting him tell me, Maria proceeded to tell me his name along with all names of the other kids at the table.
At the end of reading time, Mrs. Forbes told all the kids to put their books away and line up by the door. After helping to put the books away, I look up and I see little sweet Maria smiling at me and waving. She totally melted my heart.
After that day, I realized the power of volunteering. Since then, Mrs. Forbes discovered that reading was not something I generally felt comfortable with, so after we talked about my interests and abilities, I assisted with filing, data entry and running errands. Even though I was not directly working with the kids, I still felt like I was making an impact because the kids would see me come in and out of their classrooms as I ran errands, and Mrs Forbes would introduce me when they came into the library. The kids started getting to know me and began saying Hi to me on their own.
Another powerful tool to combat fear is through education. With Brandon going to a new school, I feared the kids would give Brandon a tough time because his parents were different. Instead of holding on to my fear, I decided to nip it in the butt by speaking to his class. Since my speech can be hard to understand, I found an age appropriate book, that I let the teacher read, explaining disability, then I answered questions. Also, throughout the story, I would interject my own experience. I found the one part that captivated the audience, I asked them, "how many of you play soccer?". More than half of the kids raised their hands. Then I asked them if they thought I could play soccer. All of them said, "No"! All jaws dropped when I told that I play wheelchair soccer and that I am on a team. Knowing this was probably beyond their comprehension, I brought pictures and explained how I move the ball around field and get it into the goal. The kids were really receptive and asked a lot of questions. Since then, the kids smile and say Hi to me when they see me.
I have never shown an interest in volunteering until I experienced the profound effect it can have on me and others. More importantly, being involved in your community, could make a difference and an impact in someone's life, and you may not even know it. Thank you Mrs. Forbes and Maria for making a difference in my attitude and an impact in my life!
Nice to find this blog, Dina and thanks to Daniel for pointing it out. Yeah, I'd never bet on can't. Nor would I walk through the stacks at your library without looking both ways before crossing an aisle.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing that story, Dina. It takes so much courage to overcome our fears. We often choose not to. Our children force us to reach further than we might otherwise go, and can open up new worlds for us and for those around us. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to support the school, be there for Brandon, and change these children's lives and perspectives forever.
ReplyDelete