2/23

It has been a little while since I posted, but we went to the UHC for the first time on Friday and it went really well. Sarah, Jenny, and I met the receptionists, Mike, Linda, and some ladies that were volunteering with us. We spent the majority of our time there helping price and wrap items for the silent auction at the Bridesmaid's Ball. It was good to get a feel for the atmosphere around the office, and to get to hang out with Linda some more. She seems very excited about us cleaning out her closet and helping with things around the office. She also tipped us off about a girl who will be speaking at the Ball who escaped from homelessness and now lives independently. We are going to tell the media and film groups in case they are interested in hearing her story. I am still a little bit unsure what our role at the UHC is ultimately going to look like, but I think that as time goes on we will find more things to do and will continue to develop relationships with people around the office which could lead to more opportunities.

The other thing I am excited about is to see how the groups incorporate "One Away" into their projects. I really connect with the slogan and I hope that it gives the UHC some momentum with the younger crowd.

This morning I came to campus really early before the sun came up. I only live about a half mile from campus but by the time I got to the library I felt like my nose and ears were going to fall off! Days like today remind me how incredibly difficult it must be to be homeless. I literally cannot wrap my mind around what it would be like to face the freezing cold wind all night, knowing that you had nowhere to find shelter. It really brings the issue of homelessness home a little bit and makes me even more inspired to do my best for the UHC so they can get help to those who need it most. I am so glad that this course exists, because I think we all realize that it is more than just another class we need to take to graduate. We all bring unique talents and passions to the table, and I know that what we produce collectively is going to help the UHC and the homeless of the upstate in a big way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TCh31xg4vA
this song pretty much sums up my last semester and my attitude toward serving this semester. For the longest time I have thought about justice and reaching out to those who need it. I always prayed for them and genuinely hoped that things would get better. But my thoughts aren't enough. I have been given so many opportunities and gifts, it's time for me to start acting on my beliefs. I know that God has big plans and I want to GO serve, whatever that looks like.

Today in class we're going to present our ideas for a slogan or campaign for the UHC. I think our group has a great idea with the "One _________ away" campaign. I know that the other groups will have come up with awesome ideas too so I think that at the end of today we will have something really good. I will write more once we figure it all out...

2/9

We just had another organizational-type meeting. I think things are finally starting to take shape. Close call with the volunteer group. We almost got axed but we scraped it out and I think we figured out a way to reconcile our vision for the group with the overall mission of the class. Sarah, Jenny, and I are going to be spending every Friday morning going to the UHC as needed and volunteering our time doing chores around the office or running errands. I am really excited to see what our role at the UHC ends up looking like. I hope that we can really serve their needs so that they can get on track for all of the new resources they will soon be getting. I think that our group can do a lot of the grunt work at the UHC. That way, at the end of the semester they can utilize all the new projects that the other groups create and our campaign will actually be effective.

I think that for the most part we have done pretty well as a class of not being overly critical of each other's ideas. There has been constructive criticism but nobody seems to have gotten too emotionally involved, which is a good thing. Like I said, how this whole thing plays out is still yet to be seen but I believe we are going to produce work that we can be proud of and that will ultimately benefit the UHC and their clients.