Hey Everyone, Lyndsey again! The other night we went out on a run with Sarah DiGiaimo as the leader. It was a small group, and we didn’t see a lot of people out. We ended up leaving bags in different areas that we hoped they would be found.
I have a story that happened to me the other day that I wanted to share. I was walking through Harvard Square, in my own world, when I looked up and saw a man outside of CVS standing with a change cup. As I watched he turned into the flow of foot traffic, and got plowed into by another man who was not paying any attention and walking too fast for his own good. He knocked the man completely on the ground and then stopped. I thought that he was going to apologize and help him back up, but sadly, that was not the case. Instead this man proceeded to scream at the one on the ground about how he needed to get out of the way, and that what had just happened was entirely his fault, along with a stream of obscenities and terrible names. After he felt that his job of berating this man was done he stormed off, without lifting a finger to help him up. Once I got to him, I offered a hand and helped him off the ground. I apologized for what had just happened to him and then, as if by a knee jerk reaction, apologized for not having anything to give him. He turned to me, looked me straight in the eye and said, “No, you acknowledged me, and that’s enough.”
I almost feel no need to try and end this with some moral or lesson that people can take away from this incident. That man’s statement to me is just about as deep and as straight forward as it could possibly be. He is human, as we all are. If we don’t help each other out, than who will?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
White Hall Sandwich Run
Leader of the night: Lyndsey Carpenter
Last night we did a sandwich run with some residents of White Hall. There were only a few people out, but we left sandwiches in different places around Harvard Square. As we were finishing our loop, we noticed that one of the bags we had left had been taken. We can only hope that it was enjoyed. At the debrief we talked about how this was some of the participants first run. Some said that they had started the night thinking that they wouldn’t be nervous, but in the end they were. We talked about how that is a normal feeling and that it was good that they knew that they could step back and just hold the bags. Because in the end, every little bit helps.
Last night we did a sandwich run with some residents of White Hall. There were only a few people out, but we left sandwiches in different places around Harvard Square. As we were finishing our loop, we noticed that one of the bags we had left had been taken. We can only hope that it was enjoyed. At the debrief we talked about how this was some of the participants first run. Some said that they had started the night thinking that they wouldn’t be nervous, but in the end they were. We talked about how that is a normal feeling and that it was good that they knew that they could step back and just hold the bags. Because in the end, every little bit helps.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Lesley Delivers with White 4
Hey Everyone, it’s Lyndsey again! I led Lesley Delivers the other night as a part of Lesley’s Hunger and Homelessness week. We had a perfect mix of people who had come on sandwich runs before and people who hadn’t. It was amazing to see the amount of people that did come because the weather was less than kind and rained the whole time. We did see some people, but not many – which gives me hope that they had found somewhere warm and dry to sleep. We did however see a man sitting next to a strung up tarp and we gave him some sandwiches. As we began to leave we saw him walk over to the tarp and give all of the food to the people underneath it, leaving none for himself. We went back and made sure that he had some for himself before we left. This action made us think about how we are family and friends before we are anything else, including hungry. It is not just the people on the runs who are trying to provide a small bit of comfort and hope, but the people who are sitting with each other in their time of need.
Lesley Delivers with SSJ Part 2
This blog was written by Merrie Rothstein, President of the Community Service Club, about the same experience as the previous post, but from a different point of view.
Lesley Delivers and Students for Social Justice (SSJ) teamed up on Wednesday night to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, juice boxes, snacks, and hand sanitizer to individuals in Harvard Square. It was a quiet night for both Lesley and Harvard Square. We had four Lesley students prepare and deliver meals. Two of the individuals that joined us was experiencing Lesley Delivers for the first time, it’s great to have more students joining in on the experience! There weren’t many individuals around Harvard Square, we were able to hand out a few bagged meals but, also found ourselves leaving bags in areas where people might stop by later in the night. After we de-briefed on the night’s events and discussed our service in connection to social justice issues, I went with another student volunteer to CVS and we noticed on our way in that one of the bags that we had left was already taken. On our way out of CVS to go back to Lesley, we noticed one or two other bags had already been taken. It was a great feeling to see that they had been taken; it was great to see that a few more people would have a sandwich to eat that night! Recently, while we do our sandwich runs, people have been telling us we should come earlier. This week our sandwich runs were earlier than our regular time, and when we went later individuals were in the area to receive the sandwiches we made.
Lesley Delivers and Students for Social Justice (SSJ) teamed up on Wednesday night to bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, juice boxes, snacks, and hand sanitizer to individuals in Harvard Square. It was a quiet night for both Lesley and Harvard Square. We had four Lesley students prepare and deliver meals. Two of the individuals that joined us was experiencing Lesley Delivers for the first time, it’s great to have more students joining in on the experience! There weren’t many individuals around Harvard Square, we were able to hand out a few bagged meals but, also found ourselves leaving bags in areas where people might stop by later in the night. After we de-briefed on the night’s events and discussed our service in connection to social justice issues, I went with another student volunteer to CVS and we noticed on our way in that one of the bags that we had left was already taken. On our way out of CVS to go back to Lesley, we noticed one or two other bags had already been taken. It was a great feeling to see that they had been taken; it was great to see that a few more people would have a sandwich to eat that night! Recently, while we do our sandwich runs, people have been telling us we should come earlier. This week our sandwich runs were earlier than our regular time, and when we went later individuals were in the area to receive the sandwiches we made.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Lesley Delivers with Students for Social Justice
This blog was written by Lesley University Senior Sandy Ho, President of Students For Social Justice.
The other night Students for Social Justice had the opportunity to host a Lesley Delivers event. The goal was not only to reach out to the homeless population in Harvard Square, but in doing so to connect with our friends engaged in direct service with social justice. From the social justice perspective I am engaged in classes that teach me about social policies, and have had several internships that deal with political activity on both a national and international scale. Admittedly, I went into the experience with very little experience and knowledge of direct service; simply stated, this notion of directly impacting one individual's life or several individuals' lives was new to me.
The night before however, I had attended a presentation by Dr. Jesse Gaeta - a doctor who provides healthcare for homeless individuals. In her presentation she not only gave an incredibly eye-opening and humbling talk on how she provides health care services, but was able to put it into a context of what is going on in the policy world. Her discussion with us stressed that housing and health care are human rights. And though our communities and federal government has resources, her approach with her patients is not one of doctor and patient - but one that puts the individual on center stage. "How did this person come to be in the state s/he is in?" And from there she frames her support, she guides the individual, she provides the services - this is in sharp contrast to what I view my relationship with my own physicians which many times is framed in a "doctor's orders" context. That evening I asked Dr. Gaeta how she navigates the perspective of direct service with large-scale political change, and whether or not it was difficult (as she made it seem so seamless and natural). I would soon be able to find out for myself...
That night more than ever before, I felt at the cross roads of civic engagement. Up until that point I had largely thought of social justice action as those that implement structural change on a greater societal level, and direct service as a temporary band-aid on the problem. Political lobbying on Capitol Hill during my Washington Semester in D.C. vs. handing out sandwiches in Harvard Square to the homeless: The differences between the two forms of activity are obvious, but are there any similarities? Was it possible for me to connect the two 'spheres of service' ? I would soon learn that not only are there more similarities than I had thought, but the two together are critical if we are to be successful in our fight against homelessness.
I looked aroung the group of students who were out with me that night. The wide diversity in backgrounds and interests represented reflects not only a personal choice, but in doing so highlights the fact that both volunteerism and social justice provides an opportunity for diverse people to engage in a personal choice together. The second similarity I noticed was that the divide between Students for Social Justice members and Lesley Delivers was non-existant, we were all together to be involved in a purposeful and change-oriented activity.
As an intern at Be the Change Inc., a major convener of the recently passed Serve America Act - I have come to appreciate the critical need and perspective of direct impact. When legislation is presented to the Senate, our Senators utilize the stories of direct impact, effect, and positive change on real people to persuade their fellow colleagues for or against a certain political-change. As I wrapped up the group's reflection that night, we were able to see how volunteers effect political agenda-setting and policy-making, but as I said good-night to the individuals who I had gotten to know better that night I also realized that the direct volunteerism we were involved in changes the relationships between people of different parts of society.
The other night Students for Social Justice had the opportunity to host a Lesley Delivers event. The goal was not only to reach out to the homeless population in Harvard Square, but in doing so to connect with our friends engaged in direct service with social justice. From the social justice perspective I am engaged in classes that teach me about social policies, and have had several internships that deal with political activity on both a national and international scale. Admittedly, I went into the experience with very little experience and knowledge of direct service; simply stated, this notion of directly impacting one individual's life or several individuals' lives was new to me.
The night before however, I had attended a presentation by Dr. Jesse Gaeta - a doctor who provides healthcare for homeless individuals. In her presentation she not only gave an incredibly eye-opening and humbling talk on how she provides health care services, but was able to put it into a context of what is going on in the policy world. Her discussion with us stressed that housing and health care are human rights. And though our communities and federal government has resources, her approach with her patients is not one of doctor and patient - but one that puts the individual on center stage. "How did this person come to be in the state s/he is in?" And from there she frames her support, she guides the individual, she provides the services - this is in sharp contrast to what I view my relationship with my own physicians which many times is framed in a "doctor's orders" context. That evening I asked Dr. Gaeta how she navigates the perspective of direct service with large-scale political change, and whether or not it was difficult (as she made it seem so seamless and natural). I would soon be able to find out for myself...
That night more than ever before, I felt at the cross roads of civic engagement. Up until that point I had largely thought of social justice action as those that implement structural change on a greater societal level, and direct service as a temporary band-aid on the problem. Political lobbying on Capitol Hill during my Washington Semester in D.C. vs. handing out sandwiches in Harvard Square to the homeless: The differences between the two forms of activity are obvious, but are there any similarities? Was it possible for me to connect the two 'spheres of service' ? I would soon learn that not only are there more similarities than I had thought, but the two together are critical if we are to be successful in our fight against homelessness.
I looked aroung the group of students who were out with me that night. The wide diversity in backgrounds and interests represented reflects not only a personal choice, but in doing so highlights the fact that both volunteerism and social justice provides an opportunity for diverse people to engage in a personal choice together. The second similarity I noticed was that the divide between Students for Social Justice members and Lesley Delivers was non-existant, we were all together to be involved in a purposeful and change-oriented activity.
As an intern at Be the Change Inc., a major convener of the recently passed Serve America Act - I have come to appreciate the critical need and perspective of direct impact. When legislation is presented to the Senate, our Senators utilize the stories of direct impact, effect, and positive change on real people to persuade their fellow colleagues for or against a certain political-change. As I wrapped up the group's reflection that night, we were able to see how volunteers effect political agenda-setting and policy-making, but as I said good-night to the individuals who I had gotten to know better that night I also realized that the direct volunteerism we were involved in changes the relationships between people of different parts of society.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Lesley Delivers with Class of 2011
Hi! I'm Sarah DiGiaimo and I led the Lesley Delivers last night. It was also the first day of Hunger and Homelessness Week and the kick-off to a nightly sandwich run. Last night's run was sponsored by the Class of 2011 and seven people from the class came to help. Everyone on the run last night was there for their first time. It was great to see new faces joining Lesley Delivers and more people who care about helping out the homeless in our community. We made 20 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and had a variety of snacks and candy to add to the bags. Unfortunately it was a very cold night, but we saw two different groups of people in Harvard Square and they seemed to be staying together, hopefully to keep warm. They were very grateful for the sandwiches and immediately started eating them. It was great to know that our sandwiches were going to those who needed them. Hopefully now that it is Spring, it will start to get warmer and make for more comfortable nights for those who have no shelter.
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