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Hellooooo from Lawrence! So before I get into the nitty-gritty of my experiences thus far in Lawrence, I’ll give you all a short introduction of myself. I come from a suburb on the Southside of Chicago called Orland Park. I truly experience ‘the best of both worlds,’ according to hannah montana, living in a suburb that is so close to such a great city. And I used to think that Chicago was hands-down the greatest city in the country. But, after visiting Boston yesterday with the rest of the SSLP volunteers, I have realized that Chicago might have some competition. However, I haven’t jumped ship and completely abandoned my Chicagoan roots or forgotten my White Sox loyalties to put Boston ahead of Chicago, but don’t get me wrong, it’s now pretty high up on my Great Cities list. Anyways, I am going to be a junior in Lyons Hall this year majoring in Political Science and Peace Studies. I have yet to discover exactly what I want to do with these degrees after graduation. The political science part of me wants to go to law school and pursue some sort of law. Then the peace studies half of me wants to join the Peace Corps, travel Africa, and do social work somewhere in the US. And after this first week here in Lawrence, one thing I do know for certain is that helping people must be a part of my career in the future. I have just fallen in love with the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence in just a couple days, and I can already tell that it is going to be such an emotional day when our last day of work dreadfully comes in August. The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence truly is a special place where miracles are occurring every day. The first time I saw the exterior of the club, I was in awe. Old and decrepit buildings and apartments surround the Boys and Girls Club. I was definitely not expecting to see such a large and beautiful building the first time we turned from the street into the parking lot of the Boys and Girls Club. It almost felt like the club was sparkling and glistening even in the rainy weather. Little did I know that the extraordinary exterior barely gave justice to the immaculate interior. The club has brand new facilities that include 2 gyms, a swimming pool, a huge game room, a computer lab, a cafeteria, and a gigantic homework and tutoring area. This last area – the homework and tutoring area – is where we have spent most of our time this past week and has also become my favorite part of the club. Cheers can be heard throughout the entire building as the doors open to the club, and minutes later, an influx of children arrive to the homework area eager to get help with their homework, rack up their reading minutes, or work on a craft. One of the many things that amaze me about the club is that no kid is forced to do anything. He or she just has to make himself or herself busy in some way. No one is forcing these children to work on their homework or read for hours when they’ve just come from doing these things at school all day. Yet, the room is filled with children asking you to listen to them read or to check their math homework. Every single child I have worked with this week has displayed such an amazing zest for learning that I have never encountered before. When I asked one of the little girls that I had been helping if she was excited that she just had her last day of 2nd grade, she told me that she was going to miss school so much and that she did not want summer to come. She said that she started crying at school because it was her last day, and like a chain reaction, the rest of her class, including her teacher, started crying because the year was coming to an end. I think I have come to the conclusion that so many of these children love school and learning because they are distractions from any problems they may be experiencing at home or in their neighborhoods. One of the things that I have learned this week is that although a majority of the children at the club are living either at or below the poverty line, they are still children. They still laugh and have such an enthusiasm for life. They still have hopes to become doctors, teachers, and lawyers. They still have dreams like any child growing up in a middle-class or upper-class society. Last week, one little girl I was working with started tearing up tiny sheets of paper and writing on them. When I asked her what she was doing, she just smiled and covered up what she had written. Then, she asked me how to spell ‘ponies.’ I smiled and told her. She finished what she was writing and scurried away, only to return with a small jar that had “Hopes and Dreams” written on it. With a smile and in a very matter-of-fact manner, she said, “Kelly, I’m putting my hopes and dreams in the jar so that they can come true one day.” I laughed and made a mental note to pray that one day she would get those ponies she had been hoping and dreaming for. Although these children at the Boys and Girls Club may be living in very extreme levels of poverty, especially in these economic times, they still have their childhood. And thanks to the Boys and Girls Club, they are able to relish these childhood times. The Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence is such a blessing for these children. It is a safe haven from poverty and gang-life. It is a place where kids don’t have to worry about anything else but enjoying their day reading, playing basketball, dancing, playing pool with their friends, or beating a Notre Dame volunteer at pool 3 times in a row [Sadly, a career as a professional pool player is not in the cards for me. However, one of my new little best friends has agreed to work with me so that I don’t get completely demolished in every game of pool. Although he is just in the 2nd grade, I trust that he'll teach me some of his amazig pool techniques by the end of the summer.] And lastly, it is a place where kids can just be kids and enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like winning a game of pool or wishing for a pony. |
