National Volunteer Week Inspired: My American Story
My American Story
I've written this personal piece as my own national volunteer week essay...
It is dedicated to David Soul, who asked those of us who respect and appreciate his work to express such sentiments, at least partially, in tackling issues and making a difference, in ways large and small. In his words: “What I would want is that people who have enjoyed what I do get involved on a personal basis, in their local communities … doing hands-on work with those who need our love and attention the most.”
And for a little bit of fun, and because I am a Jon Bon Jovi fan - here's a video he did to promote volunteering..."The Power of We" comes from a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. http://www.serve.gov/videos.asp?tbl_videos_id=242
Do you have a story to share? A cause you believe in and support? I'd love to know...
Writes-
-Angel
My American story is like many others - a patchwork of family, backgrounds, locations, and influences. In 1961, when I was four years old, my family moved from the United States to Southeast Asia, so that my pastor father could fulfill his dream of coordinating interfaith humanitarian aid in some of the world’s poorest communities, while continuing to nurture the spiritual life in our parishes and congregations. Our ever-growing expat family roved, gypsy-style, throughout India, to Indonesia, to Japan and the Philippines, and back to India.
My father wanted his children to be citizens of the world, and to have a deep sense of responsibility to the poorest among us. He believed in compassion, faith, and forgiveness. My British-born mother wanted us to be western children - native English speakers, grounded in western philosophy, history, ideas, and norms. She believed in manners, morals, cleanliness, and Bible stories. We grew up sort of between worlds…experiencing the mystical streets and languages of Calcutta and Punjab, studying at the kitchen table from American and British correspondence courses, sitting for hours in church pews, and helping our parents in the feeding centers and missions.
My brothers and sisters and I knew that we would be sent State-side for university. My intrepid childhood gave me a richness of experiences, curiosity and a hearty sense of self-sufficiency. At the same time, I often felt like a child without roots, without a permanent home - who would be exiled from my family for the sake of higher education.
My undergraduate degree was in social work. A month after commencement, I decided that I wasn’t mature enough for a regular work life, so I joined the Peace Corps. For two years, I was a Peace Corps volunteer, back in Southeast Asia, developing education projects. The Peace Corps reinforced my father’s teachings in very personal ways. I saw poverty and want, without the mitigating factor of my parents for distance. For the first time, I was an “ambassador of peace and friendship” - representing the United States in a country where many people could not believe in anything beyond day-to-day subsistence. I saw the positive outcomes of my sweat equity in tangible, concrete terms, like a real brick and mortar 300-book library (all donated) instead of an empty lot.
Post-Peace Corps brought a career (macro level social work policy, specializing in children in foster care), more education - Master of Social Work and Juris Doctor. I also picked up a wonderful husband in 1987. By the mid-90's, I'd shifted careers slightly, entering federal government service and working on operational, legislative, and policy issues to facilitate national service programs.
In 1993, our daughter Christina came into our lives. Christina is our foster daughter, who became ours when she was four years old. There were legal impediments to adoption, which we very much wanted. However, Christina is our child in every way possible besides birth or an adoption decree…she grew up in her own home, with her own parents (us), and her own goals. Today, Christina is 23 years old, and currently a Peace Corps volunteer serving in Peru. In longer term goals, she is leaning towards medical school - and wants to practice in poor communities in either the United State or as part of “Doctors without Borders.”
Christina was the catalyst to focus our own volunteering and service. When she was eight years old, she arrived home from school in tears, with a humble box turtle tucked carefully in her backpack. She sat on my lap and cried, saying that the turtle was at the playground and some of the other children were going to kill it for fun. She ran up and snatched the turtle and brought him home. I was proud of her initiative and kind heart. But, Christina learned a hard fact that day - the realization that some people liked being cruel to animals. This understanding consumed and horrified her, almost becoming an obsession. It broke her heart and created a pervasive sense of helplessness, anger, and sadness.
Christina needed hope, and needed optimism and an outlet for her concerns...even at so young an age, she took this concern very seriously. My husband I wanted to carefully introduce her to the other side of animal welfare - to understand about networks of caring people and organizations that tirelessly poured love, time, money, and advocacy into making the world a better place for animals.
We joined several local pet adoption groups, including the predecessor of our now-favorite organization - “Little Buddies” ( http://www.littlebuddies.org/ ). Christina became a regular Saturday volunteer, helping out at adoption fairs. Her school projects centered on fundraisers and supply drives for animal shelters and welfare groups (I did the schlepping, baked about a million cupcakes for bake sales, and made more pet blankets than I can count…).
After seeing “Seabiscuit” she became concerned about off-the-track thoroughbred horses. As a family, we joined “Exceller Fund” and to this day, we sponsor several of their horses. http://www.excellerfund.org/
We also learned about Best Friends Animal Society and Sanctuary in Angel Canyon, Utah: http://www.bestfriends.org/index.htm . This amazing place offers permanent homes to so many badly treated and unwanted animals. Best Friends also invites members and others to come to the Sanctuary and spend time volunteering with the animals. During Christina’s childhood, many of our family vacations were spent as Best Friends volunteers. Christina gravitated to the bunnies, cats, dogs, goats, and donkeys. She cleaned, petted, walked, hugged, and fed these special survivors. My husband spent all of his time with the horses. I was usually on the landscape crew, putting up fences and hauling feed, and helping out with the birds.
When it became time for pets of our own, we opted for rescue/shelter cats. Luckenfire and Phoenix Bean have a forever home with us. When they are gone, other special furry friends come behind and share love with us.
I've taken a break, in the past few years, from ongoing volunteering. I mostly do one-time activities or events - a fundraiser, a KaBoom playground build, a special day of service. But now, I am going to reaffirm my commitment and get back at it.
And I'll end with my favorite quote of all about optimism, involvement, and a civil society:
"There is nothing wrong in America that can't be fixed with what is right in America." - President Bill Clinton