2008 Woodie Awards
Students learn through service
Mayra Marquez
Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: News
| |
|
Brookhaven College students, as well as other volunteer groups, scrubbed pots and sinks, peeled about 100 pounds of potatoes, cracked 12 dozen eggs, rolled and baked 30 dozen chocolate chip cookies, and opened cans of vegetables among many other jobs.
Norma Broussard, a member of APO, said: "We served food and saw from beginning to end how enriching and important this was and how people are needed in every capacity to help. Listening to everyone come and work together, volunteers as well as those who live or transition there, gave great purpose to our lives today."
Huong Dai, a new member of APO, said, "It's been great and very heartwarming to see people of all ages coming together, helping out society and just helping make a difference in their lives."
The Dallas Life Foundation began its service over 50 years ago reaching out to homeless people by providing food, clothing, shelter, education, as well as long-term rehabilitation programs. Some of these programs are the Overcomers Program, which provides assistance to residents with slight mental or physical disabilities, and the New Life Program, which offers classes in anger management, resume preparation, money management and other issues.
Robert Hicks, a resident and volunteer at Dallas Life Foundation, said this organization "helps restructure their lives by finalizing elementary education, getting a GED and helping people become independent."
Lonnie Barnett, the kitchen supervisor at Dallas Life Foundation, said because of the inconsistency of volunteers "we try to take advantage of volunteers to get stuff done ahead of time."
With the work of the volunteers at the Dallas Life Foundation kitchen on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the work for that day's lunch, dinner and even some of the work for the following day's meals were completed.
As APO's second semester at Brookhaven gets underway, members such as Broussard are striving to install an official chapter of this service organization on campus despite it traditionally being a four-year-college fraternity.
APO's mission is to prepare campus and community leaders through service.
Its purpose is to develop leadership, to promote friendship and to provide service to humanity.
Broussard said, "APO is a service only, not a social club, and opens doors for students looking to transfer to universities looking for that well-rounded student."
Although APO is a fraternity, it is co-ed and anyone can join. APO staff is still working on setting up service projects for this semester and anyone can come to the meetings at 4:30 p.m. every other Thursday in S204.
Be the first to comment on this story