#farewell

This past week was a bittersweet one as it was my last week at Heartland Alliance. On my way to the office my iPhone popped up a reminder: Participants Concern Meeting, 9:30am. This was one of the many reasons it was such a bittersweet end. I had just started getting more and more involved with the organization and before I knew it, my time was over.

The week before there were talks about a Participants Concern Meeting, a meeting where staff as well as participants come together for feedback on current operations. This meeting doesn’t usually include interns, but after insisting my supervisor kindly agreed. I was very excited to be a part of such an important process within Heartland. As the meeting started, I saw many familiar faces, most of whom refugees I had helped previously. I greeted them one by one before we started the meeting. 

To start the meeting, my supervisor started with a speech about how I was only an intern and it was my last week, but I still insisted to attend the meeting to help make Heartland Alliance more efficient. The refugees were very glad that I took the initiative but were sad to see me depart. After a little over an hour of discussing current programs within Heartland, we reached a consensus on most of the topics brought up. 

Overall my time at Heartland Alliance has changed my perspective on life. It allowed me an opportunity to step in to shoes I never experienced before, the shoes of advocacy for others. Over the years I have had my goals in sights and did what I needed to achieve them. There hasn’t been a time, until now, where I supported many others to achieve theirs. 

 

The week before there were talks about a Participants Concern Meeting, a metting where staff as well as refugees come together for feedback on current operations. This meeting doesn’t usually include interns, but after insisting my supervisor a chance she kindly agreed. I was very excited to be a part of such an important process within Heartland. As the meeting started, I saw many familiar faces, most of whom refugees I had helped previously. I greeted them one by one before we started the meeting. 

To start the meeting, my supervisor started with a speech about how I was only an intern and it was my last week,but I still insisted to attend the meeting to help make Heartland Alliance more efficient. The refugees were very glad that I took the initiative but were sad to see me depart. After a little over an hour of discussing current programs within Heartland, we reached a consensus on most of the topics brought up. 

Overall my time at Heartland Alliance has changed my perspective on life. It allowed me an opportunity to step in to shoes I never experienced before, the shoes of advocacy for others. Over the years I have had my goals in sights and did what I needed to achieve them. There hasn’t been a time, until now, where I supported many others to achieve theirs. 

#Devotion

“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain love for one another”
                                                                                                                         Erma Brombeck

I have not seen the office this busy before. I walked in to office at 9 am, left at 5 pm sharp and did not take a lunch break. Believe it or not, over 15 case managers and interns were still there after the office closed.

The devotion non-profits’ staff members have is absolutely phenomenal. I know that each one of the ten case managers at my office are qualified enough for jobs that can pay at least double what they make at Heartland Alliance. The interns at Heartland Alliance are the engine of the office, and if it was not for them, the case managers would not be able to handle a quarter of the case load. Today, all interns in the office worked as hard as I did and nobody complained. They looked exhausted by 2 pm, but still happily ran from one corner to the other in the office in order to serve all clients in an acceptable time frame. 

As 2012 is coming closer to an end and the Holidays season has already started, the work load has doubled in the office. We are spending more time on paper work in order to submit our reports and records for the upcoming audit at the end of the year. This kind of pressure is what makes my volunteer experience at Heartland Alliance challenging and real life alike.

My Heartland service learning experience has definitely taught me how tough real life is. We, as interns, are only 20 and 21 year-old and are responsible for wether the refugee families receive money or not, find jobs or not and even wether the little kids are enrolled in schools and are advancing in their education or not, and this is exactly the compassion, the unselfish caring, the patience and the plain love volunteers carry with their determination to helping others.

the holiday

This week, it was the biggest Muslim Holiday. As most of the participants we deal with are Iraqi and Middle Eastern, my supervisor brought sweets to work. We greeted all the Muslim participants and offered them sweets, and we were surprised that many of those participants brought us sweets, although they don’t have that kind of money. 

I did not spend a long time at work as I was celebrating the holiday myself. Once again, the appreciation those participants showed by bringing the sweets was very satisfying and I realized that what we give to the participants is definitely important. 

My supervisor confirmed what we discussed in class in terms of providing services. Bringing sweets to offer to the participants during the holiday was not necessary; however, it definitely shows that we provide services with an open heart at Heartland, and that is the way all non-profits should provide services to their clients.

not cool!

Friday is known to be slow at Heartland. Nonetheless, I got to office at 11 am with my DunkinDonuts pumkin coffee in my hand to find that almost nobody is in today. I checked my outlook but there was no tasks waiting for me. At the moment, I knew that today is going to be extra slow. 

A couple of participants showed up but unfortunately, we as interns could not help with what they needed and they left. As I was becoming closer to leaving the office, a participant who had a job trip at 11 am showed up an hour and a half late, and I had to accompany him to fill out a job application. After a 50 minute commute, we arrived at the place to find out that they hired earlier that day. This was not the best news that participant received that morning, but he was not that upset in the end. 

My day might have not been what I expected it to be, but at least I could see how the services in our office can be improved, and I think this should start by not allowing all the case managers at the office to leave on a regular business day.

walking in another man’s shoes!

They say it only takes one person to make a difference. Some of us spend our whole lives trying to make a difference and very rarely do we see the impact of our efforts. Today, that changed for me. I came into volunteer, thinking it would be a day just like any other. I enjoy all the time I spend helping these individuals, and they are constantly thanking me for my services. I feel appreciated, and its satisfying. They think what Im doing is helping them, but they don’t realize that I am also getting something in return. The gratitude expressed by these individuals that im helping is more satisfying than any paycheck, and thats what keeps me coming back week after week. 

 

A few weeks ago I moved out of my apartment and into a new place with a few roommates. The new apartment I moved into was furnished, and my new room was a lot smaller than what I had before. I decided to donate almost all my furniture, kitchen supplies, and a ton of my clothes to Heartland. They were things that were in great shape, but things that I no longer used or had room for. I usually donate my things to the Salvation Army, but the Heartland organization has become very near and dear to my heart. There was no other option, I wanted to donate my belongings  to the organization that I had been so closely involved with, to people that I had helped first hand.

 

Today I came into volunteer expecting a normal day, but it wasn’t. As I arrived at the office, I saw something that was very familiar. There, right before my eyes, my shoes that I had donated a few weeks ago. They had made their way to a middle aged man who wore them better than I ever did, with such style and grace.  It put a huge smile on my face and my heart. And there it was, right in front of me, the difference that I made. Something so minuscule, so unimportant, something I would have never thought twice about-old shoes, yet they left me speechless. And for the next few months, that man will know what its like to walk in my shoes

a regular day!

Today I went in to volunteer, expecting a normal day. Little did I know, what was to come. As I arrived there I saw a middle-aged participant that came in, displaying severe pain.  Other employees informed me that I would be accompanying this participant to the nearest emergency room, as I was needed as a translator. After an hour or so of communicating with this man and trying to find out his symptoms and the detailed history, we decided to leave for the hospital. It took a bus ride and a train ride, but after 45 minutes we were there. During the commute I tried to console this participant, attempting to make him feel as comfortable as I could, as he seemed very nervous about his medical state. I assured him that the doctors we were about to meet would do everything in their power to find out what was wrong, and treat it. As we arrived at the ER, I noticed how extremely busy it was. Not expecting this on a Monday at 10 am, I braced myself for the wait that we were soon to face. It was a good 45 minutes before we even spoke to a nurse. I translated the participant’s pain and what he was experiencing. He said that he had consumed alcohol 2 days ago, for the first time in his life, and since then he has been vomiting and feeling nauseated. He had not told me this before when we first spoke. I felt as if my consoling earlier on the train ride, had made an impact. He felt more comfortable, he was sharing more of the story with me. It was at this point I felt the importance of my service. This man relied on me to accurately portray his pain and symptoms. Without my help, he would be untreatable, no one would know what he was experiencing. I translated this mans symptoms, and awaited the next steps in his treatment. Nurses and doctors came and went, and over and over again I translated this mans symptoms, every time, the history become more detailed as this man felt more comfortable with me and divulged more information about what he was going through. I did my best to accurately translate all the information that was given to me by every doctor and nurse that we spoke to. They assured me that his symptoms would be treated with the medication they prescribed. At 4:30pm, it was time for me to hit back the office, finish the paper work of today’s participant, and finally go home. He was still in the ER, being treated. I felt as though I was abandoning him, but I had done everything I could-my work was done. I explained to him why I was leaving, he seemed upset, hesitant to say goodbye. I saw the gratitude in his eyes when he shook my hand as I said my goodbyes. Its moments like this that make the work I do at Heartland so satisfying.

ps. I might have not had the chance to observe the critique I thought my organization needed, but I most certainly could see how much organization that profit organization needed during our ER five-hour wait. 

#teamwork

Day after day, I become to better realize that there are very simple things that one can do to help others. These things might look simple and easy to us; however, they definitely make a difference in many people’s lives. 

Day after day, I become to better realize that working in a healthy environment is an asset that organizations maintain in order to grab more attention and attract more interns and volunteers to join the team. Our office at Heartland is one open room. At first, this one big room was not that friendly; however, when I got to know everybody, it became a very fun room where people have smiles on their faces all day. 

This week, it was my first time going out with the staff members. It is sometimes essential to celebrate the success of all the efforts we put into work, as it gives us the motivation that we need to keep going. 

#imadeadifference

Back to how I really hate Mondays! Today I set my alarm at 8:30 am so I can make it to Heartland at 9:00am. As I was still in bed, I could not help but imagine the sweetness of going back to sleep at that time, and how it might be slow at work today and my early wake up will go to waste. All I needed at that time was a moment of truth; a moment of truth to give me an answer to the most pessimistic question of all times, “Am I going to really make a difference in anyone’s life today?” After a five-minute debate within myself, my answer was “Of course not, but who cares? at least I get to see people”

I got to the office and it was a total mess. The number of people in the waiting room was nothing but a slap on the face of everyone who thought we were going to leave the office any minute before 5:00 pm today. So I open my email to check my schedule for today to find that I have 4 interview practices, 2 documents to translate, and 3 more sessions where I have to be available with my supervisor for translation. Oh! and not to forget, I had job referral trip to make downtown with three of the clients I was training for the interviews. At that point, I did not care if any difference was made today.

 As I started my first interview practice, I was shocked from how selfish I was when I had second thoughts about showing up to work. I realized that there are many people out there who are in need of others who can provide as little as speaking and writing in English. All I did was training those desperate people on how to complete an interview for dish-washing positions, but very few know what this meant to those people. Those 3 hours of my life, which I probably would have spent sleeping if I did not show up, gave hope of a better life to 3 families that day. It was not only that I gave a little to those people, but also that I gained a lot of one-on-one interaction experience as well. 

When time hit 2:00 pm, I realized that I was going to miss my lunch break again, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! So I left with the clients, and after a horrible brown line ride, we were finally there. I want and asked for the chef and soon enough we were sitting in a weird room in the kitchen. Long story short, the chef interviewed my three guys and the three of them got a job at that restaurant. I was amazed how the three guys who I have worked all morning feeding them words, had the courage to ask the chef about their job duties and details with their almost non-comprehended accents. We left the restaurant with smiles on their faces and laughs over the phone while spreading the good news to their families.   

The takeaway of today was definitely not that I made a difference in somebody’s life, it was the difference those people made in my life. As I write this blog post, I cannot be thankful enough that I could use a computer, I cannot be thankful enough that I am in college and have nothing to worry about in my life, except for what grade I am going to get on this post. What I can really think about clearly right now is that wheel chart we used in class last week. Last week I filled in the chart about myself with information that I have known for years now. However, last week’s service learning class opened my eyes to see the wheel charts of others around me. People all over the world are forced to make changes to their wheel charts everyday whether they like it or not. So if you are one of those who are lucky enough to wake up every morning with new additions to your wheel chart, you should at least think about those who wake up every morning to find that their wheel chart is rotating very fast that they cannot even write what they want on it!

#myfirstday

So much for that plan:

When I registered for classes last semester, I made sure that I am off on Mondays. Well, I HATE MONDAYS!! WHO DOESN’T!! When I was making my schedule at work, I realized that the only day I can work on is Monday.

So, today was my first day at work and I loved it. I got there in the morning, to realize that our waiting room is full. Along with another intern, who happens to be a very good friend of mine, we called upon each participant to provide him/her with all the services they needed. This included social security and ID cards applications, job hunting, job matching, food stamps and link cards.

If it wasn’t for my service learning class, I would have spent today laying down with the xbox controller in my hand. The experience I have lived today was amazing. First of all, the satisfaction that I experienced after the emotional charge one participant showed after he found out that he got left me wordless. I realized that I needed that feeling of satisfaction as equally as he needed the job. This job definitely means a new start to someone who had been traumatized and displaced for few months now. Second of all, I felt that engaging in society and its problems is the ultimate vocational education. Most of that we learn in classes at Loyola is theoretical, and today was a magnificent opportunity to build up my one on one interactions with people out there in real life. As much as the participants needed us, we still need them more as they enable us as a staff to enhance our real life experiences.

The highlight of my day:

One asset of our office is the diversity of participants that we get to deal with on everyday basis. This gave us the chance of trying a Middle-Eastern traditional dish. Actually, we were amazed with the amounts of food one former participant has brought to the office. In his response to our many thanks, he said “I will never have the enough chance to thank you for what you guys had helped me achieve”

To be honest, his words were heart-touching. Oh, the food too!!

 

#myfirstblogpostandihateit

Hello everybody! My name is Hasan AlAdili and I come from Bethlehem, Palestine. Three years ago I started my journey at Loyola, and now, here I am writing this post to complete my service learning requirement, as I graduate this December with a BS in Biology.

I have volunteered for a lot of organizations, overseas and here in Chicago, and mostly they were all non-profit healthcare organizations. When I emailed Chris to get his consent in order to register for the class, he explained to me that this class requires about fifty hours of community service. Without any hesitation, I said “Hey Chris, I have volunteered for a number of healthcare organizations and I CANNOT TAKE IT ANYMORE… I am going to take another path this time” and that’s how my journey at Heartland Alliance started.

Heartland Alliance is a non-profit organization that is concerned with human rights and responds to the needs of the poor, the isolated and the displaced by providing comprehensive and respectful services while promoting solutions leading to a more just global society. I work in the department of Refugee Immigrant Community Services – Employment and adjustment. My duties as an Employment intern is primarily providing services to the newly arrived refugees, including job hunting, resume establishment, and interview practice. As I speak Arabic (mother tongue), English, French and Italian, my duties extend to interpretation services when needed in all the other departments.

 

http://www.heartlandalliance.org/