| Service Learning Home Page | SUNY Cortland Home Page | Civic Engagement Home Page |
|
About Their Service Learning Experiences |
 |
Habitat
for Humanity volunteers Spring Break, 2005 |
| "I
am a different person. My heart ached for my little girl. She has
been through so much. I plan to volunteer next semester" - Jonna Seymour, Bridges for Kids (Spring 2001) |
Choosing an
Agency
"Choosing
an agency was very easy and effective...I got my first choice."
(Jeanne Christantiello, Bridges for Kids, Fall 2000)
"I was pleased that I got my first choice." (Susan Tonnessen, Loaves & Fishes, Fall 2000)
"I Chose Roots 'n' Shoots because they are an agency that centers around the environment." (Jesse Hamilton, Spring 2001)
"Choosing the agency was probably the easiest part of Service Learning." (Casey Brown, Loaves & Fishes, Fall 2000)
The Assignment
"Before
this event, I never really paid attention to the houses and general
condition of the town. However, while collecting food [for the
NYPIRG "Trick or Eat" Campaign], I was very surprised.
For example, one child, who looked about 12 years old, could
not read the flier we gave the families at each door before asking
for donations. In addition, the [streets] were not lit and many
did not seem safe; numerous houses were unkept and rundown.
Until directly seeing these problems, I did not recognize them."
(Laura Buitrago, NYPIRG, 2005)
"I Organized two enrichment
groups who decided they wanted to develop bulletin boards."
(Theresa Dyer-Servais, Southern Cayuga Schools, Fall 2000)
"My specific assignment was to work with a child a few hours a week, every week. I could choose any activities that I wanted, as long as they were appropriate for the child and things she wanted to do." (Amy Wyman, Bridges for Kids, Fall 2000)
"Hang out
with my "special friend" and make him feel good about
himself, show him new things to do and just be a good supportive
friend." (Mike Schall, Bridges for Kids, Fall 2000)
Preliminary Meeting With Supervisor
"There
was a problem for me getting in touch with the agency. I made
several phone calls before I got a response from anyone. Finally,
after I got a phone call, getting in touch with the teacher I
was working with was easy." (Lauren Neely, Barry Elementary,
Fall 2000)
"Meeting with the agency at first was a little confusing, but it worked out for the best. It took a few days to get organized, but after those initial days, the program was great." (Jessica Billard, Bridges for Kids, Fall 2000)
"I felt
that the first meeting...helped to make me more excited about
becoming a volunteer." (Amy Wyman, Bridges for Kids, Fall
2000)
Training
"Very
effective! It taught me how to look for abuse signals and how
to have fun with the child." (Jeanne Christantiello, Bridges
for Kids, Fall 2000)
"Overall, there was a pretty decent selection of agencies to volunteer at." (Chris Rowett, SUNY Environmental Health & Safety, Fall 2000)
"Very thorough training." (John Halstead, Bridges for Kids, Fall 2000)
"It was
brief. It took only about an hour. It went over child abuse,
neglect and stuff" (Tina Marie Munroe, Bridges for Kids,
Spring 2001)
Recognition of Your Efforts
by the Agency
"The staff really recognized my efforts and showed their
gratitude." (Susan Tonnessen, Loaves & Fishes, Fall
2000)
"My agency supervisor gave a lot of support and recognition
to all its volunteers." (Chris Stalker, Loaves & Fishes,
Fall 2000)
"He liked
what I did for the (agency) brochure. He was impressed."
(Chris Rowett, SUNY Environmental Health & Safety, Fall 2000)
"The supervisor always thanked us at the end of each volunteer
shift and she always told us we did a great job." (Sarah
Sable, Loaves & Fishes, Spring 2001)
My co-workers were very nice and open to explaining any situation
that I was unsure of." (Rebekah Ward, SUNY Day Care,
Spring 2001)
"My supervisor was easy to get along with and very understanding
when it came time to make a schedule." (Liz McNabb, Barry
Elementary, Spring 2001)
Quality of Agency
"NYPIRG
is a very quality place to have a Service Learning project...Many
of their issues affect college students." (Jesse Hamilton,
Fall 2000)
"Very good place for service learning. Flexible hours, assignments
fun and not hard to complete." (Amy Zambardino, Cortland
Area Child Care Council, Fall 2000)
"Excellent agency, but a lot of commitment is involved."
(Nicole Dardia, Bridges for Kids, Fall 2000)
"It helped
me to recognize more of what I want to do with my life."
(Rebekah Ward, SUNY Day Care, Spring 2001)
Understanding the Objectives
of Service Learning
"I
think it is to help the community or make a difference in someone's
life. You have to help and learn at the same time." (Anon.,
Fall 2000)
"I have
come to understand that the objective of Service Learning is
preparation for the future." (Anon., Fall 2000)
"The objectives were clear. This was for us to learn something
from our service." (Jill Adams, Bridges for Kids, Fall 2000)
"To help others; promote a global community; to write with
emotion." (Tina Marie Munroe, Bridges for Kids, Spring 2001)
 |
Tina Marie
Munroe |