Blog Post #11 A Farewell Night Picnic
Blog Post #11
A Farewell Night Picnic
April 26, 2018
Gentle Reader,
As I have mentioned before, Kara Tepe is a place of many hellos and goodbyes. The typical volunteer here spends one or two weeks at Kara Tepe. On this night, we said farewell to Kelly and Joelle, both from the Netherlands.
Kelly and Joelle were both very help in orienting me to the many projects around Kara Tepe that Movement on the Ground has initiated. Kelly was especially invested in the Digital Learning Lab, fostering a spirit of "family" amongst the Advanced Computer Class. Joelle was the heart of The Shop, always offering gentle guidance, especially when new families needed a "full kit" of clothing and shoes to get started at Kara Tepe. It was a constant joke around The Shop when individuals would come in and say, "But Joelle said..." and then offer a scenario that was different from the usual procedure. Residents at Kara Tepe need to make an appointment for The Shop, receiving a full kit upon arrival and once every three months. Full kit includes , per person in the family, five tops, two trousers, leggings, shorts, jacket, 2 hijabs, four socks, four underwear, two bras, flip flops, shoes, two dresses. Each family is given a full hour of individual attention by the volunteer staff in The Shop, and we do our very best to find clothing that they like. Sometimes this is difficult, as we are woefully low on shoes for both females and males. The rocks here at Kara Tepe are very hard on shoes, too. There are some companies, like Nike, that donate football (soccer) shoes to Kara Tepe, and these shipments are met with great rejoicing when they arrive.
I am hoping to do some research into other companies that might be willing to donate shoes to Kara Tepe. This is perhaps our greatest need. I will also be looking into donating children's books in English to the camp, perhaps through a collection of gently used books and then a Go Fund Me to assist with shipment of the books. I will be chatting with my spectacular Volunteer Friend Peyton in Madisonville to help me with these efforts once I return to Kentucky. If any of you reading this Blog have connections or ideas about donating books and/or shoes, please share them with me!
I will end today's blog, then, with some thoughts on volunteering...
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” — Muhammad Ali
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” — Elizabeth Andrew
And so I dedicate today's blog to the most compassionate, caring person I know: Peyton Adams. He gives of his time and energy and love every single day, to so many different organizations in Madisonville. I will be following in his footsteps a bit when I return to the States, taking up further training to be a Hospice volunteer, like Peyton. I began this training in Michigan, starting training with the Tuesday Writers Program. This was a group of writers who volunteered their time to be scribes for the people in hospice. Sometimes the person under hospice care would want to write letters to individual family members and friends. Sometimes they wanted to tell stories and have the scribe volunteer write them down and type them up. No matter what the request, the writings would them be given as a gift to the family. I am hoping to do this kind of work in Madisonville, following in Peyton's generous and compassionate footsteps...
Namaste,
Marianne
A Farewell Night Picnic
April 26, 2018
Gentle Reader,
As I have mentioned before, Kara Tepe is a place of many hellos and goodbyes. The typical volunteer here spends one or two weeks at Kara Tepe. On this night, we said farewell to Kelly and Joelle, both from the Netherlands.
Kelly and Joelle were both very help in orienting me to the many projects around Kara Tepe that Movement on the Ground has initiated. Kelly was especially invested in the Digital Learning Lab, fostering a spirit of "family" amongst the Advanced Computer Class. Joelle was the heart of The Shop, always offering gentle guidance, especially when new families needed a "full kit" of clothing and shoes to get started at Kara Tepe. It was a constant joke around The Shop when individuals would come in and say, "But Joelle said..." and then offer a scenario that was different from the usual procedure. Residents at Kara Tepe need to make an appointment for The Shop, receiving a full kit upon arrival and once every three months. Full kit includes , per person in the family, five tops, two trousers, leggings, shorts, jacket, 2 hijabs, four socks, four underwear, two bras, flip flops, shoes, two dresses. Each family is given a full hour of individual attention by the volunteer staff in The Shop, and we do our very best to find clothing that they like. Sometimes this is difficult, as we are woefully low on shoes for both females and males. The rocks here at Kara Tepe are very hard on shoes, too. There are some companies, like Nike, that donate football (soccer) shoes to Kara Tepe, and these shipments are met with great rejoicing when they arrive.
I am hoping to do some research into other companies that might be willing to donate shoes to Kara Tepe. This is perhaps our greatest need. I will also be looking into donating children's books in English to the camp, perhaps through a collection of gently used books and then a Go Fund Me to assist with shipment of the books. I will be chatting with my spectacular Volunteer Friend Peyton in Madisonville to help me with these efforts once I return to Kentucky. If any of you reading this Blog have connections or ideas about donating books and/or shoes, please share them with me!
I will end today's blog, then, with some thoughts on volunteering...
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.” — Muhammad Ali
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” — Elizabeth Andrew
“Whatever community organization, whether it’s a women’s organization, or fighting for racial justice … you will get satisfaction out of doing something to give back to the community that you never get in any other way.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
And so I dedicate today's blog to the most compassionate, caring person I know: Peyton Adams. He gives of his time and energy and love every single day, to so many different organizations in Madisonville. I will be following in his footsteps a bit when I return to the States, taking up further training to be a Hospice volunteer, like Peyton. I began this training in Michigan, starting training with the Tuesday Writers Program. This was a group of writers who volunteered their time to be scribes for the people in hospice. Sometimes the person under hospice care would want to write letters to individual family members and friends. Sometimes they wanted to tell stories and have the scribe volunteer write them down and type them up. No matter what the request, the writings would them be given as a gift to the family. I am hoping to do this kind of work in Madisonville, following in Peyton's generous and compassionate footsteps...
Namaste,
Marianne
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