One anecdote in particular that stands out to me is about a particularly stubborn student who was surprised by the way Tent City was organized and how it changed his views on homelessness. As we visited Tent City, my students toured the tents and premises with a resident as their guide. He explained how they are looking for work and/or doing odd jobs to earn money. My students saw the small quarters they lived in and how they were only allowed to take showers every other day. One student who had been closed to the service experience during the entire time we were preparing finally turned to his best friend and said, ” This is so different than I thought it was going to be and I am glad we came to help them.” Hearing the change of heart in just this one student made all the hours of work and energy put into this project worth it. I can’t expect that I am going to touch and change every student every time but if I touch a few students ever so often I think that I have done my job. I have not taught them content but I have served as an example that says that service is important and rewarding and should be done often. It was an experience that will stick with them for a while and build their moral character.
Tent City Certificate of Participation
In organizing this service project I was so lucky to have the help of several of my students’ families. One mother in particular brought up the idea or Tent City when we were looking for a service project to do. She regularly visits Tent City and had many connections there so she helped us set up a date and figure out what we would need to serve the residents. She knew some formerly homeless people and arranged for one to come in and speak to us. The mom even brought in articles from local newspapers about Tent City. Other parents and families helped out in the cooking and serving process. We made a beef pot roast at one family’s home and every family pitched in money for food, a crock pot to cook in and some moms came to help supervise the cooking process. The family of the home we cooked at kept an eye on the food overnight and helped me and some kids deliver it to Tent City. Finally, several moms and dads stayed at Tent City and set up some of the food while the kids toured. The kids did most of the serving and cleaning up and even ate with the residents so they had a chance to get to know them as real people. All in all it was a wonderful service project that not only built character but bonded us as an advisory group.
