Julian Moncada
12/2/10
My Experiences
During my time doing this community service project I had a lot of fun and also
met some very nice people. For my project I decided to volunteer down at the Andre
House. At first I was a little nervous to go to downtown Phoenix because prior to that all
of my community service had taken place in Anthem. Luckily, some of my friends were
there volunteering also so I had a great time. When we first arrived there I met the leader
of Andre House whose name was Father Eric. He was a really nice man and was really
excited that we were volunteering. I also met a bunch of people that volunteered on a
regular basis too. I felt kind of embarrassed and selfish knowing that these other
volunteers give up their entire weekend to help out and I rarely volunteer anywhere.
However, I am proud to say that I spent one of my many Saturday mornings helping
organize clothes for the homeless people. I felt good knowing that someone who didn’t
have a jacket to wear, or shoes that didn’t fit them could finally get the comfort that they
needed. There was so much donated stuff there at the shelter that it kind of amazed me.
Not even all the stuff there was used either, some of it looked brand new! This caused me
to think of what I could possibly donate that I didn’t use anymore.
My next trip down to the Andre House was on Thanksgiving day. I was kind of
bummed that I couldn’t spend the full holiday with my family but I knew that I was doing
the right thing by helping serve a thanksgiving meal to people that probably haven’t seen
their family in years. As soon as I got there a couple friends and I started peeling the skin
off of the turkey to be used in the turkey soup. Then as dinner time approached, the
volunteer coordinator had us separate into different stations. Me and my friend helped
take peoples treys once they were done eating. As the long lines of people began to
shorten I got the chance to see them enjoying there meal. Just the looks on their faces
made me feel good. I saw some of the people out on the street from earlier eating with
their friends and I knew that this was probably the only meal that they have had all day.
As the feast began to unwind, we started washing the dishes and cleaning the tables. I
called it a day and felt great knowing that everyone there got to eat a good meal.
I believe that by volunteering at the Andre House I impacted society in a positive
way. Many of the homeless people that I served on Thanksgiving took the time to say
thank you. In fact, most of the people, after they finished eating, said that they really
appreciated what I was doing. Just their gratitude alone was enough for me to see how a
little volunteering can go a long way. The society was helped because all of the clothes,
shoes, and the accessories that I helped organize went directly to the homeless people or
the other local charity St. Vincent DePaul. And with the mass of volunteers available and
donations received, I can only imagine how many people have been helped and gotten
their needs met. During my time serving the Thanksgiving dinner, I saw at least 10 people
wearing some of the jackets that I helped sort the previous time I visited. But in the end it
was not about who got the best jackets or shoes first, it was about everyone getting
something. This whole project may have been just for school but it definitely inspired me
to volunteer more not only in my local area but also in places like downtown Phoenix
where you can really see what homeless looks like. I am grateful that I got the chance to
help out my community as well as society itself and I will definitely look forward to spending more time at the Andre House.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Civic Duty
Julian Moncada
12/1/10
Civic Duty
Civic duty is the main idea behind community service. It is not only used for
helping out homeless people though, it can also apply to everyday life. Civic duty is all
the responsibilities of a citizen. (free dictionary). Many people think civic duty is just
helping out poor people or people in need. When actually that is just a small portion of
what it is. Civic duty requires people to fulfill their responsibilities as human beings too.
This means providing for their family, getting a good education, setting a good example
for the younger generation, and voting at every presidential and congressional election.
Helping out your peers is a major responsibility that many people often forget or simply
don’t care for. It can be as simple as paying for someone else’s groceries, donating blood,
or volunteering at a soup kitchen. It’s called civic duty because it is your duty to help out
people in need. Just like you would want to be helped if you were in need.
Political participation is a major civic duty that people often don’t partake in.
Voting is the most important duty we have when it comes down to deciding how America
will be run. However, most people don’t even vote on election day. This not only gives an
inaccurate election but it also shows how most citizens able to cast their vote and
participate in politics don’t. (www.usiap.org). It is our duty to vote for the president of
the united states or our local congress man. This is how America is supposed to be where
everyone has an opportunity to get involved in the election process and politics in
general.
Community service is another type of civic duty. This means volunteering at the local homeless shelter or serving soup at a soup kitchen. Just these activities alone can
make a big difference in someone’s life. Community service not only helps out society
but it also brings a sense of pride to the American citizen. Many countries do not even
help out their own people when poverty strikes or help is needed. It is our duty to take a
stand and help out our fellow neighbor. Knowing that you fed the hungry or clothed the
people without much to wear gives you a warm spot deep down inside. But community
service should not only be something you are required to do or something that must be
done for a school project, it should be done out of your own grace and kindness.
Getting a good education is also a type of civic duty. People should strive to
further their education as much as possible. Simply making your way through high school
or getting a GED wont cut it nowadays. In today’s society the top students at major
universities get the best paying jobs. Despite this, there are some people don’t even make
it all the way through high school. The saying “Knowledge is Power” is an
understatement. The more educated a person is, the more likely they will actually vote on
election day. A good education is highly valued and teens owe it to their parents and
especially to their country to make the most out of their education. Especially in this
country where everyone has an equal opportunity to be educated and go to school.
College graduates, not just kids our definitely the future of America. (ed.gov).
Civic duty is important not just in America but the whole world. It is easy to a
accomplish but it takes a serious amount of will power. Every citizen has an obligation to
carry out their civic duties. These include community service, political participation, and
even getting a quality education. And when people carry out all of these obligated duties,
everyone especially society can achieve more.
Works Cited
http://www2.ed.gov/students/landing.jhtml
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/civic+duty
http://www.usiap.org/Viewpoints/Zhold/Speeches/SpeechOurCivicDuty.html
12/1/10
Civic Duty
Civic duty is the main idea behind community service. It is not only used for
helping out homeless people though, it can also apply to everyday life. Civic duty is all
the responsibilities of a citizen. (free dictionary). Many people think civic duty is just
helping out poor people or people in need. When actually that is just a small portion of
what it is. Civic duty requires people to fulfill their responsibilities as human beings too.
This means providing for their family, getting a good education, setting a good example
for the younger generation, and voting at every presidential and congressional election.
Helping out your peers is a major responsibility that many people often forget or simply
don’t care for. It can be as simple as paying for someone else’s groceries, donating blood,
or volunteering at a soup kitchen. It’s called civic duty because it is your duty to help out
people in need. Just like you would want to be helped if you were in need.
Political participation is a major civic duty that people often don’t partake in.
Voting is the most important duty we have when it comes down to deciding how America
will be run. However, most people don’t even vote on election day. This not only gives an
inaccurate election but it also shows how most citizens able to cast their vote and
participate in politics don’t. (www.usiap.org). It is our duty to vote for the president of
the united states or our local congress man. This is how America is supposed to be where
everyone has an opportunity to get involved in the election process and politics in
general.
Community service is another type of civic duty. This means volunteering at the local homeless shelter or serving soup at a soup kitchen. Just these activities alone can
make a big difference in someone’s life. Community service not only helps out society
but it also brings a sense of pride to the American citizen. Many countries do not even
help out their own people when poverty strikes or help is needed. It is our duty to take a
stand and help out our fellow neighbor. Knowing that you fed the hungry or clothed the
people without much to wear gives you a warm spot deep down inside. But community
service should not only be something you are required to do or something that must be
done for a school project, it should be done out of your own grace and kindness.
Getting a good education is also a type of civic duty. People should strive to
further their education as much as possible. Simply making your way through high school
or getting a GED wont cut it nowadays. In today’s society the top students at major
universities get the best paying jobs. Despite this, there are some people don’t even make
it all the way through high school. The saying “Knowledge is Power” is an
understatement. The more educated a person is, the more likely they will actually vote on
election day. A good education is highly valued and teens owe it to their parents and
especially to their country to make the most out of their education. Especially in this
country where everyone has an equal opportunity to be educated and go to school.
College graduates, not just kids our definitely the future of America. (ed.gov).
Civic duty is important not just in America but the whole world. It is easy to a
accomplish but it takes a serious amount of will power. Every citizen has an obligation to
carry out their civic duties. These include community service, political participation, and
even getting a quality education. And when people carry out all of these obligated duties,
everyone especially society can achieve more.
Works Cited
http://www2.ed.gov/students/landing.jhtml
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/civic+duty
http://www.usiap.org/Viewpoints/Zhold/Speeches/SpeechOurCivicDuty.html
Community Service Explanation
Julian Moncada
12/1/10
Community Service
For my community service project I spent time down at the Andre House, located
in downtown Phoenix. I spent the majority of my hours serving food to the
homeless people on Thanksgiving. I also helped wash dishes, clean tables, and even
prepare the turkey for the feast. For the other half of my hours I spent time organizing
clothes and shoes as well as helping to move boxes full of donated items. All the clothes
and shoes that I helped organize went to the homeless people and some of the stuff went
to the other local charity St. Vincent DePaul.
During my first visit at Andre House I immediately learned how everything
worked. I began stocking as many shoes as I could and I also started sorting out clothes
by sizes, from kids all the way to adults. My next task was to help unload boxes of more
donated items. Again I started sorting them out and finding a place for all of the different
clothes, shoes, and accessories. On my next trip down to the Andre House me and a
couple of friends helped prepare the Thanksgiving dinner. I did various tasks like
removing the skin off of the turkey, chopping onions to prepare the soup. Once the
turkey soup was ready, we started serving the long line of people. I also helped clean up
the tables and take out all of the trash after the meal was done. Overall I did a bunch of
cleaning as well as serving food.
12/1/10
Community Service
For my community service project I spent time down at the Andre House, located
in downtown Phoenix. I spent the majority of my hours serving food to the
homeless people on Thanksgiving. I also helped wash dishes, clean tables, and even
prepare the turkey for the feast. For the other half of my hours I spent time organizing
clothes and shoes as well as helping to move boxes full of donated items. All the clothes
and shoes that I helped organize went to the homeless people and some of the stuff went
to the other local charity St. Vincent DePaul.
During my first visit at Andre House I immediately learned how everything
worked. I began stocking as many shoes as I could and I also started sorting out clothes
by sizes, from kids all the way to adults. My next task was to help unload boxes of more
donated items. Again I started sorting them out and finding a place for all of the different
clothes, shoes, and accessories. On my next trip down to the Andre House me and a
couple of friends helped prepare the Thanksgiving dinner. I did various tasks like
removing the skin off of the turkey, chopping onions to prepare the soup. Once the
turkey soup was ready, we started serving the long line of people. I also helped clean up
the tables and take out all of the trash after the meal was done. Overall I did a bunch of
cleaning as well as serving food.
Pictures
The entrance to Andre House where all the donations are received and where all the magic happens.
Max, Tyler, and I telling jokes after finishing cleaning the kitchen
Me longside Father Eric helping to peel the skin off of the turkey for the Thanksgiving meal
Max and I sorting hangers that were later delivered to St. Vincent DePaul
Me finding a sweet pair of shoes while helping Organize clothes at the Andre House
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