Honors Elections, 2013

Remember to vote! Check for an email on November 30 with a link to the ballot. You will have until December 4, 12 noon to vote. Only one ballot per Honors student, please!

Student Director

William Goodheart

Hey guys! I am Bill Goodheart and I am your current Student Director. This is the end of my second year on the Executive Board and I am hoping that it is not my last. As you all may know, I work well with others and I am not one to make decisions without taking into account the thoughts of my peers. I try to keep myself involved in planning the events and helping out with the projects in Honors.  Please vote for me for Student Director!

 

 

 

 

Student Assistant Director

Matthew Widjaja

As we move forward, we must begin to transition this program to our Freshmen & Sophomores. Yes, we made headway by finally updating the constitution so everybody knows what we’re responsible for, but this moment is greater than describing how this weird pirate ship is run. We need to think differently and make the eBoard more accessible. Upperclassmen, we must begin working with our underclassmen, so they have the same ambition & confidence we have and so that one day, our underclassmen can be their own captains of this pirate ship and lead this program forward. I’m running for a second term because I want to improve this collaboration so that our future students can move this program forward. I need your help to finish what we began. Thanks.

Events Co-Directors

Jessa Hernandez and Sage Mitchell

Hello, my name is Jessa Hernandez, I am a freshman and I am running for the position of director of events. I am organized, able to plan out events, and am willing to create and plan fun times. Currently I am treasurer of the Residence Housing Association and work toward creating and initiating events that the entire community can get involved in, like building battles and a holiday movie night in the TRLC. I am also involved on the special events committee of the Stockton Entertainment Team and have helped organize events there as well. I have had numerous learning experiences and am ready to apply what I’ve learned to this position as well. I wanted to run for this position because I believe I can put a new spin on the position by keeping the events upbeat and advertising the events more throughout our honors community. So I hope you vote for who you think is best for the position, whether that is me or my opponents. Thank you for your consideration and I hope you vote for us.

To me, being the Director of Events is about being organized and proactive while also thinking creatively about fun events. I know I am qualified for this position because I am organized and I can plan ahead to book rooms for events, plan reasonable dates and times for different events. More importantly, I know I would be able to collaborate with the rest of the executive board to come up with fun and engaging events that will bring the Honors Program closer together as an academic family. I am proud to be a part of this program, and I think being Director of Events and planning new activities for the program would be a good way to give back to the program.

Public Outreach

Nicole Vancil

Hello my name is Nicole (Nikki) Vancil and I am applying for the Out Reach position.  I was co-captain of my color guard my senior year where we placed third overall at Championships.  I was also the head of my school’s wardrobe department for the school play where my costumes got first place at the South New Jersey Theater Awards.  In these two positions I had to know how to keep people professional and in line, how to manage time and keep organized, delegate tasks, and be able to adapt when something goes wrong (which it always does) without missing a beat.  With experience in these positions and the abilities that I learned from them I believe that I will be perfect for the Out Reach position.  Thank you for your time.

Community Service

Cherise Edwards

Hey fellow Honors students, my name is Cherise Edwards and I am currently running for the community service executive director position on the Executive Board. I am a sophomore and an Accounting major, Economics minor. I am also currently an Honors LLC Resident Assistant in E-Court. I want to listen to what the Honors program as a whole would like to see as far as community service opportunities are concerned. I know many of you have the Service Learning component and I want to try to help everyone achieve their goals of two service projects per semester. These service projects will still be beneficial to the Honors students who have to reach certain goals with hours of volunteer work. I want to create better opportunities for the Honors program. I plan on advertising the community services events in a way that they will be successful. I just want to give the Honors program opportunities to continue their community service, doing projects that they love.

Peer Mentoring

Zahara Ayub

My name is Zahara Ayub and I am rerunning for the position of Peer Mentoring Director. During my term, the position was recreated. There were a lot more responsibilities incorporated into the job and success was shown through  dedication. Last semester,  I worked very hard on making sure that Honors Scholars Day was an excellent experience for the freshmen.  I’m proud to say that we had the most participation in the history of this event! A lot of people may not realize, but there is a lot of detail work that must  go  into the  planning of this  event to ensure that it runs smoothly.  Also, throughout the summer, I worked very tirelessly to follow through with my new event, “Mentor-Mentee Move-in Day”. I ran into a lot of roadblocks when coordinating this event, but in the end, it was successfully carried out. Mentors were able to move in early and help the freshmen move into their dorms. I am happy to say that since this event was such a success, it will now be a permanent event recognized annually by housing. Mentors and mentees have each benefited from participating in the events sponsored by this position. Every position on the e-board has its specific focus, and for this position, the focus is to make sure our freshmen integrate into our program, and ultimately the Stockton community.  The purpose of having mentors is to give each freshman a designated helping hand when making the transition to college life. This relationship between underclassmen and upperclassmen is detrimental to the structure of the Honors Program, and this position is a key factor in making that possible.  If you would reelect me, I will promise to continue working hard for this program.

Fundraising and Finance

Kristen Valenti

Hey guys. I’m Kristen Valenti and I’m running for Fundraising and Finance Director. While looking over all the possible eBoard positions, I felt my skills were best suited to take on the responsibilities of this position.  When I was in high school, I managed the band I played in for three years. Managing included keeping a close eye on the finances and publicizing via social networking sites and school various gigs and merch we had, in a sense the overall fundraising for the band. I thoroughly looked for the best options for each investment made and allotted money evenly so we were never in the red. In addition to this, I organized gigs with people to fundraise for charities, which were successful in their goals.   I believe with my experience I can effectively be Fundraising and Finance Director for the Honors Program.  If elected, I plan to take into account everyone’s suggestions for what to do with the money we have for our program. Thank you for your time.

Junior Class Representative

Chris McManus

Sophomore Class Representative

Mary Kate Fitzpatrick

Hello, I’m Mary-Kate and I am running for Sophomore class Representative. I feel that it is very important that everyone has an equal say in the decisions made for the program. With this said, each class should have the ability to have their opinions voiced. I am willing to listening and convey the issues and concerns of others in the sophomore class. I have experience in leading a large group from coaching; thus, I am able to balance multiple opinions so that almost everyone is satisfied. I am approachable, and anyone can express their opinions openly to me. This is why I would like to be Sophomore class representative.

Randy Weible

Good afternoon, fellow Honors Students! My name is Randy P. Weible, and I am running for the position of Sophomore class representative on the 2013 Honors Program Executive Board. For the past year, I have served as Freshman class representative on the E-board, representing the Honors Class of 2015 at Honors meetings, Faculty Advisory Board meetings, and executive board meetings, voicing the issues specifically related to our class in an attempt to seek resolution. The matriculation of our class in 2011 came during a time of many changes to the Honors Program at Stockton. Specifically, the implementation of the new Service-Learning system brought about a great deal of confusion early on in the Fall 2011 semester. Communicating these issues directly to Dr. Rosner and my peers on the executive board, I was able to bring these issues to light, and hopefully, work towards a resolution and aide in a smooth transition into this new system. To this day, members of my class still approach me with questions and concerns, and I continue to serve as a medium between members of our class and the Honors Program and as a source of information about the daily happenings of the Stockton College Honors Program. If reelected, I will continue to serve my class on the 2013 Executive Board, ensuring that our voices are heard, and that every member of our sophomore class continues to the enjoy the benefits associated with being a member of The Honors Program at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Thank You.

Freshman Class Representative

Matthew Zivi

I enjoyed my high school years.  I had a tight group of friends, and spent my time with them, doing hw, and sometimes even working out.  But my main regret is that I didn’t get involved: didn’t do any clubs, didn’t go to any sporting events, and maybe went to a pep rally or two.  I was interested, but always had an excuse: freshman year, I was too new.  Sophomore year: a new job and a harder course load.  Junior year I worried about SAT’s and colleges, and senior year I wanted to take it easy.  But I now realize how much I missed, and don’t want to put myself through that again.   So I joined the honors program, not knowing what to expect; I’m glad I did.  The people are amazing, and I am constantly pushed and challenged.  I plan to contribute my time now to make up for all the years I missed in high school, and hope to make significant improvements to an already spectacular program.

Helping Out After Sandy

On Friday, November 16 my friends and I went with Water Watch to help out Operation Blessing who were helping out hurricane Sandy victims.  We went to a little store that they were using to keep all of the donations that they received.  The place was gammed full of clothes for all shapes, sizes and people and a whole section for toys for the little kids.  It was organized to a degree but things were everywhere and there was even more stuff to sort through and find a place to put.  Eventually we created another pile for things that would not fit into the store to be donated to the Good Will.  There were so many things, it was nice to see how much the community was pulling together to help those in need.  Everyone had a job to do, be it sort through the new donations, or organize existing donations so that everything can be easily found, some of my friends and I organized the toy section for the children.  There were piles and piles of board games, puzzles, coloring and regular books, and stuffed animals.  There were more stuffed animals than anything else and we filled seven big bags full of them just so that we had a place to put them all without having everyone step on them to get to the other things.  It took us a about two hours to get through all of the toys and set them up in a presentable way that they all could be seen and easily gotten too.  Luckily there was a lot of volunteers there to help everyone out; like little working ants people formed lines to get things done as fast as possible.

When we finally did finish with the toys we moved outside to help the other volunteers as they sorted through the mass of donations that clogged the sidewalk in front of the plaza stores.  All of it had to be sorted—garbage, keep, good will—by the end of that day and there was practically no room for anything else in the building.  A few of the things had to be thrown out; though people’s attentions are good some things were just too matted up or old to be donated to others.   By some miracle we got through all of the stuff before the day ended and the people were so happy for all that we did.  There was also a table set up a little bit away from the store where a family came with hot chili and other food to give to the volunteers and the victims for free.  They weren’t there with any group but by themselves just because they wanted to help out, buying food and making meals for others simply because they were good people; and the chili was pretty good if I do say so myself.

My favorite part of the day was when I was able to help a Spanish speaking family with my limited knowledge of the language.  It was a husband and a wife with their little infant boy trying to find some clothes after they had lost everything; the husband spoke some but the wife close to none.  Through my broken perfect Spanish and hand using smaller, basic words on their part we were able to get them everything that they needed and more.  They were both so grateful and it made me feel wonderful that all of my attempts at this language weren’t for not.  The fact that I could actually help out a family in the real world, putting my skills to the test, was a wonderful feeling and reminded me of why I am going through all of this schooling.

All in all there was a lot of work but it was all worth it and I am so glad that I could help out.  I will be going back in the weeks to come to help out with Operation Blessing’s other projects as well.  This group does so much and I am so happy that I can help them out even if it is only a little bit.  If everyone helped out just a little bit it would make things so much better, but after helping out on Friday I do believe that everyone is helping out.  Maybe there is hope for humanity still to be found.

 

Trailing Around

Stockton has so much to offer, movies twice a week, shows that come here as well as shows that our own students put on.  All the different clubs and activities and sports games that you can join or go to, it’s easy to stay busy and meet new people if you just get out there and participate.  But with all the running around from the clubs to the classes to the homework to work to finding time to eat and hang with friends, sometimes a person just wants to get away from it all; at least I do every now and again.  And unlike the colleges in the middle of the city, or the ones that are so big they could qualify as a mini town, Stockton has something that fits me perfectly when I need to do just that.

We are lucky enough to be in the middle of a natural park reserve, which means beautiful trees and different trails that can take you anywhere.  When things get to be too much, I like to turn my phone on silent and just get lost in the trails with a friend.  We can just walk for hours breathing in the crisp autumn air, watching as the sun sets over Lake Fred with the bright colors from the sun’s goodbye reflecting off the still waters.  A finally goodbye to the day as the cool moon takes over the sky with her cloak of darkness like a favorite blanket a child would pull over her head when she wanted to feel safe and just lay in the total darkness.  Only this blanket is riddle with little wholes that can make pictures or lead you home if you look at them the right way.

With the moon as our light to guide us through the nature trails of Stockton (and a flashlight at hand just in case) we will walk for hours, listening to the rustle of the dry leaves in the chill breeze or the animals scampering around and the bugs singing the songs of the night.  It’s a whole different world, walking those trails at night, and when I’ve had a stressful day or week, getting lost in that world refreshes me and puts a genuine smile back on my face.  The feeling lasts long into the next day, I know I can handle anything that is thrown at me.  And if for a moment I forget that, all I have to do is go back to the peaceful trails and look up at the clear night sky as the stars wink down at me to remember again.

I am so grateful that Stockton has these little escape routes, these little trails that go nowhere in particular; they help me keep my stress at bay.  I realize that not everyone will agree or even understand but that’s ok because they have their own happy places and things they can do here at Stockton, just like I have.  People get lost in their music, a good book, their art, or a good game.  Me?  I get lost in the woods surrounding Stockton, and there is where I lose all my stress and worries, and there is where I gain serenity and a giddy disposition.  Thank God Stockton has that, I would go stir crazy if this college had nothing like that.  So when the white walls of my small dorm become too much, I know where to go to get away and breathe again.

 

Day of Service

When I signed up for the Day of Service, back sometime in the summer, I thought there was going to be a few people and a lot of work.  Back at my high school that’s how it always was, and it was usually one big project that we all did together for the school, to keep it clean and pretty.  I’ll admit I did not look too much into it after I signed up, thinking it would be the same thing as high school.  Boy was I surprised when my friends and I showed up for it early that Saturday morning!  There were so many people there, I couldn’t even find the sign in table at first, and we all had to push through to sign in.  It was insane, and it made me so happy to see so many people that came out to volunteer; I never before saw so many people for an event like this.

At first my roommate Kris and I were told we would be helping the Girl Scouts out with arts and crafts, along with at least 50 other people.  But when a man came up asking for people to help him off campus with A.H.E.A.R.T. and no one stood up, we both looked at each other and proceeded to walk over and offer our help.  In the end there were five of us to help him out, and that’s all he needed.  We went to an elementary school in Atlantic City to sort out baby clothes for teen moms and moms who just need some help.  There were four lunch tables full of clothes for guys, and four for girls.  Not to mention the tables that had baby toys, chairs, strollers, and diapers, so many diapers.

Even though there was so much stuff, be it pride or poor advertising, there were only about ten mothers who came in for things.  And even they did not want to take a lot of things, mostly saying how they want to save things for the other mothers.  We had to convince them to take more things for their children, reminding me that the kids will grow and the winter will come soon.  There were bags and bags of clothes left after the day, as if nobody came at all.  It made us sad, knowing that there were so many other people that could be helped, but either did not know about it or were just too proud to come in for the free help.  A.H.E.A.R.T. now has Stockton’s information so when they have other things such as the clothing drive they can have help from the students here.  We learned that they do so much for mothers in Atlantic City and without Day of Service, we would know nothing about them at all.  I cannot wait to help them out more, they are such a good cause that is sorely needed still—even if the politicians say the economy is getting better, not everyone is seeing that.

The Day of Service was so much fun and I can’t wait for the next one.  Until then I have joined Circle K so I can keep volunteering, and Kris is keeping in contact with A.H.E.A.R.T. to get the word out about them and get them more help.  I’m grateful Stockton has a day like this, and encourages us to stay involved; more schools should have it more often.  Some many people could use a helping hand, and there are countless people with a hand to give them.  That’s what the Day of Service is all about, and I’m so glad I could lend a small hand.

 

Kenny Ambrose
Professor Rodriguez
Life of the Mind
November 21, 2012
Doing Service Learning
In the third weekend of the month of November, I traveled home for the first time since starting college back in August. While I was back visiting, I got the opportunity to complete my second required volunteer activity for the service learning part of the honors program. On Sunday the eighteenth, I walked with the Montgomery County 4-H Seeing Eye Puppy Club, in which I am a member, in the Lansdale, Pennsylvania Mardi Gras parade. I arrived at our meeting place around noon and from there we were driven to a small side street to wait in line for the parade to begin. We waited around for about an hour till the parade progressed enough for us to begin walking. We then followed our predecessors off the side street and onto Main Street in Lansdale. For members who had puppy they were training, they walked in a group the middle of the street; but since the last dog my family raised was sent back for formal Seeing Eye training a few months ago, I was not able to walk with them. Instead, I walked on the side of the street with a basket of dog treats. My job was to hand out dog biscuits to people that had a dog with them as they were watching. Even though it was a little cold out, there was a decent amount of people watching the parade, compared to previous years, and I gave out a good number of dog biscuits. In all, the walk took about an hour to travel about twenty blocks with the parade. I like doing activities like this with the Seeing Eye Puppy Club and I will continue to participate in the parade with them.

“The ‘I’ of the Storm: Understanding the Suicidal Mind”

On Tuesday, November 13th, a friend of mine suggested that I attend a lecture with her.  She told me that it was on suicide prevention and would occur at 4:30pm in the Alton Auditorium.  Since I was free that evening and wanted to accompany her, I decided to attend.  When we arrived at the auditorium, I was surprised by the amount of people in attendance.  I thought the event would be small, personal, and perhaps to some people therapeutic.  However, when the lecture began, it was extremely factual, analytic and seemingly coldhearted.  I later found out that it was not a suicide prevention program.  It was actually a psychological analysis on suicide titled “The ‘I’ of the Storm: Understanding the Suicidal Mind”.  Throughout the event I was rather confused, but the lecture was very informative and interesting

The lecture was given by Dr. David Lester, a psychology professor here at Richard Stockton College.  He focused on the analysis of suicide letters and diaries of various people.  The objective of the study was to find out similarities between victims of suicide.  The victims were of all different backgrounds and no two situations were alike.  However, after much analysis by experts, an acronym was formed to describe common signs of the suicidal mind.  This acronym is ‘IS PATH WARM’: Ideation, Substance abuse, Purposelessness, Anxiety, Trapped, Hopelessness, Withdrawal, Anger, Recklessness, and Mood change.  Dr. Lester explained that while not all people show all of these signs, they are the most frequent.

Dr. Lester spoke of many people, some famous, some average, and some college students like myself.  One of which was a girl named Katie, who was the sister of one of his students.  She left behind a diary of her thoughts and feelings spanning the last few years of her life up to her death.  The diary demonstrated some trends found in victims of suicide and was referred to frequently throughout the lecture. 

The event ended with Dr. Lester concluding that there are no straightforward signs of a suicidal mind.  Every case was very unique and different.  Therefore, no concrete trends could be found.  Although this appears to be anticlimactic, it was a reassuring ending.  He also left some phone numbers for suicide prevention and conveyed a sympathetic tone throughout the lecture.  Understanding the suicidal mind was informative and helpful in coping with such a horrible tragedy.

Myths and Legends

The night of October 4th was an exciting time for many Stockton residents, due to the free showing of the highly acclaimed Ted movie in the Campus Center.  But, for a small group of students and staff, the real thrill of the night was being featured in Alton Auditorium.  The event was the fifth annual Myths and Legends session, and seemed to be a much better learning experience than a talking teddy bear.

As in previous years, Myths and Legends featured a panel of past Stockton professors who have been with the school since it’s founding.  These men and women were kind enough to donate their time and knowledge, but they seemed to enjoy the experience just as much as the listeners.  In fact, it seemed that they cherished their visit here, using the time for reminiscing and bonding with long-time friends.  They almost seemed to forget the audience was present at some points, but that just added to the magic of the occasion; it was an honor to be listening in on such a personal conversation.  Their words flowed effortlessly between topics, interrupting and supporting each other as best friends do.

A recurring theme was the informality of the school in the past.  They mentioned living and working in the Mayflower hotel, partying with students, interacting with bums, drunks, and hookers, classes dedicated to sex, UFOs, and Ouija boards, and skinny dipping in Lake Fred.  And, rather than being ashamed of these possible felonies and questionable morals, the elders displayed a clear sense of pride at the history that they helped form.

This knowledge rattled me, for obvious reasons.  Until that day, I never truly pondered the origins of Richard Stockton College.  But now I look at the school I currently attend and think about the madness that it once was.  Despite everything, it is with a sense of pride that I ponder the intricate past of this seemingly innocent college. Naturally I consider the reverse situation, as if it was I who was on stage, talking lovingly about my cherished undergrad years.  Should such a situation ever arise, I hope that my stories are half as interesting as those heard on October 4th.

 

E.D.I.B.L. bug tasting

Monday November 19th can best be described as a perfect storm.  Two short papers, a four page rough draft, a full annotated bibliography, and a 12 page lab report were all due, with an intimidating biology exam to study for.  Needless to say, there was very little sleep to be had, but plenty of stress to go around. It wasn’t until the sun set that the pace slowed, and a breather could finally be had.

My friend and I have developed a tradition here at Stockton: to end any stressful day with copious amounts of eating.  We headed to N- Wing dining, disappointed to find a Thanksgiving dinner that had reached full capacity. And so we were forced to consume the over-priced food of the Campus Center, still hungry after the meager meal.  The night seemed doomed to fail, but then an E.D.I.BL. poster caught my eye, advertizing free food with Chef David Gordon.  Of course there was a catch, namely that the free food consisted of bugs.  But we were hungry and intrigued, and so headed over to the Event Room for what promised to be an interesting event.

The room was just filling up as we got there.  Ignoring the ominous sign of required waivers, we found our seats and chatted nervously.  We had no idea what to expect of a man nicknamed “the Bug Chef”, and so were pleasantly surprised when he took the spotlight; he had an agreeable sense of humor that was paired with an entertaining quirkiness.  As the frying pan heated, he talked about the practicality and tastiness of bug eating.  His points focused on protein and the wastefulness of traditional foods, noting the various cultures around the world that munch on insects.  Surprisingly, the entire room seemed to be nodding in agreement, myself included.

The time came for the actual cooking and consumption of the bugs.  We were to prepare everything from tarantula to grasshopper, watching in both disgust and admiration.  He waved the specimens in front of us nonchalant, explaining the exact methods for cooking different pests.  He asked for volunteers, and almost every hand in the room shot up; feeling brave, I added my own to the sea of arms.  My friend was shocked and disgusted, and did her best to pull down my arm. The subsequent struggle grabbed the attention of the Bug Chef, and I was called up to the front.

The dish was fried, breaded scorpion.  The creature was thrust into my hand, with orders to soak it in milk and roll it in cornflakes.  I was instructed “to really get it on there,” and cautioned not to neglect the tail, for that is evidently the chewiest section.  Cameras flashed, recording the progress of the unusual task.  I was surprisingly tolerant of the ordeal, and was in fact hoping for a taste.

Although I never got to try a scorpion or even the tarantula, the night can be considered a success.  Chex Mix with crickets proved to be a suitable distraction for stress, and chocolate covered grasshopper was enjoyable enough for second portions.  In the end I am glad that spontaneity led us to this event, for it gave us an interesting experience that will be difficult to forget.  And while I am proud to be one of the few Americans to have willingly eaten an insect, the urge is now gone; I do not see myself joining E.D.I.B.L. any time soon.  Still, a candied- grasshopper is never out of the question.

 

PetSmart 11/17/12

The Honors Program requires freshman to attend at least three service events by the end of the first semester.  I had first thought this to be an annoyance, considering it to be another obstacle to success.  This viewpoint changed rapidly when I realized the numerous options for volunteering; instead of an unwanted task, there was the possibility of doing something truly enjoyable.  This hope became reality at the Circle K meeting on November 14th, where I learned about the weekly event at the local PetSmart.

This volunteering opportunity consists of playing with animals for two hours, namely beagles and various kittens.  The idea is to keep them entertained as they wait for adoption, and even to raise interest to potential pet owners.  And, being an animal fanatic, I enjoyed every second of the experience.

I consider myself a professional at dealing with felines, and so spent a majority of my time with them. They ran up to me eagerly, daring me to chase them.  They swatted at feathers, and tackled each other if I was preoccupied.  At one point, ten kittens were chasing my one laser-pointer, going to extreme heights to snag the light.  Two hours eventually wore them out, and they began lying upon each other, content with intermittent petting.  Needless to say, there are now countless pictures of kittens on my phone.

Out actions may seem inconsequential, but I truly believe that those were two hours well spent.  Not only was the experience personally enjoyable, but the animals clearly relished the time with us.  It goes against the traditional idea of volunteering, but that makes it all the more special: countless people devote their time to soup kitchens, but few would bother improving the daily lives of caged animals.  I know for a fact that I will be returning to PetSmart, and encourage others to do the same.

 

Operation Blessing

Hurricane Sandy left its destructive mark on New Jersey at the end of October. When the hurricane hit, I was one of the least affected. My broken fence was the only indication a hurricane had even passed over my house.  However, I watched in horror what the people in other areas, especially the barrier islands of New Jersey, were going through.  I saw the disappearance of Long Beach Island, the swell of sea foam in Seaside and the rise of water lines in towns I usually ran through with summer glee.  I knew as soon as I had the time, I would hop in a car and help the best I could.  Whole neighborhoods had flooded and many people were waking up after Hurricane Sandy with absolutely nothing of their houses left.  Who was I to sit in my perfectly fine dorm watching Netflix all day when people had lost everything and were trying to rebuild?  In my search for a way to help, I found myself at Operation Blessing, Friday, November 16th with the club, WaterWatch.

Operation Blessing is an international organization that often provides disaster relief.  They currently operate out of a church community center in Atlantic County.  Mostly, they help people clean out the houses but on Friday we had arrived too late because of classes to be assigned a house. Instead we were given t-shirts and an assignment to help out a Hurricane Relief Center a few miles down the road from the church.  We ended up at the Pinelands Community Hurricane Relief Center, helping the free clothing center.

The clothing center was packed with bags of donations and disorganized clothes spread out on long tables.  The three rooms, which only a week before had been open stores for rent, were stuffed.  In one corner was even a sprawling collection of toys, from stuffed animals to Fisher-Price cars.  We were handed trash bags and asked to help make some order in the place.  To add to the task, more donations lined the front of the stores and sat in front of a grocery store further down the shopping center. We worked quickly to make some semblance of the overwhelming supply of donated items.  I helped organize all the toys for the kids to sort through and then helped bring newer donations into the store.

While I was brining in newer donations, I was able to chat with one of the organizers of the clothing center.  He talked of the overwhelming response of the community with donations.  A few nights before we came, he said the entire area in front of the store was piled high with bags full of donations.  He had to call in ten trucks to take the donations away since they had no space. It was evident that everyone wanted to help donate what he or she could to the people in need. I find it amazing how New Jersey citizens have responded to the hurricane victims’ needs. In this time of need, people were generous enough to give bags of donations for the people. The donations weren’t just clothes or toys either, some were just items to make a house a home again for people.  There were Christmas decorations and house decorations that could help a person refurnish his or her home now that it was stripped of everything.

The people at the Pinelands Community Hurricane Relief clothing center were overwhelmed with all the supplies.  Operation Blessing sent us there to relieve that overwhelming feeling and help them sort through it all. I watched hurricane victims look at the donations with no clue where to start in some areas of the center.  However, in the parts we organized, they were able to find things easier.  A woman was able to get clothes for her son and herself much quicker a few hours into our organization than another woman I saw struggling when we first walked in.  As well, a small girl was able to find herself a new Barbie who she lovingly named on the spot.  We might not have been at the forefront of the work but we were able to help make a difference.  We didn’t help tear down walls or pull up carpets, but we were able to organize items that people will need to help put their lives back together.  I plan to continue volunteering with Operation Blessing to help, even if it is in the smallest way.