Looking Back

Post-Trip Blog Post

What a week! Can you guys believe all that we have accomplished? This spring break was filled with heartwarming service projects, amazing bonding time, and profound reflection. To start out with, I just want to say how blessed we all are to have been part of such an amazing group of girls. All of our distinct personalities and backgrounds truly made this trip special. Not only were we able to work really well together, but there was an overall mutual respect towards one another and for that I am truly grateful. I appreciated the fact that all of us were able to talk to each other about anything, laugh about anything, and just be there for each other for support. I hate to be corny, but each of you and this whole spring break experience holds a special place in my heart.

Something that we were able to discuss throughout our trip was the fact that all of our service projects were connected in a very meaningful way. I think that doing the “Sam is obese because…” exercise in the beginning of the trip was really crucial to our understanding of all our service projects and child health care as a whole. Everything from Florence Crittenton to CASA, all of our service projects connected into one. Whether it was organizing, cleaning, playing with kids, preparing jeopardy games, or listening to presentations on organizations, we were able to get a multifaceted look into all that encompasses child health care. We truly learned on this trip that there is no one, specific answer to solving the issues regarding child health care. Family structure, job security, food deserts, mental health, socioeconomic status, religion, culture norms, and other aspects must be addressed when discussing child health care. The leaders of the organizations that we worked with provided a bounty of knowledge that we all can use in the future. We had such an amazing opportunity to engage in service with people who truly want to change the lives of children and families in need. What an inspiration it was to work with such hardworking, creative, driven, and special people! Even the many children that we got to spend quality time with made a huge impact on our perspectives on childhood health. I know that the many different people we interacted with this past week inspired everyone. This trip really taught us to dig deeper and look closer into the social problems that we face on a daily basis.

Once again, I want to thank our amazing trip leaders, Linda and Amee for their outstanding energy and hard work to make this trip the most positive experience for us all. Surely we do not take for granted the multitude of amazing things that they have provided for us on our trip. Everything from planning our projects and lodging to creating our hilarious superlatives on the last night, Linda and Amee truly are the best trip leaders ever. Furthermore, throughout the trip, Meredith has been praised for the many things that she has done for us. “Superwoman” is clearly the best way to describe Meredith’s hard work in making this trip successful. The fact that she drove us literally everywhere, helped with dinner, provided wisdom and support, answered many life questions, and was just an enthusiastic presence in our lives on this trip, made this trip memorable for us all. Truly there is no way to ever repay Meredith, Amee, and Linda for everything that they have done to make our 2013 Spring Break the best it could be. I can speak for all of us trip members when I say that from the bottom of our hearts, we are thankful for such amazing trip leaders. Even though spring break is over, I see this time as the beginning of a beautiful, collective friendship that will continue to flourish for years to come.

Love you all,

Mariah Dillard

March 22nd

March 22, 2012

Today was the last day of our alternative spring break and we could not be sadder! It has truly been a life changing experience and this has definitely been one of the most unforgettable weeks of our lives.

            We started the day by visiting the Richland County Judicial Center. Mr. James, the program advisor at CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) was extremely warm and welcoming. He gave us an explanation of the program and took us on a tour of the building. Some of us even got the chance to see a jail holding cell, while others had the chance of helping him organize his office. Mr. James played thought-provoking games with us as well. We learned the importance of finding the positive aspects in every negative situation. While we were interacting with him, a WACH Fox reporter happened to be around, and she stopped by to interview us. This whole experience is connected to our service trip at Palmetto Place yesterday.

            We came back to the church for lunch and many of us had leftovers from last night’s delicious Italian dinner. We hadn’t showered since Wednesday (gross). Soon after, we left for Newburry’s Child Development Center, which was 40 minutes away from the church.

            Once we arrived, we met with Mrs. Janet and she gave us a brief overview of their program. There were some similarities between the kids at this center and the ones from Hursey Elementary School—in terms of family background. This also ties back to the MUSC Healthy Heart Program, as they both focused on more exercise and healthier meals. We started by helping Mrs. Janet remove weeds from the small garden; we all took turns hoeing and raking. Then, some of us helped set us snacks for the children. After a while, the students started trickling in and we interacted with them while they ate their snacks. We buddied up with the children and took them outside to play. Most of these children come from low-income families. Interacting with these children was such a heart-warming and fulfilling experience. Even though we only spent a couple hours with them, we all got extremely attached to all the kids.

            We could not have asked for a better ending to our fantastic AB week! The whole experience was such a blessing and inspired us in new ways. We are now more aware and conscious of our community and the issues around us. Unfortunately, our AB experience ends here.

Love,

Yannan + Tanvee 

March 20th

ASB South Carolina 2013: Wednesday Blog Entry 

14 alarms went off on Wednesday morning as the ASB South Carolina girls groggily woke up for their third day of service. They were excited for today; they would be making crafts and using their imaginations to entertain young kids with homemade toys and games.

They arrived at the site, a mere ten minutes from where they were staying, and unpacked the pipe cleaners, pom poms, and gluesticks for the day. Excitement grew as the craft templates were passed around. Ooh and Ahhs emanated from around the table as girls created elaborate crafts with simple toilet paper tubes and construction paper. An announcement punctuated the chatter: the children would not be joining everyone in the craft making.

Although the girls were looking forward to working with the kids, they were still happy that they got to create crafts for the kids to receive. Many imagined the faces of the kids when they spot a paper butterfly or cardboard dinosaur. Work on the crafts continued. A huge jeopardy board came into existence as girls pasted colored squares and letters onto a large board.

Hours went by and the tables filled up with crafts. The program coordinators came around and learned how to make the different crafts and helped out. They showered the girls with praise for all their help , but in reality, the girls were more than thankful for the opportunity!

Mala Narasimhan

On Tuesday, we spent the afternoon helping the women of Florence Crittenton clean and organize their house. We happened to come at a time when the house was undergoing a lot of renovations; there were painters and workers coming in and out of the house and many of the rooms had piles of baby supplies in need of sorting, so it seemed like our assistance was greatly appreciated. The fourteen of us were separated into groups to clean three different areas of the house - upstairs, the living area, and the sheds in the backyard. Emily, Jessica, Annelise, and I cleared out the sheds.

It was amazing to see how many different and complex things baby needed. The sheds were stuffed with cribs, various types of strollers, car seats, special diaper trash cans, changing stations, and a few things that I just couldn't identify (plus two lizards!). Even though I have been around babies in my family all my life, I never really stopped to think of all the different things that they needed, much less the cost of it all.

Lisa, the coordinator of the shelter, told us to put a majority of the stuff on the curb, even though they were still in usable condition because car seats and strollers can't be donated. The fact that she couldn't directly donate those things didn't mean that they went to waste, though. While taking things out to the front I saw that a man had stopped by and loaded his pickup truck with strollers and car seats. Had she specifically instructed us to put those things in the dumpster, that wouldn't have have happened; I like to think of that as her way of secretly donating them to the community.

By the time we had finished clearing out the sheds and throwing out all the stuff that had to be tossed, you wouldn't have even recognized them. It was an extremely satisfying sight to see; I honestly wish we had taken before and after pictures of the sheds. Even though we didn't work with the women and children that lived in the house, I still knew that what we did helped them in a very direct way. Now they have room to store old things in the sheds and fill their newly cleaned living room!!

Florence Crittenton

Day three of South Carolina was extremely rewarding for me. We went to a adolescent pregnant woman's shelter called Florence Crittenton and organized their house since they are doing renovations. It was crazy to hear that they serve women as young as 10 years old that are pregnant. It makes me so sad to think that people are potentially judging them or isolating them from their former lives just because of their pregnancy. So many adolescents suffer from many different factors whether it be stress, abuse, or neglect. This experience really helped me keep in mind that you don't know anyone's experience and you truly cannot judge. We discussed being more open about preventative and wholesome sex education. It blew me away to hear that over 30% of high school seniors have had 4 or more sexual partners and 16% of high school freshman had had 4 or more because a freshman is very young by my standards. It shows the difference in cultures as well as upbringing and lifestyle choices. I left the discussion feeling so blessed and lucky to have been given the life and parents that I have. Their open mindedness may have saved me from a life like the women we saw today and I am ever grateful I got to touch a minuscule part of their life and see the way some people open their arms to those in need. It was a great experience and I am so excited to continue our trip!! 

From the church basement in Columbia,
Kristen

Bleary-eyed

At exactly 8:15 AM, the fourteen members of our ASB group, bleary-eyed and filled with Eggo waffles and coffee, piled into our vans, ready for our first day of service. Our first community partner was Kid’s Grow Outdoor Classroom at Husley Elementary School. Everyone was awestruck at the sight of an entire garden in the backyard of this elementary school, featuring rows of neatly labeled vegetables, herbs, and other fresh produce. The garden functioned, as a hands-on teaching tool, educating the children about agriculture and healthy eating. Our service this morning was to facilitate different stations that taught the children about water, specifically its distribution around the globe. I worked at the hand-washing station, where I helped the kids learn about proper hand-washing techniques to stay germ-free, and how in certain areas, diseases are prevalent because of lack of access to clean water. Having worked with kids before, I am always amazed at their profound insight to topics we often graze over. They are not afraid to ask the difficult questions. For instance, when we were discussing the fact that in many underdeveloped countries, children walk for miles in order to obtain fresh water, many students inquired, “Why isn’t the water closer by?” It seems like such a simple question until you really stop to think about it. Why isn’t the water closer? Why do certain countries lack the government infrastructure to create better water distribution systems? Is it a geopolitical issue? An economics issue? Or is it far more complicated than that? These points themselves can lead to extensive discussions, but they all stem from the fact that this child had the insight to ask “why?”

This is why I love the Kids Grow Outdoor Classroom program. As the name implies, it is truly an interdisciplinary learning tool for these children. The garden’s purpose is not only to promote ideas of sustainability and healthy eating, but to foster a sense of interminable curiosity for learning. This is such an important concept to promote, especially in low-income school districts where children are considered academically “at risk”, where they read below their grade-level and do not have strong academic support from their families. During our post-service discussion, we talked about the complexities of these social issues, and how their root causes intertwine in surprising ways. After all, even though the overarching theme of our ASB trip is “Children’s Healthcare”, how can children be healthy if they don’t possess the knowledge about how to pursue these healthy lifestyles?  For me, it all boils down to education, which is a social issue I am very passionate about. Working with the children at Husley reminded me of why I enjoy working with children so much - they have this sense of unbridled eagerness and raw passion to learn and share what they have learned – to their peers, to their instructors, to the world.

On the wall of the tool shed at Husley Elementary, friendly primary colors exclaimed that “We are Scientists”.  And that’s exactly what I aspire these children to be. We are all scientists, and must keep exploring these complex social issues in effort to instigate positive social change, one city, one outdoor classroom, and one child at a time.

~Jessica Lu

Blog Day 1

               Before today’s service, I had little knowledge of childhood healthcare, and I had no idea how many factors influence the health of a child. For our first service project, we worked with today was Kids Grow at Hulsey elementary school, teaching first and third graders from high poverty areas about water awareness in the school’s garden classroom. I always am hesitant about working with kids because I am always afraid that I am not good with kids, but it was very rewarding. I was amazed at how smart the kids were, and how open they were to eating fresh vegetables from the garden. I think it is important for kids to grow up with an awareness of where their food comes from and how much work it takes to grow it, since most only know that food comes from the grocery store. They gain an understanding of this from growing vegetables in the garden. Today they also learned that in many countries other than the United States, clean water can be very difficult to obtain.

            The second service project of the day brought us to the Lowcountry Food Bank where we packed 360 boxes of food to be distributed to families in need. This was my favorite project of the day. I really enjoy physically working, watching full boxes being stacked up and sent off to families. It really made me feel accomplished and satisfied. I really felt like I was doing something good for the community.

            The third project of the day led us to Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital, where we learned of a program that tries to combat childhood obesity with a holistic approach. The program focused on both child and parent education involving cooking healthy meals, buying food on wa budget, exercise improvement, lifestyle changes, and portion control. This lecture really helped me understand the many factors that lead to obesity in a child. It is not just overeating—it is a combination mental health, physical health, and family habits. The approach to combat the problem therefore must be holistic, addressing all aspects that contribute. I learned that this is truly the case for all issues involving childhood health care, and all solutions must address this.

            This trip has really caused me to think about what I should major in. I am always wavering between biology/Pre-Med or something else like environmental science and policy. However, visiting MUSC and spending a week thinking about health care is making me want to pursue Pre-Med again. I always think I am not smart enough and get nervous about challenging myself. Today, though, I was inspired by the women I encountered and all they had accomplished. Both Kids Grow and the heart healthy program were started by women—women who had a dream and made it a reality. I admire these women, and after today I am newly inspired to pursue my dreams.

~ Annelise Buck

Pre-Trip Service Event Reflection

Hi all!

Hope this week hasn't been too rough, but if it has, no worries because spring break is here! I'm so excited for this trip, as I'm sure many of you all are as well. Before we depart to South Carolina, I just wanted to reflect on our pre-trip service. I was part of the group that volunteered at KEEN in Vienna, and I'm sure I'm speaking for the group when I say this, but working with the athletes was an experience I will never forget. We were all paired with an athlete, all of whom have a disability, and were by their side, learning and engaging in some type of planned physical activity. That day, the organization had decided to teach Taekwondo for the first hour, and then wrap the day up with a classic game of kick-ball. Because the volunteer turn-out significantly trumped the number of athletes that were present, some of us were grouped together with one athlete instead of being one-on-one. Tanvee, Yannan, and I were assigned to Mark, a 26 year old with autism. Before this, I had never had any experience volunteering for KEEN, let alone working with someone that had a disability, so I was a little worried and intimidated. However, many of the preconceived notions I contained were debunked from those few hours I spent with Mark. I had never met someone so friendly, enthusiastic, and determined as him. Despite being partially vocal, he was insistent on getting to know everyone, as he continuously went around and shook hands with other athletes and volunteers. His chirpiness and charm brought a smile to my face and truly warmed my heart. Mark loved to give high fives (and also really liked Amee's hipster glasses), and as we began to meet the other athletes, I started picking up on certain quirks each of them had. Will, another athlete, was known for his flirty nature, as he went around giving hugs to anyone in his vicinity. Allan, the athlete assigned to Kristen and Amee, was nonvocal, but smiled at the end of the day when asked if he had enjoyed himself, which I thought was incredibly sweet. Overall, the experience I gained from volunteering at KEEN was something I would never have gained anywhere else, and I thank Amee and Linda for having made this our pre-service event. I'm sure everyone that volunteered is in agreement. For anyone that was unable to attend, volunteer for KEEN sometime! It's a great learning experience!
See you all in T-minus 2 days!

Sincerely,
Sharvani :)

Second Pre-Trip Meeting

 Hey everyone!

Sorry this blog post is extremely late! I hope everyone is as excited as I am to leave for South Carolina on Saturday! Linda and Amee planned some extremely beneficial and informative meetings and service trips that I believe well prepared us for everything we will be doing next week. In our second pre-trip meeting, we watched a short documentary called “Unnatural Causes: When the Bough Breaks.” I actually watched this video in many of my classes, which truly shows how prevalent this issue is across fields. This documentary portrayed the racial disparities in infant mortality in America. It was astonishing to see how African-American women are twice as more likely to give birth to infants who will due during their first year of life.

The example that they gave in the video showed this African American woman who was extremely successful in her life and did not appear to have any chronic stressors, still had issues with pregnancy and infant mortality. Many people ask why this still happens, but unfortunately there is still a widespread issue that affects the health and well being of African Americans, which is racism. Racism can cause anxiety and high levels of cortisol, which can overall negatively impact pregnancy. Also in our meeting, we looked at statistics and racial disparities. It was amazing to see how in places like the south, especially places where racism maintains to be widespread, how infant mortality decrease. This helped us gain an overall understanding of how as a country we really need to realize the negative health impacts that racism has so that women of all minority groups can continue to give birth to healthy and long living babies. I think that it will be important for all us to keep in mind the detrimental affects of racism and how it impacts infant mortality during our service!

XOXO,

Mariah 

Pre-Trip service with KEEN

For our pre-trip service we chose to volunteer with KEEN. KEEN stands for Kids Enjoy Exercise Now and the organization is a volunteer-led nonprofit. The program provides free programs for kids with disabilities and has a number of programs including sports, music, and swim. I was very excited for the pre-trip service with KEEN as I’ve been a volunteer with them in the past and I always have a great time. I was with the group that went to Springfield and it was my first time at that site so I liked meeting new athletes and seeing how they did their own thing. KEEN never fails to bring a smile to my face and I really loved working with my future trip-mates and seeing those who were new to the program work with the kids. Each volunteer is paired with an athlete who has a disability and works one-on-one in a physical activity of the athlete’s choice. Sometimes that means chasing them around and playing tag the whole time, sometimes it means basketball or kickball or any number of activities. We had two sessions and there were more volunteers than athletes so I joined Annelise and her athlete each session. Our first athlete loved to walk around so we wandered all over the gym, sometimes playing with a ball we found but mostly just cruising and seeing everyone. Our second athlete was a runner and we got to chase him all around. He had a lot of energy and it was so much fun to see him running around and smiling. I’m very excited for our trip and the chance to learn more about childhood health and hopefully work with more kids.

Much love,

Emily