Welcome!
The countdown until departure is coming to an end! Only 2 days until
8 students and 2 leaders from St. Lawrence University embark upon the
opportunity of a lifetime to travel to St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia for an
exhilarating alternative spring break experience. Trading in their swimsuits, flip-flops,
and sun for a week of volunteering to serve those in dim and desperate need,
the compassionate individuals participating in St. Francis Inn 2007 include
Michael Austen, Nazeema Baboolall, Robert Glover, Jonia Mendonca Guterres,
Phuong Le, Rachel Lim, Harriet Newman, and Becky Rowe. Guiding our eye-opening
experience will be none other than the knowledgeable Sr. Bethany Fitzgerald and
seasoned St. Francis spring break veteran Joe Tebo.
Located in the Kensington Neighborhood of
Philadelphia, St. Francis Inn serves the poor and homeless of the community by means of a soup kitchen, a
thrift shop, and a women’s day center. Volunteers work to restore hope in the
lives of all individuals at St. Francis Inn by simply living among them, building relationships, and by respecting each
person’s human dignity. Our own St. Lawrence University volunteers will be
staying at the Inn helping out in any and
every way possible. Through connecting with the faces of the forlorn at St. Francis Inn, the vastness and impact of the
implications of the social situations of homelessness and poverty will become a harsh reality to
these wide-eyed volunteers.
Day in and day out, I, Becky Rowe, and other
volunteers will be posting blogs on this website containing our thoughts, encounters,
observations, challenges, and overall experience here at St. Francis Inn. Hailing
from the great state of Minnesota, I am a first-year student at St. Lawrence University and am very excited
to take part in such an incredible engaging and learning opportunity.
Throughout the past four weeks, St. Francis Inn trip volunteers have been collecting toiletry donations around the St. Lawrence campus
community and the village of Canton. We would like
to take this opportunity to thank everyone, especially those who donated, for
supporting the St. Francis Inn Toiletry Drive. Any last contributions by nighttime
of Thursday, March 15 would be extremely helpful! To all you students out
there, boxes are located for your convenience in Lee, Hulett and Jencks, Sykes,
Dean Eaton, Whitman, Gaines, Dana, the Bookstore, and the Student Center!
Remember, one small donation will go a long way! Help us help others!
Last Thursday, March 8, students partaking in St.
Francis Inn Spring Break 2007, as well as those traveling to South Carolina for
the Habitat for Humanity College Challenge Build, had the opportunity to join together to discuss the significant issue of homelessness. Through the
empowering wisdom and knowledge of Dr. Ron Flores, director of community-based
learning and associate professor of sociology at St. Lawrence University, a
consensus over the thought-provoking question of whether housing is a right or
privilege was reached: Housing, though hoped to be a right in our society
today, in all actualities is a privilege. Homelessness in America
persists in part because many urban areas remain economically depressed,
housing costs have risen rapidly in the past decade, and wages for lower
skilled workers have remained stable.
A few staggering statistics related to
homelessness: From the National Survey of
Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients, on any given day at least
800,000 people are homeless in the United States, including about 200,000
children in homeless families. Single men constitute about 60% of the homeless
population, yet families, representing around 1/3 of all homeless, are the fastest-growing
population group. Around 70% of the homeless live in central cities. Each year,
in New York State alone, around 100,000 individuals
experience homelessness.
Personally, I think that housing is crucial to
developing a healthy society, and that access to housing must be viewed as one
of the most fundamental of human rights. Permanent housing provides a base for
people to move out of poverty. I feel that our current federal programs focus too
much on serving people who are already homeless rather than concentrating on
what can be done to prevent homelessness tomorrow.
Mr. Dean Joe Tolliver delightfully graced us with
his presence at our alternative spring break meeting. His thanks and
appreciation for those embarking on the spring break journeys to St. Francis Inn and Habitat for Humanity in South Carolina was greatly appreciated. Dean Tolliver
aspires to see a larger percentage of St. Lawrence University students participate in
alternative spring break initiatives such as the projects we are involved in.
He is eagerly awaiting knowledge of our experiences upon safe return to campus. On
behalf of St. Francis Inn Spring Break 2007, I would like to personally thank
Dean Tolliver for taking the time out of his busy schedule to attend our
meeting. This illustration of the backing and support of the University
administration helps greatly in our volunteer endeavors.
As I prior stated, I am thrilled to take part in
St. Francis Inn Spring Break 2007. Having been quite involved with a homeless
shelter in North Minneapolis, I am interested to see the differences between my
prior experiences and what we will face at St. Francis Inn. I am looking forward to developing a connection with the individuals I meet. Sometimes
all an individual needs is a little bit of time from a caring person to make a big difference in
their life. Volunteer service allows you to see a
variety of diverse cultures that all have common attributes; one such being
that a smile connotes happiness. I hope to receive at least a couple good smiles
this upcoming week!
With such a diverse volunteer group, I am interested
in seeing how the conditions at St. Francis Inn has an effect on me,
personally, and how the situation affects other members of our St. Lawrence
University group. I recently spent a couple months in northern Tanzania volunteering in extremely
impoverished conditions. I believe this will impinge on my perspective, yet how, I am not sure. This makes me a bit apprehensive. Everyone has their own
experience and perspective from which their experience will be based.
We were lucky to have one other St. Francis Inn
Spring Break 2007 participant garner his thoughts together about this
upcoming trip. Here now, in the words of Bob Glover: “I'm a bit anxious
to get down to Philadelphia.
I've worked in humanitarian projects before but I've never done such hands on
work. At the same time I'm also excited to be a part of a place like
this. I think it will be rewarding and something I'll remember. Experiences
like these tend to change the way people perceive themselves and the world around
them.” Thanks for your contribution Bob! Isn't it interesting to hear other people's perspectives?!?
Departure time is 8:00 AM Saturday, March 17. A
nice seven hour van ride to Philadelphia
will definitely develop some great relationships with people I haven’t had much
opportunity to get to know yet. These are always interesting, and memorable,
times. I am looking forward to meeting some nice new people!
Please check back often to read about St. Francis
Inn Alternative Spring Break 2007. I promise you, it will be well worth your
time! We hope to allow all of cyberspace to relive our incredible experiences
through this informative online blog.
Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
P.S. If you are interested in checking out the website for St. Francis Inn, here it is: http://www.stfrancisinn.org/
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