I'm looking forward to my time at Sojourner!

The following was written by Rachel Coffey, a sophomore education major, from Miami Hamilton about her experience at Sojourner Recovery Services Adolescent Center, referred to as "Buckeye". This week will be her second week serving there. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Sojourner thus far! The first day I was excited and nervous at the same time, I really had no idea what to expect at Buckeye. When arriving at Buckeye the youth was so happy to see us and they were ready for us to play some kickball. We all had a great time playing an active game outside together. It was a nice "ice breaker" for me personally because I was able to interact and talk to my teammates about strategies on the best way to win. Being able to interact with the youth this way opened the door for many other conversations and activities to occur. Through playing kickball I noticed first hand that the boys are all very competitive and they wanted their teammates to not get an out. I also noticed that these adolescents are very supportive of one another not only because they were on the same teams but they also show this action when playing individual sports. For example, playing horse, making bracelets, shooting hoops, playing cards, and many other activities that we do at Sojourner.

I have played many one­-on-­one games with different individuals at Buckeye and each of the adolescents are so easy to get along with and a pleasant to be around. I love giving the youth at Buckeye the opportunity to be a kid having "sober" fun by playing outside activities with them, after all, they are just kids!

After only being at Buckeye for just two days I was able to see something so rewarding. A youth at Buckeye had completed his program and was able to go home. Only knowing this individual an entire four hours of my life it amazed me how happy and proud I was of him for completing and sticking with this program at Sojourner.

The adolescents at Sojourner are truly great individuals. I love being a part of their Mondays and Thursdays, even though it is just a short amount of time. They have already impacted me personally because of their great attitudes and humorous personalities. I hope throughout the rest of the summer they can say the same about the Miami students working with them. I am looking forward to the rest of my time at Sojourner!

Below are pictures from Thursday 4-square game. Rachel is in pink, Robynne in green, Hannah in black and Eileen in White. To view more pictures from Thursday visit our flickr! 

Making a difference at the Boys & Girls Club

The following was written by Hannah Beckett, an Integrated Studies senior, from Miami Hamilton about her experience so far at the Boys & Girls Club on East Avenue in Hamilton, OH. 

I have really enjoyed my experience tutoring at the Boys and Girls club so far! I was nervous the first day, because I wasn’t sure what to expect. I am normally working with younger children and wasn’t sure how I would do with older ones. There were several kids with Ms. Deb in the reading room. I was paired with one little girl going into first grade. We read together and afterwards I helped her with AR (Accelerated Reader) quizzes on the computer. At first I read with her, and by the end she was reading by herself. She progressively got better scores as she took each quiz. Seeing this grade accumulation made me really proud of her. After any child takes a quiz they can pick a snack from the snack bin. This is a great incentive for many of them. If they read so many books throughout the summer they will earn a swim party in the pool!

The Boys and Girls Club is serving a diverse lower income community. It only costs a quarter a day for the children to get in. The club has a swimming pool, pool tables, televisions, video games, books, and much more. I think it is a great place for these children to spend the day with friends. The Club is helping the community by giving parents a safe place to send their children. I have loved my experience so far and haven’t had any complaints. I love working with children, especially in a setting where I feel that I can really make a difference.

I have worked with lower income children before. I was a preschool teacher at Youthland Academy and tutored at Head Start and Richard Allen Academy. This experience is what I expected it to be. I am hoping to add to my experiences and be a help to these children. Having a constant that is there once a week will help to build a relationship. I can apply this learning experience to my own classroom and students now and in the future.

I am excited to see what the rest of the summer brings. I would love to continue to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club when I could during the school year. I want people to know how important it is to help shape and grow young minds. It doesn’t take much to be there and show the children that you care. I hope I can help the kids I am with this summer improve their reading skills and be ready to take on the new school year. 

Sustained Service Scholars program!

The Sustained Service Scholars program is a service program sponsored by Miami Hamilton's Center for Civic Engagement. This program is for students interested in an on-going service placement throughout the summer that meets an authentic need in the Hamilton community.

How it all began! 

Early May after meeting with a community partner, the Director of the Center for Civic Engagement, Sarah Woiteshek-Pietzuch, came up with a brilliant plan to address a significant need of our community partners. This need is to have consistent volunteers to assist with programming throughout the summer. During the school year many of Miami Hamilton's community partners have Service-Learning students serving weekly. However without these programs in the summer it makes it difficult for the partners to get the man power they so desperately need. Sarah thought this was the prefect chance to make her dream come true of having MUH students volunteer in the summer on a weekly basis! 

Through the Sustained Service Scholars program, Sarah's brain child has come to fruition! The Sustained Service Scholars program provides a volunteer and professional development opportunity to Miami Hamilton students for 10 weeks from June 2nd-August 8th. 

Service Placements

The Sustained Service Scholars are placed with two Hamilton agencies, Boys & Girls Club and Sojourner Recovery Services. 

Boys & Girls Club on East Avenue provides a safe and educational space for youth throughout the summer. The Club has plenty of activities for the youth to participate in, including: a swimming pool, video games, and Accelerated Reader (AR) program. The Sustained Service Scholars are assisting with Accelerated Reader. Accelerated Reader allows youth to identify books that fit his/her reading level. After he/she finishes a book they complete an AR quiz that tests comprehension. 

Scholars are also serving with Sojourner Recovery Services Adolescent facility. In an effort to promote and model sober out-door activities, Scholars volunteer twice a week to facilitate structured "Playtime" with the adolescents. This programming is also brand new. The Scholars and Sojourner staff want to make sure that each adolescent is given an opportunity to just be a kid and have fun, one of the goals of this program. With materials provided by Sojourner, Scholars and adolescents will have an opportunity to play kickball, basketball, Frisbee, lawn darts, and a variety of other out-door activities! 

Benefits for MUH Students

Sustained involvement in service provides a unique volunteer experience that cannot be found with one-time opportunities. The student is able to develop a relationship between himself/herself and the agency and learn a great deal about the causes the agency addresses and how it does so. On-going service also provides opportunities for the students to gain professional experience and develop skills such as communication, professionalism, problem solving and critical thinking. 

Through reflective blogs, each Scholar will consider his/her own motivation for participating in this program, the social issues and community needs that each of their agencies is addressing,and how they are going about it. These blogs will be posted right here throughout the program! 

The Scholars will also be recognized for their work this summer through the fall Celebration of Service, sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement and the Dean's award ceremony in the spring. All Scholars that complete 25 or more service hours this summer will also receive the Summer Service Honor Roll!  

Boys & Girls Club volunteer and Karen Miller,
Hamilton BGC Executive Director at Orientation

Sojourner volunteers & Sojourner employees at
Orientation! 

Lunch prior to first day at Sojourner at Dayton street facility!
Volunteers & AmeriCorps VISTA, Rachael Lange