NR725B_MaglaCh_Wk12_GoodwillServiceLearning

NR725B_MaglaCh_Wk12_GoodwillServiceLearning – 5.25 hrs

After multiple inquiries with the branch manager, I was finally given an approval to volunteer at Goodwill Industries in Clermont, FL. It was an exciting day to finally get a chance to serve the community.

My first day of my service learning started with a very brief orientation to the facility and a bit of introduction to the people that I will be working with for a few hours. I was also given a brief facility tour. My task was to consolidate educational materials for kids and reading materials for adults and place them in bookshelves according to where they belong based on categories.

As I look at the giant boxes filled with donated goods from the community, I was amazed how others took their time to drop off those goods for the kids and others. Books/educational/reading materials that might be unnecessary for others, but very valuable to other children whose parents are unable to afford. As I started scanning and consolidating the materials, I was able to place them in bookshelves. As I was arranging them, I saw children with their happy faces as they checked on the books and other educational materials that I just recently arranged. I usually gets irritated when someone “re-arranges” all my nicely placed books on the shelves, but that day was different. I felt happy and proud that I was able to help the children locate the books that they wanted and needed. A feeling of contentment poured over me. My simple act of gesture finally made a difference to those children.

On my second day at the Goodwill Industries was similar, the only difference was, I was consolidating books and clothing. I was becoming more comfortable to what I was doing. Still, I was able to assist the community in locating what they needed and helped them find what they were looking for.

My experience at the Goodwill Industries was overwhelmingly wonderful and an eye opening for me. I know I am helping the community by working in the trauma hospital as an assistance nurse manager in the ICU and recently in PACU, but with this experience, it is totally different. I served the community with all my heart and soul. I realized that any services matter.

My remaining 30 minutes of the service learning was spent in communicating and contacting the agency regional and branch managers at the Goodwill Industries. I was informed by Clermont branch manager that I was not allowed to continue my service due to the reason that I did not do all my service learning within a week period. After I contacted the regional manager and told what I was told, she then contacted the branch manager to allow me to continue my services.

The letter below is given to me by the regional manager recognizing my services at the Goodwill Industries in Clermont, FL.  

June 24, 2014 To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is to confirm that Cherry Lynn Maglangit of Clermont, Florida has completed 5.25 (five hours and 15 minutes) volunteer hours. Cherry Lynn has not received any monetary or other gifts for her services.

Cherry Lynn is a hard working volunteer and we appreciate the time she has given to our Clermont Retail Store in Clermont, Florida.

Goodwill Industries of Central FL Inc. is a 501(C) 3 organization. Our mission statement is “Building Lives That Work”.

Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions or confirmation. Thank you. Darlene Kaiser

Darlene Kaiser Volunteer Coordinator 407-235-1571 dkaiser@goodwillcfl.org 7531 S. Orange Blossom Trail Orlando, FL 32809

NR725B_MaglaCh_Wk12_ServiceLearningBlog

NR725B_MaglaCh_Wk12_ServiceLearningBlog

For this semester, I did my service at the Goodwill charity in Clermont, Lake County, FL. Clermont is a 45 minute drive away from Orlando, and is used to be a rural area and also used to be popular with retirees. The onset of the housing market, the hills and the surrounding lakes in the area made Clermont very popular to the younger generation coming from Orlando and other parts of the country, and even people the United Kingdom. The population in Clermont had increased tremendously over the last past five years or so with younger generation and active adults for reasons that they can train for marathons and participate bike races in the area, the area has always sporting events for both the younger and older generation, and Clermont houses The National Training Center for US athletes.

The Goodwill charity in Central Florida was established in 1959. It began providing tools that help people in the community overcome barriers to employment and find meaningful work. Today, the community donations serve as funding resources to help people in need find jobs and achieve economic self-sufficiency. The process starts in receiving donated goods, then selling the donated items. The proceeds from sales will then be used as funds for training and other services to help people for success (education, counseling, training). Having the tools to be used for work, a person in the community can then find good jobs to support himself and his family.

The agency`s clients are mostly homeless and people living in shelters. These clients are provided with vocational assessment(s), planning, counseling and placement services, as well as follow-up to make sure that their needs are met. The ultimate goal of this process is providing the participants with the right equipment to maintain long-term work and to help them transition from being homeless to having a permanent housing and to being able to sustain their own needs. The agency`s funds came from the community`s donated goods/items being sold in a very affordable prices. The proceeds are then to be used as funds to supporting the maintenance and training of the personnel who are providing the services to the community through education, community training, counseling, assessment etc.

As a nurse with a higher degree such as the DNP, I have the knowledge and understanding that being well and healthy in the community is not only concern on the physical aspect of the individual but rather it includes psychosocial, emotional, and mental well-being. With the wealth of knowledge that I have gained through my critical care experience in the hospital and will be obtained from school through the DNP program at Regis University, I can guide the underserved in promoting healthy lifestyle such as eating vegetables and encouraging them that doing simple daily exercises are important as eating their vegetables. I can provide them with information about the importance of being healthy and the consequences accompanied of living an unhealthy lifestyle.

I can also share information that there are free medical services available in the community and in the hospital to keep them on track with their health, this includes having their vital signs taken on monthly basis, obtaining immunizations for their kids and getting free medications during the flu season. I can also help advocate the underserved without families nearby to make sure their rights and dignity are maintained, and keeping the underserved informed with their health and medical situations to make sure they are and can make appropriate decisions regarding their medical care based on the health information they have.

The most challenging experience I had this semester was locating a new agency. I have decided to do my service learning near my place of residence for easy commute but finding an agency was not easy and was a challenge. I contacted and inquired two agencies for possible placement but did not get a response after multiple visits and phone calls. Despite of the difficulties I had, I still feel that I was lucky as I was able to help the underserved. During my services, I saw multiple families with kids and individuals looking for jobs to sustain their immediate needs. I saw moms and dads with their kids at the facility looking for very cheap toys, books and clothing for their kids. While I was there, I realized immediately how lucky I am to have a job and be able to sustain myself without digging and hunting from somebody else`s old clothing to clothe myself.  

As an individual, I can help the underserved by continuing my services to the charity after the DNP program even just a few hours a week. Also, as I was packing my belongings for the past few weeks for my relocation, I found out that I have so many belongings (clothing, shoes, cutlery, pots/pans and furnitures) that I will not be needing and I found them very unnecessary for my move. Instead of throwing them away, I gave them to the charity so others may benefit and can use them. As a professional, I can use my advantage of having the medical training and knowledge by volunteering to health centers that are providing free medical services to the community. I can also help training the underserved in terms of taking blood pressures so they can help as well when clinics are closed. I can also volunteer to provide health education to the community.

I believe that in every act of kindness, big or small, can have a huge impact to the individual and to the community. In order for me to have an impact to the community, I need to practice and believe what I taught. I am not perfect but recognizing and learning from my mistakes will be a good start to move forward and for the better – for myself and to the community I serve.

NR725B_MaglaCh_Wk1-2_ServiceLearningAgencyInquiries

NR725B_MaglaCh_Wk1-2_ServiceLearningAgencyInquiries – 5.5 hrs

During the spring semester, I volunteered at our hospital helping patients and families – especially those patients in the ICU and their families from out of state. This semester I switched to helping less fortunate families in Clermont, FL Lake County. But before I was able to get started, I was looking at two agencies that I feel that my services are needed. I went and visited The Blessed Sacrament Catholic church. I also went to Goodwill charity in Clermont. I have spoken to multiple managers, and was able to get more information about the agencies and presented my desire to help the community. If I will volunteer at The Blessed Sacrament, I will need to have my finger prints taken as the available opportunity for service learning is dealing with kids in the community, and the finger print results might take weeks and might cause some delays on my service learning. With the Goodwill charity, all I need to contact the manager. After careful consideration, I have decided to help the Goodwill charity.

After I made my decision, I went and contacted the branch manager at the Goodwill charity but I was told I needed to make an application through online – which I did. The area manager contacted me a few days after and was told that I needed to attend an orientation in Clermont branch. But due to my work schedule, I was unable to attend the orientation but the area manager was very kind to let me do my service learning without an orientation and was given a permission to do my hours on my available days off. I then immediately called the branch manager about it and set my service learning hours.