Lindsay the Intern: Good Bye

After 3 terms here at ShelterCare, it is sadly time for me to say goodbye. I have spent countless hours working alongside some of the most dedicated and passionate people I have encountered during my time here in Eugene. Not only staff, but consumers as well. Their spirit has inspired me to continue working in the human services field and attempt to remedy the inadequacies in our communities.

I believe I left off on the brink of starting my senior project. Though it was not always easy, creating and implementing this Life Skills Curriculum at the Uhlhorn Program for people with Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI), was one of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life. During my final presentation, my supervisor raised his hand to ask what part of the project I most enjoyed. It was really hard for me to say. Was it working with Uhlhorn’s staff; who truly care about and work for their consumers? Was it spreading awareness about the happenings at Uhlhorn? Or learning about the clients? All of these pieces were incredible learning experiences, but my favorite piece of this project was the moment in every class where one of the consumers would absolutely surprise me. Whether it was by their passion about a topic, their recollection of a story or lesson previously discussed, or their sheer will to survive and stay positive through unfavorable circumstances. Our minds are often clouded by the research and generalizations that we use to get funding and draft documents. I can tell you first hand that yes, memory loss is an issue with ABI survivors, but even the consumer most affected can remind you of something you forgot to mention. And yes, ABI survivors have issues with depression and isolation, but it’s hard to see those issues when they are sitting in front of you telling a story with a grin on their face. We are all multi-dimensional, even those of us who are quickly marginalized. I think this is one very important lesson I will carry with me in future endeavors.

I would like to thank all of those people at ShelterCare who gave me the opportunity to succeed. My confidence in my own abilities, and the good nature of people in this world, have sky rocketed. To all of those who are not sure how to make a difference or don’t feel that they can afford to, it all starts with a change of mindset. Tolerance should be like breathing, natural and ever present. We all have a story, a past, a time when we made a poor choice, or a time when we had no choice at all. Let us remember those times when we are around others so that compassion may be the first reserve in our mind rather than judgment.

A favorite quote: “ be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” – Unknown

I am pretty sure I have said this before, but I will say it again: Keep on fighting the good fight!

Lindsay Walsh

Lindsay the Intern: Fall Term

After a long and much needed break from the grind of life as a working college student, I am back and ready to dive into the exciting happenings going on at ShelterCare. I am sure you have heard (if you haven’t I am not doing my job) about our latest and greatest event: Jack-O-Lanterns on 5^th. This event is truly inspiring because it is community-oriented, philanthropic, and fun. I have to say that I am personally extremely excited about this event because it combines two of my favorite things: Halloween and helping. If you typically cannot afford to support causes you are passionate about, this is the event for you. It only costs two dollars to enter a pumpkin into what is to be the biggest pumpkin display in Oregon! I hope to see you all at the 5^th street Public Market on October 24^th, for what is sure to be an amazing time.

Aside from my work with development, I am also working on my senior project at the Uhlhorn Program, ShelterCare’s program for people with Acquired Brain Injuries. My project consists of building and implementing a strengths-based life skills curriculum. This week, we started classes despite my overwhelming nerves. I have never taught anything and I was apprehensive about my abilities to lead a class. I think that the fact that I am teaching to people who are older than I am has added to that anxiety because I don’t want to condescend or offend any of my students. Thankfully most of my fears were put to rest after this week. Uhlhorn has such an amazing and helpful group of residents that I felt at ease when standing before them. Together we made our way through the confusing world of nutrition and learned to cook a healthy meal. It was a great experience and I look forward to future weeks and topics to be covered.

I am glad to be back and will keep you all posted on the progress of my class and ShelterCares cool events!

Lindsay the Intern: Week Eight

(Lindsay is leaving us temporarily for some much deserved R and R with her family. She leaves with lots of things to look forward to upon her return.)

Sadly, this will be my last blog entry for a while as I am off to visit family for a few weeks. I am happy to say that everything seems to be falling into place for both the life skills class I will be teaching at Uhlhorn, and the events going on here in Development.

The more time I spend milling over the possibilities for the class, the more excited I get. I am trying not to get my hopes up too high because I have never done anything like this, but I can't help but see the potential for success. I now have a tentative curriculum schedule, which covers an array of topics over an 8 week time period. The topics include, but are not limited to, sexual health and safety, cultural awareness, nutrition, and interviewing. Even if the residents take away nothing from the lesson plan, at least they will have a chance to socialize and enjoy themselves. I cannot wait to share more once the class actually begins!

Also, as you know, we had our first trail run last weekend. It was a beautiful August morning as the runners gathered at the start. Myself and a few other volunteers waited at the other end with snacks and water. About 80 runners and walkers traversed the course as we patiently waited to hear how it went. The feedback was great as the runners flooded in for some nourishment. Of course, like with any event, not everything went perfectly and we learned some lessons that will help us in future years. Overall it was a great success and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the new events have to offer.

Well, that is all for now. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of summer! See you in September!

ShelterCare's Summit Challenge-A Brief Recap

It was a perfect morning on Mt. Pisgah. The sun was shining, but the air was cool and crisp-exactly the way one who is about to embark on a run/walk up a very large hill would prefer. Volunteers and staff  in blue t-shirts began to arrive as early as 6:30 to set up necessary elements like registration tables, and to take their places at various points throughout the course to ensure that participants knew the correct paths to take. Food was laid out, water was hauled uphill, and first aid stations were assembled as eager participants began to show up for the fun.

The race began at 8:30, with walkers starting just a bit later. The mood was high and people were excited to begin. Participants wound their way to the summit, some at high speeds, others at a much more leisured pace. In any case, everyone finished and spirits were high. Congratulations and thanks to all who took a role in this exciting new event, and we hope to see you all again next year!

CD

Morning Reading: Is It A Crime to be Poor?

Here's a good op-ed by Barbara Ehrenreich on the criminalization of poverty.

Lindsay the Intern: (What Week is it Anyway?)

(This week our Intern mulls over all of the fun little details event planners get to deal with as we are three days out from our First Annual Summit Challenge. Pink flags, port-o-potties, and first aid-oh my!)

It seems that every great event starts as a grandiose idea.  “Wow, wouldn’t it be cool if we had a trail run fundraiser?” Of course when you think of such a large, seemingly simple, concept as a group of people walking or running up and down a mountain, the details and tedious planning elude even the most meticulous person.

I have learned that nothing is ever as simple or as neat as it seems. We started out milling over location ideas and permit applications; now it is pink flag placements, ticket boxes and trash bags. The development team has been working tirelessly to make sure every piece is in place for the big event. Maybe I am more of a big picture thinker, but I never even imagined having to worry about some of the things we are finding ourselves debating. Seeing this event through to the end has given me great perspective on what it takes to pull something off in a big way.

Among other things I have also discovered the value of teamwork and diversity amongst team members. Nobody is perfect at everything, having a variety of skills and abilities within a team can prove to be extremely helpful when planning such a huge event. Although each of the members has their own unique qualities, they all possess courage and creativity. It takes a brave person to build something from scratch without knowing the outcome ahead of time. Where there is the possibility of failure, one must be able to stay positive and persevere. The development team has done just that in their new ventures. Also, with limited time and budget concerns, the ability to think outside the box has served them well.

As a wise development member once said “The difference is in the details.”  I am confident that the Trail Run will be a success because no detail has been left uncovered thanks to the efforts of many awesome people. The event will take place this Saturday August 8^th at Mt. Pisgah, check our website for details! Hope to see you all out there!

Study Finds Majority of Americans With Depression Go Untreated

Check it out:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1913312,00.html