Raeann- GKTW- Day Four

Today was a great day. We woke up bright and early to go to the Gingerbread House inside the Village. Here, we helped serve the families breakfast. After each family member went through the buffet line and got everything they wanted, it was our job to take their tray for them. We carried the tray and set up the contents on the table so they could enjoy their meal. The simple act of carrying their trays across the room was an important principle: this was their vacation! Sometimes they would try to take their own tray—especially the men—but when we reminded them that this was their time to relax, they usually relented and let us carry it for them.

This idea of a vacation is extremely important at the Village. We want the families to feel comfortable and not have to worry about the stressors—no matter how big or small—that typically occupy their lives.

Before the day started, we received instructions on how to serve the families. We were told to inform the staff of anything that a child wanted that we didn’t seem to have. Even if someone had to go out and get it, the child would have what he or she wanted to eat. Our supervisor commented, “If they want the moon, we will find a way to get it for them.” I thought it was incredible that everyone was willing to go to such great lengths to make the child’s visit perfect. After all, each kid only gets seven days at the Village, and we are supposed to give them the world!

This evening was a Winter Wonderland party since on Thursdays it is Christmas in the Village. I got to work at the craft booth. I had a blast with the kids getting glue and glitter everywhere while making snowflakes and ornaments. Although the crafts were fun, the best part of my job was that I was able to interact with many different kids. I especially enjoyed seeing kids that I recognized from breakfast that morning or from earlier in the week. Those I didn’t recognize, I met and tried to get to know them.

I feel like I’ve really started to get to know some of these kids. I can’t believe tomorrow is our last day. I hope that I have helped them to have a wonderful, unforgettable week. I know that I will never forget it.

Eyad- Atlanta- Day Four

1/16/2013

Today was a blessed day. We started off as usual driving to the café and serving the people there. I sat down with a guy named Jerome who talked to us and was excited to hear about us volunteering. My responsibilities were to cut up an entire box of zucchini and cook it. I also took all the chicken out the oven and prepared it for serving then I served the members of the café. For desert they had chess pie which is something I’ve never heard of before but it became one of my favorite pies after trying it. We also talked to another café attendee who I didn’t get her name but was very funny. She was telling us how she had an apple pie that she was unable to cook because her oven was full of insects that would eat the pie before she got to it. Another worker named Willy told us how he was raised on a farm and used to pee himself at the age of 5 because the outhouse was past the pigsty and the pigs terrified him. Overall it has been another successful day at the café. After the Café we picked up Alyssa who has been working in the administrative section of the CSS helping the members out with forming resumes.

Once all collected we went to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and got a taste of the history and saw a few artifacts such as the cart used to carry his casket. It was a touching moment for all of us. We attempted to visit the House MLK used to live it but it was closed and started raining on us so we went back to the van.

Alyssa hadn’t eaten yet because she was not present at the café so we took her to The Varsity, the world’s largest drive in restaurant, famous for their orange drink. I liked it but it wasn’t anything too special. On our way out we saw a man pushing his car on the highway so a few of us jumped out to help. Why not right? Since we are in Atlanta to help I don’t think it would be reasonable to limit our service to just the people of the café.

We visited Linox Square which was a shopping mall for a few hours and headed back to the church.

Tonight, the church was having a dinner for the homeless, different people than the ones at Café 458. These people were mostly war veterans with a few other various other backgrounds. I sat with a guy named Larry who is a Vietnam veteran taking classes trying to get his life back on track. He was telling me the government wasn’t organized enough back in the day to take care of all the veterans and he was just another victim who fell through the cracks of the system. Ironically he had wonderful positive energy and he was the one who told me “Don’t worry things will get better”. That sentence left me awestruck. Witnessing someone go through so much hardship but still be happy enough to push through and see the positives of the world was an amazing experience for me. He told me that happiness is in the head and that anybody can be comfortable if they convince themselves they are. He shared very wise words of wisdom that I appreciate and will carry with me for a long time. After dinner we packed up the tables and helped clean up the church lobby.

We went to the YMCA to shower again and came back to cool down and relax. The Reverend was in the church having a meeting but after that he came and talked to us about his entire life journey. We asked him questions about his choices in life and how he handled coming out to his parents. His overarching answer was that everyone should learn to love themselves and without loving yourself it will be hard to love god because god created us and he wants us to love his creation and accept what he has destined for us. He exposed the fact that many people in rural areas or coming from small towns don’t realize that the world is filled with unique people of various sexualities and that there is a spectrum ranging from straight to homosexual. He gave us insight and background to his life which was very inspiring and emotional for all of us. Everyone could sense his intentions of attempting to spread love throughout all of humanity and helping people accept themselves for who they really are instead of trying to conform to society constraints that keep changing with time.

I am thankful for this eye opening journey and thankful that we have been safe so far and I am excited to share these stories with my friends and family when I return.

Eyad- Atlanta- Day Three

1/15/2013

We began developing a ritual here at the church. Everyone wakes up and has breakfast together. We don’t really talk much in the morning because people are still sleep walking. That’s where Starbucks kicks in but it’s usually just one person who gets it but I guess that suffices to make the whole group energetic.Driving to the center consists of everybody looking out the windows and just absorbing the new environment. It has been two days in a row where we have seen a man walk in front of the Federal Reserve building with a giant suitcase on his head. This might have been a coincidence but I don’t think so. It was raining most of the day.
We Arrived at the center and prepared the kitchen for cooking. We made spaghetti and meat balls with a side of veggies. I was responsible for the dishes and got to assist man named mike. Mike had a background of drug addiction since the age of 13 and use to be a crack, meth, and cocaine addict. He told me it was because his dad was an alcoholic and his mother was a drug addict as well. Unfortunately they passed away from cancer and now he is caring for his second wife who has cancer and a brain tumor. He told me that when his parents passed away he was forced to move out of that environment and once meeting new people he became aware of his responsibilities and began taking affirmative action to change for the better. He was one of the nicest souls I've talked to on the trip and had a real sweet soul.

After working at the cafe we went downtown had lunch and visited the Aquarium which was very exciting and a thrilling experience for all of us. We got to see many aquatic species including Beluga whales, penguins, Jelly Fish, frogs, sea dragons, and manta rays to name a few. Witnessing all the different species at the aquarium instilled a sense of connection and unity with the universe that was very strong and humbling. I couldn’t ever fathom how they all came about to be.
After the Aquarium we hung around until it was time to go to dinner. We ate at Mark and Harry's house that used to be partners but decided a friendship would be best for their relationship. They treated us to wonderful dinner and southern delicacies such as sweet Georgia Peach tea, corn bread, and banana cream pie. The dinner was pasta and a special poppy seed chicken which was delicious.
Harry was funny because he spent the entire time talking about his love for his cats and went through a detailed history of how he named each of them and how cats are friends with possums because he has possums come over and hangout with his cats. If anyone is the biggest cat lover in the world its Harry. He also shared the fact that possums have a sweet tooth because they wouldn’t eat the food he left out for them until he added sugar to it. After dinner we went to the YMCA to shower and went back to the church to reflect over our day. It has been a very unique experience so far and I’m very grateful to gain new perspective on life from it.

Eyad- Atlanta- Day Two

1/14/2013

We woke up and it was raining,  the traffic was insane and it took us a while to get on the road. We stopped by Starbucks first to get a little boost of energy.

We arrived at the center for self-sufficiency administrative office. A gentleman by the name of Otis showed us around and showed us two classrooms where they were teaching people how to become self-sufficient. To get in the program you need to undergo drug tests and take a test to make sure your reading and math skills are above a 6th grade level. The CSS also provides its members phones that they can use to call and set up job interviews as well as formal clothes they can wear. We heard Otis telling the clothing lady to ban someone from using their clothes because they have been selling them at Salvation Army to get money. We then followed Otis to cafe 458 and got introduced to the staff there. It was a nice little cafe that was really organized and energetic. We got orientation on how to serve and where everything goes in the kitchen. Our group split up to do different tasks. We buttered bread rolls. I made a huge pot of rice and did some dish washing. It was a very relaxed environment and the people were very friendly. We got done serving around 12:30 so we went to a shopping area called Atlantic station and all bought ice cream from Kirkins that was supposedly the best in the world because they use the most butter fat compared to any other ice cream. I bought a double but managed to pay for a single. After that we went to the YMCA and played basketball for a bit and then showered. For dinner we had Thai food with the reverend and a gentleman named Mark, both very kind people. We engaged in deep talks about life with the reverend and he told us some interesting things about his perspective and journeys around the world. After dinner we headed back to the church and relaxed. Some of us went back out to watch the Ku game and some of us stayed in. That was day 3.

Eyad- Atlanta Center for Self-Sufficiency- Day One

1/13/2013

We woke up today at 8:30am and went to the YMCA to work out and shower. After that we went to church and met all the wonderful people who were very hospitable, kind, and generous. They introduced us to the people at the service and we stood in front of everyone and Stephanie told them about our mission at the Center for Self Sufficiency. After Church we stood around for a bit and got introduced to people of many different backgrounds. There were gay couples, lesbian couples, transsexuals and even cross dressers. . Their sexual orientation wasn't an issue for any of us but it was something new to witness for some of us. I was eager to learn more about their ideas and mindsets. We talked to a Lady named Tiffany who used to be a male soldier in Vietnam but decided to quit because she didn't like the idea of shooting people. We also talked to a Lady named Mrs. E worked for NASA and has upper level degrees in Physics and Mathematics so we were engaged in some interesting conversations about earth and the universe which was very fun. After a small social gathering, we were invited to lunch at a place called "Pickadillies". This was like a school cafeteria where you can pick up the foods you want to eat. It was delicious and we met more people there who were very friendly and kind to us. We were all thankful for the wonderful treatment we have received and appreciate all their efforts to be good hosts.

After lunch our group headed for Downtown Atlanta where we walked past the Coca-Cola Factory and through The olympic park. Our destination was the CNN building where we all went on a behind the scenes tour to witness how they structure their news broadcasting and what happens behind closed doors. The tour was fun and interesting.

Once the tour was over it was time for dinner so we met Reverend Paul, his partner, and two other friends at a restaurant called Roxx. Gabriella, a transgender that was with us informed us that we were at a gay restaurant but that didn't affect any of us or make us feel uncomfortable at all. Everyone in our group was very open minded and engaged in discussions. We learned from the Reverend that the church where we are staying is one of the few if not only churches that allows people of various sexual orientations and backgrounds to attend. In fact, this church allows anyone to attend and join their ceremony which is great for some transsexuals who have been abolished from their old beliefs and told they are wrongdoers or even sinners. The Reverend talked to us after dinner and told us how important acceptance and non-judgment is for spreading love and compassion throughout humanity. We were all touched by his valuable words of wisdom.

Raeann- GKTW- Day Three

Today was a day full of a wide range of emotions. After only about four hours of sleep, we arrived at the Village tired but full of coffee and ready to get to work.

This morning, I was scheduled to work in the castle, and I couldn’t wait to get started. The castle truly is a magical place. Everything is decorated just like a castle should be, with Rusty, the knight in armor that greets everyone at the door, and king and queen thrones. Although these features are fun and add to a fanciful atmosphere, they are not what make the castle truly special.

The most spectacular part of the castle is the ceiling. If you look up, you will literally see over 100,000 gold stars on the ceiling. Each star was decorated by a Wish child who stayed at the Village starting in 1994, when the castle was built. The ceiling is completed covered, and the banners that hang down from the ceilings are covered as well. In 2011, a separate Star Tower had to be added to the castle to make room for more stars.

One of the most important tasks we did as volunteers at the castle was to help the children with their stars. Each Wish child colors, draws, or writes on their star—if they are immobile, a family member does this for them—and they get to watch a video of Stellar, the Star Fairy, taking their star from the box and putting it into the sky. Families can then come back the next day to see their star in the Star Tower.

Another important task we did was to run the Pillow Tree. Each child that comes to GKTW receives a small pillow, whether they are a Wish child or a sibling. As a video of an owl plays leading the kids through the activity, the other volunteers go back to select pillows for the children that will “magically” appear after the Wish child puts love into the tree and helps shake a vine to set the pillows loose.

I really enjoyed getting to select the pillows for each child. Since we had gotten to know each child a little before the Pillow Tree, we were able to select pillows that we thought they would like. It was fun to see that the pillows we had in mind for each child were always the ones that they wanted. As one of my group members said, “It was like giving them a personal gift.”

I had such a great time in the castle, and seeing the kids smile gave me such joy. Yet I found that some moments almost brought me to tears. There was one little boy who wasn’t very mobile. He just reclined in his wheelchair and was able to look around with his eyes. I knew he was seeing everything around him, but I wondered how much he was really able to understand and enjoy his experiences. Seeing him with his loving parents broke my heart. I didn’t know whether to smile at this precious child or cry.

Many times, the illnesses that the children have are not visible. You can barely tell that there is a problem, if at all. Sometimes it’s almost easy to forget that they are sick. They are just kids. But when I see children that are obviously sick, it brings me back to the harsh reality.

I was particularly struck hard when a little girl in a wheelchair came in with her mom and her brother and sister. The little girl was not verbal even though she looked around a lot and wanted to be able to hold and touch things. Since there were already two other volunteers with the mom and this little girl, I turned my attention to the other two children who had wandered off. As I set them up with some coloring, I began to talk to them. The very active and talkative sister then proceeded to tell me that she was five and that she was the little girl’s twin sister.

I kept thinking about this long after they left. How can one child be so healthy and active, while her twin is so sick? It was devastating to see how illness changes a child. It was a stark reminder that life is not fair. I can only hope that being in that castle today with those children and their families brought them a little joy, no matter how much they have been through.

Kelcy- GKTW- Day Three

1/16/13

            We started bright and early this morning.  We left the hotel by 6:15am in order to arrive at Give Kids the World by 7:00am.  I discovered that mornings are the busiest times around the village; therefore it’s the optimum time to interact with the families. I was assigned to the castle, and it has been my favorite shift so far! It was full of sentimental moments as I helped the wish children decorate their golden stars and shake loose their pillows from the sleepy pillow tree. After decorating their stars, they place them in a magical chest where Stellar, the star fairy, retrieves them and places them on the castle ceiling.  The families can return as soon as the next day to locate the wish child’s star.  They also receive a “Star Passport” that contains a bar code in which I scanned to retrieve digital photos from their stay at Give Kids the World.  This may seem like a simple service provided by GKTW, but it was quite impactful.  The families have so much to keep track of such as children, wheelchairs, and toys.  It’s great that the village relieves them from carrying a camera as well. 

            As a part of the pillow tree ceremony, the volunteers are responsible for choosing a pattern of pillow that matches the child’s personality.  I loved this part, because it was like giving a personalized present to the wish child.  From a stock room full of various patterned pillows, I dug through the shelves to find the perfect on for each wish child.  Seeing them find their carefully chosen pillow hidden in the tree trunk made my entire day.  They were all so excited for various reasons.  Tillman was pumped, because his pillow was covered in safari animals.  Ariana was ecstatic, because her’s was pink.  Rylan was all smiles, because his was printed with rocket ships.  This simple process of picking pillows allowed me to learn the kids’ names, observe their interests, and begin building a relationship with them.  It was a very special event not only for the families, but for the volunteers as well.  I hope to continue strengthening my bonds with these wonderful kids as I work in other areas.