Suzanne Calling

Last week, Jessica mentioned she had a turkey. "We should do a Christmas dinner with the people of Noah's Ark!". With that, a meal was planned. Two turkeys. A large chicken. Two pork loins. A bunch of Suzanne-made sides and the cookie making factory in one kitchen and we had food for twenty. I think it's funny that the person who doesn't cook had the plan, but I took that ball and ran with it. Entertaining is tons of fun-but I don't normally have that many people around to cook for. To cook and not have to clean my house to do it? Even better. There were raves about the twice baked mashed. For the first time, I made candied sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top (because Jessica and Lin requested them) and that was the pan of them that was gone. I forgot to bring the stuff for garlic knots, though. That's okay, we had tons of leftovers. I can make the garlic knots with tomorrow night's promised Bolognese sauce. It was cool to do what I en...

It has been mentioned in a couple of previous posts about the experience I had this semester in fund raising for a local organization. Today, Jessica and I met up with the executive director and his wife and brainstormed on how we can continue to help. As we sat there, discussing their needs, it was like my future plans fell right in line with theirs. I need to get a couple of software programs to familiarize myself prior to starting grad school-and they're useful for the organization. Plans for another hardware purchase also can benefit my future educational experience and their organizational desires. Skills I already have are among those that can be of use. Jessica's skills at coming up with good ideas fit right in, too. It almost feels like we were meant to find them this semester. We're meant to travel a much longer journey with Noah's Ark. The learning? Instead of ending with the semester, is just beginning. I'm really looking forward to the lesson...

That phrase was the inspiration. My classmate, Jessica, came up with it the one Wednesday that I missed the Counseling Skills class. She and I (and another student, who dropped the class) were inspired to have a walkathon for the local agency we wanted to help, Noah's Ark. We had met with one of the directors and could have listened to him speak all day about what they do. We found a location and picked a date. She found walkers, I found local businesses to give us prizes for the walkers. It was a learning experience for both of us. Much of it was met with a "Now we know for next time." Why were we thinking that way? This was just a project for class, right? Yes. And no, too. See, the grade is one thing-we want to do well. BUT this group inspires us that we want to do more. Each visit, each phone call to a member of their board and we became emotional with how much a few parents of special needs kids can do when they put their minds to it. The past few days,...

So it stands to reason that a lot of steps can make a big difference, right? The main goal of my Counseling Skills class is for the class to form groups and do some service learning in the community. We were all charged with finding a group with a need and helping them out. These groups found varied agencies in need and the projects are equally varied, like a fund raising dinner at a local restaurant next week for a domestic violence shelter, a clothing drive for the homeless, tutoring at an at-risk program, doing activities at an after school program, and others. One of my group mates found a local agency that really had an impact on me. Noah's Ark is an agency formed by parents of children with various developmental disabilities (autism, down syndrome, mental retardation, and others) who worried what would happen to their children when the parents passed on. Would they be able to support themselves? Find adequate housing? Have things to do, opportunities to socialize? Rather...