Turning Volunteer Power into Lasting Impact
"My experience serving those in need has strengthened the morals that I have had. Before AmeriCorps, I volunteered where I could, but I have not had the opportunity to serve in this way for a full year. It is beautiful to be able to participate in this program. I would recommend national service to others as long as it is sustainable for them because it is a wonderful opportunity and experience."
Here at the Furniture with a Heart Thrift store, I oversee the sorting and building of furniture that has been donated to the Furniture Bank with the help of our many volunteers. I ensure that our volunteers have an experience they can enjoy and work with our store staff to keep our store up-to-date. I also recruit and train additional volunteers for both events and regular volunteering sessions. Some of the projects we work on include building furniture, sorting household goods, and managing our Styrofoam melter to keep the workroom running. Right now, I’m creating a Furniture Donation Database to make it simpler to organize donations and help staff and volunteers work more efficiently.
During my service so far, my most significant professional achievements have been utilizing volunteers in new activities like Styrofoam condensing, clothing recycling, and pallet sorting. These have increased the production of furniture from our furniture kits and allowed us to distribute additional pallets to other locations. They have also allowed us reduced use of the dumpster with clothing and Styrofoam waste.
My most significant professional challenge has been designing a database that would be usable for the furniture bank. When I began the project, I didn’t realize the way they use their information was built to work in a different environment than I was building. So I am currently working on adapting what I built to the systems they have so that the project is something that can truly help make things easier. The learning experience here was that even though something may be good, that doesn’t automatically make it usable. You can’t provide assistance to people or things in a way that doesn't make sense for how they operate.
My plan after service would be to pursue a career in data science and graduate with my Master of Science in Social and Applied Economics. I do feel like I have helped to make a lasting impact on my host site from seeing the progress we’ve made since I have been there. I’ve helped to streamline the recycling of our clothes and Styrofoam, which helps to reduce the financial burden on the Furniture Bank. We are also putting in place processes that increase the output from our regular volunteers and make their experiences smoother.
My experience serving those in need has strengthened the morals that I have had. Before AmeriCorps, I volunteered where I could, but I have not had the opportunity to serve in this way for a full year. It is beautiful to be able to participate in this program. I would recommend national service to others as long as it is sustainable for them because it is a wonderful opportunity and experience.
