Edited by : My Yen Thi Le
February 2004
Wistariahurst
1
Museum
My Yen Le, Recruitment
Intern
What is Pride Zone? 2
Esi Cleland, Community
Ed. Luncheon chair
Historic Preservation through Community Service
The Wistariahurst Museum, built in 1874, was
originally the home of
prominent silk manufacturer, William
Skinner and his family. Donated to the
City of Holyoke for cultural and educational purposes by the youngest daughter
of the Skinner family, the Museum is of
fine architecture and beautiful landscape
design. One of the many people who is
contributing to the preservation of this
historical landmark Leah Gross, Class of
2007. From my previous conversation
with Leah, she has impressed me as a
committed volunteer . Every Friday, she
takes the bus to Holyoke and walks six
blocks to get to the Wistariahurst Museum. Today, I have the privilege of
talking with her and learning more about
her volunteer experience at this unique
Museum.
Yen: How did you find out about the
Museum? What interests you about it?
Leah: I found out about the Museum at
the S.O.S Community Service Fair. I
was very surprised to find two museum
agencies at the Fair, the Northampton
Historic Museum and the Wistariahurst
Museum. I love history and museums,
and I wanted to get behind the scenes.
The Wistariahurst Museum is the restored house of the Skinner family, and I
love learning about old houses. My father is a architect, and he used to take us
to visit old houses.
Yen: What do you do at the Museum?
Leah: I started out working on their archived materials, which they are trying to
computerize. For example, if someone
wants to look for a letter written by the
Skinner family members on a particular
date, it would be a lot easier to search for
it in a computer database.
I also worked with the Skinner
family pictures. And now, I’m working
on my very own museum exhibit. We
are making a timeline of the Skinner family in the context of an historical period.
For the example, Belle Skinner, the
daughter of the family, renovated the
house in the style of Page 2
The Center for New 3
Americans
Kasha Ho, Chairwoman
Blood Drive Update 3
Stacy Braverman, Blooddrive chair.
BayState Medical
Center
Stacy Braverman
3
Food and Reflections 3
Jennifer Chan, Agency
Outreach Intern.
What is Enough to
Make a Difference?
Tiffany Chong ‘04
4
Response: Open
4
Our Eyes and Minds.
Kasha Ho
What’s Up in Our
Community?
My Yen Le
5
Two Bright Stars
5
Tiertza-leah Schwartz,
Director of Voluntary services
Find out about our Fund
drive topic on page 5!
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the 1920s, which was in the same period as the sinking of the Titanic. We want to capture the particular
thoughts of the Skinner family regarding the Titanic.
I also helped set up events. I helped set up an
exhibit of Holyoke since the 1940s. I learned that a lot
of hard work is put into putting up an exhibit. One
time, I helped put fertilizer on the lawn. Well, I came
in telling them that I’m willing to do whatever is
needed to be done.
Yen: That sounds like a good strategy. You are
open to new experiences and it seems like they
don’t mind that. How often do you volunteer?
Leah: About three to four hours a week. Sometimes, I
do research at Smith and apply it to my volunteer
work.
Yen: That’s great that you are an enthusiastic volunteer. Do you like working at Wistariahurst Museum?
Leah: It’s fun. I love it.
Yen: Has your volunteer experience encouraged
you to explore this field?
Leah: Yes. I’m very interested in history and archiving. I don’t know what I want to do yet, but people
have always encouraged me to do what I love. I know
it’s hard to get a museum job. At Wistariahurst, there
is only one full-time paid position. I’m interested in
the junior year Smithsonian Program, and I hope my
volunteer experience will help me. I also hope to get
a museum internship back at home next summer. One
person at the museum suggested that after working on
this exhibit, I should put it on my resume.
Yen: Are you planning to continue volunteering
here next term?
Leah: Yes, I want to continue, but it’s hard to say because I don’t know what my schedule will be like, but
mostly likely I will continue working there.
Yen: How has S.O.S helped you?
Leah: I came to Smith undecided about what I want
to do, and I’m beginning to realize what I’m interested in. *
What is Pride Zone?
Esi Cleland, Community Ed. Chair.
The third and final Community Ed. Luncheon
for the semester came off on November 18, 2003 with
huge success. At Wright Hall Common room, Smithies listened to two representatives from Pride Zone.
S.H.A.P.E. coordinator, Katie Goguen, and a UMass
student volunteer, Andrew, give a presentation about
the agency and answered questions.
Pride Zone was founded by Heather King, when she
identified the need for a safe space where queer youth
could go and feel welcomed and at ease. The center offers drop-in hours, activities and social support groups.
Located in the basement of 34 Maple Wood Shops,
Northampton, Pride Zone is open three nights a week.
Besides offering activities such as game, pizza and
movie nights, it provides tutoring services and a supportive environment for the Youth Alliance group. Students, who were present at the luncheon were encouraged to volunteer and they were invited to make use of
the Pride Zone space and services.
Next semester, there will be three Community
Education lunches that will provide students with volunteer opportunities. *
The Center for New Americans
Kasho Ho, Chairwoman
The Center for New Americans is an organization working to assist local immigrant, refugee and migrant communities with acquiring knowledge about the
English language and North American culture. The
Center offers ESOL classes for individuals and pairs local English-speaking volunteers with a student for
weekly tutoring sessions. This opportunity not only allows for easier language acquisition, but also provides
for cultural sharing and understanding.
I began volunteering with CNA last year. They
provide a 12-hour training session that is spread out
over several weeks and is incredibly helpful in orienting
a tutor to the personal, cultural and academic needs of
students. CNA does not require tutors to speak other
languages, since tutoring is done in English and the students speak so many different languages.
Following the training session, I was matched
with a young man who came here from Mexico. We
meet once a week for coffee and tutoring lessons/
conversation. It has been a wonderful opportunity for
me to learn about his home and culture, as well as to reflect on my own language and culture in ways that I
otherwise have never pursued.
This young man is an incredibly dedicated and
brilliant person, and I have so much respect and admiration for his strength in dealing with constantly being unsure about the culture and language in this new environment. I am really thankful for the opportunity to use
my privilege and comfort with local language and culture to offer him help in this process. Also, I am constantly thankful for his patience with me and the inspiration provided by his diligence and positive nature. *
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Blood Drive Update
Our Fall blood drive was a big success! Despite rain and fewer hours than in
previous years, we collected 147 units of
blood, which will help several hundred people throughout Western Mass. Congratulations are in order for Comstock House, who
won an ice cream party for having the highest percentage of residents donate or volunteer.
Mark your calendars and start eating
iron-rich foods now, because Smith’s spring
semester blood drive will happen on February 25th and 26th in the Campus Center.
Look out for fun activities, great prizes for
houses with high donor/volunteer percentages, and the opportunity to help up to three
patients with a single donation.
BAYSTATE MEDICAL CENTER
Stacy Braverman, Blood Drive Chair
While Payal Jhawar ’04 never got to meet
George Clooney, or enjoy other perks of being on a
top-rated TV show, she did have her own “E.R.” experience during her first year at Smith when she began volunteering as a Research Intern at Springfield’s Baystate Medical Center.
The Research Intern program’s stated goal is
“to assist physicians, nurses, and residents in the
Emergency Department to conduct clinical research
and publish the results of their findings.” Student
volunteers obtain consent for enrollment in specific
studies, screen and interview patients, abstract data
from medical records, and maintain research databases. Jhawar worked on studies focusing on
asthma and pain.
“We could not do a lot of our research without student volunteers,” says Del Blank, who supervises the Research Intern program.
Although Smith first sent volunteers to Baystate in 1996, there are currently no Smithies working there. The program is demanding but not impossible—it requires students to be working towards
fulfilling pre-health requirements, and participants
must work at least 8 hours a week (spread over two
days) for at least one semester. While Baystate is in
Springfield, away from public transportation routes,
SOS allows student volunteers to borrow cars to get
there.
Once students are accepted to the Baystate program, they undergo a training program and are encouraged to work independently.
“For students who have not had much exposure in
the hospital setting, this kind of work and experience is a
great start,” Jhawar says. She mentions learning how to
communicate with and listen to patients, and seeing how a
medical team works together to help in emergencies.
Del Blank adds that students can gain maturity
and improve their medical school applications. Patients
and medical staff are helped by the research that student
volunteers carry out. For example, one project that Jhawar carried out will help asthma patients receive the
proper dosages of medication.
The Baystate program has certainly helped Jhawar, who admits she found it difficult to observe patients
in pain. “I have learned that compassion and being a
good listener are key to understanding patients' problems,” she said. “This experience was my first experience in an emergency room, and from this, I was able to
work in bigger emergency departments located in Boston.”
She now hopes to work in research for a year before applying to medical school. “Working with Baystate
definitely helped build a strong foundation for me in
terms of experience in the medical field,” she said. When
this helps the community as well, it’s a double benefit. *
Food and Reflections
by Jennifer Chan
SOS hosted two luncheons in November for student volunteers to gather and discuss their experiences in
their current community service work. These luncheons,
co-hosted by Recruitment Intern, My Yen Le ’04, Agency
Intern, Jennifer Chan ’05, and S.O.S Director, TiertzaLeah Schwartz, help build strong connections between
volunteers and SOS to support volunteers in their work.
Volunteers can use this meeting ground as an opportunity
to voice their joys, concerns and share their lessons regarding their work.
Frequent student input is critical to ensure the
quality of the services that SOS provides, and the new Reflection Luncheons help facilitate this communication.
Some topics that arose during these sessions were transportation options, resolutions to challenges that some volunteers found within their work, and ways that SOS could
support volunteers’ needs. Those who attended also had
sheer fun listening to everyone’s stories about volunteering. As one student stated, “Since I want to volunteer
everywhere, but can’t, I can at least imagine what it
would be like to volunteer at different agencies through
someone else.” *
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VOLUNTEER OPINION SECTION
WHAT IS ENOUGH TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE?
RESPONSE : OPEN OUR
EYES AND MINDS
By Tiffany Chong ‘04
Kasha Ho, Chairwoman
I’m sure you’ve all heard it before: “Make a difference!
Volunteer!” It’s a catch phrase that has enjoyed center stage on
posters, advertisements, and later, in our minds. Success stories
from these ventures abound and serve as reinforcement that yes,
volunteerism can indeed fulfill our lives and more importantly,
the lives of others. While the idea is right, and volunteering is a
wonderful and noble service, I see an obvious flaw in this
motto. What is enough to make a difference?
Let me set the scene for you: My acting teacher has
called for volunteers to hold a theatre workshop once a week
for the Girl Scouts. The program was to last six weeks. I have
volunteered. Once a week, I drive down to Jarvis Heights with
three other students from my class and we give a group of
young Girl Scouts acting workshops.
Now, this isn’t the group of Girl Scouts you see pulling
wagons of cookies, wearing green or brown, and ringing the
doorbells of their neighbors in their pretty suburban neighborhood. This is a group of girls from low-income families, who
live in low-income neighborhoods. These girls have stories you
wouldn’t want to believe.
Six weeks and six meetings later: What do I have to
show for it? Let me say it again, “Make a difference! Volunteer!” I have, with a group of girls still living in a low-income
neighborhood; who played and laughed with us; who were surprised and sad when we told them that it was our last meeting.
I have, with a group of girls that I left to go back to whatever
their lives were like before I ever entered it.
The feeling I’ve had leaving the Girl Scouts is unlike
any other volunteer experience I’ve had before. Perhaps, this is
because I have never volunteered under these circumstances.
Volunteering has always made me feel “extra” – an extra person there to help. But this time, I felt “needed,” and that made
me think twice. Volunteering has always made me feel proud
that I gave back to my community, but I couldn’t take pride this
time. I gave back not realizing just how much I would need to
give back, and I stopped short. To the children, I came and
went without a second glance. I’m not proud of that. I was supposed to make a difference. I’m still waiting to do it.
What I’ve said here should not take away from the fact
that volunteerism is a wonderful service. Speaking with others
who volunteer has made me realize that these are common feelings to experience at first. We must realize that we too have
our own lives. Most importantly, they reminded me that though
volunteers come the agencies through which we volunteer will
stay. As long as there is a steady stream of volunteers, the
agency will be able to complete their mission – in this case the
Girl Scouts of Western Massachusetts who will continue to offer guidance and support to these girls. So, make a difference.
Volunteer!
The question of “Have I made enough of a difference?” is something that plagues volunteers everyday. Connecting with a community that faces enormous economic and social challenges, such as the community Tiffany describes, is an experience that changes
our perspectives on life and social equality. Tiffany
describes feeling “needed” for the first time as a volunteer and it is true that there is an immense amount of
need in this community.
It is important for us, as volunteers, to understand that our ability is not to enter into a community to
solve their problems. The issues that create such disparity in our communities are issues of social and economic injustice, and resolving them takes lifetimes of
work for many people. Changing these systems also
requires changing the minds of all people in our communities. I believe that this is where the true
“difference” of volunteering comes in.
While Tiffany’s work with Girl Scouts surely
made a difference in their lives as an opportunity they
were “surprised and sad” to see end, I think equally important was the difference made in Tiffany’s life. Experiencing injustice through connections with people
who are victims changes our lives—feeling such need
makes us look at our own lives and evaluate how we
can help to make things better.
Tiffany says that this time she did not feel
proud of her volunteering. Doing such small things in
the face of such huge problems is bewildering. As a
volunteer, I feel that way all the time. However, we
should feel proud to volunteer. Not because we are
able to resolve the struggles that face the communities
with which we work, but because it takes a lot of courage to open our eyes to struggles and injustice, to see
how inequality shapes the lives of people in our communities. It takes a lot of strength to allow this need to
change our minds and understanding of society. It also
takes a lot of hope and determination to commit our
hands to the work for greater justice.
Volunteering is a commitment to accomplishing little tasks in the effort toward social equality. This
effort requires the work of many hands and many lives,
and I am proud to be a part of such an effort. Finding
our place and ability to work for change is a difficult
and humbling process, and I commend each of us who
choose to accept this challenge. I am proud to work
along side all of you for changes.
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What’s up?!??!
Northampton Nursing Home, Pediatric is looking
for volunteers: days, evenings and weekends to
spend quality time with a child or young adult with
special needs. If you can read aloud, play with, listen to music, or spend time visiting with our special
needs young people, you could brighten their lives.
Please contact Jenny Salzman, Director of the Pediatric Recreation Center at 586-3300.
Volunteers of all ages are needed immediately to
work with children ages K-5 at HCAC’s Florence
Heights after school program. Activities include
reading with children, helping with homework and
playing games. America Reads positions are available for work-study students. For more information,
please contact Hampshire Community Action
Commission at 582-4245, ext 163 or ldimatteo@hcac.org
Two Bright Stars
Director Tiertza– Leah Schwartz
We are saddened by the sudden and untimely deaths
of Sarah Consoli '03 and Kate Jeans-Gail '01. Both women
were active in CSIP and other SOS programs, their commitment and dedication to better our community serves as an
inspiration to all of us.
There are no answers to the question why such wonderful people die so young and so tragically. Sometimes the
brightest stars in our universe shine the brightest, but they are
with us for the shortest time while their intensity and love
stays in our hearts.
What we can do is try to hold onto the individual’s
wonderful gifts and spirit, by keeping their presence in our
hearts and by feeling blessed that we were fortunate to know
them, holding onto the light and gentleness that Sarah and
Kate gave to us.
Off-campus opportunity for volunteers who enjoy
working with young children. We are looking for
volunteers who can commit to a 2 hour time slot in
the morning or the afternoon at least once a week.
Nonotuck Community School is located on a bus
route and is only a few minutes from Smith by car.
If you love children and miss the children you babysit at home, this is the perfect volunteer opportunity.
Call Margery Heyl at Nonotuck Community School Taking advantage of the new Campus Center, Christina
Knowles ‘04, Fundrive co-chair, talked to Kelly Aguilar ‘04
at 586-5996.
about upcoming volunteer opportunities. Over a two-day pe**Contact S.O.S at x4595 for more information.** riod from 10 am to 3 pm, S.O.S Board members recruit students to volunteer over Winter break and next semester.
NEW RECRUITMENT
METHOD
S.O.S ANNUAL FUND
DRIVE SPRING 2004
To get involved contact Jess Clarke
x6230 or Christina Knowles x4738
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