A Valuable Learning Experience

We believe that we have learned many valuable lessons through our service project this year. Some have been basic, such as how to best serve the needs of the animals we work with; others have been more personal as we learned leadership skills. Although we all have pets, it has been a very different experience to work with animals at the shelter. These animals were not familiar with us and we were not familiar with them unless they had been there for a while, so sometimes it was more of a challenge to work with them. It was disheartening to think about the tough lives that some of these animals had experienced prior to coming to CARE.

Although we were usually unable to volunteer together as we would have liked to, our leadership skills have greatly improved. We still had to use teamwork when we worked with other volunteers to accomplish the tasks that needed to be done. We also had to learn accountability - we were expected to volunteer at the same time every week, to ensure that there would be enough volunteers at all scheduled shifts; additionally, we needed to each complete our 15 hours of service. Each of us ended up surpassing the 15-hour requirement. Through these many hours of volunteering, we often had to step outside our comfort zones. We learned that we needed to act confident around the dogs, even if we didn't feel that way, so the dogs would not sense our discomfort and become more rowdy. Also, volunteering at CARE involved a lot of poop. Whether it was in the back kennels where they sleep, outside in the gravel parking lot where they walk, or in the front cages where the public can look at the dogs, poop was almost everywhere. Cleaning it up isn't fun, but it's a necessity and a part of the job.

Our project that we proposed was not much different than what we actually ended up doing this year. We each volunteered weekly and assisted CARE in any way that we could. We did originally plan to hold a few events, such as a possible clothing drive for the CARE Thrift Store, but it was much more difficult to get all four of our group members together in order to plan event such as this, despite living in the same house. We did not anticipate this difficulty.

Overall, we all feel very fortunate to have participated in the Summit Leadership Community here at Drury, and are glad that we were able to help make a difference in the lives of animals. We have all learned lessons and had experiences this year that we will never forget.

Monthly Update - March

March was a very hectic month for us. With spring break right in the middle, it definitely threw us off from our regular routines. Caitlin and Cathy have usually been trying to volunteer on Saturdays, but with spring break taking up two Saturdays and Easter/NCAA Final Four the next weekend, it was hard to volunteer much that month.

 Another thing that was impacted by spring break was our plan to hold a clothing drive. Spring break really snuck up on us and suddenly we wanted to plan something; problem was that we are never all in the same place at the same time, despite us all living in the same house. With four separate class and work schedules, this is hardly surprising. We do try to capitalize on the time we have all together, though.

However, we are considering some other options before the end of the year. We haven't used any of our budget, so we were thinking about some sort of garage sale or bake sale, or a combination of both, plus the clothing drive. We realize that we really need to start thinking about this so that we don't run out of time like we have before. We are going to be meeting with our faculty adviser and community adviser within the next week, so hopefully that will be helpful.

Cathy feels like lately she hasn't been very useful when she is volunteering. She goes at 10:00; the first volunteer shift begins at 8:00, so by the time 10:00 rolls around, there isn't much to do because it's all been taken care of. She made a lot of videos, though. After 7 months of volunteering with the same people, Deidre feels that she and her fellow volunteers are beginning to develop a routine, which is allowing them to work more quickly and effectively.  Caitlin has switched to a new shift, volunteering from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.  She is enjoying it because it involves different activities than last semester, and it allows her to interact with the dogs more. Kayla is volunteering the same shift as last semester and has definitely set up a routine. Due to a recent work schedule change, she is now able to work a full two hours on Friday mornings making her impact just that much greater. There have been some staff changes and it has allowed her to meet new people and experience different working environments within the same context. Overall, this semester has been wonderful thus far with absolutely no regrets!

And a little secret: Kayla has begun thinking about the possibility of adopting and rescuing an animal in the next few upcoming months! :D Opinions? Fuzzy, cuddly feline or loving, spunky pup?

Monthly Update - February

Not a whole lot has been going on so far. We've all been volunteering once a week, and not that much has changed from last semester. One thing we have noticed, though, is that a lot of the animals have not been staying as long as they used to. Last semester, we could remember some animals that were at the shelter week after week. It was good news to see so many empty cat cages last week. Another thing that has been a change for some of us is that we are now volunteering on different days and different time periods, so we are learning new jobs that go along with those times. We also were planning to try and volunteer together this semester, but that hasn't worked out as well either. It seems that none of us are ever free at the same time, and there are only certain time periods where volunteers are needed.

One experience that I (Cathy) had was when there was an event in the evening, and I was volunteering that morning. They hired a groomer to come and give the dogs baths so they would be clean for the event. For some reason, the groomer decided that I should wash the dogs by myself, when the only dog I've ever washed in my life is my own and he already knows me so it's not that bad. This was a different issue though, because these dogs don't know me that well and probably have never had a bath before. I was a little bit aggravated about that because I thought it would be the groomer's job to wash the dogs, and she just kind of left me alone. She even gave me her special smock/shirt so I wouldn't get as wet. And then she went to do something else.

In the first few weeks of this semester I (Caitlin) was bitten for the first time by a dog. I was walking all of the dogs that day because I was the only volunteer at that time. It wasn't anything horrendous or horrible, but it hurt afterwards and was bruised. In a way, it helps me in a sense to get over my fear of dogs. I am afraid of larger dogs, and will at times avoid walking them. Now, however, I have experienced one of the worst things about larger dogs, and can now be more confident around them.