Still Going Strong

This semester has been a crazy one!  But the one constant was volunteering at CARE.  You could say the dogs made my busy week relaxing.  I’m already an animal person, but I have my preferences (Golden Retriever, Labradors and sometimes German Shepherds).  As an individual, I accomplished an open-mind to other breeds of dogs, and the ability not to take one home.  There was a Golden Retriever puppy there for at least three months, and it was hard for me not to take him home.  Luckily, he has been happily adopted!

Even though we volunteered separately, the group accomplished most of what we planned.  We even overcame a small conflict between us.  We also communicate important events, dates and messages via our white board that is conveniently set up in place where everyone can see it on a daily basis.  Some positive outcomes have been that some of the members in the group built their confidence with the other animals and that we are able to resolve our conflicts.

I believe that in the spring we should voice our main/important concerns and conflicts before they build up, even if they seem small to someone else.  I look forward to seeing what else we can do to help CARE run.

~Deidre R. Hardy~

Pictures can be seen in the “pictures” tab

Looking back and looking forward

This semester, we have accomplished a lot as a group and individually. As a group, we have shown that we can successfully create our own service project and follow through with it. We were all able to complete our 15 hours of service, and each of us actually were able to do more than 15.

What I have learned: This semester, I have learned about all the hard work that it takes in order to run a non-profit organization like CARE so smoothly. I was amazed about how they operate completely off of donations from the community and with help from volunteers, with only about 3 or 4 actual staff members. I have also learned about how cruel people can be to animals, and simply not care about them, because we heard a lot of sad stories about how the animals ended up at the shelter. But I have also met many wonderful staff members and volunteers who do the very best they can for the animals, which is nice to see the passion that they have for their work.

Positive outcomes: For me, it was nice for me to get away from school life and focus on something other than myself for 2 hours each week. It's easy to get caught up in my homework and work, and I get so busy that I never stop to slow down and refocus. When I went to the shelter, I would forget about whatever I needed to do that night or any problems I was having and I would focus on the animals and taking care of them. Also, I became friends with a woman named Lori who I would always talk to while we walked the dogs, and it was really nice. Besides those things, of course a positive outcome was that I got to help alleviate some of the jobs that the people at the shelter needed to do, by contributing some extra help.

In the spring: I want to focus on volunteering even more hours than I did this semester (21.75), which I should be able to do because this semester had a lot of breaks. I also want to help with more mobile adoptions when I can, and help bring awareness about CARE to the Drury community. We could do this by having a clothing drive for the thrift store, or by doing another event such as bringing dogs to Drury so everyone can get a chance to interact with them!

I am looking forward to next semester!

Cathy

(P.S. Photos can be found on the "Pictures" tab)

A Puppy and Kitten Filled Semester = A Pretty Darn Good One!

Over the past four months each member in my group has set out to experience new things, volunteer at a new place and interact with new people. As a whole we have discussed and feel as though we have not really had a chance to grow as a group - via volunteering - since we all go at different times. We have, however, crossed some major milestones in living together and that in itself is HUGE!
Making adjustments no matter how big or small can be, simply put, a pain in the butt! As busy college students we all thrive on routine and moving in with a new group of girls - even knowing them prior - is anything but routine. We have definitely overcome the small things such as laundry schedules and maintaining a good volume level when others are studying and /or sleeping.As far as issues arising, the biggest one would have to be the cleaning schedule and maintaining open communication. As a group we have set together numerous times and expressed our feelings, thoughts, and ideas. We have always managed to come up on common ground and find a solution and that is such a great feeling!
Next semester we plan to do more volunteering and activities together instead of independently.
We plan to do the following:
*Volunteer in pairs - possibly even switching now and then to get everyone interacting more
*Organize a clothing drive for the CARE thrift store
*Organize a penny drive
We have so many ideas in the works and we have decided, after gaining a better understanding of what we are doing, that we can do more with our time and resources than what we did this past . It just took some time to really get comfortable and confident in what we were doing.
Individually I would say I have definitely stepped up my responsibility. I juggle three jobs and 20 credit hours here at Drury University and yet I still love the hour and a half a week I get to donate to CARE and spend with the animals. To do this I sacrifice my Friday mornings and DO NOT get to sleep in - for a college student to give up sleep willingly, they must really like what they are doing! I have made new friends and taken on new responsibilities. Most importantly, I am still working on visualizing the future and what I would like to do. My group and I have set goals for next semester and we are not even there yet. I feel as though sometimes it is hard to say just what you will do without being there in the moment. It is a pretty amazing feeling to set your mind to things - things that you do voluntarily - and watch yourself accomplish them.
The four of us have grown so much since August and I am looking forward to the next semester to begin. We may not be changing the world on a large scale but we are changing the lives of individual animals and other volunteers and making an impact that is HUGE to them and that is all we can really ask for. That is all we need to have job well done.

(Pictures are located in the picture section if you want to see what we have been up to with our little furry friends! Please check them out! )

Kay

Accomplishing So Much More than I Thought I Would!

Volunteering at C.A.R.E. this semester has been a great, eye-opening experience.  Before I started volunteering at C.A.R.E., I had the initial expectation that I was going to be walking dogs, feeding animals, and cleaning.  At C.A.R.E., I do these things, but through volunteering, I have learned and gained many things beyond those simple tasks. 

The heart breaking stories and places where the animals come from has helped me to gain a greater appreciation for those who fight animal cruelty, and even for my own pets at home.  Each animal that comes through C.A.R.E. has its own story, and each one is more surprising than the last.  I hope throughout life that I will take this greater appreciation with me and help others understand and have that same feeling

Also through volunteering at C.A.R.E., I have become more confident when working with animals.  Larger dogs scare me, and my first few weeks at the shelter were tough when having to walk the bigger dogs.  However, through continued practice and time I have gained more confidence when working with the larger dogs and even the smaller dogs.   Even despite claw scratchings from a few cats, I still have developed a better confidence when working with all of the animals. 

I think the largest accomplishment my group has made is not bringing home any animals with us.  Seeing new faces every week comes along with a round of “Can we take it home?”  to which we always have to say no.  However, I think each of us have become comfortable with the shelter and we know what tasks we have to accomplish and the best way to complete them.  The first few weeks of volunteering at the shelter required asking lots of questions and being shown how to do things.  But now we each have mastered the best ways to complete the tasks at the shelter and as soon as we get there, we can immediately know what to do and can be more time effective in getting the jobs done.  This allows more time to play with and get to know the animals better.

In the coming semester, we are planning to have more campus involved activities such as possibly having a clothing drive, a penny war, and even bring dogs to campus during finals.  We are hoping that because we have gotten more comfortable and confident when volunteering at the shelter, that we can focus more on promoting and creating events on Drury’s campus.  I am very excited to see what the next semester has in store for me and our group when volunteering at C.A.R.E., and I can’t wait.

-Caitlin Lauer

Leaders Care

"If you don't care, why should they?"—Jacquelynne Reaves

"If you don't like something, change it.  If you can't change it, change your attitude."—Maya Angelou

These two quotes, in my mind go together, and even though they don’t have the word leadership in them, I believe they show both sides of a leader.  For example, a leader should care about what they do or else how are others supposed to follow them by caring for the same thing?  Also a leader should also have the courage to change something they don’t like or have a different attitude towards something they can’t change.  A leader, in my opinion, should also be a follower as well as a leader.

When I work at the shelter, Tracy—the shift leader, lets us know what needs to be done and then she, herself, goes about helping with another part of the shelter.  She is a very understanding person and cares about the animals around her, so in my opinion she is following Reaves’ quote because I can tell she cares, so it’s easier for me to care about and for the animals.  Considering I’m an animal person, seeing someone with the same amount of, if not more, affection towards the animals as I do that helps me want to come in every time.

An accomplishment I've had, though not big, is being about to help direct some of the new volunteers that come in because I am one of the regular volunteers on my day other than two other people.  Also another accomplishment for me is not to walk out every week with a cat or dog in my arms, though it is very tempting.  It may be a silly accomplishment, but being an animal person, it is hard—especially since there is a puppy there I want to take home with me every week.

~~Deidre R. Hardy~~

                   John 15:5

Puppies & Kittens = the keys to happiness

"I am reminded how hollow the label of leadership sometimes is and how heroic fellowship can be." - Warren Bennis

After a while of trying to find a quote that I liked, this one stuck with me for some reason. Something about it just seems to make sense to me, more than a lot of the quotes about the "definition" of a leader, some of which I did not really agree with. This quote also makes me think of my experiences at the CARE Animal Shelter over this past semester.

When I work at the shelter, there is always one shift leader who is working, myself, and three other volunteers. However, I've noticed that the shift leader, Michael, doesn't boss us around or demand that we do things he says. Neither do any of the other volunteers, all of whom are older than me and who have been volunteering for much longer than I have. Instead, the five of us work together to take care of the business that needs attending to - we take the dogs for their afternoon walks and take turns cleaning the kennels while they are out. Everyone comes together for the greater purpose to accomplish what needs to be done, and besides, the animals don't care who has what "title". They just need to be taken care of.

My personal accomplishment for the semester is not one that is measurable, but it is still real to me. I've learned, when I go to the shelter, to forget about the concerns in my life for two hours and focus on the needs of others - the animals. It is easy to get caught up in the stresses of college, how busy I am, how many things I need to get done. When I am at the shelter, I have somewhere else to put my energy - and no matter how I feel when I get there, I always leave feeling great and re-energized. So for me, this itself has been a big personal accomplishment.

Cathy Robinson

The Little Things Count

“I think leadership comes from integrity – that you do whatever you ask others to do. I think there are non-obvious ways to lead. Just by providing a good example as a parent, a friend, a neighbor makes it possible for other people to see better ways to do things. Leadership does not need to be a dramatic, fist in the air and trumpets blaring, activity.” - Scott Berkun

This is my favorite leadership quote because of how well it applies to me and my style of leadership.  I am not always a take charge kind of leader, but more of a follower.  However, I love this quote because it shows that leadership does not just apply to those who step and take charge in situations, but those that contribute in small and everyday ways.  Being a friend, someone who listens and cares, and setting a good example in everyday life are all great examples of showing leadership, and they don’t have to be over dramatic and big.  I also like how the quote emphasizes integrity because I think having the integrity to be who you are and to stick to your moral and ethical values in any situation is important.  College has made me question who I am and what I believe, but I am glad that I have had the experiences I have had because I would not have grown without them.

One thing I would say I have accomplished this semester on my Summit Project would be learning how to be a better and more effective leader in the way I described above.  When volunteering at the animal shelter, there is not a need for a take charge leader.  Instead, they need volunteers who can help out with everyday tasks such as feeding the cats and dogs, cleaning cages, walking the dogs, and other small tasks.  Doing these everyday tasks at times may be tedious, but they contribute to making the entire focus of the organization possible; making sure that the animals are cared for and that they are eventually placed in good and loving homes.  Through volunteering at the animal shelter, I have been able to expand and grow in my leadership abilities and help out with a great cause, and I hope to continually grow and learn in the coming semester.

-Caitlin Lauer

Walking the Fine Line

Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall. 
            -Stephen Covey 

There is such a fine line between leadership and management and it takes time to learn and be able to distinguish between the two. I consider myself to be a good leader and will admit that there are many times where I find myself questioning this very concept. This quote is one of my favorites because so many individuals want to be a leader but so many of them think that leading is carried out by taking control and “telling others how to climb the ladder.” The best leaders are the ones who approach an opportunity, help give the input how to do a task, and then help others in accomplishing something that holds meaning for them. I great leader can be ‘great’ just by validating what another individual is doing; it does not necessarily take the action of physically doing the task for others. Leadership is full of cooperation, creative thinking, confidence, flexibility, and the ability to know when enough is enough. Without these qualities it is rather hard to oneself, let alone others.

Personally, I take pride in my ability to manage my time and contribute to many things. I may not be able to always be the ‘leader’ but that is fine with me. I take so much enjoyment from being involved in numerous things and if was trying to ‘lead’ all of those activities I would not succeed and would be forced to give some of them up. This goes back to knowing when enough is enough. A good leader needs to be able to decipher when their leadership is needed and when it is most appropriate to let others take the lead. I am a double major with three jobs. Needless to say, time is a little short in my book. By taking leadership in some of the things I do and letting the leadership go to someone else in other things I am able to maintain a doable schedule and still have time to volunteer. I have a passion for everything I do and I owe my ability to do all of these things to my specific leadership qualities.

Kay Honeycutt

Misheard or Misinterpreted

There comes a time where communication is key or else conflict will arise.  I learned in class that everyone handles conflict, and even communicates, differently.

I believe having the conflicts/communications lesson in the second month of school was a great place to set the lesson because we would have lived with each other for half of a semester, so for some, conflict and communication problems probably have arisen between some people.

An interesting thing I learned, but sort of already knew, was that I am a Compromising Fox.  This means I have a "meet me halfway" or "you bend, I bend" mentality.  Even though I'm a Fox, I'm also a Collaborating Owl, Avoiding Turtle and Accommodating Teddy Bear.  These also all make sense as well, cause I can see different situations where I one of these personality animals come out.  For example: the Avoiding Turtle comes out when I have a problem and I don't want to talk about it a that particular time and place.  This example actually happened recently with me.

In my personal opinion, my greatest communication strength would be the ability to come up with a compromise.  I may not have all the details in place, but negotiating is a strong point.  My greatest communication weakness would be the fact that I don't open up about what's truly bothering me, I just let it continue until I break.

I believe I have communicated with my team fairly well, but I will continue to do what I have been doing this whole time.  I will continue to tell my team of situations that arise in life and with the project.  Also, to become a better leader, I will attempt to help in the resolution of a conflict that may occur.


Deidre R. Hardy

Communication is Key

Communication is important in every aspect of life.  Therefore, consistently learning about ways in which we communicate and resolve conflict is important in order to remind ourselves that we always have communication skills that we can improve on. 

In the Conflict Management Style exercise, my top conflict style was the Accommodating Teddy Bear.  I think this style fits me well because I am more concerned about other people’s happiness more than my own.  I try to make sure that there is no conflict and that if there is, that it gets resolved quickly.  Lately two of my best friends have been fighting with one another, and I am trying to help them resolve it.  This is evidence of the “Teddy Bear” within me.  I want everything to be peaceful between everyone, however though this is not always possible.

I would say my greatest communication strength is being considerate of others because I value other’s opinions and feelings.  Making sure that you understand and consider other’s opinions and ideas is important for effective communication to take place.  I would say my weakest communication strength is not always effectively communicating my own opinion or feelings because I often will let my opinion fall to the wayside in order for others to be heard and matter.  This weakness is not good because it causes repressed feelings to sometimes build up and explode all at once.  This definitely affected me my freshman year of college because issues with my roommate arose late in the semester because I finally voiced my opinion and feelings that I had kept to myself. 

Communicating with my Summit group this semester so far has been going well.  However, in living with others conflict can always arise.  Ways that I can better communicate with my group is making sure they know how I am feeling so that a conflict doesn’t arise way after when it should have been previously handled.  Conflicts can be handled much more easily and quickly if the issue is resolved right after the fact. 

In order to be a better leader, I would need to make sure that my opinion is known.  Effective leaders cannot lead if they do not have any opinions or morals in which they stand by. 

-Caitlin L.

Communication - Cathy

During our class last Friday, I found out that my communication style is Collaborating Owl and my back-up style is Compromising Fox. This is pretty much what I expected. A lot of times, I feel strongly about my own opinion, but I also realize that others feel strongly about their opinion, so I don't always want to make people go along with what I say. I can recognize that they probably have valid points as well, so if we put our ideas together, it will be even better than what either of us could do on our own.
When it comes to communication, my greatest strength is that I try to be very considerate of the other person's feelings and remain as polite as possible, instead of being demanding and accusatory. I also try to use neutral terms and approach the conflict from an objective angle. That way, the other person won't feel like they are being attacked, and they will be more likely to act more rationally and begin good dialogue about the problem. My greatest weakness is that sometimes I am a bit of an Avoiding Turtle if I am not comfortable with the person or I don't want to "rock the boat" if I think it might be unnecessary.
In order to communicate better with my Summit team, I could make sure that I am being open about concerns I have very early, instead of avoiding them to the point where they become big problems. I haven't had an issue so far but I don't rule out the possibility since we are only 2 months in so far. Also, we could try to meet and delegate responsibilities so all of us know the expectations up front. In handling and resolving conflict, I could just make sure that I am trying to keep an open mind to other people's suggestions and just be honest all the time so it doesn't lead to miscommunication.

Conflict? Nah, we got this!

29 October 2012 Summit Blog:

Kay Honeycutt

This presentation could not have been better placed in our schedule. Conflict will arise at some point in most situations; it’s inevitable. Conflict in itself is not a bad thing as long as the individuals involved know how to work together to get past it and, in the best circumstances, learn something from it! Recently I have had to confront a member of our project (Not a student member) about how a lack of communication or even the method can cause confusion, and hard feelings. The last thing I want to take away from this experience is anger or annoyance with anyone evolved. I contacted the individual and as of now, the issue is out in the open and attention has been called to it. It is hard to say whether or not it is resolved – only time will tell. Lesson learned from this…. Even though texting may be the easiest way to ensure immediate communication, it is NOT the best way to approach any situation that may end negatively. Face to face should always be attempted.

When dealing with a conflict I would have to say my strongest communication strength is just not being afraid to confront the situation. I don’t always jump right in and call it out; I consider the best method for confrontation and to whom I should speak with. I always try to consider how to word what I want to say and if something should come out wrong I never hesitate to admit it and either apologize or reword it in a more positive way.

My greatest weakness regarding conflict would have to be the moments where I read too much into things or take too many things personally when they are not meant to be taken that way. Example: while talking with one of our advisers half the time the only response we get is “okay” or “thanks”. It is completely possible that said individual could just be very busy. It is also very possible that that person is not happy with the answers given and are showing that in the response. Our contact with this adviser is mainly through text thus making the tone of an answer impossible to know. I have a tendency to automatically assume this individual is unhappy or upset with my responses and I take it personally. I do this in many situations and it is very difficult. I do realize when I do it and that makes it easier to stop myself and question whether or not it is really something to fret about. If I can have a clear mind then I am able to objectively consider the situation and confront it in the best way if it is needed. This also aids in “picking your battles.” Too many people act like the sky is falling every time anything happens. Thankfully I am not this way too often and neither are the members in my group. Most of us are very easy going and the communication is very open so we can decide as a group what is a situation that needs to be discussed and how best to break it down and make sure everyone gets something in the end.

As of this point in the semester, there have been no communication issues within our group as far as students go. We all are very open and considerate of the others and I love that about us! When issues do arise (on topics from day to day life) there is always someone to get opinions from and listen and I could not ask for anything better out of my group. One of our girls had a very difficult situation recently and the three others spent multiple conversations discussing how best to help her deal with and learn from the experience and just be there for her in the end. We all were able to come together and just be there for her. The situation was less than ideal but the level of open communication has brought us even closer. (:

Mobile Adoption

Today, Caitlin and I went to Petsmart to help with one of CARE's mobile adoptions! Kendall, Thad, Jacob, and Rudy were the cats that were there. June Bug, almost got adopted by a family and we were so excited for her! They said they will come to the shelter on Wednesday and get her if she is still there. Nemo, Bruno, and Molly also generated quite a bit of interest. Three other dogs got adopted and it was so nice to see them go to good homes!

It was a great day!

Cathy

My Reflections

Reflect on why you chose to participate in Summit Park Leadership Community along with the experiences you hope to gain. Also, think about how you see this impacting your life.   You should be up and running at your sites so discuss how that is going and what struggles or successes you are having during this time and based on your leadership/personality style (the one identified during the first class), how you are responding.  Post who your community partner is and share their basic mission and provide a link to their website.  It is a chance for you to let others know what your group is doing and how the experience is impacting you personally. 

I first learned about Summit through a group of friends who were involved in it last year.  I thought it was really cool how they could volunteer and live in the Summit apartments.  After learning about it through them and seeing what the inside of the apartments looked like, I definitely knew I wanted to possibly try and do it my sophomore year.  I then got my suitemate Cathy on board to do it, and then she got Kayla, and Kayla got Deidre.  I was nervous about living with two other girls who I didn't know very well, but I was also excited for the new experience.  I hope that living with new people and in a new environment will help me learn how to work well with others, but also make new memories and friendships.

I see volunteering at C.A.R.E. as impacting my life in many different ways.  I currently have 2 dogs and 1 cat at home, and through volunteering at C.A.R.E I hope to gain an even greater appreciation for animals and making sure that they are treated well.  The neglect that animals can encounter by humanity is astonishing, and working with C.A.R.E. can help me learn about it and become more of an activist for animal rights.  Also, I think through volunteering with C.A.R.E. I will have more motivation to volunteer for other opportunities.  Volunteering is something that I wanted to actively be involved in when I came to college, and C.A.R.E. is a great way to start that.

In class, I determined my leadership style was gold.  I definitely want things to have order and be done in a certain manner.  My first struggle in volunteering at C.A.R.E. was volunteering in the afternoon.  In the afternoon, there is not a lot that needs to be done at the shelter except for playing with animals and cleaning up a few things.  This is a struggle for me because I want to always feel useful, and that I am working to the best of my capabilities.  However, this is also good for me to experience because it shows me that I do not always have to be working hard in order to be helpful.  The ultimate goal is to make sure the animals are cared for, and that includes emotional health as well.  

Overall, I am very excited for what this year has in store!  I have already wanted to take home some of the dogs and cats that are at C.A.R.E.  I hope this experience gives me new perspective on animal care and it will allow me to learn and work with new people and friends.

-Caitlin