Summer Camp Week #2
July 21, 2011 – 6:35 am
Hi, I'm Dan!
Hellooo thereee. My name is Daniel Nguyen. I attend Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree, MA. I’m an average student living an average life, but like most kids my age, I’m looking for a little meaning or purpose. This fall, I’ll be entering into my senior year. But, let me tell you how it all began. In mid-junior year, I was in need of service hours to complete my school’s requirement. My good friend, Grace Rosario (who you’ll meet soon!), introduced me to the Campus Kitchen at UMass Boston, or CKUMB for short. This motivated program provides food/meals for low-income families. The first couple of days volunteering were quite an experience. In the beginning, I had to pack different types of foods, such as canned chicken or potatoes, into grocery bags with a predetermined recipe. As the end of the year came closer, it became a little bit more challenging. Some amounts of foods were not enough to be given out so we had to improvise based on previous donations acquired. Some days I would have to work by myself with no other volunteers – sorting and packing 60+ grocery bags is no easy task to do alone! In the end, I learned that the time I gave to pack the foods was all that mattered. I stayed committed to the program, pack the meals and figure out how to give all the families an even amount of food. Even though my required hours were completed, I still volunteered for CKUMB. Towards the end of the year, Chelsea Goulart Craig, Coordinator of CKUMB , offered Grace and I a position to be interns for the summer program of CKUMB. The intentions of the summer program were to provide kids at two on-campus camps with snacks and meals free of charge. Grace and I took the position immediately. Volunteering during the school day was only training. Being an intern is like stepping into the real world and accepting responsibility. So that’s how I ended up here this summer.
Anna and I sorting produce
Around mid-July, Chelsea assigned Grace and I to write a blog for the CKUMB website. I’ve read many blogs but never had the courage to write one. I assumed people did not care about what I had to say, but I think this first post will mean something more than blogs about people’s random situations in their day. Besides the service hours that are required for school, I’ve gained something. Communication, teamwork, and friendship. Without communication, there is no teamwork and no friendship. Communication is key in this field. Each person knows what their job is, but a simple, “Morning” or “What do I do with this?” can make a difference. Without communication, everyday would be just an awkward day of silence. The Camp Shiver team has no problem with communication. Every morning, we share our ‘hi’s’ and ‘how was your week?’ comments. Teamwork comes next. We all work together no matter what the job is. If it’s spreading out the bags or filling out paperwork, everyone puts in a little effort. Finally, friendship comes into the picture. At the end of the day, we delivered all the snacks. We filled out all of the paperwork. The work station is cleaned. When we looked back, we’ve bonded through teamwork and communication. And that little bonding built a little friendship with each partner. Within only half of July, I’ve experienced that much. Experiencing that every Tuesday and Thursday is my favorite part of the week.
Stay tuned for Ms. Grace Rosario’s post next week!
