Five High School Seniors Immerse Themselves in Clare Housing’s Mission — June 21, 2012
As seniors at Visitation Catholic School, we are required to do a service learning project at the end of the school year as part of our graduation requirement. We chose to volunteer at Clare Housing.
At 17 & 18 we knew very little, if anything, about HIV/AIDS. We come from a private Catholic school and to say the least we all live relatively sheltered lives. HIV/AIDS is not typical dinner time conversation. Besides health class our freshman year, we had little knowledge of the disease. We are so grateful for this experience for there is no comparison from the knowledge you gain from someone with personal experience than from a few cryptic paragraphs in a health textbook.
We rolled up our sleeves and cooked, cleaned, baked, painted, gardened and did pretty much whatever projects the caregivers had for us to do at the various care homes. But for us, the most meaningful moments came from the time we spent with the residents. Whether playing Apples to Apples or watching Live with Kelly, we’ll remember dearly the conversations, the education we got and the wisdom shared during this experience.
Seeing the joy that came from the residents in regards to simple tasks we did was very powerful. It was so easy to grow close to the residents and they soon began to share their stories with us which gave us great insight into what they are dealing with on a daily basis.
The caregivers and residents were straight forward and honest. They answered our questions, and shared their wisdom. They are, all, smart beyond their years. This experience has taught us . . . everyone has a story. We need to take the time to listen. Volunteering at Clare Housing has truly opened our eyes and made us realize how we need to make the public more aware about HIV/AIDS and to stop the biased myths that still exist.
We are grateful and humbled, and each one of us have been impacted by this experience and will carry it with us for the rest of our lives.
Thank you to everyone at Clare Housing for opening up your homes and lives to us!
– Izzie, Emily, Caroline, Melie & Lindsey