Chas Culp
Getting involved in your community is a great thing to do, not just because it looks good on your resume, or because you have those several hours of community service you’ve been putting off for that one class this semester, but simply because it will change you.
I came to Alamosa this past August from Bloomington, Indiana. I accepted a position in La Puente’s Volunteer Coordination Office and have been given the opportunity to do things I never thought I would do. My job is to be a sort of middle man between the work that needs to be done at La Puente and the volunteer workgroups that come to serve, sometimes a week at a time.
On one of the sunniest spring days in March, following a flash snow storm, five work group members from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and myself were presented with a donated mound of gravel to fix the pot holes in the alley behind the shelter. We started in the afternoon, all six of us, knee deep in a grueling task most likely meant for twelve. As we got into our first hour, we realized that the mound wasn’t getting much smaller no matter how hard we plunged the heads of our shovels into the packed dirt and rock. We were overwhelmed, knowing that we wouldn’t have the mound cleared by that evening, yet we kept working, the sun blazing on our backs. The work group members sang heartily as they picked away, rounds and rounds of their favorite pop songs to help the time pass. They sang loud and off-key, causing the shelter guests to turn and watch them from the fence along the side of the street. It was only a matter of time before a few of them walked over and grabbed a shovel, asking to help. They too worked hard under the heat of the valley sun.
Hours passed and the mound became smaller and smaller; the end was soon in sight. The handles of our shovels were gripped with blistered palms, taking scoop after scoop and filling the holes in the alley. At the peak of the final hour we were all exhausted from toiling away with the exact same goal. It didn’t matter who we were, where we were from, or what challenges had been laid before us in this life. We were all there together, made up of the same thing – an un-relentless determination to finish the job. We were getting mentally and physically weak as we rounded the home stretch late in the day. It was then that several other shelter guests who had just gotten off work for the day arrived at the shelter for dinner. They were covered with the dirt and grime from a full day’s labor. With heads raised high, they strolled over to us like mythical heroes and graciously took some of the shovels from the most tired of hands, relieving them of their duty. They dug and scraped with pure rejuvenation, making the rest of that mound a memory. Once the work was done, hands were shaken, ‘thank yous’ were uttered in English and Spanish, and the shovels were victoriously thrown down. It was a great feeling to finally be done, and an even greater feeling for the students from UNC and myself to work side by side as part of such a caring community. Working at La Puente has given me the chance to do things, great things, for myself and the city of Alamosa. It has shown me what can be accomplished when people put their differences and backgrounds aside and work together. I am thankful to always be learning here and to be a part of something that moves me so deeply.
If you are looking for a positive change in your life or to create one in the life of others, I suggest you volunteer some of your time at La Puente Home. The week of April 25 through May 1 is Hunger Education Week here at La Puente, and it would be a great time to start your time of service. We have a variety of events going on in Alamosa to bring awareness to those interested in learning about hunger on a national and global level. A crop walk will occur on Sunday, April 25 at the Alamosa Senior Center at 2 p.m. A garden party potluck will be held Tuesday, April 27 at the Polston Community Garden at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 29 there will be a screening of the documentary “King Corn” at 7 p.m. at Milagros. And on Friday, May 1 the SLV Brew House will be hosting a benefit concert and auction from 7-11 p.m. Tickets are $25. For more information about any of the events please call La Puente’s Community Education office at (719) 589-3499. We hope to see you there.
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