Common Ground; Helping the San Luis Valley Community

Cres Audetter
The Paw Print
The following article was written by one of La Puente’s 2009 full-time AmeriCorps volunteers
Not all the people that come to work at La Puente have planned to go into a social work type field. Among the volunteers we have many majors ranging from aviation mechanics to film studies to philosophy and political science. Despite these differences, we have all come to spend a year here with the same mission—to help the community of the San Luis Valley and spread awareness of poverty in the United States.  I majored in Biology at the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University and, hence, see my work through a biologist’s eye.
Hypothesis:
If we have the right people and resources, then we can have a positive impact on people in our community.
Materials:
-compassionate staff
-an organization expressing         compassion
-food to nourish the         community
-support for innovative         thinking
-hope/patience
-resources to materialize         ideas
-donations/outreach
-ideas for solutions
-acceptance of everyone
Methods:
First, recruit individuals who are enthusiastic about putting time into others lives to make a difference.  These individual should bring new ideas to the table and be willing to try to materialize them.
Form a community within the group that is supportive and critical of each other.  This community should be continually searching for additional people to collaborate with for a common cause.
Collect resources to redistribute to those most in need.  Do this by educating people and businesses about the desperate situations many experience in the community.
Implement resources to our best ability to the community.
Repeat steps 3&4 until aid is no longer required.
Challenge those within the organization to come up with original ideas to those in need, but while also thinking of ways to prevent people from returning to situations of such need.
Organize fundraisers not only to generate a profit, but also raise awareness of the continuous poverty within our community.
Results:
After using the materials given and participating in such an operation, the results are the following.  We can have a positive impact on people in our community if we use the resources to the best of our ability.  When we educate the community by collecting and sharing data about the existence of need, we can inspire others to take part.  Our volunteer coordination office emphasizes this daily, and will continue to recruit and maintain this core of La Puente.  With them, we will continue to provide food to families and individuals at the food bank.  We will help with rent, utility, and medical assistance at our outreach department.  We shall provide three meals a day, a warm bed, and service referrals at the shelter.  Our transitional housing and self-sufficiency program at Adelante will continue to flourish and the PALS after-school program will provide a healthy atmosphere for children.  The employees at the thrift stores and coffee shop that support our organization will offer the best products for consumers while the administration office keeps all sections of La Puente flowing smoothly.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I have found that my hypothesis was supported.  We can and will continue to have a positive impact on our community in the San Luis Valley through our versatility as an organization.  Our passion as volunteers generates a hope within our community that is contagious.  By educating, empowering, and evolving, La Puente will be able to better serve the community and help bring an end to homelessness.