Phoenix Group

The following was written by student Philip Klees of Burlington, Iowa.

The college spring break is a time much anticipated as the semester presses past its midway point and heads for a late April finish line. For some Waldorf students, spring break meant they would be catching a flight to some place exotic like Jamaica or the Cancun; for others it simply meant making a trip home to work or spend time with their families. But there is a more fortunate group of students at Waldorf College who allowed themselves the opportunity to see a different side of spring break, a different side of life.
Last Saturday, thirty four students and faculty boarded planes en route to Phoenix, Arizona, to pave their own remarkable road of service, friendship, and laughter. For five days these fortunates sacrificed privacy, sleep, and sometimes showers to better ensure that many families would not rest their head on an empty stomach or under a leaky roof.

By the time it was said and done they packaged enough food at St. Mary’s Food Bank to easily feed all of Forest City for an entire month, painted a home through Habitat for Humanity and the Guzman family, and hammered enough nails to pre- fabricate nine homes slated to be built in early May also through Habitat for Humanity. All of the while tired, smiles were never far from the lips of all who shared a special week together.

Days began nearly an hour before sunrise; students awoke every morning to find that they were serving, but also being served. Before the students were to rise, it was Dianne Hanson or Kristi Osheim or Dan Hanson preparing a quick breakfast and gathering together the lunches made the night before. After a short devotional, usually led by a student volunteer, the group set out for a day of work.

Days sometimes lagged on, but it didn’t seem to matter. Being volunteers, lunch breaks tended to be an hour long- a time some used to make up for the previous nights lack of sleep. Others students, especially Yannick Mulolo, took the time to meet those outside the group who were more often than not troubled teens who seemed to just be looking for someone to listen. By listening he extended a fortunate hand to few who otherwise would have not known of its existence.

For the many who cannot call themselves one of these fortunates, you missed out. This small group of Waldorf family proves that there is an untapped reservoir of service inside of every heart. This vehicle of service allowed a little effort to blossom into something more concrete and meaningful; it turned into a week of selflessness.
Philip Klees

Phoenix Group

Setting records - that became a frequent comment from the St. Mary's Food Bank staff and the Habitat for Humanity staff. The midwest work ethic shined through as we were welcomed back each day.

The week is over and as I sit here trying to recapture memories, I find myself thinking over and over about serving and having an impact on others lives. The Phoenix group touched thousands of lives. At the food bank we boxed up in one day alone - 23,500 pounds. We were told one pound feeds one family of four one meal. In one day we helped to provide 23,500 meals to a family of four. Then we proceeded to break our record each day we went back! At the Food Bank we worked with minimum security sheriff's inmates, people on probation doing community service work as well as other volunteers from church and civic service groups. We became a crew together working toward one goal of feeding needy families. At Habitat for Humanity we built walls that will be used in a building blitz in May. Three hundred volunteers will come together at that time to build nine homes in 4 1/2 days. The walls we built will be brought to the site to complete this monumental task and will provide homes for nine families. We also went on site and painted a 2-story Habitat home.

I am proud to have been a part of it. I admire and respect the 34 Phoenix trip participants I had the privilege to work with this week. We lived, we learned and we served.

Kristi Osheim

Phoenix Group

The following was written by President Dick Hanson following Day 1.

Why are we here?
After our first day of volunteering at a Phoenix food bank and work at one of the Habitat for Humanity facilities, we ate a good meal and then stopped to reflect. For many of us, the lesson gained from our work today was one of understanding more about who we are as individuals - people in a different place working to help other people. For others, there was at the top of their mind, a sense of appreciation for the human spirit, in all of its stunning complexity.

From deep inside we are bound to experience the grace of giving - from our advantage, from our privilege. And from all of this we see a profound truth: we are here to make a difference. Let it be so.
DH

At this second...

...Waldorf students are all over the country serving others. In Arizona, students, faculty and staff are building houses. In Holden Village, in the state of Washington, students are working at a spiritual retreat center. In Mississippi, students are helping a man move into his house after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

At this very second, a Waldorf student is making a difference. I talked to Nicole Lovik-Blaser today, Director of Student Activities at Waldorf, and she mentioned that their group had received many positive comments about their gold, 50 Days of Service t-shirts. As the members of the Waldorf community traveled to their Spring Break destinations, all of them wore their gold t-shirts to the airports. It must have been quite a sight because Nicole said that many people complimented the Waldorf group for taking part in such an ambitious task. Serving others for 50 consecutive days.

Well, 19 days are in the books, but there is a lot of service yet to be done. I can't believe how well everything has gone so far. I'm excited to hear more stories of service from our Spring Breakers.

I read a great quote the other day that reminded me of the kind of drive I've seen during the first part of our 50 Days of Service.

"Now bid me run,
And I will strive with things impossible,
Yea, get the better of them." - Shakespeare

I feel like with the 50 Days of Service, we've asked Waldorf students to run with the idea of service and now they are doing things that might have seemed unlikely or even impossible before.

50 consecutive days of service. Ambitious, yes. Impossible, no!

Headed South!

Tomorrow we are headed to Mississippi to help with disaster relief. I can't wait to get down there and really help out. I think we'll have an amazing time and gain all sorts of great experiences. I'll keep ya updated! :)

Phoenix Group

Well, here we go. I'm new at this blogging thing but I wanted to say we are ready, and we are excited! Check back each day to read messages from some of the 34 Phoenix Service Trip participants. We will be assisting at the Food Bank and working with Habitat for Humanity.
Kristi Osheim
Thompson, IA
Administrative Assistant
Waldorf College Athletic Department

50 Days Kickoff Event

The kickoff celebration seemed to go off without a hitch. Judging from the excitement and turnout the Waldorf populous has decided to really get behind something. It should be exciting seeing how Waldorf College will be able to move our surroundings through service.