It’s hard to believe that we’ve
already completed four out of five site visits, and that our big decision is
fast approaching with only four weeks left in the semester. With that in mind,
I’d like to use this blog post to reflect on our visits to Helping Celebrate
Abilities (HCA), and Meals on Wheels of Western Broome. First, we visited HCA
last Tuesday, and I was thoroughly impressed with this visit. From my view, all
of our questions were answered adequately (to the best of their ability or
knowledge), but what really stood out to me was the liveliness inside the building.
Of course, this can be expected when toddlers are involved. It was heartwarming
on our tour when we looked inside different classrooms and had kids waving to
us and saying hello, and even more so when we went to the playground outside.
There, one of the girls--I believe her name was Sophie--ran up and gave a few
of us hugs, and we also got to see kids playing and enjoying themselves. For
me, this is what a site visit is all about--seeing an organization’s work in
action, so we can best understand exactly what our money would be supporting.
While I understand that STAP’s Identity Center is an after school space, it
just wasn’t the same as HCA. Instead of having to imagine things in my head, I
was able to observe a typical school day at HCA’s Johnson City building in real
time. Does anyone else feel the same way about this? I was also surprised to
hear that they haven’t received a funding increase from the state in over 9
years; the early intervention HCA performs is so important to help children with
developmental disabilities to succeed later in life. Do you think HCA should be
prioritized because of their funding deficiencies?
Next, on Thursday, we visited Meals on
Wheels of Western Broome in Endicott. Again, I was impressed with their
presentation, answers, and tour, but what I want to talk about is the age of
their volunteers. At first, I was shocked when I heard that many of the
volunteers at Meals on Wheels are over retirement age. Coming in, I assumed
that the volunteers were mostly younger people who felt a sense of duty to help
their elderly neighbors. Now, after thinking over how wrong my preconceived
notion was, I realize that it makes perfect sense for the volunteers to be this
age. First, the delivery routes can be time consuming, especially when a
volunteer spends extra time with one or more of the recipients. Any working age
adult wouldn’t have time for this during a weekday if they have a full-time day
job, but someone who is retired would, of course (as long as they're physically
capable of doing this). Second, nobody can relate better to the senior citizens
who receive meals from Meals on Wheels than other senior citizens. Perhaps,
this commonality creates an extra feeling of duty for Meals on Wheels’
volunteers to help those less fortunate than they are. In my view, both the
volunteers and recipients benefit from the interactions and time spent with
each other. On the other hand, it was very clear that Meals on Wheels still
needs volunteer help (like most charitable organizations their size do).
Finally, I appreciated the extra mile that Meals on Wheels volunteers seem to
go, whether it’s simply chatting with someone for an extra ten minutes, or
helping them celebrate their birthday. To end my post, I’d like to leave a
couple questions: Was anyone else surprised like I was about the volunteers at
Meals on Wheels?, and What has been your favorite site visit so far, and why?
Jared,
ReplyDeleteI do also recognize the benefit of being able to see the daily routine happening at HCA. I do think it might be overly critical of us to judge STAP for not having the same vitality, or at least for not being able to produce it for the site visit, only because, as you said, they are more active during after-school hours and they do provide valuable resources for a high-risk population as well. What was concerning about these organizations was the disconnect in logic that I perceived at both sites. For the visit to the identity center, I could tell that the people who were staffing the facility were not specifically connected to the administrative level of STAP, as they were not as certain on what would be done with the money if given the grant. At HCA, there were so many potential sources where the money could be directed and it left me with a vague misunderstanding of whether or not the expansion project would still be the primary recipient of the program grant. To answer your second question, I do not think that the funding deficiencies of HCA should be a reason for supporting the organization. I actually might argue the opposite, as the money we would be giving could just be a temporary solution to an institutional problem. This can be related to arguments we have discussed already as to the true benefit that comes from charity that only tackles immediate need rather than focusing on the true reason for that high prevalence of need (e.g. a lack of funding).
Moving on to Meals on Wheels, I was also surprised by the ages of the volunteers, especially when we were told about the 95 year old volunteer. I have driven with my grandparents who are ten years younger than this volunteer, and I know that at a certain age it is a danger to have older people on the road at all. I can't blame Meals on Wheels for using this woman as a volunteer, but I was slightly concerned about the age of the volunteers as whole. Regardless, the work is getting done and Meals on Wheels is providing a great service to the local elderly population.
Thus far, my favorite site visit has been ACA. The location was humble and comfortable, and the fact that the charity has experienced a tragic shooting on its site and surmounted to the level it is at today is commendable in my opinion. I left with a great appreciation for the work that ACA does and the services it provides to another vulnerable population in Binghamton, and a clear understanding, probably the best understanding of all the organizations, of the direct program that would benefit from the money (and it is a program that I can see being very meaningful to those children who would be enrolled).
Dear Jared,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the site visit to the HCA was the most enjoyable and enlightening. The volunteers in this organizations answered all of our questions with impressive detail. The building felt very lively and organized. In addition, I was impressed with their financial responsibility and planning for the long term.
The liveliness of the organization was the most impressive factor for me. In contrast to a nonprofit like STAP, the HCA was bustling with activity. Seeing and hearing the kids running around and learning was very touching. I felt as though the "human" element was lacking in some of the other site visits, and we were only exposed to numbers and power-points. In the case of the HCA, we walked around the establishment and looked inside the classrooms. We were able to see the children learning and enjoying the benefits of the HCA with our own eyes. Towards the end of the visit, we were able to talk to the kids outside while they enjoyed the playground. I even had a personal experience with one of the kids, and helped him reach for a toy in the sand pit. To me, these personal experiences make all the difference in my decision to donate to a nonprofit. These emotional parts to the site visit only compounded with the other positive aspects of the site visit. Therefore, I find myself most invested in the HCA so far.
- Christian
Hi Jared,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you compared the two site visits. While I cannot comment much about the Meals on Wheels site visit since I was not able to attend that day, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed our visit at the HCA. The environment at the HCA was so welcoming. The second I walked in I was drawn to all the artwork, ceiling decorations, and pictures that filled the halls. All the finger print paintings and macaroni art flashed me back to a simpler time when the biggest worry on my plate was whether or not my mom would let me have a cosmic brownie before dinner. It reminded me what it was like to be a kid again. Overall, I really enjoyed the liveliness of the HCA. I appreciated the fact that we got to see the the organization in full-force performing their daily activities. It was easier for me to connect to the organization when I was able to see the work they do with my own eyes rather than having to think about it in my head. And how could you not stop and smile at all those kiddos running around? You could tell they all really enjoyed being there and that the staff was truly passionate about the work they do. As for your question regarding funding deficiencies, I can see the argument for both sides of the spectrum. As T.J. noted, the lack of funding the HCA has received over the years is an institutional problem and our contribution would merely be a band-aid in the grand scheme of things. However, as we walked through the site visit I could not help but notice how packed everything was in each room we passed. It was clear after walking through the facility that the organization would benefit greatly from an expansion. I think that despite the institutional issues surrounding early childhood education, there is a clear need for it in the community of Broome County and that it would be fair to consider donating our contributions to this organization for their project. As we discussed earlier in the semester, Broome County has a high need for early childhood education services. Funding the HCA would help positively contribute to this community need and would ensure that our contribution is going to something worthwhile.
-Francesca
Hello Jared,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I really enjoyed your recollection of your experiences at the past two site visits. It really is hard to believe that we will be having our final site visit this week!
Regarding Helping Celebrate Abilities, during their presentation part I was a little hesitant. I am not sure if it was the heat of the room, or certain answers we received, but something felt a little off for some reason. It was not until we got the tour of the space that I truly saw what Helping Celebrate Abilities was all about. I loved being able to briefly look in to their class rooms and several services like Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy. Similar to your experience, what stood out about HCA was the environment and the children getting helped. It was heart warming to see HCA in action, and Sofia definitely tugged on my heart strings. Something else that stood out to me was how they are currently using their space. Classrooms were multi-purpose rooms, offices were also used for storage. Overall, it was evident they need some updating and expanding. Regardless of their space though I love what HCA does for the community/county and believe that they are doing their best to meet Broome County's high need for early educational services. I hope that the class has similar opinions because I believe that the generational impact HCA has on the county is indescribable and the services they provide are necessary.
When we visited Meals on Wheels, I was also pleasantly surprised. I love what they do for the community and how dedicated the volunteers are to helping not only serve meals but act as friends to those who need it. Hearing volunteer encounters with those they serve also tugged on my heartstrings, as I believe what the organization does really positively impacts a demographic who is often neglected.
Overall, the final decision our class has to make is going to be difficult, but the site visits are definitely putting a lot of things in perspective for me. I love hearing about others' experiences and opinions from the site visits and cannot wait to talk in class prior to making the decision!
Sincerely,
Lexi
Jared,
ReplyDeleteI like that you chose to do your post on our recent site visits. I think it's a great idea to sort of recap what we have gone through and what we have seen, because over the past few site visits it sure has been a lot. I also think that some of the experiences are sort of beginning to mix together, so your blog post definitely brought some welcome clarity.
HCA was agreeably very active. It seemed a bit strange at first when we were all piled in the volunteer break room. It wasn't exactly clear to me what we were going to see after leaving that room. The doorway on the way in also reminded me a bit of a doctor's office. But after leaving that room and walking in that circle with the classrooms and therapy rooms, it quickly became apparent what they were all about. They truly wanted to help the children, and get them a good early education no matter the circumstances. I also very much enjoyed how they treated the "affected" children the same as the "unaffected" children.
Meals On Wheels was also a bit of a strange experience. Sitting in that room with all the Boy and Girl Scout posters was a bit misleading. It was again not until we left that first room that it became apparent what they were all about. I thought it to be remarkable how they had an entire system just to make sure nobody got the wrong order. I really did feel like they knew how to stretch the dollar and get the most possible I too enjoyed the fact that their volunteers were rather on the older side. I wasn't sure how well that would work out, but I suppose it works just fine.
All I know is that this final decision is going to be much tougher now after those site visits!
-Thomas Houghton
Hi Jared! I like what you wrote for your blog post because I actually felt similar feelings. I really liked HCA because I love children, and seeing the students running around in their different classrooms and in the yard warmed my heart. I did not necessarily like the set up of the presentation that was given to us, because it was hot and so hard to focus in that room. However, I don’t think that matters when it comes down to deciding the grant, since it was so trivial. As much as I did like HCA, they did not move me as an organization that needed help as much as ACA or Meals on Wheels.
ReplyDeleteMeals on Wheels is something my grandmother is even apart of back home. However, she also has an aid and is in the city with many other people surrounding her. Seeing how the elderly here on Meals on Wheels in such a desolate area survive off mostly elderly volunteers kind’ve scares me. I know they are probably the only ones available during those volunteer hours to be able to do the drop offs, but wouldn't these elderly people need someone taking care of them as well. I thought it was kind’ve ironic but it gave a “hom-ey” feeling to the whole organization as well. EVeryone was so sweet there and like there was a sense of family because they are all from around the same generation and catering to helping those around their age in their own community means a lot to them. My vote now stands after seeing Truth Pharm today between Meals on Wheels, ACA, and Truth Pharm. All organizations really warmed me and I can see where our money when given to any of these orgs will truly go.
Jared,
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with your statements appreciating being able to see the day-to-day operations of HCA and seeing the kids helped by their services. Overall the combination of them seeing no increases in funding from the state and the waiting lists of children needing to be served makes their organization a promising one to give funding to. Although I would have like to have seen how extensive such a waiting list is in order to show how large the need of their services are within the community. Having this information would allow us to know how necessary the allocation of funding would be towards the expansion within their preschool facility. Although, I must admit I have extensive volunteer work experience working with the developmentally disabled so I am slightly biased towards funding HCA. I am trying my best to remove those biases now that we are approaching making our final decision, I hope to choose funding for organizations that are serving socially relevant and pressing issues within the Broome community. That being said I do believe HCA is serving an important need but I am still unsure of how pressing of an issue it is.
Now concerning our site visit with Meals on Wheels of Western Broome, I must admit I was very impressed with how much more professionally the organization was run. Especially considering how they are not affiliated with the actual Meals on Wheels of Broome county. In comparison to HCA, Meals on Wheels is clearly serving a very needy population acknowledging the fact that Broome has an aging population where a majority is considered elderly. I am happy to see the success Meals on Wheels has had considering the barriers they face, However I did question their need for funding when such an organization seems like they can thrive on just volunteers. Not to say they do not deserve our funding however they can and will continue to accept/serve more and more elderly if they need to, while other finalists cannot expand the people they serve without more funding.
On a final note to compare these two organization, HCA seems like it would be able to aid a large range of children if granted our funding whereas Meals on Wheels would continue to be able to expand their services without it. Meals on Wheels seems more reliant on their volunteers which would continue to go unpaid where as the services HCA provides come at an inherently larger cost do to the work they do. I hope this does not come across as insensitive as I see the value of both organizations. What do you guys think of this evaluation of these nonprofits?