#23: Connect with a Service Organization

When I knew that I would be moving to Milwaukee, one of my main goals was to be more connected to the community. My position in St. Louis often required night and weekend hours, plus I was on the road a lot, visiting Chris or my family. I joined a few organizations, including the alumni/ae groups for my undergraduate university and my sorority, but it was challenging to make the time. In four years, my life was basically consumed with work. I knew that in my new city, I wanted to be able to meet more people, have a social life, and to give back.So #23 went on the list.

A few months into my time here in Milwaukee, I spoke with a colleague about joining the Junior League of Milwaukee. I did not know much about the organization other than what I had seen on tv shows like Hart of Dixie and in movies like The Help. She assured me that I would find the organization to be much different than the "Southern Belle" thing I may have seen portrayed. Similar to my sorority experience, it was a group of women coming together to provide service and leadership to the community. I enjoy both of those things, so I figured I would check it out.

I joined JLM in November, and had my last New Member Orientation last night. Over the course of this past year, our group has met monthly, planned a blood drive with the Blood Center of Wisconsin (which was started by the Junior League), participated in a number of different programs, and most recently, held a successful Dine Out Fundraiser to benefit the League's programs. My main involvement was assisting with the fundraiser, and I was very excited that it turned out so well. We raised over $2,400 in just a few hours! Plus it has been a ton of fun getting to know the other women in our class.

My late night signage crafting for the Silent Auction at our fundraiser. The only picture I took of the whole thing. Oops!

Our New Member Orientation class was a great way to acclimate to and learn more about The League. In a few weeks, we will officially "graduate" and become Active members. As an Active member, I will be assigned to one of the many committees, which will be my main involvement with the organization. Much like sorority bid matching, we prioritize and then are placed on committees based on mutual interest. I prioritized the committees that are under the Community umbrella of the organization, which work with the direct service components, such as our monthly Done in a Day service events and our signature project, which is currently Teens in Transition. I am excited to experience Milwaukee hands on with the other women in the group.

I am so thankful for the experiences that I have had so far and am excited to see what comes next.

#23 is complete!

NOLA Bound

Photo from here

On Saturday, I will be heading to New Orleans with a group of 40+ students and staff to spend an Alternative Spring Break participating in service and the rebuilding process, seven years post Hurricane Katrina.

As we prepare for the journey, I was reflecting on the fact that this is not my first trip to post-Katrina NOLA, but rather, my second. I visited the city back in December 2006, for a professional conference, just 16 months after the hurricane devastated the city. As a young graduate student, I did not explore much of the city because of the packed conference schedule, and the fact that I was going to be job searching soon and did not want to miss any of the educational sessions or networking opportunities. Five years later, it is striking to think about the messages that we were receiving about New Orleans while there. That despite the storm, much of New Orleans was reopened, including the area where we would be staying. That New Orleans needed us to come - it was important to be out and about in the city, injecting money back into the local economy, which relies on the tourism industry.

During the conference, one of the keynote sessions offered featured Dr. Marvalene Hughes, who served as the president of Dillard University from 2005-2011. She had started at the university, just months before the hurricane hit, and was responsible for overseeing the evacuation and subsequent rebuilding of the university.  Her speech was touching and heartfelt, as she discussed the challenges of relocating a university and trying to continue to provide students with a quality education in the midst of devastation. The personal challenges of trying to maintain a positive morale for an entire university community. It was a speech that every educator needed to hear.

What I remember most about that small glimpse that I got into Katrina's impact on the city, in just a 90-minute keynote, was how empty that the room was. It was a conference session at nine o'clock in the morning, and over two thirds of the room was missing, likely because they had spent their evening on Bourbon Street the night before. My fellow graduate students and I were told multiple times how important it was to participate in the "conference outside of the conference" and "to play the game" - that the people who were going to get jobs were the ones out socializing. Yet as I sat in the session, I was embarrassed by the poor turnout of my future colleagues who were missing this amazing opportunity to learn about the bigger picture. We were talking about values education during the day, and that seemed to fly out the window at night. Their memory of NOLA would be hurricanes and the strange smells of Bourbon Street. I couldn't wrap my head around it. I remember thinking, wow, why would anyone ever plan a conference in New Orleans?

A few of my friends decided to skip some of the session later in the day because they found a tour that would take them out to see some of the city, including the more damaged areas. I wanted to join them, but ultimately stuck to my "I have to go to everything" approach to the conference. After hearing about the things they saw, I couldn't help but feel like I had missed an amazing learning opportunity. That feeling was even stronger when we got back on the plane on Sunday, and I had no idea when I would ever have a reason to go back to New Orleans. My 23-year-old self was still pretty dualistic about things, right? Not to mention a little judgmental. The reality is that I was a tourist there, just as much as anyone else.

I am thankful for this new opportunity to experience the city in a different way, to unpack my own assumptions, and to look at some of those messages that we get as non-residents a bit deeper. As I prepare to head back to NOLA, I have been seeking opportunities to learn about the hurricane and post-Katrina New Orleans. The group has been sharing a number of different articles and videos, and I thought I would post some of them here, in case others might be interested.

A Katrina Reader - This was shared by some former NOLA residents, who spoke at our meeting. I have been digging through and there is a ton of great articles, poems, and essays, that also share some of the pre-Katrina issues that were uncovered as a result of the Hurricane.

For Dear Life - A four part series from Nola.Com from the viewpoint of doctors, nurses, patients, and family members, who were waiting to be evacuated from Memorial Medical Center.

Looking Forward After Katrina: Environmental Health Problems and Recommendations for Officials - A report that was released just weeks after Hurricane Katrina, that looks at the environmental and health/safety impact of the storm damage.

Video: The final post-Katrina FEMA trailer has left New Orleans. From CNN.

I just watched Trouble the Water, which shares a family's footage from during the hurricane, as well as their experiences following. It was I am also excited that we will watch When the Levees broke on the bus on the way down.

Our speakers last night also shared a great essay by Bill Quigley, that was meant to start a conversation with volunteers, to help them understand their role in the struggle, as they come and go from New Orleans. I will try to take this message to heart as we enter the city. I realize that we are only going for one week, so it is my hope that I can learn from residents' stories and experiences, while working alongside them as they rebuild their community.

A Major Donation

(Photo originally found here)

Yesterday, I made a big commitment. I registered with the Wisconsin Donor Registry, agreeing to donate my organs, tissues, and eyes, upon my death.

Back in high school, I did my senior research paper for English class on organ donation, and learned how important that organ donation is to many people. A few facts from organdonor.gov:

• One person's organ can save up to eight lives, and enhance even more.
• 18 people die each day waiting for an organ.
• A name is added to the waiting list for organs every 11 minutes.
• There are more than enough people waiting for an organ to fill a large football stadium, twice.
• 86 million people have signed up to be an organ donor.

At the time, I also learned that simply putting the donor sticker on my license (which is now printed on so it doesn't peel off), is not enough to confirm that your organs will actually be donated. It simply indicates your wishes so that when doctors would speak with your family, they know you were interested. It would still be up to your family to make the decision.

By registering, it puts the decision in your hands, so that your family does not have to struggle with the decision during a heartbreaking time. It also adds your name to the donor network, which expedites the process of getting organs to the transplant recipients.

If you haven't thought about what you would like to do with your organs, I would encourage you to take some time to check out the National Organ Donation website. It has great information. I know it can feel sort of morbid to think about your own death, so I try to think about it as what my final act of service could be.

Food for thought.