In Honor of Guello's Birthday: an Appreciation Post

Today is my grandfather's 80th birthday. Now, I don't have many photos of solely him, and the ones I do have are not very good. I think it is kind of a metaphor for his life though... He has always worked for others, whether that be his family, his friends, or the Church. My grandpa, Guello, is who I think of when I think of hard-work, service, and humility.

Guello used to regale me with stories of his youth, particularly of jobs that he worked, conversations that he had, and people he met. He has worked most of his life and has met so many people it is hard to believe he also spent much of his time with his family. Guello is my inspiration for when I do not think I can handle the long, sleepless nights or the rushing days. He never seems to complain about anything, especially working so much. He is always finding ways to help out in some way at church or in the family. Guello's involvement in his parish makes me want to be more involved in mine.

In honor of Guello's birthday, I want to recognize those that humbly serve the community in which they live and/or reach out to other communities in need. Thank you. There are few others like you and I, along with many others that cannot verbalize it enough, appreciate that. Your actions not only physically aid others, they emphasize the inherent goodness in people and give hope to a struggling society and world in constant turmoil. Service truly does make the world go round!

My family celebrating my grandparents' birthdays this past weekend.
As you can probably tell, it was a full house!

Volunteering, Running, Jobs... Opportunities Galore.

It occurred to me today that I am very, very blessed. I have been presented with many opportunities in my life that I have not always been grateful for and now I am. My meeting with Marc Kochanski yesterday and my interactions with people throughout yesterday made me realize I am definitely my mother's daughter. What I mean is, my mother is a people-person. To this day I do not know if she enjoys striking up conversations with strangers or people she only slightly knows, but either way, she is very good at it!

As I was recounting my day to my friends yesterday, they commented on my ability to make connections with people on a daily basis. One friend joked that I would never have to pay for drinks because the people I strike up conversations with tend to offer to buy one for me. The joke was based on the fact that I was offered free coffee a few times over the week, most recently by a Linfield alumna who I introduced myself to, assuming by her Linfield sweatshirt that she was a current student. She is attending graduate school and was visiting a friend in Portland, a fellow alumna. She congratulated me on my acceptance to the nursing program and offered to buy my drink. I hesitated, but she smiled and said, "I've got to support a fellow Wildcat. Plus, I enjoyed our conversation." Anyway, I digress.

My friends' compliment made me think of how my "friendliness" has helped me in the past and will help me in the future. I have been thinking more and more frequently of things I would like to do (including possible challenges for my list). I definitely need to get a job, but I also want to regularly volunteer - I like volunteering and I know Portland has many opportunities for that. I want to try a fun run or a 5k before the Sound to Narrows as well.

Fortunately, my connections with people have helped me accomplish each of those! A friend, whom I met through theatre, has offered me her job as a professor's assistant and another friend offered to be a personal reference for the hospital she works for. Talking with Marc yesterday reminded me that I can now volunteer for organizations in the medical field. Last, but not least, my friends and I have decided to do the Ugly Sweater Run in Beaverton, OR on November 16th.

I suppose the point I am trying to make is that there are so many opportunities available if one is open to the surrounding community!

AIDS WALK PORTLAND!

Today I met with Marc Kochanski, the Volunteer Coordinator with Cascade AIDS Project in Portland. I signed up online to volunteer with the upcoming AIDS walk, but had to miss the volunteer orientation scheduled for Tuesday at 5pm due to IEL. Marc spared some time to give me a personal orientation which ended up being more beneficial to me than I anticipated.

When I arrived, I was surprised at how polished the offices looked. I assumed (naughty), because I had not previously heard about CAP, it would be located in a small, dingy office with the mess of preparing for such a large event sprawled everywhere. Shame on me. The lobby had a receptionist who greeted me and called Marc to let him know I had arrived. She immediately offered me a drink from the coffee cart and said that Marc would be out shortly.

I arrived a tad early, but only waited a few minutes before Marc walked through the door and welcomed me to CAP. As I walked through the doors to the treatment and prevention side, Marc told me about CAP and the services they provide. He must have seen my look of surprise because he offered to show me around afterward. I was again offered coffee before we started in on the orientation.

My first impression of CAP was great. They provide service to over 1,000 individuals in the greater Portland area both in housing and work support as well as prevention and treatment. CAP relies on more than 600 volunteers with only 60 members of staff - and each person I met seemed passionate about their work. For more information or ways to get involved, please visit cascadeaids.org.

Marc's enthusiasm about CAP and the AIDS walk was obvious (and a little contagious!). I am very excited for the event and hope there is an immense turnout. It looks as though the weather might not improve for the weekend, but I hope that the weather will bring the community together at the event.

Speaking of the community, my professor actually offered the AIDS walk as an extra credit opportunity. He wanted to get us involved with the greater Portland community as well as raise awareness for HIV/AIDS and figured extra credit would be a good reason as any to involve students. My professor had intended to give extra credit for walkers, but because I had already applied as a volunteer, he extended the opportunity to volunteers as well. WIN!

Anyway, I'm very excited for the AIDS walk this weekend. I am a route monitor, meaning I stand around and point walkers in the right direction and warn them of any oncoming buses or streetcars. I hope despite the forecasted weather, people will be spirited - and if not, that's the other half of my job description! I will definitely be the cheerful volunteer, waving and dancing around and shouting encouragement to the walkers.