A brief introduction to the Westmoreland volunteer corps. If you are a member of the vol corps board, my mother, Jen’s grandmother, Noah’s great aunt, or anyone who already knows the nitty gritty details of our new lives feel free to wait for more scintillating later posts. For everyone else here it is.
Five strangers, brought together for one purpose: lighting our candles in a new city. That sounds both ridiculous and silly. But really, we are five recent college graduates from different parts of the United States and different stories about how we chose to dedicate a year to service.
We live in a communal house right next to the Westmoreland Church. We have full time jobs at different service agencies. I (Charlotte) am working at Samaritan Ministry, Deanna at Bread for the City, Noah at Sasha Bruce Youthwork, Jen at So Others Might Eat (SOME) Center for Employment Training (CET) and Rachel at DC Rape Crisis Center.
The first question we seem to get is usually: how can you survive as a volunteer in DC? Answer: we receive a stipend and health insurance from our agency and support form Westmoreland Church along with a home to live in.
We want this blog to be a forum for our friends, family, and the community of the Westmoreland Church to stay updated about our work and learn a little more about all of us.
We start work on Tuesday. We’ve been busy. Noah has been biking around our new area, Deanna just got home from a free Symphony concert, Rachel is still unpacking and Jen fell in love with the pandas at the (free!) National Zoo. We are almost all moved in and unpacked.
Stay tuned for updates about everyone’s first day of work (Jen is going on an overnight reatreat with SOME) and how we "fare" on the bus system (We're preparing for office humor).
- Amy Shard
Westmoreland Volunteer Corps '08-'09
Deanna, Jen, Noah, Charlotte, Rachel
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2 comments:
Good luck to each of you! As a past volunteer 2003-04, a past member of the volunteer corps board, and--gasp--big sister of a current volunteer here is my first piece of advice as you prepare for your first days of work: ask plenty of questions, get to know the volunteer corps board and church members, and don't worry about getting lost (it will happen and if you are anything like me, it will happen lots). Oh and get to know the N4 (or N6 on the weekends) bus--it's like your own personal taxi to DuPont Circle. I am so happy for each of you!
It doesn't sound like you will be too miserable. Cake and candles...
Thanks for making a commitment to a blog. I look forward to following the progress of the whole group of you.
"Amy Shard?" is this a new pen name?
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