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Hometown: Madison Heights,
Michigan
Degree Objective: Anthropology
Expected Graduation: Spring 2007
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Current Employment: Jamie is employed on
campus with Cougars Helping Enhance the Community (CHEC) |
Current Volunteer
Activities: Jamie is the
coordinator of Alternative Spring Break 2005 to Washington, D.C. where
volunteers will work with an organization called Food and Friends that helps prepare
and deliver meals to people in the D.C. area who are suffering from
life-threatening illnesses. Jamie is also a Breakfast Buddy at
Memminger Elementary School in downtown Charleston. |
Previous Volunteer Activities:
Jamie
worked with the MLK Challenge last year and also coordinated
Alternative Spring Break 2004 to Boone, N.C. where volunteers partnered
with a non-profit organization called Shelter Rock. The Shelter
Rock facility located near Boone is used to ship, receive and
distribute donations of food, medical supplies, and clothing. |
What do you enjoy about communty
service? I love being an
advocate, but not in the way people typically think. I feel like
the best way to be an advocate is to lead by example, and doing service
is the best way to do that. Service opens your eyes to so many
social issues in your own community and gives you the chance to do
something about it. It's all about knowledge, understanding and
open-mindedness. |
What have you learned about yourself
through volunteering? A lot. I've
learned that you can't change the world, which can be
disheartening. But, you can make new relationships with members
of your community you might not have spoken to before and you can learn
to appreciate and accept your neighbors. I think people forget
about the "community" part of
service. As a result from becoming aware of more issues in my
community, I've developed a stronger sense of self.
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How do you think your friends or
co-workers would describe you? A
perfectionist! My friends would describe me as a little nutty,
but very friendly. Lauren Collier, Student Involvement/Service Learning
Coordinator, says, "Jamie is not just smart. She is
creative, committed, compassionate, and professional beyond her
years. She is the kind of person that you want on your team."
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What would you tell
someone who is thinking about volunteering? It's great for
people to get involved! |
Most memorable volunteer experience(s)?
On Alternative Spring Break
last year we worked with an organization dealing with rural poverty
relief. We had been doing mostly grunt work like cleaning,
organizing clothes, filling bags with food and stomping around in
dumpsters to squash truckloads of garbage. We were asked to join
the community for dinner and a worship service. We were totally
exhausted from the day's work and seeing the immediate effects of our
work was pretty incredible. I remember being at the church
service and being completely overwhelmed. It was one of those
moments that you really can't describe, but you just feel like laughing
and sobbing all at the same time. The icing on the cake though
was when we were told that the people we had just been working so hard
to serve had just returned from a mission trip of sorts to West
Virginia where they passed out clothes and food to people who needed it
just as badly as they did. It was pretty incredible. |
What are you most
proud of contributing to your organization? I'm very proud of
the CHEC Center. As with any new organization, you crash and burn
occasionally, but what I am most proud of is how we turn those
frustratinig moments into learning experiences. You have to enjoy
the good moments and learn from the bad. When all is said and
done, we have accomplished more in one year than I ever thought
possible. |
What are your plans after graduation?
I hope to join the Peace
Corp after graduation and I want to continue being involved with
organizations around the community. I also have hopes of graduate
school and possibly medical school in the future. |
