A few weeks ago, Spencer West visited my school (The Latin School of Chicago) and gave us a brief talk. It wasn’t a lecture, nor was it a series didactic advice about how to live our lives. Spencer just talked to us about his childhood, how he got involved with leadership/charity organizations and most important of all, how he’s able to keep a perfectly optimistic and fresh outlook all the time.

Yes the man doesn’t have any feet. He was born that way. The doctor said he has no hopes — certainly how can anyone live a normal life if he cannot even do something as simple as stand up straight or kick a ball? The doctor was wrong. Spencer’s parents believed that he could live, grow and become a respected man. And that is who he is today – respected, known, valued and loved.

Things had not always been easy for him, of course. Back in high school, he was bullied by bigger kids. He was called a f*g when he could only hang out with girls (Spencer couldn’t do any sports) He smiled and told us at our assembly: “I just didn’t get it. They called me a f*g when I was the one with all the ladies!” Spencer also has an awesome sense of humor and that’s partly why he is so optimistic and happy.

After being convinced by a friend to go on a trip to Africa, Spencer decided that he’d commit his life to helping the less fortunate. He finds meaning in helping these impoverished, homeless children. He truly cares about them and they absolutely love him. I almost cried when I saw the video of his trip when he was surrounded by a dozen African kids all trying to hug and be closer to him.

Spencer concluded his story time with us by telling us to stand up and high five the 2 people sitting next to each of us. His point was to be open to and embrace the difference of everyone around us. I felt very good highfiving the two people sitting next to me. It was very awkward, and weird, but also really liberating.

Before leaving, Spencer also told us to note down who or what we are thankful for at the end of each week. It’s a good way to keep track of our lives and to always remember who and what are meaningful to us.

Thanksgiving wasn’t long ago and Xmas is coming. This is a good time of the year for us to look back and just think about who has touched our lives the most. So guys, who are you thankful for? I hope it wouldn’t take you too long to answer that.

Happy weekend.

Quyen Nguyen

The Latin School of Chicago ’12

Team EVSS #5 – International Health

December 4th 2010

© quyennguyen for East Villagers Non-Profit Community News, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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turn on the lights as soon as you walk into a room

without thinking

no candles, no fire

reach him thousands of miles away through a simple phone call

no letter that took weeks to arrive

let alone the weeks it took to receive his response

a simple drive-thru to pick up fast food

made by machines

no hunting, no cooking

food that your entire family created with their own hands

enter a battle halfway across the world

it starts immediately, live on TV

no word of mouth from merchant on ship to traveler on horseback

for months before the news broke

that’s the way love used to be for generations

darling, it was not impulsive…

it was a longing…

love meant waiting

love meant time

nature is not defined by the sudden

night exists so that you can sleep,

so that the whole world can replenish

the sun rises gradually, slowly in the morning

when you are sick, it takes time to heal

darling, God even set aside nine entire months to create you

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

i once walked as far as i could into the woods

i wanted to get lost

trying to forget from where i came

and not thinking about where i was going

as far away as i could from everyone and everything

the thoughts moved as fast as the feet that moved me

nothing could stop my restlessness

but darling, rest…

for when i finally did stop, i saw one of the most beautiful scenes i have ever seen:three deer that i would have scared away if i had kept walking

we try so hard to make it work out the first time

we become desperate

we want happily ever after without the patience which that requires

in the midst of obstacles that will no doubt arise during our lives

the absence of patience leads to giving upto conflict

we never learn to persevere through the hard times

because we have never been patient

we are bound by the fear of abandonment instead

darling, the Lord has better plans than your own will

than your ever-changing emotions, thoughts, impulses

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

the irony of life is that nothing belongs to us

our bodies are not our own

the ones we care most about are not our own

even our purpose for living is not our own

from dust we came and to dust we shall return

everything we see, everything we are:

they are precious gifts from God

darling, treasure them…

for they will not always be there

you are abusing the gift you were blessed with: your very body and soul

the gift will be so much more precious if you stop acting on rash impulse

russian roulette

spoiling the gift with frequent use

you are not an animal

what you do with your body cannot be separated from your soul

darling, true love will wait

for however long is necessary

lust will not…

no one ever said that would be easy

but darling, when was life ever easy?

slow down…

darling, calm down…

for you act as if you die tomorrow

do you fear the future, the unknown, that much?

if you live each day as if it is the last, your actions become selfish

your desires are met immediately

whenever and wherever you want them

darling, patience…

© Karina for East Villagers Non-Profit Community News, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
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It has been three years since I have graduated from high school. I think back to the variety of service activities in which I participated. What did I learn from them? Or is it even necessary to “learn” anything from a service activity? Isn’t its primary goal to benefit other individuals? When I first started high school, I joined my best friend to volunteer in a retirement home. It began as something we could do together to get our mandatory community service hours. But looking back on it now, I realize a deeper importance. Only my immediate family lives in the United States, so I have had a limited relationship with my grandparents. I did not learn how to interact with elderly generations until I volunteered at the retirement home. Although it sounds like an terrible cliche, I realized that my generation and this generation that was my age during World War II are not as disparate as I first believed. Sometimes the men would share tidbits of their experiences in the war and even talk about their first loves. I wish I could have spent enough time there to develop a close relationship with the residents, but I did not. However, simply spending a couple of hours a week enjoying music, poems and Bingo together, I learned to appreciate this generation that is gradually leaving us with time. As for the residents, I hope that I was able to lighten up their lives a little bit, especially those who did not have many visitors.

The volunteer activities that I did in high school were sporadic and often unrelated to one another. Often, the same  project is emphasized as truly worthy of pursuing. I myself tend to emphasize my work with the disabled orphans in China as my signature service involvement. But looking back now, that is not what service should be. It should be our daily interactions.

Think about all the people you know in your life. You met them at different points in your life. They don’t all know one another. Some of them are more difficult to get along with than your other acquaintances. Service should be a daily, continual lifestyle approach. Like the people in our lives, some tasks may be more difficult than others. But we each have a limited time frame to interact with the people in our lives because we never know exactly what the future holds. How others will view us will depend on our behavior toward them; that will become our legacy.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. // 1 Peter 4:10

© Karina for East Villagers Non-Profit Community News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: altruism, community service, Service, Service Scholars

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What is it? The EV Service Scholar Internship Program is a one year online interactive program focused on helping young service scholars develop an in-depth knowledge of global issues, social injustices, and solutions.

What can interns gain from the program? Interns can earn community service hours, gain an in-depth knowledge about non-profit work globally, develop life-long writing skills, and receive a $1000 scholarship at the conclusion of the program to donate to a cause of their choice or to use the scholarship to attend a humanitarian project with an NGO to gain first-hand experience. 

What will interns do? Interns will join the EV Non-Profit Editorial Team and write blog articles on topic of your interest weekly (3 per week during the summer and 1 per week during the school year). You will also work on our NGO Database and Social Marketing. 

What is the job description and requirements? This program is online and at the comfort of your room. Summer: 10 hours per week. School Year: 5 hours per week. We have weekly Intern Meetings for 1 hour. 

The application deadline is Saturday, July 31, 2010, 11:59 pm PST.

Online Application: https://eastvillagers.wufoo.com/forms/ev-service-scholar-internship-program/

© Peter for East Villagers Non-Profit Community News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
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Click here for the 2011 Contest. This is the first year the East Villagers Non-Profit Community is offering a chance for young service scholars within the local community to express their passion for community service through essay writing and art.  Our goal is to promote a spirit of volunteerism among the younger generation around the world.  Winners from Northern California will be invited to read their essays at the annual Service Scholar Award Celebration hosted by the Ping & Amy Chao Family Foundation.  Students must complete 5 hours of community service and fill out the Service Requirement Form to provide proof.  All students enrolled in schools Kindergarten through High School in the United States and Canada are eligible to apply.

Choose one of the following prompts to write an essay:

Prompt 1: Please share a volunteer experience and its impact on your life.

Prompt 2: Why is community service important in your life?

Prompt 3: Share about an experience when someone helped you and how it impacted your life.

Poster Theme: Having Fun, Helping Others

Community Service Requirement: All applicants must complete 5 hours of community service and show proof of service to quality for the contest.

Contest Deadline: Monday, May 31, 2010, 5:00pm P.S.T.

High School (1000 – 1500 words)

Middle School (500 – 750 words)

KG – Grade 5 Poster Contest (Maximum Size 16″ x 20″)

Awards

High School (9-12th Grade)

1st Place $500, 2nd Place $350, 3rd Place $150

Middle School (6-8th Grade)

1st Place $300, 2nd Place $200, 3rd Place $75

Elementary School (KG – 5th Grade)

1st Place $100, 2nd Place $75, 3rd Place $50

Submission Instructions

1. Essay entries must be posted as a blog entry on www.eastvillagers.org.  Click the sign up button at the top to register.

2. Contest Entry Form & Service Requirement Form, and original essay copy should be mailed to 800 High Street, Suite 408, Palo Alto, CA 94301 or faxed to (650) 323-2179.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is this open to only Northern California students? No, this is open to all students enrolled in K-12 throughout the United States and Canada.

2. How do I post a blog entry? Click create a blog entry at the top.

3. Why are there funny codes on my blog entry? First paste your word document into notepad, and then paste it into the blog editor to clear word formatting.

4. I am confused about the instructions, what am I supposed to do? Two simple steps: a) Mail the paper application, service requirement, and paper essay to us b) Post your essay as a blog entry

5. Can I send in past certificates and proof of community service instead of getting more signatures for the service requirement? Yes.

Please email eastvillagers@gmail.com or call (650) 924-1104 for more information.

This Contest is Sponsored by the Ping & Amy Chao Family Foundation to Promote a Spirit of Volunteerism Among the Younger Generation.

© Peter for East Villagers Non-Profit Community News, 2010. | Permalink | 34 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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