House of Hospitality-BRITNEY JONES

I volunteered at House of Hospitality here in Charleston. House of Hospitality provides a place for people to stay at because they are at a disadvantage. There are two families living in the house along with two single women. One of the families has two young children and when I was talking to the mom she had told me she does not have family. She is from Indiana and her boyfriend lives in Casey. The other family is a single mom with two young boys. One of her boys has Autism, but is very bright and such a sweet boy. The two single women who live at the house were out looking for jobs while I was volunteering. They have many volunteers that come to the house everyday to help with chores and to visit with the families. There is one guy who stays at the house with all the families to make sure it is a safe environment at all times for the families to be there. It is a beautiful, old, historic house and has been nicely renovated. It has a very home feeling as soon as you walk in. Most of the furniture was either donated or bought and they continue take donations by the generous people of the Charleston community.

            The service reflected concepts learned in the current FCS 4840 because all semester we have talked about disadvantage families and to volunteer at a place where families are in need was an awesome feeling. I met all the families who lived at the house and all of their stories were very different. Some had no family while the others do but do not talk to them. Also, the one family who has the son with special needs struggles to pay medical bills. With such high expenses of these bills money has put her at a disadvantage. She told me she does have a job and it is very hard for her to meet everyday expenses. The other family who has two young children and has no family. She was very open about her life; her children’s father abused her. She has no job and relies on him for support to buy their children clothes and pay for her phone bills. I feel so bad that she feels like she has to be with him because he helps pay for clothes and bills. I could not tell her my advice because we just met and I felt that would be inappropriate but I wanted to tell her you do not need someone in your life you mistreats you. My heart felt for this young mom and I want her to realize she does not need a guy like that. The other two women who live at the house are experiencing how horrible our economy is. There are no jobs out there and it is hard to find a job. These women not having a job puts them at a disadvantage because they cannot have an apartment of their own, they need to rely on the community to support them.

            I gained a whole new respect for people when volunteering at the House of Hospitality. I think it is very brave for all these families to look for help and reach out to the community. I feel as if I would have too much pride and not want to reach out to the community because I would feel as if I had fail in life. I think it is great that these families are getting the care they need. I never try to judge anyone because I would not anyone to judge me, and I now know to just always assume diversity. I am very grateful that I have a loving and supportive family. I know in any time of need I can always count on my family. Also, it made me open my eyes even more that there are so many people struggling in this world to survive every day. I wish I could help everyone in need but having a place like House of Hospitality gives a chance to people who are in need. It is great that people in the community are willing to help.

            All the people who volunteer at House of Hospitality or donate goods are helping out in every way. I think providing a house for people in need brings the community together and make the community stronger. Also, it is times in need that bring out the best in people and make you feel good about yourself. I hope that the House of hospitality will be around for a very long time and will continue to help a lot of families who are in need. Hopefully it will continue to have a huge effect on the community and another house will be used for families in need.

            I loved volunteering at the House of Hospitality. Before I got to go volunteer I had to go to the Newman Catholic Center to be trained for two hours before I could go to the house. After I went through training I was able to volunteer. The training was two hours long and I watched two sad videos about child abuse. I would go through the training again if I had to because I felt so good afterwards knowing I was going to help people in need. I did not change the world but I sat and talked to these families and was able to just give them my time. This was a wonderful experience and I am very sad to be graduating because I would love to volunteer again next year. I hope that the Charleston community continues to help people in need. I also hope that God will guide these families to help them make right decisions and to answer their prayers.