Community Commitment day is a day where students and faculty alike gather to participate in a day of service. It is one of the largest community service events held on a college campus. Being able to participate has been extremely beneficial in many ways. The Community Commitment Day was held on August, 25th, 2018 and the group that I was in went to Goodwill.
I never imagined that going to Goodwill and doing tasks such as pricing items, disassembling shoe racks, organizing clothes, and unpacking boxes could affect a workplace so much. However, the woman that oversaw the location was so happy that volunteers were there to help her. I realized that even small tasks, like taking shoes off a rack and putting them away, could make a huge difference in a work place. Also, the manager had so much passion in what she was doing, which was infectious. She told us about Goodwill’s mission, which is essentially to help families and individuals by strengthening the community, providing opportunities, and helping people reach their full potential through learning and work. Goodwill is committed to inclusion and diversity.
Something that surprised me was the fact that the items found in Goodwill stores are not all donated from local people. Some of their products come from other stores that have want to give away other products. I never knew that some of the items sold at Goodwill are of new condition.
Looking at the experience in relation to international affairs, Goodwill is committed to inclusion and diversity. The company itself promotes the inclusion of many different people. The company prides itself in their mission to meet the needs of all job seekers. In fact, Goodwill has helped people train for careers in industries like banking, health career, etc. They get people the support they need, like English language training, education, etc. After realizing that Goodwill did this, my perspective on the company changed drastically and I began to truly appreciate Goodwill, not only for the fact that the sell donated items, but because their mission is overwhelmingly empowering.
I gained so much from going to Goodwill and helping the workers. To name one, I could enhance my teamwork through community service. Recently, in my engineering class, there was a discussion on teamwork and social intelligence. From this discussion, I gathered that participating in volunteer events can enhance ones’ teamwork and social intelligence. The reasoning behind this is that volunteer work strengthens community. Teamwork is a civic strength in that it requires a healthy community life to promote successful interaction and belongingness.
I also gained a lot in a personal sense from the experience. I felt satisfied afterwards. The feeling of giving back to a community is one that cannot be undermined. I could feel connected to the community. Also, the passion that the workers exuded, from the way they would sing in the backroom to how they cheered for us when we walked in, brought about a sense of community and connectedness. The act of helping itself also energized myself. Community Commitment Day is towards the beginning of the semester, so it helped to energize and renew myself for and from school. Participating in Community Commitment Day was a great experience.