As part of our capstone project for the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington, D.C., a semester school I attended last year, each student was asked to set up a social venture project. We could set up any club or organization that would help the greater community. Because the Club for Christ takes monthly trips to Pomona Promise, a local church that feeds the homeless, I figured I could use the connections I’ve already made. As we prepared to have our projects presented to the partnering Ashoka (a global citizen sector), I began to think about why I picked Pomona Promise to be part of my social venture project.
As I thought of our
trips to Pomona Promise, I knew that handing out food was not enough. Every
time my fellow peers and I take a trip there, we usually sit down to talk to
the people we meet. I suddenly realized that it’s the communicative experience
that makes the trip precious. People with no jobs, no homes, no family will
open up and tell us about their experiences – they come from all walks of life.
I came to realize
that this isn’t about “us” helping “them.” We have learned so much from the
homeless. They have taught us lessons learned in the past, hardships they have
endured, and the perseverance to keep going, when shelter is something they
can’t afford.
We have gained so
much from volunteering at Pomona Promise. It’s not about staying in the kitchen
to prepare the food, rather, it’s talking to the people who have experienced
much more than most of us will ever know. This social venture is dedicated to
blogging the stories of the many men and women we have met, starting with the
weekly pastor of Pomona Promise himself, Craig Chisolm. Visit the blog
dedicated to my project: http://home4thehomeless.blogspot.com/
- By Yiwa Lau
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