"We smuggle Jesus into the prison in cookies."

Dr. Tom Osborne came to speak at forum this week.  He was a professor of European history at UNA for 34 years, and he gets involved in the community because of his faith.  He told us that he was "reluctantly forced by inner and outer pressures" to become involved with the community.  He used to be very reluctant to do community work and would have to force himself to do it (because he knew it was the right thing to do, I assume).  It's human nature to be reluctant to do volunteer work.  But he also said that he always found a blessing out of volunteering while he was doing it.  Him saying that really hit me because that's exactly how I feel about volunteer work.  I am always reluctant to get started and dread having to go do it, but as soon as I'm there and I get started doing work, I always end up enjoying it so much more than I thought I would.  For example, I've spent a few hours at the Salvation Army these past couple weeks.  Everyday, before I get to the store, I don't want to go.  I would much rather go home and not worry about having to do volunteer hours.  But as soon as I get started doing my work (I've been dusting and organizing shelves so far), I really enjoy it.  I enjoy it because I know that I'm helping the employees of the store so they don't have to spend their time doing necessary but time-consuming work.  By me doing this work, the employees have more time to spend sorting and pricing clothing and goods, which is the reason they are really there.  Dr. Osborne said that practice is how to overcome the reluctance of volunteering, so hopefully my reluctance will disappear over time.

Anyway, Dr. Osborne serves as a deacon in the Episcopal Church.  His job is to "serve the poor and the needy," and he helps the church to engage needs in the community.  He has been involved with a prison ministry called Kairos for fifteen years.  Kairos is an organized, international, and interdenominational program that organizes a team and then spends all day with a group of prisoners for 3 1/2 days.  Kairos is the Greek word for "time" or, more specifically, "special time."  Dr. Osborne described this time in prison as God's special time.  The team does not leave the prison alone after the weekend; they make monthly visits back to the prison to see the prisoners.  They spend their time pouring love on these hard time inmates, something most of the people in these prisons have never had, and he said that he has seen some of the hardest, meanest prisoner's lives transformed through this program.

Dr. Osborne said the reason he got involved with this ministry is because in Matthew 25, Jesus tells us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in strangers, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those in prison.  He had done all of the things on that list but visit those in prison.  He admitted that he did not want to get involved at first and that his resistance last two years, but he finally gave way to his resistance and found his joy.  He is now a Kairos junkie and has to go get his fix now and again.

He is also involved with the Help Center, which was founded 28 years ago by the churches in Lauderdale county and provides direct assistance to Lauderdale county residents.  They provide food, clothing, heat, and help pay medical and utility bills for those who can't afford it.  The Help Center is run entirely by volunteers.  Dr. Osborne became president of the board five years ago.  He said that one reason he really enjoys working with the Help Center is because 80% of the people he talks to as a Chaplin at the Help Center talk about the devastation of drugs on families...and 80% of people in prison are there because of drugs.  He finds that these two ministries are not so different after all.  I actually thought about volunteering here, but seeing as how they are only open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8-12, it was sort of impossible.

Dr. Osborne left us with a piercing question: where is your joy?  Not happiness, not pleasure, but joy.  I had to think about it for a second, but one place where I find joy is in my family.  I really love it when I get to spend time with them.  I also find my joy in Christ, my Savior who I always know has me in His arms when things are seemingly going wrong.

Dr. Osborne was definitely one of my favorite speakers this semester.  It was refreshing to hear from someone whose job is to reach out to those in need.

"I know I'm right every time, but I always like to be confirmed."

Mr. John Rusevlyan, the owner of Weichert/ProSouth Realty and the Immediate Past President of the Florence Rotary Club spoke at forum this week.  He has been a Realtor since 2005 and started his own business in 2008, which means he has seen nothing but hard times in the housing market.  Therefore, because of the recession, he learned not to waste, which he says is the new way of thinking in our society.  People have to constantly keep an eye on where their resources are going.

Change happens but knowing what we can do help direct is a good thing.  We have to begin getting involved with our community at a young age if we want to make a difference.

The Rotary Club was founded in 1905 as the world's first service club.  The organization was started as a place where men could fellowship together.  The club now has over 33,000 clubs in 200+ countries and 1.2 million members.  The club also serves as a networking opportunity.

Their responsibilities are to increase membership, participate in service projects, support the rotary club financially, and develop leaders capable of serving beyond the club level.  The responsibility of individual members is service, recruitment and retention, and attendance (you've got to participate!).

The Rotary Club offers professorial diversity, which enhances the club's social atmosphere.  People in different careers have different mindsets, and when they all get together, there's a plethora of different ideas and ways to look a problems.

The objects of the Rotary Club are as follows:

• encourage and foster idea of service
• getting to know people, even a little bit, is a opportunity for service
• get involved!  "It takes money, but it also takes people."
• set high ethical standards in businesses and professions (integrity)
• apply ideal service in all aspects of life by being consistent in what you do and how you do it
• advance international understanding, goodwill, and peace through businesses around the world
• "improve health, support education, and alleviate poverty"

Mr. Rusevlyan mentioned many times that fellowship, along with service, is a huge part of the rotary club.  The club offers a place where different people can get together on a regular basis to discuss improving life in their community.

"Sometimes we make things way to hard."

The Rotary Club saw a need and acted on it--polio.  They began PolioPlus, which is a cause to get rid of the polio disease.  They took this challenge on in the early 80s.  Many people were scared to get involved and some didn't have the time.  But someone who isn't scared is the one who can make a difference in the world.  Since then, about 2 billion children under the age of 5 have been vaccinated and only 3 countries in the world are left to get the vaccination, but those countries will not allow the Rotary Club in the boarders for religious reasons. 

The local cause of the Rotary Club in Florence is called the Shoals Scholar Dollars.  This program will pay for students to attend Northwest Shoals Community College for twos years.  The students have to have a 2.5 GPA and be a generally good kid with a financial need to qualify.  Although this idea has met lots of resentment, the club knew they had to start something, somewhere.  They have been raising money for the last few years and are prepared to start this program for 2014 seniors.  

Mr. Rusevlyan gave us the Four Way Test, which is the way they always end their meetings.  But these questions can also be used in everyday life to question decisions that we make:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

As humans, we hold on to what we think works.  Many organizations do not cater to young people, but even though we haven't been invited to get involved, we shouldn't wait.  We should make it a point to get involved ourself.  We cannot wait for something, we have to make something happen.  

Mr. Rusevlyan gave us two pieces of advice:

Be adaptive.

Know you're good and be willing to work. 

Service Update:

I volunteered at the Salvation Army last week for a couple of hours and I'm going back this week.  I'm up to about 5 hours of service and will probably finish pretty soon.

"Hurricane Sandy is not in the budget."

Our speaker at forum this week was supposed to be Elizabeth Moore from Red Cross.  However, with Hurricane Sandy causing devastation across the Northeast last week, she is staying very busy.  So our director, Dr. Vince Brewton, told us a little bit about the Red Cross instead.

The Red Cross has four main functions (three of which I knew about already):

1. Disaster Relief-  The Red Cross provides relief from hurricanes, tornadoes, house fire, etc.  For example, Red Cross is a huge presence in New York and New Jersey at the moment.  There are so many people without power in need of food, water, and bed that need help, and Red Cross is one organization that helps them.  Red Cross also helped out after the April 27 tornadoes that ravaged north Alabama last year by handing out food and water and clothes. 
2. Training- Red Cross provides training for lifeguards, first aid, CPR, white water rescue, and babysitting.  
3. Blood Collectors- This is the first thing that always comes to my mind when I think of Red Cross.  At Russellville High School, the National Honor Society hosted a blood drive each January.  I gave blood my senior year.  Besides kinda freaking out a little bit, everything was cool!  But giving blood is good...I just need to work up the courage to do it again. 
4. Official liaison between the public and those in military service- Okay, this one I didn't know about.  But I think it's great.  Those who have family members serving in the military need a way to be guaranteed contact with their loved ones.  Red Cross is where they can turn when they cannot get in contact with their loved ones any other way. 

I also learned that the Red Cross operates under different names when in different countries.  When they are in a country with a mostly Muslim population, they use the Red Crescent, and in countries with a large Jewish population, they use the Red Diamond.      

This year, I helped with the Huff 'n Puff on the Bluff 15K and had a lot of fun.  I intend to help again next year as well.  

In other news, unrelated to the Red Cross, Vince talked a lot about people who don't keep their word, such as paid executives who decide that working for a non-profit organization is not worth their time.  He encouraged us to hang around with any organization that drags its feet.  These organizations meet a need, and if we want to meet that same need, we could either start our own organization (and divide the resources) or wait.  He also encouraged us to keep an eye on the integrity of the company we are volunteering for.

I'm probably going to volunteer at the soup kitchen, as soon as I figure out where it is, and find the time to do so.  I'm also still interested in volunteering with the Salvation Army and possibly a couple other places.  Thankfully, my weekend job just cut Saturdays off the week, so my Saturdays are now open again.  But I'm probably still gonna have to volunteer sometime during the week since I go home every weekend.  I'll keep you updated!

"I feel like an old man...worried about the trash can on the street. What have I become!?"

The speaker at forum this week was definitely the opposite of an old man.  Mr. Bradley Dean is the creative director/photographer/designer/graphic designer/whatever at Billy Reid, Inc.  He graduated from UNA, where he was able to make connections to help him out in his professional life.  His job is to help Billy Reid, Inc. compete successfully in a world with a New York mindset...while being in Muscle Shoals.

Mr. Dean is a young man who has gotten involved in the community by helping out in places he is interested in.  He proposed the question of how you make change in the area you live in.  One of the ways he answered that question was working.  He encouraged us to pour hard work into our working lives.  Billy Reid encourages volunteerism in his company.  One example of how he is promoting a better environment is going in withjAlabama Channin to produce completely organic cotton.  This cotton field also helps promote local living, instead of having to truck supplies in from cross-country. 

Mr. Dean accidentally got involved in civic engagement by renovating his house.  He lives in a historic house in downtown Florence.  When he began renovating his house, he was concerned by the fact that no one asked him what he was doing.  What if he had totally destroyed the historic home?  He became a part of the Heritage Preservation Inc., which promotes historic preservation.  They attempt to regulate home renovations and downtown renovations in Florence.  By becoming involved with this group (just by showing up to a meeting!), Mr. Dean realized that being civically involved allows him to keep an eye out for his community and to get a hand in to help. 

Mr. Dean is also involved with the Florence Historical Board, where he realized there was a need for a historical check board to make sure someone was watching renovations in downtown Florence.  Downtown Florence Unlimited helps with traffic, commerce, and promoting social activities such as First Fridays.  He also heads desgin on the Florence Website Committee.  Mr. Dean enjoys getting involved and coming up with new ideas to keep downtown Florence alive and well.

Mr. Dean reminded us, once again, to get involved doing something you love.  I really liked his volunteer engagements because they were unique and different from anything else we've heard this semester.  

He also reminded us that we don't all have to be a leader.  For someone to be a leader, they must have followers, and sometimes being the first follower is better than being the leader.  Because the first follower turns one lone nut into a leader.  I could go on and on about the awesomeness of being the first follower and putting yourself on the line along with the leader, but I think I'm just going to be cliche and show this video:

Being the first follower appeals to me because I don't like to stand alone.  But I am willing to stand with another person.  

Mr. Dean reminded us that we don't always have to be a leader.  We're young, and we have a lot to learn.  We can learn by listening and soaking up what the older people are talking about.  A young person in a leadership role must listen to the older people.  

He also talked a lot about a strong community.  Communities need tons of investment to get them started and to keep them sustained.  Mr. Dean believes that the future of this country is centralized downtowns with culture and heritage.  That is one reason why he is so involved in downtown Florence.  He saw a problem, got involved, and worked to fix it.  

Mr. Dean was a good speaker.  It was obvious he was nervous, but that made his lecture authentic.