For my third co-op I am continuing to work for the Yellow Springs Senior Center. As I have stated in my earlier post from last co-op “They are a non-profit that aims to “enhance the dignity, independence and quality of life for seniors in the Yellow Springs and Miami Township and to foster interaction among them and with the total community“” I have continued to work for this non-profit because I truly believe in this place and the good they are doing. Everyday I see firsthand that they are accomplishing their goal. They have truly gotten their seniors engaged in their community and with each other. The group events have continually growing numbers, the transportation system sees seniors to places that without us would have been hard to get to, and I even see more and more people getting help from the support services manager. The way the organization helps these seniors is truly something special.
When I proposed this co-op I was told that it would be difficult and that it would take a lot to keep it fresh and interesting for me but I still have yet to find a dull moment and I attribute a lot of that to the people that surround me at the center. The members and faculty have truly made my life a richer place to be. Everyday I have exchanges with members and faculty alike where they tell me about their life, their weekend, or even just a tiny fun fact that they heard. They then ask about my life and genuinely care about my answer. For example, one week a senior was working on a puzzle and we had an exchange where we discussed that I prefer crosswords to puzzle and next week when I arrived at my desk there was a book of crossword challenges waiting for me. It is little those little things that truly make me feel welcomed and valued and makes it worth staying for.
My boss has also kept this job interesting for me by giving me more responsibilities and tasks to work on. This quarter she has me engaging in Yellow Springs Giving Tuesday. Giving Tuesday “is a day where organizations around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving. Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. This year the Yellow Springs Senior Center will participate with two dozen other nonprofits in Yellow Springs to coordinate a local #YSGivingTuesdaycampaign. Held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, November 28 is your opportunity to kick-off the holiday season by giving to your favorite local nonprofit(s).”
The Yellow Springs Community Foundation is the organizer of the Yellow Springs Giving Tuesday. However, each non-profit is expected to help out to a certain extent and The Yellow Springs Senior Center has generously offered to be the Giving Tuesday headquarters. However, our executive director is going to be on vacation and has left me in charge of helping the Yellow Springs Community Foundation with the event. For this event I have worked on advertising on social media, communication with some community members, and helped sett up the building for the event. It was truly an amazing event and by the end of it we raised over $40,000! Even though we did not raise as much as last year it was still quite an accomplishment and I felt proud to be a part of it. I think this was an amazing co-op and I would not trade the experience for anything.
(These are the results as posted from the Yellow Springs Community Foundation)
