Service

Elder Aid

As apart of the Elder Aid committee, I was able to partake in and help organize an event last winter that strengthened my passion for the organization and for public service. Each year Elder Aid provides Christmas wish lists to their tenants and local organizations and individuals from the community can sponsor an elder and donate Christmas presents from their wish lists. One of our service events last semester included sponsoring the remaining 16 tenants and volunteering/decorating for their Christmas party. As a team lead, I facilitated the communication between our group and Elder Aid, transcribed all of the wish list items into a shareable Google Doc, and spread the word to ask for donations from Bush School faculty, staff, students, and also outside organizations. A week before the Christmas party a fellow team lead and I went shopping for one of the wish lists with our funds allocated from PSO, collected all of the donations, and individually wrapped over 85 donated gifts. On December 20^th I arrived an hour early to deliver all of the gifts and help set up for the party. I was invited to stay for the duration of the party, and it was incredible to be able to see the joy on everyone’s faces and to be able to meet some of the amazing tenants and volunteers that make Elder Aid the great organization it is today.

Contributions

I think one of the most valued contributions to the project was my persistence and exploring several avenues to obtain donations for the wish lists. Our team created a Facebook event page and I posted it on the Class of 2020 page as well. I also sent a faculty, staff, and student-wide email to those at the Bush School explaining the nature of the event, Elder Aid’s mission, and how anyone can donate. I also reached out to the public and was able to receive donations from the company CForce, located in Navasota. These efforts led us to collect over 85 gifts for the elderly tenants. Lastly, I think the most valuable contribution was being there for the Christmas party on December 20^th. I not only got to help set up for the party and meet the full staff at Elder Aid, but I got to interact and play games with the tenants. Being able to see the joy on their faces, while having fun meeting new, friendly people, opened my eyes to how incredible this organization is and how I will stay connected even after I am no longer in PSO.

Professional Development

My involvement in PSO and specifically this service event with Elder Aid has reiterated and strengthened my interest in serving my local community and giving back to those in need. I began my graduate career interested in state or federal government, but my experiences with Elder Aid in combination with my studies have led me to pursue a career in local government. I have already talked to the executive director of Elder Aid about continuing my involvement with the organization after I graduate, and I am eager to stay closely connected to an organization that has such a huge impact on the community.

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