A Day of Service in Wider Circle.

On Monday, January 20th, I attended the AU's first big event of the Spring Semester, namely commemorating MLK's birth and service days. Fortunately, the weather was sunny and moderate. The AU students gathered together at the Tavern Community Hall where we had a quick breakfast with refreshments. There were four tables representing four off-campus locations each of which a group of the attendees was supposed to bound for.  It took the students roughly half an hour to choose their preferred locations and sign up for them, and afterwards all of us sat to listen to a presentation by  Tim Staples who recounted the most important milestones in the African-American history till the Civil rights movement. It was really informative lecture, and we enjoyed it. Oops, I forgot to tell you that I signed up with a group who were heading to the 'Wider Circle' a Nonprofit or community Organization. They  undertake outreach work and lifting some of the burdens on the people who live in abject poverty and striving to make ends meet. They provide basic need items to families transitioning out of shelters or simply living without life's necessities.

We rode the bus to our destination 'The wider Circle'. We were welcomed by the assistant director of the organization. She gave us sheets to write down our contact information and other stuff. Then the director came to speak to us. He greeted our initiative to come and participate at their activities. He started to tell us a little bit about the 'Wider Circle's mission and visions. He divided us to groups of volunteers for certain tasks. One of the interesting things he told us about the 'Wider Circle' distinct policies of giving succor is the following: "… for example, you see this section that is full of clothes of every stripes. When somebody who is in need of clothing assistance stops by, we cordially welcome them, and make them feel as though they are in a public store to buy whatever they want. We give them the impression that we are all connected to each other and responsible for one another. We are not only helping them but we are helping ourselves too by overcoming our desires and the feeling of self-centeredness which our society is plagued by. We tell them we don't have a maximum of how many items a person can take, but rather we have a minimum instead. i.e. a person should at least pick up two items. We spare no effort to give them the items as new as they were."

After the above-mentioned brief account, you will think on that day I worked in the clothes section . In reality, I was in the furniture one. We moved tones of heavy furniture including TVs, set-top boxes and Desk lamp J .   'Wider Circle' accepts all kind of old and necessary furniture items from the donors. There are a staff responsible for revamping, repairing and decorate them. In fact, 'Wider circle' receive daily thousands of furniture donations to be stocked up in their very huge storehouse. People who are of low-incomes and are not able to afford to furnish their apartments comes to pick up the items after being mutated from old to brand new ones. There are many families who are expressing their gratitude and indebtedness to the 'Wider Circle's by volunteering to furnish other's houses who are in the future will help in alleviating a tremendous burden on the recently married poor people like themselves. The salutary lesson I got from this day is we all can contribute to draw a smile on the face of desperate family. Don't belittle the smile, an hour of your time in which you move some furniture to a house of a poor family or even sharing a story of a family that was rescued from falling into despair and giving them a glimpse of hope instead. A little amount of our time and our effort can make a considerable, unimaginable difference in the process of change. It lies in our hands the decision to make MLK's Day a springboard to conducting several days of services in our lives. They will be for sure the most important days that we will cherish and indelibly affect our character; and who knows perhaps one of us will beat the record of conducting days of services in their lives, or be remembered with goodness after their demise.  In short, no words can describe how that day has left a very deep impact on me. It was a day of reciprocating help, love and all the sublime feelings.