Voices from Inside: California - día tres (Day 3)

As Rutgers students you won't find most of us up before 11AM while on winter break, but service should always come before self. And for that reason we began our day at 7AM prepping food for a local soup kitchen and church named GLIDE.

As quoted on their website: 

GLIDE's mission is to create a radically inclusive, just and loving community mobilized to alleviate suffering and break the cycles of poverty and marginalization (www.glide.org). 

Be sure to check out their website to see all of the amazing services they offer to the heart of the community in San Francisco. Through many group discussions we talked about Mazlow's hierarchy of needs and how basic necessities such as food and shelter must be met before any self-actualization can happen to improve your life. Glide is doing just that by providing meals 364 days out of the year (they are even open on Christmas!) and dispersing hygiene kits. It has proven to be a great organization with a beacon of hope glimmering in the foreground. 

"Feeding the Soul"

After meal prep, we had a small orientation lead by Volunteer Coordinator, Eden Chan where she shared the history behind GLIDE and the inclusivity it has brought to the city of San Francisco. It started off as a traditional church but in the late 80's when times were shifting, it transformed into a safe haven for people from all walks of life. They got rid of the crucifixes and bibles and turned Sunday service into a "celebration of life". And although GLIDE does not directly work with prisoners, the idea of social justice and awareness in San Francisco holds true to our goals here on the RUAB trip. 

It was an early morning, so many of us hustled back to the hotel to catch some quick Zzzz's before our next event.

In our earlier post you heard about a man named Ron Doyle who ran the Seventh Step Program out in Oakland. We made such a connection with that group that we were invited back to speak with at-risk youth in San Leandro at their after school program. Mr. Doyle encourages these youth from ages 12-20 to involve themselves in other ways then "hanging out" on the street. He assigns extra homework and provides dinner and incentives to allow these kids to come together. We heard each of them read their assignments one at a time to improve their presentation, speaking, and writing skills. At the end we briefly answered questions about college, campus life, and shared our majors. Although outsiders may think these teens have a dismal future, we could see the wonder in their eyes. They expressed great interest in attending college and many even said they would be the first from their family to do so. These kids are our future and we must encourage and uplift them to ensure they have a bright future. Everyone's situation is different, but we all deserve the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as stated by our Founding Fathers in the US Constitution.

It was an awe-inspiring evening and it is our hope that the youth go on to acheive big things. Thank you again to Mr. Doyle, Kevin, Willy, Javier, "Polar Bear", and the rest of the staff at the Seventh Step Program for opening the door and allowing us into "your family." It has been a pleasure.

Thank you 7th Step Program from RUAB Cali!!!

So I end with this my friends: 

“Never look down on anybody unless you are helping them up.” —Jesse Jackson

Adios,

RUAB California

"Voices from Inside"

Written by Melissa Hoffman