September 14th, 2010
In an effort to continue going "beyond the wall", why not help the United States? Many people outside the U.S. do not know that there is poverty in this country...in fact, many people in other countries believe that there is absolutely no poverty in the United States. I have been helping Colombia for almost two years through this organization, but I never forget about my fellow Americans. I have donated over 1,000 items of clothing to the homeless here in Orlando, Florida, and I will continue to do so, especially as winter approaches. I currently have two jobs, and one of my jobs is at Castle Creek Elementary as a fifth grade "Extended Day" Group Leader. "Extended Day" is an after school program that is part of Orange County Public Schools, and during my whole high school career, I worked there as a volunteer. Now, as a college student, I am an employee of this school, and I have decided to combine my social work with the fifth grade students of Castle Creek. In May 2010, most of the students of the whole school donated clothes for the needy in Colombia. In fact, if some recall, Miss Colombia 2010, Natalia Navarro, actually visited the school to congradulate them for all their donations.
Orlando has a high rate of homelessness, and most of them head to Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando. I have worked with the homeless for many years, and I believe it is extremely important for people to help them whenever they can...with food, shoes, clothing, etc. Since I began working at Castle Creek, I have always noticed how much food the children throw away. For example, everyday, there are many students that do not even open the snacks we provide them with, and they throw them away simply because they do not like the certain snack. The correct thing to do is to simply not get the snack, however, most of these students do not even know that they are doing something wrong. I feel it is important for the students to understand that there are people all over the world, even here in Orlando, that could really use those snacks they throw away. I decided to start a project that would include giving lunch out to the homeless in Lake Eola Park with the fifth grade students of Extended Day at Castle Creek Elementary. I believe it is a perfect way for them to understand how important it is to not waste food, and to be more considerate with the homeless.
The project includes the fifth graders and I making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on Friday, September 17th, 2010 during Extended Day. They will be packed into lunch bags, along with juice and chips. All the items are being sponsored by the Extended Day program. On Saturday, September 18th, 2010, seven fifth grade students, the Extended Day coordinator, and I will meet at Lake Eola Park to hand out the lunch bags. All lunch bags will also be handed out with clothing donations that I have received throughout my campaign. We will end off the day by having lunch at the park. This Extended Day and Beyond the Wall alliance allows me to reach out not only to the needy in Colombia, but it also allows me to help the needy in the United States. I'm also excited about this alliance because the fifth grade students of Castle Creek will have an opportunity to speak to the homeless, and learn why they are living under needy conditions. This will not be the only distribution throughout this school year; I will have many more as the year progresses, so all the students have an opportunity to go.
I want to thank Castle Creek Elementary for this great opportunity, and of course the parents of the fifth grade students for allowing me to direct this project.
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