For a class I had this spring, I had to complete 15 volunteer hours at a nonprofit organization. This is a lot easier said than done. In Bowling Green, you have to apply at most places in order to volunteer there. Why you have to pretty much sign your life away to volunteer will always be a mystery to me. But nonetheless, I applied at a few places around town hearing back from none of them. It was quite frustrating.
One day in class, we had a visitor from The Center for Courageous Kids. She told us about the center and what they do. She showed a heartfelt video. Yes, I cried in the middle of class while watching it. Her purpose for being there was to recruit volunteers for what they call "Family Weekends." After her presentation I was game. I figured I would go a few Saturdays and knock out my hours. When I asked her if I could do that her response was "Actually we recruit volunteers for entire weekends only. You would stay at the center for Friday and Saturday night."
I thought to myself "You can count me out."
Why would I want to spend an entire weekend at a camp for a stupid class?
But that ended up being my only option to fulfill the 15 hour requirement for my class. It was either a wasted weekend or fail the class. I chose the weekend.
I was told that the weekend I was going to volunteer was designed for children with SMA. I gave no thought to this.
So, on Friday April 16th, I headed to Scottsville and The Center for Courageous Kids in a bad mood.
When the other volunteers and I arrived we were given a breif history on SMA. SMA stands for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. What I heard was alarming, but still I did not think much about it.
Each volunteer is assigned a family. You go everywhere with you family, and assist them as much as they will allow.
I of course did not know what to expect so I was somewhat nervous. When I met my family, it was instant chemistry. The mother and father reminded me of my own family, and they had two girls: a four year old and a ten year old who had SMA. I fell in love with them!
Because I did not know anything about SMA going into the weekend, I entered it blind, but I came out with opened eyes to this terrible disease. The children could not walk. Some could not sit up on their own. Some could not sit up at all because of issues with their lungs. Others had to have their mouths suctioned and food blended because they could not swallow properly. Some had to have 24 hour feeding tubes, and still other were only able to communicate with their eyes. It was devistating.
But what I saw that weekend was beautiful. I witnessed children who cannot walk, cannot talk, cannot move...get on a horse, swim, go bowling.
I began the weekend with the purpose of getting my hours done for my class. But as it went on it became less and less about those hours and more and more about the children.
I thought I was doing the familes a favor by volunteering my time. But I was wrong. They taught me so much about life. Looking at the glass as half full is cliche saying, but I witnessed it first hand. In a child's life with SMA, they are constantly told what they can't do, but at camp they could do anything they wanted.
If a child who cannot walk or sit up on their own can get on a horse, then why should I let small obstacles drag me down? To often we let our circumstances dictate our attitudes and abilities. I don't want to sound too much like a cheesy motivationsl speaker, but sometimes we need to lay to rest the negative attitudes which are based on circumstances and just climb on the horse.
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