CARLIE COATES

Apart from the assignments this semester, we frequently touched upon conducting our oral histories.  The idea of performing an oral history seemed odd to me, as the indication of gathering this information never appeared relevant with the class goals and material when the assignment was first explained.  The question as to why we were performing oral histories was partially answered once when we were told it was to gather information about how Habitat for Humanity impacted the Optimist Park neighborhood; however, we never asked questions relating to that topic when performing the oral history.  The disorganization of implementing the project made the assignment feel unnecessary and unenjoyable, but when I actually sat down to hear Mrs. Burris tell her story, I was glad the project was assigned.  Mrs. Burris is a native to Optimist Park and her family was one of the first to move into a Habitat for Humanity house after they were built.  Right now, I am not going to disclose any information she said off the record to protect her true feelings about Optimist Park, but I found her hidden information very intriguing and it made me question the community service work we were trying to do as a class.

In the past, I considered community service to be volunteering at a soup kitchen or helping to plant a garden, not walking around a neighborhood passing out flyers.  I can see how this may be helpful in terms of promoting the Optimist Park Community Association (OPCA) meetings, but I do not think this was the best use of our time to help the neighborhood.  When I went to one of the OPCA meetings, there was a grim turnout.  Obviously our flyer handouts did not do the job of attracting the residents.  In order to make sure Optimist Park stands strong against gentrification, I think we could have helped the community by aesthetically promoting the area.  If a neighborhood looks visually appealing, more families will move there, possibly creating less concern associated with apartments being built.  This may or may not further promote gentrification, but I think it would help bring the community closer together and make the families in Optimist Park want to remain in the area, even if apartment companies offered everyone a surplus check.   My views on community service have not been changed after this semester, as I still feel that helping with Crisis Assistance Ministries or another company is more impactful than the volunteering that occurred this semester, but I still appreciate learning about a new way to volunteer with a local area.  The work we did this semester was at the grassroots level to try and serve a larger goal and purpose. While our intentions were good, I am not sure if our success paralleled. My main concern is that we are the second class to help Optimist Park within a year and I am not sure if improvements have been made based on the turnout at the OPCA meetings and the decreased interested in finding residents for oral histories. Learning about how to address larger inequalities with volunteering was a great tool for me to see and experience, but I wonder if there could be a different approach to further help Optimist Park.