“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”~Gandhi

The Community Leadership Program is an outstanding program that was first introduced last year at UNH Manchester and has been running for the past 8 years at UNH in Durham. One of the required courses as part of the Community Leadership Program is the “Introduction to Community Leadership,” which I was enrolled in this past semester. Walking into our Community Leadership class on that first day, I really didn’t know what to expect. The course is designed to educated students about: “the process of community building, community service, organizing, and leadership.” It is also designed for students to generate “awareness of community issues to community members” while bringing people of the community together. This course required my class as a whole, to create a community service project that applied all these skills.
Last year’s class put together the Warmth From The Mill Yard drive. Their project was a warm clothing drive, where the students collected warm clothes, gave the collected clothes to different organizations, and raised awareness of homelessness in New Hampshire. They collected 800 items and their project won a National Community Service award, in Minnesota.
This year, as a class we conducted a need base assessment, and saw that once again there was a great need for warm clothing throughout New Hampshire. Our class decided it would be best to meet that need throughout New Hampshire by running and expanding last years “Warmth From The Mill Yard” project. “Our vision is to lead the local community in the Warmth From the Mill Yard project, which is a “winter clothing” drive to raise awareness of poverty & assist local families/individuals within our community.”
Our vision at first was only a fraction of what we had succeeded to bring in. At the beginning of the class when stating our vision there was a lot of hesitation about putting a number to the amount of clothing we could receive by donation. This hesitation came from the current harsh economic time. Because of this unsympathetic time we were unsure if people would be willing or could afford to donate to our clothing drive.
Personally, I see myself as an achiever and “go-getter.” If someone perceives that I can’t do something, I will then reach out and do it ten times better than anyone every expected. Knowing that I am a “go-getter,” I was highly optimistic and motivated that we as a class could raise at least 800 items. With the help and generosity of others within our community we far exceeded our 800-item total, to reach over 2,800 items donated.
Our vision was not owned by anyone of us as individuals in the class, but by our class as a whole. With input and suggestions from all eight of us, our vision developed into a project that was more than just a warm clothing drive, it was a project that served others.
We not only had the chance to serve those who needed warm clothing within our community, we had the chance to serve the Hillside STAY Program children. We served them by making them apart of our project and getting them involved within their own community. We welcomed them with open arms and showed them that they too, could make a difference within their own community.
I have to say this class has made a real difference in my life. I have learned that service is a tool that is far better than “helping” and “fixing” current issues. By serving we gain a new knowledge of self. By serving we acknowledge a need and create a solution for that need. By serving we shape, transform, and collaborate within our own communities. I have always believed that people have a desire to belong, a need for recognition of self-value, and a want to be a part of something truly meaningful. Through this project I have come to understand, with collaboration of ideas, resources, and time, people can truly achieve their self worth.
Through this project, I have to say I have gained a new sense of self. This project has reinforced my self-motivation and compassion for other and made me realize that I can make a difference even if I never meet the individual I am serving. Yes, community service takes a lot of time, work, and commitment, but doing for others creates change within your community. Gandhi once said, “be the change you wish to see in the world.” I believe that with the “Warmth From The Millyard” project the eight of us have been part of the change we all wish to see in the world.

~Sheena Connolly