William Way

I spent my first year of AmeriCorp volunteering at the William Way LGBT Center. I really did not know what I was getting myself into. My schedule was already jammed packed and 9-5 are their typical hours, just like any normal organization. For the first few months, I struggled to complete the takes like making a birthday card and various other backburner projects that seemed lackluster to me. It didn’t have that power I was looking for. I don’t see until now that every role is necessary for a successful organization to run. It can’t just be the poster boy or the man calling the shots. After a few months, I started working with Paul, one of  the best people I have ever met who does I mean honestly a million things. I do not know where to begin with naming the lives he has changed but know that is a million. So, I began working with him to plan events and get raffle baskets, working with area businesses to collect things for non-profits.

We planned concerts, doggy adoptions, and even fundraising events with the mayor and a house representative was there. I encountered a lot of experience both beneficial and also extremely challenging for me to overcome. A community center requires a community of people and in any community there is a mix of everyone under the rainbow. (Pun Intended)

During this time I also began FIT meetings which is where after orientation a staff member, or me, meets with potential volunteers one-on-one to discuss opportunities and where they would best fit in. It was a very rewarding time where I met so many wonderful people the work daily to make the Philadelphia community safer, happier and a community.