Community and Service Work

How do we live in relation to each other? How can I contribute to the community? How can I help others?

How can the community (ies) in which we function affect the

quality of our journey?

Community defined

• com·mu·ni·ty1. a social group of any size whose members reside in a

specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.

2. a locality inhabited by such a group. 3. a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing

common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists (usually preceded by the ): the business community; the community of scholars.

4. a group of associated nations sharing common interests or a common heritage: the community of Western europe.

Communities are affected by:• Crime• Poverty• Social Influences• Peer pressure• Drugs and violence• Inhabitants• Government and its spending• Education • Partnerships• Economic upturns and

downturns• Environment• Availability of resources• And many other things…

So what does this mean to me as a member of a community?

• I am affected everyday by things that go on around me AND I can affect the things that go on around me

• I am influenced daily by the things that go on around me AND I can also influence things that go on around me

• I CAN be successful in my choices to better my surrounding community (ies)

How do we live in relation to each other?

Brainstorm some ways that you can answer this question in your comp book…

How can I contribute to the community?

How about this one? Yes, in your comp book…

How can I help others?

Brainstorm some ideas about how you can, do, and will help others in your community or how others can, do, and will help you.

How will you…• Develop community awareness and a sense of belonging and

responsibility towards the community so you become engaged with and feel empowered to act in response to the needs of others.

• Discover the social reality of yourself, others, and communities• Initiate involvement and service in the community in which you live• Reflect on the needs of others and develop your ability to participate in

and respond to these needs. Reflection and response BOTH contribute to the development of caring and responsible leaders.

• Explore the nature of past and present communities as well as your place in your own communities.

• Encourage responsible citizenship as you deepen your knowledge and understanding of the world around you.

Remaider of class…

• Read each of the articles and complete the activity

Pikes Peak United Way

• http://www.ppunitedway.org

Our ImpactBringing Lasting, Positive Change to Our CommunityOur experience tells us that the best way to help the most people is to get to the heart of our community's most serious problems. So, while we're helping those who need help now, we're also creating lasting change. This approach maximizes our effectiveness, because it allows us to improve lives not just in the short term, and not just on the surface, but in a lasting and meaningful way that benefits the entire community.

Partnering Agencies of United Way

More Agencies

Habitat for Humanity

• http://www.pikespeakhabitat.org/Projects/PressKit/PPHFHsImpact.aspx

The Resource Exchange

• http://www.tre.org/what-we-do\

The Southern Colorado AIDS Project

• http://www.s-cap.org/about/history.htm

Peak Vista Community Health Centers

Taking Healthcare to New Heights• Peak Vista Community Health Centers provides exceptional healthcare for

people facing access barriers.• We are a private nonprofit dedicated to premier medical, dental and

behavioral health services for people of all ages. We provide primary care services to residents of the Pikes Peak Region through 19 outpatient health centers and are accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. (AAAHC).

• Peak Vista Community Health Centers provides a healthcare home for more than 62,000 people each year. A key healthcare resource since 1971, Peak Vista is the safety net for El Paso and Teller county residents who otherwise would have no access to medical and dental care, pharmacy and laboratory services. Women, children, seniors, working families and the homeless receive healthcare through an exceptional patient experience.

• http://peakvista.org/

Pikes Peak Community Action Agency

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty • Our mission is to increase the capacity of low income individuals

and families to be self-sufficient.• Our efforts break the cycle of poverty with programs that help

stabilize families and provide tools that give individuals the hope and skills they need to succeed and become independent contributing citizens.

• PPCAA has four essential programs designed to help low-income individuals and families transition from poverty to permanent self-sufficiency and serves all El Paso County with four neighborhood centers including two rural centers in Calhan and Fountain.

• Since 1964, PPCAA has provided services to improve the lives of low-income individuals and families in the Pikes Peak region.

• http://www.ppcaa.org/

Partners in Housing

• Mission & Objectives: • Partners In Housing, Inc. ("PIH") is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide

homeless families with children the hope and opportunity to achieve self-sufficiency through supportive services and transitional housing. To achieve this mission, we provide homeless families with up to two years of transitional housing, during which time they also participate in intensive supportive services, including case management, budget counseling, life skills training, and (when beneficial) professional therapy.

We call the clients in our program "Partners", because we work with them, not for them, to help them improve their lives. Objectives of our program include helping our Partners to find permanent housing, further their education, find sustainable employment, improve family stability, and facilitate long-term goal achievement and self-sufficiency. Upon completion of the PIH program, a family with children who would otherwise have been homeless is now a self-assured, productive family unit.

• http://www.partnersinhousing.org/library/documents/PIH%20FY09-10%20Presentationwebversion.pdf

Check out one man’s story…

• http://abc.go.com/watch/secret-millionaire/SH5580166/VD55118745/john-ferber-los-angeles-ca