September

The program so far has been such a whirlwind! The block schedule is new to me, and although challenging, I have really enjoyed it.
Living in New Orleans has been a big change from UCLA, but a welcome one.

My first chance to volunteer was in August at a Health Fair hosted by St. Anna's Church on Esplanade in Treme. I have been coordinating with Diana to work on the Medical Mission RV, and the opportunity to help out at the fair came up. Classmates Anjali, Ruby and I arrived at 8 am to help set up by moving tables and chairs, blowing up balloons, and preparing healthy snacks for attendees.

Blowing up balloons for the sign outside!

Once the fair began, we were in charge of passing out snacks and nutrition information. After spending my whole life in California and the past four years in Los Angeles, I have become very used to the healthy lifestyle and emphasis that everyone around me has on nutrition. It was very shocking to see that many people in New Orleans have few ideas on what this means. Many attendees stopped by on their way home from buying groceries, which included mainly sugary sodas and processed foods. It was rewarding to help give them a little more information about how their diet can affect their health. It was very inspirational, and really motivated me to keep studying so that I can continue helping people with little knowledge on nutrition learn how to take care of themselves before they have a chance to develop serious health problems.

Successful day at the health fair! 

Later in the month, I was able to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity with 18 classmates. We started by moving dirt from the front of the house to the underneath, where a group of us spent a few hours shoveling under the house to make sure that the ground was level and water wouldn't pool around the foundation. It was a really great class bonding experience, and it was rewarding to know we were helping someone get closer to having a home!

Ruby and I take a break from shoveling under the house to add the address! 

Later, we worked on clearing the backyard, caulking the front porch, and painting. Despite the heat, it was a great day.

Class photo -- the biggest volunteer group they have had! 

I am also very excited to be volunteering with Edible SchoolYard, a program through First Line Schools that works with students to help them learn about making healthy life choices, as well as with St. Anna's Arts for Kids, teaching nutrition classes. I am going to be volunteering with them consistently over the semester, so I will cover my involvement in the next blog post!

Total August/September hours: 21.5

[Health Fair: 6 hours
Habitat for Humanity: 8 hours
ESY:3.5 hours
SAAK: 2 hours]