Last Day Reflection

On my last day at Kopper Top, it didn’t seem like anything too exciting was going to happen. We just spent the first two hours or so cleaning out a shed and reorganizing the summer camp arts and crafts drawers (which is still unfinished) and then we fed the animals and let the baby rabbits get some outside play time in a pen. Everything was really mellow and more or less productive. The day before, Deborah had picked up her new summer intern who I believe is from Venezuela then spent a significant time living in Israel and now attends Florida University and has somehow found her way to Kopper Top. She was a really sweet girl and definitely eager to help out around the farm which should be good for Deborah this summer. Overall the last day was pretty surreal in a sense considering it just sort of signaled to me that my freshmen year has really come to an end. Around the last hour we were there, a young girl named Abby showed up for her four o’clock lesson and she was absolutely adorable and just the sweetest child I’ve ever met. I had found out earlier that despite her physical disabilities and the struggles they’ve presented her throughout her life, her mother killed her father when she was younger. So, now her mother is prison and she lives with her grandparents who can hardly afford to support her and her needs. Abby is a prime example of Deborah’s generosity and willingness to do anything necessary to care for the kids who come to her doorstep because she pays out of her own pocket for Abby’s therapy at Kopper Top. We rode with her for about an hour or so and had a little scare when she thought she wanted to run and quickly realized that that was a bit scarier than expected and started sobbing and hugging me. It was so SAD! Finally when we finished up, I realized that Abby and I had a true connection when she asked if she could play with the ferrets. I instantly volunteered and pulled Boomer, the more social one, out of his cage and brought him outside for a little field trip with Abby. Overall, it was definitely a good last day at Kopper Top. Looking back, I can definitely say that Kopper Top was one of the best things that could have happened to me. It got me involved in a better thing and really put my life into perspective, and reminded me not to take anything for granted. I’ll definitely miss them all this summer but can not wait to get back next fall when I’ll be assisting with the redesign project and hopefully improving the facility significantly. On top of that, I’ve decided to apply for our LINCS program here at Elon University, which requires that I complete 300 hours between the start of school next fall and the end next spring. I’m really excited and proud of what this service learning class has helped me to accomplish. I’m just anxious to continue our work next fall and to come back and see what good changes have happened this summer!

May 1, 2007

Before coming to Elon, the majority of my service consisted of volunteering at retirement homes and my sister and I specialized in doing arts and crafts activities that we would plan ahead of time and lead for the residents. I always found it to be a rewarding experience as well as obviously a difficult one emotionally at times. When I started working at Kopper Top, I had never done anything like it before, although I had definitely considered similar programs in the past, I had always doubted my abilities with being able to assist the clients because I had no training or knowledge of how to care for them and the responsibility overwhelmed me immensely. Looking back, taking the leap to try Kopper Top could not have had better outcomes. I love the animals, I adore the stuff, and the kids are the reason I go basically. It’s an incredibly engaging experience and you can see the effects your work has giving it a very gratifying sensation. Lucky for me, on May 1 I was able to bring together my two favorite forms of service when we visited a retirement home nearby. We brought with us four cats, four dogs, and two rabbits. The residents were enjoying themselves greatly and so were the animals, with all that love and attention they got for the afternoon. It was really amazing to see these individuals who wouldn’t even blink in the direction of another person, but they’d fall in love with a cat or a dog, or even a rabbit. What I also found amazing was there was always a person in the group who didn’t really want to be there and basically ignored the animals and the people and stayed in their own world, however the animals would have none of this. It was as if they knew how dissatisfied they were and believed it there job to fix everything and make it all better. We’ve all experienced it before, you’re in a bad mood and your dog or cat starts nudging you and begging for love, and at first you’re thinking, Just leave me alone I can’t bother wish this right now, etc. and then they do something precious and warming that just melts the anger straight away. Well all the bad or sad feelings these residents felt definitely melted away when these guests arrived, even for just an hour to see their faces light up was incredible. This was my first time going to a home with Kopper Top and I next fall I plan on making those trips regularly.

Gibsonville Elementary

On April 14, 2007 I accompanied Kopper Top to Gibsonville Elementary School along with Amelia, Kaitlin, Sara, and Kelsey and even though it was absolutely torturous to stand out in that cold wind for so many hours, it was most definitely worth it to interact with these kids (and parents)! The school was having a fundraiser with little carnival games and bounce houses and best of all, horse rides. We got there a little early to set up and then about ten minutes after we were settled and just waiting for the fair to start, a young girl with braces on her legs, eagerly ran towards the helmet table ready to ride. It turned out that she was a past client of Kopper Top’s but unfortunately had to stop going because of a severe allergy to horses that arose when she spent a prolonged amount of time with them or got their hair on her face or in her eyes. So she rode twice and her dad told her that was it for the day, but believe me it was enough to brighten her for hours, it was as if she had a permanent ear-to-ear grin stamped on her face and the world could do her no wrong, and it was awesome feeling to know that we were all partially responsible for that. Throughout the morning and afternoon, loads of kids came, most came more than once and they were all absolutely precious in the way that they interacted with us whether they were in line of talking to the volunteer leading their horse, they were just so full of life and excited to be there. One family that stood out in particular was a family with three young boys and an infant boy and these boys were adorable and completely friendly and willing to engage with us instantly. All of a sudden, they’re father who was a very tall thick, overall large man, decided he wanted to ride a horse because he never had and if there was ever a time it was now. While it was a very entertaining site to see this full grown man on this horse among children who were mostly under the age of ten, it was also incredibly inspiring because it really made me aware that while I knew it affected the disabled children who made up our cliental and it affected this school children who were just fascinated by the animals, I was taken a back by this man’s commitment to something he wanted to do. He wanted to try something new and to do it with his children and that was truly awe-inspiring to see our work connect a family in such a way. Finally the day came to an end and it was a joy to see the abundance of fair tickets that we had earned throughout the day.