Willis 1 Kenneth Willis Professor Sally Griffin English 1103 October 25th, 2013 Inquiry Second Draft L.A.D.D.E.R.S.

(Leading And Developing Dynamic Educational Resource Systems) is a church based organization that focuses on creating good students and helping the community. Taking into consideration that one of the two main focuses of the organization is to create good students; it only makes sense that the majority of the members are students. These students, ranging from elementary to high school, help the community by performing certain activities, such as community feedings, on behalf of L.A.D.D.E.R.S. I was a member of L.A.D.D.E.R.S. up until the point I moved away from my home church so that I could go to Charlotte, NC for my education. Every other week I volunteered at the Durham Rescue Mission, a local soup kitchen, alongside my fellow members. All of the magic happened in the kitchen, which was right behind the serving line. We would begin by chopping vegetables and fruits, filling trays with the entre of the day, and slicing the cakes for dessert. Once the foods are prepared, they are taken out of the kitchen and set up so that they are ready to be served by the volunteers. While the volunteers are busy assembling the food, a line begins to form outside. This line is comprised of the homeless, the poor, and, perhaps the most relevant adjective that could possibly describe them, the hungry. They wait anxiously for the doors to open so that they may file into the establishment one-by-one and acquire their free meal for the day.

Willis 2 As someone who served and interacted with these unfortunate people, I was directly affected by what I saw. Men and women, some with tattered clothes and others with relatively nice clothes, converged at the serving line for the sole purpose of being fed. A few kept their distance and remained silent, while others told jokes and shared laughter with the volunteers. As I held a soup ladle in my gloved hands, I wondered how these people had gotten to this point in their lives. I wondered what misfortunes had made it so that they graciously accepted food from strangers, much less teenagers such as myself. Did they not find the scenario even a tad demeaning? I can attest to the fact that it felt quite odd to prepare a meal for a man who is the same age as my father. I cannot imagine how it feels to be a poor man in a society that values monetary stability as a manly quality. These thoughts festered in my head a bit and brought me to the realization that the same society who looks upon the poor and downtrodden negatively, systematically puts these people in the position they are in. Members of L.A.D.D.E.R.S. range from the ages of eight to eighteen. Being around the homeless on a consistent basis from such a young age may desensitize the youth to the plight of the homeless. This does nothing more than create more adults who will take pity on the poor rather than take action on their behalf. Only the ignorant say that a lack of work ethic and determination is what leads people to such a bad economic state. It is clear that a lack of jobs and a lack of opportunity is the main benefactor in this situation. I was lucky enough to be born into a family that found a way to move upward financially. My mother was born into poverty with five siblings. My grandmother

Willis 3 worked as a secretary for the state, and my grandfather was a pastor. Every now and then my mother tells me stories of her upbringing. As a youth she used to scavenge for change so that she could buy a fish sandwich from the corner store, get teased for wearing unfashionable clothes, and exist with seven other people in a house with one room. I cannot imagine living under these circumstances. As someone who has made it out of her situation, she looks at her accomplishments as a sort of battle scar, for she knows the difficulties that come along with bettering oneself. Knowing my mothers backstory has affected my view of the poor and downtrodden. Receiving a college degree while simultaneously maintaining two children is no small feat. When I see people who are in a position similar to the position she was in, I cant help but relate their struggle back to hers. This relation always makes me wonder why those people cant help themselves as my mother did. The most crucial factor when assessing my mothers ability to better her family and self is o pportunity. Opportunity comes in many different forms, such as helpful family and community members. At face value, her story is one that strongly channels the idiom that encourages those on the lower rungs of society to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, yet this is not the whole truth. Having been recently divorced, my mother was lucky enough to have an ex husband who was willing to help pay for her schooling as well as a mother and sister to watch her children while she worked and studied. As a matter of fact, my sister, mother, and I lived with my grandmother up until I was eight years old. At that time we packed our things and moved to North Carolina. I suspect that most of the people in line for food did not have someone to watch their kids and assist in paying for their education. Everyone is not lucky enough to see a

Willis 4 clear way out of his or her struggle. This is where the community comes into play and organizations such as L.A.D.D.E.R.S. make their mark. George Brager says, We believe that the personal sense of powerlessness felt by low income people is a major cause of their isolation and apathy (Marris and Rein 178). It is only natural for people who can hardly take care of themselves to feel helpless and alone in their plight. Of course there are the people in the community who help, but at the end of the day they go home to their comfortable beds and warm houses. The man on the corner who accepts their charity is stuck in the cold streets day in and day out because those donations can only sustain him and do not help take him out of his situation. In my day-to-day activities, I dont see much being done to do more than sustain the poor. In America, rising social standards and an upgrade in requirements to be a part of working society cement people in poverty (MacIver 36). There are unwritten expectations in the professional environment; for example, workers are expected to be clean cut and well dressed at job interviews. Even at the fast food level, employers want their employees to look presentable. I used the fast food level as an example because fast food is one of the jobs that Americans regard as requiring the least amount of skill and because they pay minimum wage. The homeless people that go to Urban Ministries with intentions of being served by volunteers can not go into McDonalds in pursuit of honest pay. Ironically, they are unable to reach the point where they are presentable enough to go in for an interview because they dont have the money a job would provide to become presentable. This is a paradox that many of the poor and homeless find themselves in. A large amount of Americans find themselves living from paycheck to paycheck. In more relevant terms, the worker who receives minimum wage would be well on his

Willis 5 way to homelessness if he lost his job. All it takes is one budget cut from an employer to send someone on a financial downward spiral. Most of the time, we look upon the poor as those without a solid place to sleep, but those who are paid minimum wage can be included in this category. The people who struggle to make ends meet are the very same ones who do the jobs that America needs done so that it can continue to function properly. Often times, a minimum wage paycheck is not enough to cover the cost of bills, car maintenance, and food as well. In an effort to conserve money, people may end up in soup kitchens where their meal is given to them. Urban Ministries caters to anyone and everyone who needs it, and there are plenty of people you wouldnt expect. People of all types pass through that line, including those with physical disabilities, mental disabilities, nice clothes, tattered clothes, and even children. Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking aspects of serving is seeing both whole families and broken families come to get food. The heartwarming experience that one feels when they notice the joy on the childrens faces provides a contrast to this initial heartbreak. It is very possible that those kids did not eat the day before. The parents also show signs of gratefulness, but it is still evident that if they had other options they would not be there. Before volunteers begin interaction with the people we come to serve, we are urged to be extremely polite. A disadvantage of services such as these is that the indigent may feel as if they owe something, which may lead to them not accepting our help and even not taking all that they need (Zander 131). For this reason, servers are expected to make the exchange as lighthearted and caring as possible. A smile and an encouraging word go a long way to get the job done.

Willis 6 However, grinning and telling someone, no, thank you when they express gratitude can only do so much. David Shipler held many conversations with poor people and found that a common theme amongst them was self-blame. The poor look at their situations and come to the conclusion that they could have done something to prevent it. Personal responsibility definitely plays a role, but people tend to discredit the other things that affect them. America has a tendency to work against the poor and uneducated by not providing a stepping stool large enough for them to reach another plateau. For example, the government sends out income tax money and that sounds great, but when you receive minimum wage, income tax money simply fills the gaps minimum wage could not (Shipler 14). This income tax money is given out under the guise that it is a freebie when in actuality it does very little to help. Shipler provides plenty of instances where income tax money goes towards things that their regular wage should have covered such as real estate taxes, automobile bills, back debts, and even furniture. In a society where the lowest level job doesnt allow you to pay for necessities, the poor cant blame themselves for everything. Especially considering that poverty begins to trap you once you get entangled in debt and credit. All that this does is further the poors belief that they posess all the blame and make them feel more and more helpless. It is not as if they dont wish to be more self-reliant. I can guarantee that the vast majority of the people I handed plates of food to would have liked to purchase it for themselves much more. Byron Johnson, a Christian author, says, those in poverty have dignity, they need to feel your respect (126). One should never underestimate how much will power it takes for someone to push their pride to the side so that they can accomplish something.

Willis 7 Since birth, our parents raise us in hopes that we will one day be self-reliant and able to provide for ourselves. I cant help but feel that asking someone else for food is somewhat demeaning to the person in need. I feel like a loser and a moocher when people other than my parents purchase things for me. I try to accept charity from others as little as possible, especially when I know that I can handle it myself. At a mere eighteen years old, I am not expected to have an abundance of money. If I were to go out with family friends, they would recognize this fact and may choose to pay for me. I have noticed that despite how much they insist on helping, I still put up a bit of a fight because I dont wish to be a burden on anybody. I manage to look upon the acceptance of willingly offered help as a burden to the giver. Surely people in more extreme situations than mine must feel similar. As explained earlier, government anti-poverty programs only do so much to help the impoverished. America has put into action the Earned Income Tax Credit, Additional Child Tax Credit, food stamps, and Unemployment Insurance in an effort to assist those who need it. I know a few people personally who utilize food stamps and income taxes to make things a bit easier to handle. Of course, programs like these are good, but at the end of the day, America runs as a free market enterprise society. In a free market enterprise society, private businesses control the means of production and the government does not have much say in how it works. America has operated in such a fashion since its birth and this system has made the rich richer and the poor poorer. Byron Johnson describes this as having islands of plenty in a sea of want. A vast amount of the money is focused in a small percentage of the population, while the larger population distributes whatever is left.

Willis 8 However ethical or unethical this may be, it is logically necessary. One cannot have a top without being in possession of a bottom. The poor must exist in order for others to attain the title of rich or wealthy. Having reached the 21st century where it is commonplace to see buildings that touch the sky and machines that work wonders, how have we not helped our fellow man along? We have reached a point where it is normal to see celebrities with gargantuan houses in a magazine at one moment and see a homeless man the next. The only way around this seems to be by supplying every citizen with the same amounts of everything, but communism is demonized in America. It is beyond any reasonable doubt that with the productivity now available, every human being on this earth today could be assured the most elementary of all opportunities for a decent life (MacIver 2). The constitution declares that all men have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but the constant presence of poverty shows that not everyone has an equal chance at achieving those things. Americans find themselves in a land where the poor are fueled by dreams of a wealth that is well out of their reach. Dreams that are kept alive by governmental aid programs as well as community outreach programs. The check that arrived in the mail is just enough to pay your car bill so that you can get to work and receive minimum wage for another day. The young man passing out food in the soup kitchen line was kind enough to give you nutrition that will sustain you until your belly craves yet another filling. These examples are nothing more than temporary solutions for a seemingly permanent problem. For every organization that does work similar to the work that L.A.D.D.E.R.S. does, there is a person who gives them the title of enablers. The effects of community

Willis 9 service for the poor are commonly debated. On one hand, some feel that the community outreach which supplies food and housing to those who need it is looked upon as encouraging and helpful. On the other hand, some feel that the same community outreach mentioned prior does nothing more than enable the poor and make them comfortable in their situation. I can see where both sides are coming from. During one of my first visits to Urban Ministries alongside my L.A.D.D.E.R.S. companions, I worked the serving line. Plenty of people came through that day, but one man in particular stood out to me. He shuffled into the line wrapped in an army jacket with his jeans in complete and utter shambles every other day. As time went on, I learned that his name was Jeremiah. In stark contrast to the lowliness of his financial situation, his spirits were always very high. With a smile on his face, he told everyone good morning and made small talk with the servers while thanking us. It felt good to see that someone appreciated what we were doing to such a degree. This was the feeling that all volunteers wanted to feel while they did their work. A certain air of joy rises up in a person when they feel that they have made a difference. For me, this difference was shown in Jeremiahs positive and outgoing attitude. I came to a realization as I continued to work that serving line every other week. My realization was this: Jeremiah was there in line every other week consistently. For all the effort my fellow L.A.D.D.E.R.S. members put forth, we were not doing much if the same people came to get food every time. For months I had not seen anybody come up from his or her situation and that fact did not sit well with me. With how things functioned at the soup kitchen, Jeremiah had no more of an incentive to go out and make a way for himself after eating than he did prior. The smile on his face was indicative of some type of positive

Willis 10 effect, but he was apparently not encouraged enough to go help himself. After the doors to Urban Ministries close, its patrons from earlier in the day are cast back out into a world where they have nothing but themselves. This is the optimal time for the desire to want to help ones self to present itself so real progress can be made. It only makes sense for a Christian organization, such as L.A.D.D.E.R.S. to back up their actions with words from the Bible. Luckily, the Bible contains wisdom, which relates directly to the topic of poverty and community service. Deuteronomy 15:11 says, "for the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.' Extending a helping hand is an expectation for Christians. Even though the poor will never cease to be in the land we should try our best to soften their predicament and make it more bearable.

Willis 11 Reflection I am writing this essay on poverty and community service, specifically in America. My discourse community, which is L.A.D.D.E.R.S., serves as the group that I will use to thoroughly examine my subject matter. I wish to look further into the effects that community service has on the impoverished both emotionally and financially. My inquiry is as follows: Is it worth doing things such as community service to help the poor when none of the people you help seem to do better? A large amount of my data is very conflicting. For example, I have found that the poor blame themselves while evidence shows that American society can accept, at the very least, some of the blame. The differences in every individual situation also makes coming to a general consensus difficult. The conclusion I came up with was as clear a finisher as I could muster. In the original rough draft, I have changed what I came across. I did not come across much. I think that my paper flows well and all of the evidence and ideas I set forth seem to bear some relevance, however I sense that there is a bit extra in this paper. Identifying where I can make cuts has become the hard part since everything flows and is relevant. Minor rephrases and things of that nature were the best that I could do. Perhaps I have problems finding fault in my work because it is mine. For this reason, Id like you to help me find where it can be improved. I gave it to three of my fellow classmates but none of them seem to have helped me much. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated.