SRHS Eagle Volunteers Give Back at Phoenix Homeless Shelter

By David H. Barehand

11/27/2007

Instead of studying in their normal classes, twelve students from Salt River High School have opted to spend their day giving back to the community by volunteering at a Phoenix homeless shelter.

Located on Van Buren and 32nd Streets, the UMOM (United Methodist Outreach Ministries est. 1964) has been running the shelter since the purchase of the site in 1989. The location is now a “UMOM New Day Center” and is 45% privately funded and 65% government funded. The center operates annually with about 114 staff members and the help of over 2700 volunteers on an annual basis. Volunteers are made up of high schools and church youth groups that come and volunteer weekly and monthly. The center is intended for the traditional mother-father families as well as single-parent male and female families. Single males and females are directed to other sites for assistance. This particular campus shelters up to 96 families.

Ginger Montague is a Salt River High School Counselor and had this to say, “Two years ago I took a group of my students here to do a service project with the homeless shelter kids. We’ve just expanded it to at least twice a year.” Currently, SRHS does not have a volunteer club or program, but with the interest that students have in volunteering, this could mean such an organization is possible for the High School.

When asked why and how they got involved in participating. The students had this to say:

Michael Whitewolf, 9th Grade

“I volunteered because I like little kids.”

Hosteen Begay-Smith, 9th Grade

“Our school counselor approached me and ask if I would be interested in volunteering at the shelter and I said yes.”

“We get to get out of school and help kids; I do not get to do that very often. It has changed me in the way I look at little kids, and it will help me incase I want to become a parent.”

David Mah-Vic Masten, 10th Grade

“Ms. Montague asked me if I would be interested in volunteering at the shelter. I said yes, I thought it would be nice just to help some kids out”.

Chelsea Perkins, 11th Grade

“I want to help out, and I wanted to comeback because I had been here before. I had volunteered two years ago with Ms. Montague."

Peno Galvan, 10th Grade

“I volunteered today for the experience, and it felt good to help others.”

Lenoir Briones, 11th Grade

“I did not know what it was going to be like, so I did it for experience. I liked it; it was fun.”

“I would like to tell other students that we don’t get opportunities to do this kind of stuff, I have tried it and I like it. I would do it again maybe once a month.”

Steven Burnette, 9th Grade

“I would like to tell other students that it has been fun for me, I liked playing with the little kids.”

Ellyse Andreas, 9th Grade

“I have never volunteered in a homeless shelter, so I thought it would be a good thing to do. It has been fun meeting and playing with the kids here.”

What ever the reason, all students seem to have a positive disposition and were genuinely satisfied with the work they contributed.

Below are some pictures of that day and the Eagle Volunteers that participated.