Blog 8

Reflecting on this class as a whole, I found some things challenging, surprising, I've had success, and I've learned a lot. To start off with, I'll point out a few challenges that I have faced. The challenges included overcoming my shyness and talking to an organization that I knew very little about. Also, finding time that was convenient for both me and the organization was very difficult.  Although, I had a few challenges, I have overcome them.  I was surprised by the varity of different communities everyone in the class chose. Honestly, I was pretty nervous about starting this English class because I thought that it would be hard  and that we would end up having a lot of writing assignments, which would cause me to drown in assignment my first semester of college. After almost completely the class, I am very pleased with how enjoyable this course was and how much creativity we were allowed to put into it. After taking this class, I have come a long tremendous way with my communication skills. I've learned how to conduct an interview, make a blog, make a website, and how to become more of a people person. I really enjoyed this course.

Secondary source 2

The next secondary course that I have come across is The Hope Centers Facebook page. Their Facebook page is very informative about what is currently going on at The Hope Center and what things they are achieving as time progresses. Their page tells a lot about volunteers and the wonderful things that they do for their facility. They post pictures of their volunteers to show who devotes their time towards helping the homeless community. I think that it is a good idea for The Hope Center to have a Facebook page, because Facebook is a modern source to find information. A lot of people are on Facebook and by this facility having a Facebook page it can open people's eyes to what is going on in the community surrounding them. Also, being on social media is a good way to prompt people's interest and allow them to feel more at ease about asking questions. Having a Facebook page puts it out there for everybody to see that The Hope Center is a facility that is here to help the growing community of homeless people and that it is a non-profit organization and gives people a chance to volunteer and have a sense that they are helping out in their community.

I am going to be interviewing Carrie Cario from The Hope Center. I have a few questions that I will be asking during this interview that I am very curious about.
I would like to know at what time of the year is the shelter most full. Does the fullness of this facility  have anything to do with what the weather is like? How many people are in the shelter during summer and winter?
I also have questions that are more alone the lines of learning more about the organization itself. How does The Hope Center stay up and running if the facility is a non-profit organization? Where do they get their donations from?
Back to the main roots, what inspired the creation of this organization? What was the backstory of the creator?
This facility shelters the homeless and helps them get back on their feet one step at a time. I would like to know what the process of getting someone back on their feet and into an independent lifestyle is. Is there a certain amount of time that someone can stay in this shelter, or is that not limited?
I really hope that all, or at least some of my questions get answered! I am looking forward to interviewing Carrie.

I chose to photograph this truck and use this on my blog  because I think it shows a lot more than just kind words. As someone that is blessed to have a roof over my head and food on my plate I look at this truck and I see good deeds. I see a group of people devoting their time to make sure the needs of others are met. I am sure that if someone who is homeless and dealing with an addiction of any sort sees this truck driving around or parked somewhere it will instill hope in that person that they can get help. They could feel a sense of trust for the person that is driving that vehicle and know that they could go to that person for help. Seeing this truck could give them hope for a better life and have them know that there are people out there that actually do care about them and are putting forth effort to help others with their journey to get back on their feet.
I think that this picture shows that there are people out there that will go out of their way to make sure that everyone is living a life that they deserve.

The secondary source that I am using is The Hope Center's website. The website is http://www.hopectr.org. In 1993 the emergency shelter opened, and the shelter offers homeless people a place to sleep, food to eat, and clothes to wear. What keeps 25% of the homeless out on the streets has a lot to do with mental illness'. They have a recovery program dealing with stopping addiction of drugs and alcohol for both men and women. The mens recovery program opened in 1996, and the women's in 2002. The Hope Center has AA meetings to offer to the homeless so that they can overcome any alcohol addiction that they have in order to better their lives.
This shelter has a Hispanic program. The Hispanic program helps overcome any speaking barriers that there may be in order to have an independent lifestyle. The Hope Center really helps with drug addictions and any type of other addictions, "Decrease in percentage of adults who reported any past 30 day substance abuse: 88% decrease in illegal drug use, 84% decrease in alcohol use, and 91% decrease in heroin use."
I have learned a lot more about this organization just by scrolling through their website and I can't wait to interview someone from The Hope Center to answer even more questions that I have about this shelter.

I have chosen The Hope Center in Lexington, Kentucky.  The Hope Center is an organization that shelters and promotes career building, mental health, ending addiction and encourages skill building within the homeless community. I would like to find out how this organization is funded, what types of events they are involved in, and what the foundational history of this shelter is. I have always had an interest in the homeless community and wanting to learn more about what these type of organizations can do for them. I would like to broaden my perspective beyond all of the stereotypes that I have heard from the society around me about this specific topic. I am choosing The Hope Center because it is in my hometown, where I have seen homelessness become quite a normal occurrence. I would like to open my eyes to all the underlying issues that this community truly deals with despite all of the things that I have heard from the people who know very little if at all anything about this community as a whole. I hope that by the end of this semester I have developed an appreciation for this community and the volunteers who devote their time and energy towards it. 

I am involved in a community that a lot of people look down on. As time has progressed, though, we have become more and more accepted. I am a part of the LGBT community. I am proud daily to be able to say that I am a part of this community, while some others struggle with this. I feel as if I have been blessed with an accepting family, although when I first came out it was kind of tough for them to grasp everything but they always tried to understand things even though they were a bit blurry and new for them. Being in the LGBT community can be hard at times, especially with big nationwide changes happening and not to forget the few closed-minded people who couldn't possibly even begin to understand love beyond a traditional couple, a man and a woman.

Some of the misconceptions that people have about the LGBT community is that we as a whole do not like heterosexual people, and that is not true at all. I do believe that some of us involved in the LGBT community are somewhat hesitant when it comes to heterosexual people, because there are those few who can be very hurtful with their views towards us. I believe that if you do have views that could potentially be hurtful to some, you should keep them to yourself.