Cozy For A Cause | Blanket+CareKit Event

Had an amazing time making blankets and preparing hygiene kits to donate to the Dorothy Day House!

This event was so fun and christmas-y. I really enjoyed myself and I was able to have fun with my classmates while making blankets for the less fortunate. Also learning about the purpose and how helpful this foundation is was so beneficial.

I attended the Cozy for a Cause: Blanket and CareKit making event on campus on December 2nd. It was hosted by Dorothy Day House Memphis. This is a non-profit organization that provides housing for homeless families in Memphis. Not only do they provide housing, the staff works with the families to get them employed and move them into their own homes after a certain period of time. They provide living essentials to the families mostly through volunteer donations, and they’ve made positive impacts on many homeless families in Memphis since 2006. Our volunteering contributed to supplying those families with blankets to stay warm in this cold season.
While participating in this event, I was working with a group of peers from my ACAD class, and I learned that though I feel a bit awkward in a group that I’m not completely comfortable with, I can still get something out of that experience. I was mostly quiet the whole time and I felt kind of shy because I wasn’t as comfortable interacting with them as they were with each other. But the people in the group that knew me less were friendly to me and we were able to make some small connections with each other, and I was able to learn from the friendly girl next to me who was better at blanket making than me. Everyone in the group were all great people to work with, but I think a lot of times I just let my social anxiety get in the way of expressing myself and connecting with other people. Overall, having that shared experience with my peers was great because it got me more comfortable with the people I’ll be working with for the next couple of years, and it made me reflect on how I can overcome my social anxiety to get more out of experiences with others.
What I enjoyed most about this event was eating the food they provided and learning about the positive impacts that Dorothy Day House is making on the local community. When the presenter was talking about all the things they work to achieve for their families, it was really interesting to learn about all the things that are essential to living that I never have to think about because they’ve always been provided to me. It not only makes me appreciate what I have, but it gives me a deeper understanding of things other people are dealing with and allows me to care more about this issue. Learning about causes like this one makes me enjoy the act of volunteering more and makes me more inclined to seek out opportunities to give back to the community in ways that I wouldn’t normally think of.