Megan Waugh

I served as an usher for Theatre Memphis's performance of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Theatre Memphis is community theatre. My service as an usher creates a welcoming environment for all theatre patrons and arts-lovers in the city of Memphis. I got to serve both the theatre patrons and the performers of the theatre because my service contributes to the overall environment within the theatre. Patrons generally reacted well to my presence, especially if I was able to help direct them to their seats or give them an extra program to read through. Through my service, I think I developed some deeper interpersonal/social skills. I had to manage a couple crowds and interact with close to a hundred people. It was important to be friendly, yet quick in my interactions. My service aligned with my personal values and beliefs because I am a firm believer that the arts should welcome all who are interested. Being an usher means that I can contribute to that welcoming atmosphere inside a theatre that I love. It meant a lot to me to provide that for Theatre Memphis. I really want to continue volunteering at Theatre Memphis. I've already looked into doing more shifts as an usher for upcoming shows. Also, I am performing in their production of Cinderella this summer, and all performers are volunteers, so technically I am all set to continue with them starting next week. I worked with a team of about 6 ushers for my shift. I was one of the younges there but everyone was very kind and interested in the show. I got to work with my friend Rachel which made the experience even more enjoyable. Working as a team was really great.

My service cleaning up the community with Memphis Rox impacted the broader community of Memphis by providing a cleaner environment for the city's residents. My service was environmental; we picked up trash on and around the streets surrounding the Memphis Rox Climbing Gym. I think this will benefit members of this community who reside there by providing a nicer landscape to look at outside their homes and also promote more will to continue cleaning the area. It also makes the community look a lot more welcoming.
My service aligned with my personal value of keeping the environment clean. I am a big believer in continuing to clean up our communities and I enjoy researching the effects of clean environments on crime rates and retention of community members. It's very important that we work to keep our community clean, and I really like how this organization has been going out every week and cleaning up.
My service contributed to the overall goals of Memphis Rox to keep this community clean and healthy. I think they also enjoy seeing the community come together to clean up, and there were a lot of us there that Saturday. It's really cool to be a part of working towards a larger goal of keeping our streets clean so that they can be enjoyed by our city's residents.
I worked with a large group during the service event. It made the experience even more enjoyable and we were able to clean a larger area of the community together. It helps when you have someone picking up trash, and someone else to carry the garbage bag. Also, there were heavy furniture pieces that needed to be moved to the curb and that required a couple of people to move. I enjoyed working with a team at this event.
I want to continue working with this organization this year because I had a really good experience. The people were very kind and passionate about the service they were providing the community. This organization also works hard at something I value a lot, so I will definitely be coming back to serve with them again.

My service at the United Professional Theatre Auditions as a volunteer benefitted members of the larger theatre community. Without volunteers at these auditions, the hundreds and hundreds of performers would not be given this opportunity to perform and audition in front of dozens of professional theatres as a part of their job.
My service was people-facing in the arts community. I was welcomed by the Playhouse on the Square volunteer community and respected by the auditioning groups.
I would say this service opportunity aligned very well with my personal values concerning the arts and accessibility. This event/program allows for hundreds and hundreds of theatre performers to have greater accessibility to more jobs by collecting dozens of professional theatres in one place for these auditions. I think it’s a really amazing way to provide more opportunities for performers without requiring them to travel across states just to audition for one job.
I worked with a team during my service of about a dozen people who were working in the same area as I was. That impacted my service by making things move quickly and smoothly as we worked to organize paperwork in between each round of auditions based on callbacks and returns.
I plan to definitely continue volunteering with this organization. Not only do I love working with arts organizations, but I enjoy the environment at the auditions. The other volunteers and my supervisors communicated effectively and were very professional and efficient in their conduction of the event and the direction of volunteers.

My service at Shelby Farms Park during Starry Nights benefitted members of the broader community because I worked on the biggest fundraising event of the year, one which helps to keep Shelby Farms open for community members from all around Memphis and surrounding areas.
My service was people/car facing, as I directed traffic for the event. I served people who came to Starry Nights at Shelby Farms, so it was a lot of families from all different populations. A lot of people were excited to be there and seemed cheerful to wave back at me as they went through the park.
I learned a lot in three days about what it takes to keep the park running and open for all to enjoy, and I also got to witness just how many people benefit from the events Shelby Farms hosts.
I think personally my service made me take on a new perspective for volunteering in general. It made me more grateful for the opportunity to provide such a great experience for others.
During my service, I worked with a team but spread out in different areas of the park. Sometimes, I had a partner at my station, sometimes I didn't. When I had people with me, it made the job easier because I had someone to talk to or cover me if I needed to use the restroom. It was cool to see so many other people come out to volunteer.
I plan to continue volunteering with this organization, maybe even some more with Starry Nights, because they are a great group to work with and I love all that provide for my community. I'll definitely be back.