Look who I found.
There might not be anything more exciting to a ten year old then an inflated bounce house. The laughter from the Grizzlies’ play place competed to drown the sound of the event’s music. On this overcast day I was assisting the Memphis Grizzlies “Claw Crew” at the 8th annual Church Health Center’s fundraising Rock For Love concert. This was a crowded event, both in participants and volunteers, and unlike the other days of my odyssey, I had to hunt for parking. This was the first large event I had volunteered at, and instead of being short staffed, the magnitude of the concert along with the prominence of the organization, made for many helping hands and an overabundance of volunteers.
I was directed to my volunteer station staffed by the Claw Crew, the NBA organization’s field marketing team. They are an affable bunch, along with being hardworking. I had recently read that Tennessee is one of the hardest working states, and it seems that the “grit and grind” play of the Grizzlies is a rallying force in the city. The members of the Claw Crew each had full time jobs, and worked part time with the group “for fun.” I was humbled telling them that after my week of volunteering I would be officially unemployed. I can relate to the sentiment as I didn’t leave my full time job because the work was too difficult, in fact, I desire a challenge like the residents of my new state.
Band getting warmed up.
After familiarizing with the guys on the team I went over to check on the kids in the bounce house. I was surprised to find a fellow Volunteer Odyssey participant working the same day as me. Krista was just beginning her adventure on the day mine was coming to a close. She was excited to start, smiling ear to ear and interviewed me on how my week had gone. I explained to her how great it was to meet so many people in the city while helping multiple organizations and those in need. We shared a new feeling of connection to the city. Having just completed my week of working and writing, I was able to give her some insight that was fresh in my mind. I told her to heed our instructions and express your emotions instead of simply sharing the details of each day. Explaining that for me, one of the biggest challenges was breaking the idea of a narrative in my memory and instead presenting what was on my mind throughout the day. I assured her that approaching the recaps this way, she would have more than enough each day. Krista and I shared in the excitement of the Volunteer Odyssey program, and we spoke about our respective job hunts. In the past three weeks I’ve been surrounded by my girlfriend and all of her first-year teacher friends; it was a relief to share with someone the stress of craving a full schedule. I appreciated hearing a parallel concern for wanting to start a new job promptly, while not sacrificing the desire to find something you love; which is one of the paramount reasons we joined this program.
People enjoying the festival
Today’s volunteer experience didn’t require a lot of sweat like many of the other organizations I had helped this week, but like all the other non-profits I aided, Church Health Center needed volunteers in order to assist the community. The profits raised at the concert would fund the center’s mission to promote wellbeing by providing healthcare to those working uninsured. While the relief was less tangible at this event, I know my presence helped the organization fundraise in order to work towards a healthier Memphis; a mission I can certainly rally behind. During the festivities, the rain began to fall; Memphis proved itself relentless as the band played and people danced through the rain shower. I still haven’t discovered if soul music makes Memphis or Memphis makes soul.