I volunteered at St. Hedwig Haus in Charleston off of Jackson Ave. St. Hedwig's is a house with families living there with their children. No men, just women and children. The ladies and their children live upstairs and the main floor everyone is welcome on and includes the kitchen, living room, playroom and dining room. The house was funded by gracious people from EIU and the area donating money to make it possible. Before I was able to volunteer there I had to complete 2 hours of training called Protecting God's Children since this is a Catholic based housing service being offered and there are some people living there dealing with domestic violence and sexual assault issues. The training taught me what to keep and eye out for and to have a background for what I would be dealing with. It is a ministry of presence the founders say. With that being said, my obligations for volunteering included; simply just being present to talk and interact with the ladies living there and their children, helping clean off their table or help with dishes, vacuum or anything I felt like helping them with. I played a game with one of the children on my first day volunteering and he was sad when I had to leave but happy after I told him I would be returning the next day. Steve is the main guy that lives in the basement of the house and made this possible. He interns at the Newman Center and graduated in 2011. Someone always has to be a the house for liability issues and when there are volunteers this gives Steve the chance to leave and go to the Newman center for his intern duties. This was an eye opening experience and is a great tool the community has for those who need shelter until they can get back on their feet and afford to live on their own and support themselves. This was definitely first hand experience in dealing with disadvantaged families and I learned a lot. I will be back to volunteer more this summer since my internship is in Charleston. I also had the responsibility of answering any phone calls that came in and to get the name and number and call Steve immediately if anyone called needing shelter. The house is to the max with their four families but they have ties with the St. Vincent De Paul Society and can help find shelter if anyone needs assistance. I never knew there were options and services out there in this area for housing and shelter. This is a great place for the community to have! They are all about being there and helping those disadvantaged individuals who just need that extra help getting back on their feet. -Miranda Williams
