Life is full of beauty. Notice it.: Crocs for Kiddies!

Reach out. Raise hope. Change Society. That was the slogan I heard over and over while getting my master's in Social Work at the University of Michigan. I must admit, while I thought it was a good slogan I didn't think too much about it while I was there. Of course I wanted to help people and of course I wanted to be a part of change, but mostly at the time I was focused on simply graduating. However, since graduating it has crossed my mind many times. Living in Grenada and being involved with the children here I see first hand the impact that people can have on these children, even with the smallest acts of kindness. The After School program at Limes is a wonderful program, and a much needed one. It gives these kids something to do after school and helps keep them out of trouble- at least for a couple hours. It gives them something to look forward to and it gives us the opportunity to shower them with love and the attention they are starved for.

Reach Out. Today at Limes we gave out 63 pairs of crocs!! One of the SOs Aunts and their church were super generous and donated the shoes and paid to have them shipped here for the kids. Now how wonderful and thoughtful is that? People who haven't even met these kids, yet have heard stories about them and seen pictures reached within themselves to do something special for these kids. Many of these kids come to class without shoes, or with shoes that are in really dreadful shape, and so this gift was perfect. All the way from another country they put huge smiles on many kiddos faces and made a small(but for the moment, big) difference in their lives.

Raise Hope. Not only do these shoes provide for the kids in the fact that they don't have shoes and need them, but they don't get gifts often and that gesture alone is a gift to them. They got to feel special and loved, and they have a brand new pair of shoes as their very own. What's the saying... "they won't remember you for the things you gave them, but for how you made them feel." I think that is a key component to "raising hope" and being a positive influence on these kids. While they will most definitely outgrow these shoes, the feeling that people care about them may last. At the same time, Grenada is full of people, and more importantly children, who live in poverty, and who don’t necessarily have basic things, such as shoes. These shoes were a token of love and provided for some of their basic needs, put a smile on their faces, and maybe in the smallest of ways elevated their hope and comfort, at least for the day.

Change Society. This doesn't mean we want to come in and change the way these kids and their families are living or force our values and beliefs upon them, but rather I think it is our opportunity to use what we have to help those who have less than us. By sharing our gifts, talents, and time, we can help to make their lives a little better and reach out to them with kindness. It is small acts of kindness such as these shoes that do change society, little by little, child by child. It's the thought and actions that we all have the ability to do, in some form, that can make a difference and lead to change.

You don't necessarily need the official title of "Social Worker" or to be officially employed as one to do social work. Social work is helping others and striving to make the world a better and more equal place. It is about reaching out, raising hope, and changing society in every day life through our thoughts and actions. So although we SOs (significant others) may only be in Grenada because of boyfriends, husbands, girlfriends, or wives, and we may not get a paycheck every week, working with these kids quickly becomes something we love doing and a part of our weekly routine. Since it isn’t a paid job, we don’t need to show up 3 days a week, but we do because we love these kids. I think that is what I love so much about volunteer work. We aren’t driven to help because of money or obligation; we do it because we care. And we get to give the children wonderful gifts because of others in Grenada or at home, whose hearts have also been touched. I've only been here a couple weeks, and I admire all the hard work and dedication that I see and know was put forth before I came here, and am excited to be a part of that moving forward. There is nothing better than the hugs, smiles, laughter, and happiness of kids. Let alone, kids who don’t have much, and deserve every little bit we can give them.

Before I came to Grenada this term (and even still from time to time being here) I get looks and questions as to what I am doing here, or the popular joke of "oh, so you are just on a 2 year vacation in the Caribbean?" To answer- yes, I am in Grenada for 2 years, and I am getting to spend a lot of time on the beach, but as someone who went to school for social work, I couldn't ask to be in a better place. These kids need us, and I think what the SO program is doing is amazing. Yes, we are going to continue to be broke for many years to come, but we will get a chance to be employed, slowly pay back Uncle Sam, and make money later on. But for now, we get to play, help with reading and math skills, hug, snuggle, and love on some really special kids who need it. Yeah, I think that beats a paycheck any day.