As an ACLC, I live on a stipend, which means no matter how hard I work or how many hours I put in a week, my checks still come every two weeks consisting of the same three measly digits. And while living on a serious budget is a great life lesson, as an ACLC, it’s your hours that really count.
For each day you miss here at MHYC that’s eight to ten hours less you have toward reaching your ultimate goal of 1700 service hours by the end of the ACLC program. And with less than four weeks left until graduation, many of us are trying to reach that goal by doing Independent Service Hours (ISP) to make up for days we missed.
Making up hours can seem stressful and overwhelming for those of us who racked up lots of sick days, but for most of us it’s actually a great opportunity to get out into the community, get involved and enjoy some volunteer work.
Me and Melanie working the welcome desk at Denver Art Society's Homeless Art Exhibit
To make up some hours, last week Melanie and I got the chance to partner up with a new nonprofit in the Santa Fe Art District, The Denver Art Society, and work at planning and executing their first Homeless Art Exhibit. The Denver Art Society’s goal is to level the playing field for all artists, providing space and opportunities for artists of all ages, races and classes to create and showcase artwork.
Going by the motto of ART FOR ALL, The Denver Art Society was able to get some canvas and paints donated to them, which they then took to different homeless shelters around Denver. The paintings produced by these homeless artists were then collected and put on display last Friday during the art walk in which all the galleries lining Santa Fe Drive have their doors open to the community.
So The Denver Art Society lined its walls, and the artwork was put up on silent auction with each painting going to the highest bidder. At the end of the night almost every piece of art had been bid on, and 100 percent of the profits from these sales went right into the hands of the homeless artist who created it.
Not only were Melanie and I able to make up some hours, we were able to be a part of an empowering and important night. To check out upcoming events and learn more about The Denver Art Society, visit http://denverartsociety.com/.
-Vanessa Notman
Me bonding with other volunteers Duy! and Alice.
