My Service Learning Journal
Journal 2: Effective Communication and Advocacy
Virginia Koch
Instructions:
Step 1:
- Briefly summarize the “best fit occupations” results of the combined assessment (about 100 words).
Step 2:
- Reflect on the combined results of your assessments as they relate to your current career interest (about 400 words). Consider responding to one or more of following prompts:
- In the Work Interest assessment, what is your Holland Code (please use the letters and descriptive titles)? How well do these three descriptors fit your current career interest? How might these descriptors help you select a better fitting career goal?
- In the Leisure Interest assessment, what are your top three leisure interests? How well do these three descriptors fit your current career interest? How might these descriptors help you select a better fitting career goal?
- What “best fit” occupation recommendations do you agree with? What recommendations do you disagree with? Why?
- Which of the five assessments (work, leisure, skills, personality, values) are most important to you personally? Select three assessments and run another combined report. Are the results any different? Did the results provide you with any new insights?
- You may also comment on the insights gained from the Focus 2 Career Assessment and how they relate to the results of previous assessment you have completed while in LEAD Scholars including True Colors, Strengths, and 16-Personalities.
Step 3:
- Provide one personal insight about your career path gained from this learning activity.
In recognition of the St. Vincent DePaul’s feast day (September 27), I delivered the speech below after two Masses and another Vincentian (that’s what members are called) delivered it at a third Mass. I wrote this speech in collaboration with several officers who provided feedback on multiple drafts. The purpose of the speech was to introduce our organization to parishioners and invite them to join and/or support the work of the conference as we serve our friends in need.
My name is Virginia Koch and I am a member of the Saint Stephen’s Conference of the Saint Vincent DePaul Society. On Tuesday, September 27th we celebrate the feast day of our patron, Saint Vincent DePaul. Since its founding in Paris in 1833, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul has grown to 800,000 members in over 150 countries with 1.5 million volunteers. We call ourselves Vincentians and in the US we serve more than 5 million people annually. Our mission is “a network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.”
Saint Vincent de Paul has a large presence in the Orlando area with two dozen parish conferences. You may be familiar with the St. Vincent DePaul thrift stores in Apopka, Eustis, and Clermont. In the past four months, our members have worked closely with All Souls Parish in Sanford and regional leaders to establish our daily operations. Thirty-seven St. Stephen parishioners have completed our new member orientation and 19 parishioners have completed our home visit training.
Home visits give Vincentians the opportunity to see Christ in others and minister to them with friendship, kindness, and confidentiality. After community members contact our office, two SVPD members visit them in their homes or other place where they live to listen to their concerns and develop a plan to address their immediate and long-term needs. Please know that we serve all friends in need regardless of their religious affiliation.
Did you know about 9% of Winter Springs residents live with incomes below the poverty line? Many of these 3,000 residents are elderly. With ~3.5 minutes long current economic conditions, we are receiving many requests from community members seeking financial assistance for housing, utilities, and food. After vetting the requests, we have given over $8,000 to local, families in the past few months. Your regular support can make a powerful difference in the lives of our friends in need.
Here’s 4 things you can do to assist us:
- Attend meetings and get involved. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 7 pm in EC1 and parishioners of all ages and abilities are invited to join. Our office is located in EC1 and is open Monday through Friday. We need SVDP member staff the office and make home visits.
- Support SVDP financially. All parishioners are invited to support this important work by making regular donations through the collection baskets at Mass or online donations through the St. Stephen website. You can make checks payable to SVDP—St. Stephen.
- Donate food and personal items. Please donate gift cards to local grocery stores (Aldi’s, Winn Dixie, Publix, Walmart) and we will distribute them to people needing food assistance.
- Make referrals. All parishioners are invited to refer community members in need to us.
Sunday 9 am Mass: After Mass today, please join us for a donut social in EC1 to learn more about this important lay ministry.
Saturday 5 pm or Sunday 11 am Mass: After Mass please stop by our table in the Narthex to learn more about this important lay ministry.
Thank you for caring about the poor in our community. God bless you.
My Insight
