Morgan - CASA - Day 3

Our group started this morning off at a group home in Huntsville called 503 8^th Street. I was familiar with the term group home, but had never actually been in one to consider all that it would encompass. For instance, I didn’t know that the home would care for younger individuals with disabilities along with elderly. This caused for an interesting dynamic, as the nurses were constantly in and out of the elderly residents’ rooms, which contained heart rate monitors and other medical equipment, while the younger residents with special needs seemed to be pretty independent and help out with things around the facility that needed to be done. As soon as we arrived the head of the home introduced us to Kellie, a forty-one year old resident. She gave us a tour of the massive home and introduced us to some of the other residents.

From there, we girls were tasked with organizing the food pantry. The nursed explained that they get a lot of donated food items, especially around the holidays, but with the amount of attention the residents command, it was difficult to get to organize the items. The house was also still decorated from the holiday season, so the Christmas tree was taken down and the front room needed to be swept.

After those jobs were done, we had some time left over to get to know some of the residents better. Payden, our ex-lineman of the CASA group, went outside with some of the younger men to toss around the football. I got the chance to talk to some of those men while we sat with them at lunch and they were very enthusiastic when it came to talking about Alabama and Auburn football as well as predicting the teams that will face off in the Super Bowl. Kellie asked us girls up to her room to show us the necklace her boyfriend got for her and to help with her makeup, hair, and nails. Volunteering our time at 503 8^th Street was the most interaction we’ve had with the recipients of the help of a sponsoring organization. It felt good to spend some time just listening to what all had to say and I could tell from their wiliness to allow us to spend time with them that our company was appreciated. We were once again invited in with open hearts and arms!

We got to spend some time later this afternoon at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Huntsville has been a major site for the rocket industry since around the start of the "space race" that took off in the 1950's. The staff at CASA was generous enough to provide us with tickets the first day we arrived. Everyone in town in proud of the center, as it is the major rocket center for the United States. It was nice to get to spend some time appreciating another aspect of the culture of the south.