Reflecting on MLK Day, and the Impacts of Service

This post is written by Claire Kent.

Claire serves as a Vision Promotor at Illinois Eye Institute at CPS Princeston School.

With the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. earlier this week, I can't help but reflect on the impact an individual can have on social activism and commitment to service.  Our group of Chicago Health Corps members joined City Year members and individuals from the community for a school beautification project in the Gage Park neighborhood. During which, we painted different college logos on canvases, scripted inspirational quotes in the hallways, and drew fruit characters to inspire nutritious diets. But there was more to it: we had the opportunity to share our service successes and challenges with each other and with other AmeriCorps members from all around the state of Illinois.

Listening to everyone's stories makes something clear: many of us volunteers are able to be such because our backgrounds and upbringings enabled us to. For example, I know that for myself at least, it was never a question of'if" I would go to college, but'where." It is likely that most of the students attending these schools are not being raised in similar environments. I think of the students of this school: perhaps their family recently immigrated here, or their parents were unable to afford college. I hope that our college murals and art pieces act as a reminder that college is an attainable goal they should strive for throughout their education.

Nearing the halfway point in my year of service, I too have had unique experiences and successes in my service, and have been able to share in the successes of other Corps members. I spend the majority of my days serving at the Princeton Vision Clinic. Yet, when I started the position in September I had no knowledge of Chicago, of optometric care, nor the social determinants impacting my target population. There were definitely days where I questioned the impact of my service; did patients understand my broken Spanish translations? Was I helping a population that would otherwise be underserved?
 
But then, Dr. King reminds me,'If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." While challenges will always be present, I actively try to remind myself that my individual impact is not the only factor, but that it's the importance of the continual dedication to service.