FINAL POST

As Summit in one sentence:

Volunteering is hard work but the cause is worth the effort.

As I continue on at Drury I will continue to use the time management and teamwork skills that I have cultivated over the past year in summit. It was hard organizing the schedules of 8 people and balancing that with my tough workload for my other classes, but together we managed. I feel that working as a group will help in the future to see that not everything will be under my control.

The greatest thing I learned was things won’t always go as planned. I need to be more flexible and confident in my peers because they are very capable. When plans change I need to adapt and accept the new direction quickly in order to be more effective and to make a positive impact.

I feel that I, along with my housemates, have contributed to Drury’s awareness that sexual responsibility is important and there is no reason to be embarrassed. We made Planned Parenthood’s voice and presence clear here on Drury’s campus while those in the agency fought to keep their doors open. Our impact may seem small but it is definitely a step in the right direction.

If I did not live in Summit there is no way I would have been as involved in volunteering. I might not have ever gotten involved with Planned Parenthood. It would have been a real shame because I love the women’s rights that they advocate especially in healthcare. Also I would not know the people I live with as well.

Looking back, there are several things I would have changed. Mostly though I would change the way we communicated and the amount of organization. Though we tried to include everyone we struggled to fit 8 different schedules into one master plan.

For future Summit groups I would suggest that they know what they are getting into. Summit is a huge time commitment and working with friends can be stressful at times. They should advertise events early and frequently. Get involved not only with the organization but also on campus and show people why your work is important.