User Profile: Lee Ann De Reus

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 @ 2:07 pm

Subject: Hit-and-Run Holiday Volunteers

Our hearts are in the right place. Most of us care about people who are less fortunate and want to "help." Volunteerism peaks around the holidays as people give of their time and money to benefit others. These efforts re-stock local food pantries, make holiday gifts possible for families who would have none, and give a financial boost to our favorite non-profits. So this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for the generous individuals who dig into their pockets or cupboards or give of their time to make a difference.

Often missing, however, from our generosity is a critical analysis of WHY we need these programs. Why the need for food pantries, homeless and women's shelters, free medical clinics, literacy programs, and clothing banks, for example? Across the country there is a dramatic surge in the number of service opportunities offered to students from elementary schools to college campuses. At all levels we encourage our youth to help. President Obama has called on Americans to make service a way of life. But "helping" can easily turn into a paternalistic hit-and-run volunteerism that reinforces "us vs. them" mentalities ("You're homeless and I'm not."), perpetuates stereotypes of people we are different from, and has less to do about the people we want to assist and more about our own egos.  The most egregious example is the group of "do-gooders" who stage a photo-op for the local paper as they hand a turkey and a basket of fixings to that "poor unfortunate" family. The picture appears in the paper or on Facebook, the volunteers get heaps of praise for their good deeds and everybody sleeps well that night knowing they did their part for another year - except the family who still faces hunger after Thanksgiving and must recover from such undignified treatment.

Efforts to assist others, whether at home or abroad, must be characterized by collaboration, sustainability, reciprocal partnerships, power with not power over, dignity, respect, empowerment and humility on the part of volunteers. When we create service projects in our schools or communities, they should be accompanied by questions that encourage critical thinking, debate, and action.  Besides contemplating, "Why is this family poor? Or why can't Suzie read?" We need to ask, "What causes poverty? What leads to illiteracy?" 

The solutions to poverty and other social problems are complex. Service to others is a necessary step to meeting the immediate needs of people but only structural change will tackle the source of problems and enable families to provide for themselves during the holidays and beyond.  

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