Falling for Fletcher Place

Falling for Fletcher Place

By: Kristen Meyer

As a Social Work major at the University of Indianapolis, one of the classes I was required to take was Social Problems. In the course, students had the option of taking a service learning lab. Being the “hands on” kind of person I am, I eagerly accepted. By signing up for this lab, I was committed to twenty-four hours of volunteer service. I spent some time in researching where I wanted to spend my time, and after having done some looking, I realized Fletcher Place was just where I needed to be.

I started volunteering in early September and immediately fell in love with the place. One of the first areas I became involved in was helping tutor for the GED program. This was something I have thoroughly enjoyed doing. I came in on Tuesdays and Thursdays to work with people in the area to help them practice for the GED exam. I became particularly close with a specific student. It was great to see him improve and progress through his studies. I loved how excited the students would get when they finally started understanding the concepts they spent so much time working on. It's such a great feeling to know that people are truly grateful for the help we volunteers put forth.

As much as I loved tutoring, I feel that what really drew me in was serving a free breakfast on Friday mornings. Instead of going out with friends on Thursday nights, I stayed in to wake up early and volunteer. I normally arrived around 8:30 a.m., a few minutes before we started serving. There was a church that served the meal, so before every meal we would all bow our heads to pray. I passed out the tickets to each individual that came through to eat. I became familiar with many of the faces that came through. Often I would go talk to them when I had a few minutes to spare. The Friday before Thanksgiving, Panera Bread had donated a bountiful amount of bread in different forms such as loaves and bagels. The bread was bagged up, so I was able to give a helping to everyone on their way out the door. All of the people were so appreciative to be receiving this. It's hard to describe just how amazing it feels to know that doing something as little as this can help a person out so much.

My experience at Fletcher Place will always be something to remember. This has helped shape me into the person I am today. I plan to continue volunteering even though I have well over the required hours for the course. Giving my time at Fletcher Place has helped me realize that Social Work is where I want to be. I couldn't have imagined a more fulfilling experience.