Marketing Materials
Tyler Price
Initially, I was under the impression that we would be able to meet with one of the refugees and interview them. However, as I am becoming more aware, when dealing with NICE, I need to be willing to go with the flow – plans might change on a dime.
It all turned out great, though. We got a few different interviews and I was able to actually do some physical labor – that’s when I feel like I am really helping someone out; lifting and putting things together. I worked with two guys – Patrick and Kelso. I asked them how long they had been helping out NICE and Kelso said a couple years. Patrick was Kelso’s friend and was new to the whole volunteer thing. We ended up putting together five or so beds. Kelso’s story was interesting. He said that he knew someone that worked for NICE and they called him up one day and asked for some help. He thought he would only be volunteering for a few hours, but it turned into an all-day thing. Later, they called him back for more work. Eventually, they decided to contract him as their contractor. He is now one of the main guys that delivers beds and furniture that needs to be assembled. He and Patrick drove a moving truck that had many more deliveries in the back.
Unfortunately, they didn’t give me much information that would be useful in a flyer or bio. The stuff they told me was short a brief – that’s the kind of guys they were. I respected that about them.
But, the other two volunteers were much more willing to share – albeit, they didn’t ramble. Paxton took some time to sit down with them and conduct a thorough interview about why they volunteer and what got them started. One of the girl’s parents were from Mexico and had illegally immigrated to the U.S. about 20 years ago. She said that her parents would have greatly benefited from an organization like NICE – hence her getting involved to help other people out that might be in the same boat as her parents once were. The other girl said that she was studying at university and had to write a paper about refugees. She realized that refugees were a huge interest for her. According to her “…it was my jam!” It was great to hear that everyone we spoke to that day had a specific reason that they were volunteering or working. Nobody was just doing it to fulfill credits or get a grade. I believe it is a totally different experience when someone does something out of the kindness of her heart – regardless of a pay-off.
As for my group members, Paxton did an excellent job! Aside from his phone dying, he was always attentive and asked a billion questions; which I love! Anna and Brandon were part of a different interview time slot so I’m not exactly sure how everything went. I heard from them that they had a hard time finding Kathy – they lost her on the way to the apartments. Overall, though, they have been excellent. I think our group has done a fantastic job so far trying to match our schedules with NICE’s and trying our hardest to get this project done.