The Maribel Garcia Community Spirit Fund honors one Cornell student each year
for giving "a remarkable contribution to the spirit of humanity." We thank YOU
all so much for your donations of money and emotion to this new program and we
want to say that all the applicants were amazing this year, showing incredible
selflessness and conviction in their volunteer efforts. From emotional and devoted
work with older adults through the Cornell Elderly Partnership, to strong leadership
of the Pre Orientation Service Trip, Alternative Breaks, and Cornell Red Cross
Club, to passionate tutoring with children through REACH (Raising Education Attainment
CHallenge), and work at the Louis Gossett, Jr. Residential Center for Youth, we
can see that so much invaluable community work is being done and our hearts are
lifted to know about it. We wish we could thank everyone personally!
After thinking about our late friend Maribel and the indelible, unique spirit
she she projected in life and which still remains now after her death, we are
happy to present the 2008 Maribel Garcia Community Spirit Award to Cornell senior
Jessica Houle. Through Jessica's hard work establishing the OURS organization,
(Opportunity Understanding Respect Success), which serves and enriches the lives
of children and teens in two of the area's mobile home parks, and through her
further efforts to connect these children and teens with Cornell students as part
of the YOURS organization, (Youth Outreach Undergraduates Reshaping Success),
Jessica has shown the kind of creativity, selflessness, and personal investment
in a community of people that also characterized Maribel. We love the specific
ideas within the programs as well, from teaching the kids hip-hop dance, to building
a real willow hut for Earth Day, to education about budgeting and managing money.
We believe that the strong foundation Jessica has built, and the personal effect
she has had on the people of OURS and YOURS, will carry forward into the future,
enriching more communities and more lives. We present Jessica this award as a
big "thank you" from us, for honoring our friend's memory through her good works.
We sat down with Jessica recently to find out more about her and her work.
MARIBEL GARCIA COMMUNITY SPIRIT FUND: The Maribel Garcia Community Spirit Fund
is excited to present you with our second-ever annual award. Can you describe
the work you've been doing in the community around Ithaca?
JESSICA HOULE: I am more than happy to respond to all of your questions. Before
I do that though, I just want to say how meaningful it is to me that you chose
to create an award in honor of Maribel when she passed away. It is a really positive
way to remember someone who was so clearly an amazing person, for both her commitment
to the community, but also for her commitment to her friends. On a personal note,
I also lost a close friend recently. In May 2006, a student at Cornell, Ian Alberta,
passed away in a fire that started in his house in the night. It is the hardest
thing I've ever gone through, and I hope to find a way to honor him like you've
done for Maribel.
Now to answer your questions...
I grew up in Conger's mobile home park, Freeville, NY. As a local to this area,
I've grown a great attachment to its people. After I returned from a break in
France, I began college at Cornell. Living at home with my father, I looked out
my window time and time again at the children passing by. I began to wonder if
I couldn't make a difference in their lives. Having grown up there, I knew that
the trailer park tended to lead youth down a very negative path. My own sister
dropped out of high school, suffered drug abuse, and became a teenage mom.
While I was working at a place called Challenge Industries, where I helped people
with mental and physical disabilities develop real job skills, I realized that
I could fund my own project using my paycheck. This was my second job, and intended
for it to be volunteer work, so I convinced myself that I could support myself
off of the 20 hours of work I was doing at Home Depot every week. I began writing
grants, and immediately received two major grants to jumpstart the program in
addition to the money I saved from Challenge.
So out of my father's yard sprouted OURS. Kids would come to my yard for two
planned programs a week and then soon almost every day just to talk with me. We
created plays for the community, hosted community ice cream social events, and
had a whole lot of fun. In less than a year, I decided this program wasn't only
a nice idea, but it was necessary if these youth were going to find positive role
models in their lives that would lead them down a better path. So I started the
YOURS program at Cornell to recruit volunteers, I found a large building to hold
program at, and I got the Cornell Cooperative Extension to help us out with a
van.
Since that early beginning, the program has grown to serve between 20 to 25 kids
a semester from two separate mobile home parks, with a volunteer base of no less
than 20 volunteers a semester. We run three programs a week throughout the school
year as well as summer programming. We also recently received two grants in which
we used to hire a half-time staff person to oversee our program and a van to transport
the youth that gives us greater flexibility. We also have several other grants
that are allowing us to run the best programs we've ever been able to run. Our
youth often arrive with low confidence, low academic achievement, and a multitude
of behavioral issues. Yet every day, we offer them new opportunities with positive
role models who let them know how special they are. And every day, I see a new
path being paved ahead of them that they would not see without this program. It's
given me a whole new meaning to life to see how much this program means to these
youth.
MGCSF: What gave you the courage to start this program?
JH: My inspiration comes from the people who served as role models in my life.
From a very young age, there were adults who let me know that I was a valuable
person and I could do whatever I wanted. There are also all the great people who
came into my life once this idea got started. I heard a lot of people say that
there was no way I'd be able to start this program as a student, but there were
a few people who really believed in me and said, "If you want to do it, you can."
MGCSF: Can you give us a little background information on yourself? What are
some of your interests? What's your major at Cornell? Do you have any particular
plans after you graduate?
JH: For fun, I am really into the outdoors and all sorts of physical stuff. I
go rock climbing outdoors every chance I get, and I love hiking/camping. I also
play volleyball, and like to play badminton and squash when I finally have time.
In addition, I really like art. I paint, draw, and sculpt, but that's not as often
as I once did it before all this Cornell stuff got started.
At Cornell I study Design and Environmental Analysis with a concentration in
Interior Design. If I pursue this field, I might work in ultra green design or
science museum exhibit design. However, I am heading off to Colorado for the summer
to take a break from design, start climbing more, and pursue some outdoor jobs.
I am in the graduate school search process for either Wilderness Therapy or Entomology,
but plans change. In any case, I'm going to Colorado with my boyfriend and two
adorable, yet mischievous dogs, Cali and Rooney.
MGCSF: What's been the biggest challenge so far?
JH: It's really hard to pin down one thing. It was really hard for me to give
up the dictator role though. I had to learn how to turn "my project" into a "community
project."
MGCSF: What have been the rewards?
JH: Once I stopped trying to control everything, I learned to inspire new leaders.
It's proven to be the most rewarding and unexpected skill I got out of this. Also,
I could give you a million quotes I've heard from those kids...and a million accomplishments
that no one ever would've expected from them. Those are all the rewards I need.
I love those kids and they've shown me that there's so much more to life than
money, a job, and a place to live. I now value community as the most important
thing in my life. It is the reason that I am moving to Colorado without a job
first. I want to seek out the next community I can make an impact in rather than
be led to any community.
MGCSF: Any other thoughts?
JH: I wanted to update you about what I will be doing with the money since it's
made me very happy. I just received an email from the man who runs the orphanage
I volunteered at in India. This orphanage runs on so little, yet it does so much...including
sending all of the children to school, running Sunday school for all local kids,
running a school program for homeless/street kids, and a medical camp in the leprosy
colonies.
It's run by only a married couple and a couple volunteers and they've sacrificed
everything to do this for over 20 beautiful girls. I've wanted to help them out
more than anything since I came back, but as a student supporting myself, I never
had any surplus money. So the check I will be receiving is going to sponsor the
newest addition to their family, a 3-year old named Meenu, who just lost both
of her parents. Thanks so much. I've really been looking for a way to do something
for them for so long and this is exactly what I needed to make a contribution.
Thanks again for giving me such an honor. I am very impressed by your desire to
keep your friend's spirit alive.
If YOU would like to help us continue the Maribel Garcia Fund, read more here.
And HUGE thanks to everyone who's already contributed! We couldn't do it without
you.
Sincerely,
Sam Shaber and Amy Rosenberg
The Maribel Garcia Community Spirit Fund