Last Blogg

1) if i could describe my Summit experience in one sentence it would be: A learning experience in a different way that help me grow and enjoy the sophmore experience.

2)the aspects that i think will be beneficial from the summit experience , i thinks its the leadership classes we had and also the sense of giving back to the community.

3)the greatest thing i learned from living in summit is that communication is the key for every thing in this world and that without good feedback from all the parts complete team is not possible and that hurts the main goal, hurting the main purpose of the project.

4)i think we made an impact with the drury community , by making people aware of the problems and issues this animals have on a daily bases and that not all the dogs and cats in the world are comfortably in a house with love and comfort.

5)first of all if i wouldnt have had the opportunity to live at summit i would first missed the great commodities this amazing place house has to offer but also i wouldve missed the oportunity to learn valuable leadership skills that we learned in class, but also fun activities like yoga and tai chi. without the summit experience i dont think my sophmore year wouldve been as good as it was.

6)If i could have changed something i wish we couldve changed the way our group worked together and the communication between us. I wish we couldve at least worked together for the sake of our project .

7) If i could give an advice to future summit groups is to plan things ahead and schedule everything so you are not going crazy at the end of the year.

Arturo Castro

End of the Year Questions

1) This summer experience was a blast. I enjoyed working the the Southwest Humane Society, and I loved the Summit classes.

2) The overall experience helped me in many ways. It helped me learn how to communicate, as well as overcome problems within the group. It helped me learn about time management and how to work as a team.

3) The greatest thing that I have learned from this experience is that plans never go as they are expected to. You have to learn to adapt and capitalize on situations that come up during your summit/volunteer schedule.

4) The biggest impact that we made was overall recognition and awareness of the site. We were able to promote the Humane Society and help the community gain knowledge and awareness about the site

5) It would be different because I would not have the new developed love for helping the animals and the shelter.

6) I would not have changed very much about this experience.

7) My advice to others would be to choose a project or shelter that you have a passion for, because then volunteering does not feel like you are volunteering at all.

Summit Experience

1. My Summit experience has been great. It has been a pleasure working with the Humane Society and working with pets. I enjoyed it a lot.
2. Volunteering will be the most important aspect of Summit that I learned this year. It is nice to volunteer for something but it is nicer when no one is forcing you to do it. It feels so much better to volunteer because you want to and not because you have to. What I learned this year was to volunteer because I wanted to and not being forced by someone.
3. The greatest thing I learned from Summit park is communication and team work. Without these, there is no way for the program to be successful.
4. I think we have made a difference as a Summit group for the Humane Society. We had programs the benefit the Humane Society and we collected more than $300 and raised awareness on campus. That is a big achievement considering that last year we were just bunch of freshmen who are trying to find a place to live in.
5. Without the Summit Leadership program, I would not be able to know and experience how important being a volunteer is in our society.  Many non-profit organizations are out there and are not being funded but are kept alive by volunteers.  Volunteers are very important in keeping non-profit organization alive and helping people.
6. Looking back, I had an awesome experience living with my roommates the first semester. What I would have changed would be to pick a roommate that you can communicate with and the roommate that will care about you. What I have learned from this year is the notion of "temporary friends" as they call it. That would be one thing that I will change. Looking for roommates that can be my friend 10, 20, 30 years down the road and not look at me as a "temporary friend" whom will be talking to me for a year and then forget about me after that. One of my biggest mistake is caring too much for other people and fighting for friends that I thought were good and sincere friends. I would pick the friend who would care and fight for me and be there whenever I need him. The summit started out as myself defending a friend and ending with people that don't care about me. If I had a chance to repeat what happened, I would not change a thing because I am fighting for my friends and principles that I hold dearly and not back out of any challenges ahead of me.
7. My advice for future Summit groups is that know your friends very well. One year as friends is not enough to get you through. Make sure that all your friends can be communicated and will listen to you when you talk unlike other people that has their views set before you even get to talk to them. Make sure that you do all your volunteer hours before it is too late and communication is the key to the success of your group. Without communication lines being open, it is hard to live with them and it is hard to get anything done.

1. My Summit experience this year could be described as interesting and challenging.

2. I think the most beneficial thing about Summit that I can take with me is volunteerism. I definitely will continue to volunteer far into the future.

3. The greatest thing I learned by living in Summit is learning who your real friends are.

4. I feel that we have made a big impact on the community and our philanthropy because our events raised nearly $400 and we were able to get 10 new volunteers from Drury to work at the shelter.

5. I believe that my experience at Drury would have been different without Summit because I would not have become involved with my philanthropy as I am now.

6. Looking back, I would change who I lived with because it was a difficult situation living with people you do not get along with.

7. Make sure you do not procrastinate on your hours! Set a schedule and stick to it throughout the semester.

FINAL EVENT

We will be hosting Big Dog On Campus today outside the FSC! There will be numerous dogs there to compete in a beauty contest. There will be dogs brought and the way you vote for the dog you want is to put money in the jar in front of his or her cage. It should be a great event and we look forward to seeing everyone.

Last week we went and worked for about five hours at the Humane Society. It was actually a good time. Taylor and I walked dogs all day while the staff cleaned the cages. We also spent about two hours folding news papers but those are the kinds of jobs that they need most. Everyone wants to walk the dogs but no one wants to do the boring jobs, so the staff was very greatful.

This week we are finishing up our final project presentation. We have a good start with pictures and video. It should be a good presentation and I think this semester was a huge success. Two fundraisers and lots of hours.

A Saturday of Lifting

This weekend the Panthers for Paws group spent some time at the Southwest Humane Society. We put our muscles together to move out a bunch of heavy stuff into a storage unit nearby. We have also started selling our "I love Puppies" shirts this week during lunch at the commons during lunch. The shirts are only FIVE DOLLARS!!! All benefits will go directly to the Southwest Humane Society. And in the following week, we will be helping with Big Dog on Campus!! GET EXCITED!!

Hola

This weekend me matt and Taylor went to the Humane society to help move a lot of office equipment, printers, fax machines, computers , tv's, you name it but the hardest part was moving a couple if big wood desks which required the help from all of us to get them to their new spot. We also had the company of two dogs which were in their kennels while we moved stuff sadly this two dogs were terrified from all the noice we were making specially when trying to move the desks, also a cat from the staff kept coming to check what we were up to , to later run from the barking for the other two dogs.

on a sad note i saw for the first time someone coming to turn their dog because they could not care for it anymore, the dog was a beautiful bulldog big and strong but at the same time really sweet , it broke my heart seeing the staff take it away and the former owner leaving without any problem. i just cant understand how you can do that but i guess people have their reasons too.

finally i want to encourage everyone to support our cause and try to buy one of our shirts that we are going to be selling soon they are for a good cause and they will look good tooo

Arturo