Before I start writing about my last week at Back Bay Mission and my overall thoughts I would like to say thank you to all the supporters of the Mission. Thank you to the readers who have taken time out to read about my journey as an intern and I hope you continue to support and keep updates on all the good things that make Back Bay Mission so great!
On Wednesday I got the privilege to spend the day with Roxxanne Watts who is the outreach caseworker. She gave me a car tour of organizations in the surrounding community that also assist with people who are homeless and low-income. We spent most of the morning at Feed My Sheep, which is a soup kitchen, handing out hygiene kits, tickets to go to the laundromat, and bus passes. Roxxanne taught me by her actions and not so much by her words. Her actions told me that she truly cared about her clients well being and that they succeed to the best of their ability. Some of her actions are being proud that her client graduating from her program, constantly explaining things over and over to her current clients so that they truly understand what she is talking about, and how she is always in the community to see what the needs are. Some of this is her job, but I see that she goes far and beyond for her clients and sees they can be self-sustaining. She taught me that people will be people, and if they are not ready to receive assistance and make a change in their life then there isn’t much she can do unless they truly want to make an effort.
This can be hard to deal with, but I saw her do it at the Micah Center all the time. When she finally explained to me why she would sit by the entrance, I finally understood why. She did this because the clients in the Micah Center know that she is available when they are ready to receive help. This way, they approach her when they are ready and not the other way around. This helped me understand that it takes the person who may need help to admit it and for them to take charge of their well-being and Roxxanne’s job is to just facilitate and help guide. Sometimes her clients may rely a little too much on her because she can be very helpful, but she isn’t afraid to be honest to them either.
Overall I am very thankful for the time I spent at Back Bay Mission. I think to be able to understand and digest all that they do, I needed ten weeks and then some because it involves a lot of people, history, programs, communication and organization. This experience will be so beneficial and helpful for when I apply for a job because I will have an idea of what I am getting myself into. working in human services takes a certain kind of person and not just any kind of person, but a special person who loves people… like me.
