Charlie Tzefronis

Theology 12 

Dr. Monitello 

12 April 2024 

Service Program Capstone 

Most of my service hours have come from working with Guiding Eyes for the Blind. It is an organization that thrives on goodness, even in the most challenging times. They rely on the goodness of the loyal base of generous supporters, passionate staff, and dedicated volunteers to come together to meet the growing needs of our diverse community of people with vision loss. Guiding Eyes has graduated more than 10,000 guide dog teams through this unwavering support and dedication. They believe in the powerful, meaningful change that their beautiful dogs bring to the lives of people facing the daily challenges that blindness and vision loss present. 

I had the unique experience of raising a puppy for Guiding Eyes for the Blind for different periods of time. I once had a dog named Ipso for nearly three months; it was a full-time job. I spent every waking moment with him when I wasn't at school, and since he was a service animal, he tagged along with me everywhere, even to school a few times. We went to puppy class, where I taught him new tricks and skills. Taking him out each day was challenging but rewarding, knowing I was helping someone in need. Another time, I had a puppy for just a weekend, but it was still intense. We did long walks and practiced training at home, and it was all worth it for the more significant cause. I also had a puppy for a few weeks, juggling school and practice while giving him my full attention. I also cared for a retired guide dog who needed extra help due to a medical condition. It was a lot of work, but the satisfaction of making a difference was priceless.

During the Thanksgiving break, I was able to make a difference by helping with the St. Pats service trip. I went with a group of classmates, and we did a lot. We moved the already-made Gilmour baskets to the inside and then added them to the baskets. We then organized and helped the people go through the line with their food. I spent most of my time unloading the truck and bus carrying the turkey and baskets. I then handed out the turkeys and broke down all the cardboard boxes, which was harder than it should have been. This was a very meaningful experience because I could see who I was helping and where the food I donated was going. A year or two prior, my extended family and I did a few holiday activities instead of exchanging gifts, so one of the activities involved helping at the food bank. I had to put a piece of paper in the box and give it to the people to be taped up. Everyone thought I had the easiest job, but it was, in fact, hard as there was a lip at the end of the convert belt, so I had to lift the full boxes up and over to the other people, so it wasn't as easy as just sliding. Although it wasn’t the easiest job, it didn’t matter because I knew it was making a difference. I was able to help Gilmour this year by working at the open house, being a student ambassador, and helping at the golf table. I spent time at the Gilmour Open House and led a prospective student and their family on a tour of our school. I had to spend 2 of the 3 hours talking to and sharing information about the school. 

Since I started doing service work before coming to Gilmour, I don’t believe my experience at Gilmour inspired my passion for justice; it strengthened it by expanding it. The only service work I had done prior to Gilmour was working with Guiding Eyes for the Blind, but after being at Gilmour, I genuinely wanted to help people not just because I had a requirement but because I wanted to. I had finished the requirement freshman year, so I didn’t have a reason to keep volunteering for different things, but I did because I wanted to help and bring justice to those who need it. To me, charity is just giving to those who need help, but justice is working with those people to get them the help they need. Justice has a lot more meaning and love behind it; it truly shows people that you want to help and make a difference in one another's lives. Not one person or story has stuck with me, but all of them. I have met multiple visually impaired people and homeless people, and they all need help no matter what. I don’t want to help because of just one person; instead, I want to help as many people as possible because everybody deserves justice.