The Meaning of Service: Then and Now
Posted on: June 24, 2014Chicago
This post was written by CHC member Ashley Jerominski.
Series: Reflections on AmeriCorps Service
Ashley serves at the Respiratory Health Association as an Asthma Educator.
"I'm serving with AmeriCorps. It's considered a year of service because I don't earn a salary; I receive a living stipend." This was my go-to description for explaining what my AmeriCorps year of service was to people who asked. To me,'service" meant a monetary sacrifice that I was making because I only received a'modest living stipend" in return for a full week's worth of hard work. This concept of service was difficult for a lot of people in my life to grasp.'Why even do it? It doesn't seem worth it," they would say. As I reflect on my year of service with the Chicago Health Corps, I have come to discover that the reason I decided to pursue a year of service is because of the daily impact I make in people's lives.
One memory sticks out in my mind the most when I think about meaningful moments as an Asthma Educator with Respiratory Health Association. I was teaching a class of 3rd-5th graders about avoiding asthma triggers like smoke, cockroaches, and pollen. A boy in the class was scared because a person in his home smoked, and he was afraid that constantly being around smoke would cause him to have an asthma attack that would kill him. In that moment I tried my best to equip that student and his peers with the skills needed to navigate his challenging situation. The students in the class and I had a serious discussion about how to avoid smoke in the home and together we came up with different solutions to the student's problem.
After reflecting on this situation, and many others like it that I experienced throughout the year, I have come to realize that service is not defined by the sacrifices we make or the dollar amount on our paycheck; instead, it is defined by the people we encounter and the lives we change. Helping just one student learn how to take control over their own health and avoid smoke in their home is what makes me dedicated to service, and makes this whole AmeriCorps experience worth it to me. Working as an ally with people in their communities is something I look forward to continuing doing long after my AmeriCorps year has ended. So although my time with the Chicago Health Corps is coming to an end, my time dedicated to service is not.