Volunteer Paper

On Friday, September the ninth, I volunteered in the downtown Olean area for the victims

of the Hurricane Katrina incident. The relief effort took place by the corners of Union and State

Streets, Front and State Streets, and in front of the Fire Department. Other participants included the Universities SIFE team, who were accompanied by the swimming and diving teams. The "boot drive," lasted from 6 A.M. until 6 P.M., and by the time the day was over, with the combined efforts of the firefighters and the students, the area had raised $30,000.

It felt great standing out in the intersections and doing something minor for a major cause. There wasn't any pressure put upon the commuters that were passing through to give money. We all just stood there and accepted whatever money was offered. All of the people that passed through were very generous and willing to help, which made the experience even more worth the time spent there. I stood outside with the boot from about 3 P.M. until 6 P.M., and received over a thousand dollars in my three hours of volunteering. When I first got their I started to regret my decision a little bit because I knew that I was going to be there until six o'clock, which is a long time to stand in the middle of the street with a boot in your hand. But as the time went on, I got to meet a lot of the firefighters who were very nice and talkative towards me. Before I knew it, it had turned six o'clock and it was time to head out. Once I was finished, I was happy that I took the time to help out. The feeling that I got once it was over was a special feeling, even though I only helped for 3 hours.