#14:The volunteer
12-21-19
Dressed in overalls and sporting a wide smile, the Volunteer is extremely polite and well spoken. With the dream of volunteering again, he chats about his construction jobs and lessons learned from growing up in Fremont.
Did you grow up around here?
I grew right off of Mowry. I moved around a couple times, but I always come back. There's always a sort of safety in your hometown, even though this place has changed so much. For a while I lived in Oakland, and I never felt safe there. It was a real bad place in Oakland, right next to the coliseum.
On my birthday, my stepdad packed my bags for me. I thought it was a birthday party, but he said I had to get out. I cried and did all the booo drama, but I realized that it was really a gift. At eighteen I was a grown man and I had to learn how to live independently. I was too immature to appreciate a real gift like that. I thought they wanted me to fail at life at the time.
What would you like others to know about you?
We objectify people by their opinions, not getting to know what their true intentions are. When I went homeless, people stopped contacting me. I like talking with others, but the fact that this happened to me made others think differently, even though I was the same person. I’d much rather be working than to sit around on a Sunday.
I try to judge others as little as I can. Everyone’s different, and that’s okay. It’s just difficult because we all have that natural instinct to judge. I still smoke cigarettes, and I know its bad. It’s not a necessity; it may feel like it, but I'd live without it, maybe even longer. People judge me for it, but I’m still working on it so it's nice when others don’t judge.
Do you currently have a job?
I worked this one job last week, but I was living in my car and I slept really badly. The next day, I was late to work because I was so tired from the day before. I worked the rest of the week but they let me go after that, but I understand because it was unacceptable. I work in construction, mainly in air conditioning and heating. Sometimes it just gets so discouraging, but I just need to recognize and be grateful for the opportunity.
Have you received any help from shelters or organizations nearby?
I went to Second Chance one time because I broke my hand, but I got denied from worker compensation even though I broke it from work. So it took six months for it to heal and a total year before I got back to work. I really loved what the shelter did, it was amazing and I’m really grateful for it.
What are your hobbies?
There was a program called iCare to help high schoolers, so I went to speak with high school kids and it was so enlightening. The feeling I get when someone tells me they made a difference in their lives is amazing. It feels better than getting a new pair of shoes, because those will eventually wear out. But feeling good lasts a lifetime.
I did it for about seven years. So this type of thing, I love doing because someone can learn from my mistakes. Some don't want to learn from my mistakes, like myself; they’ll go through their own mistakes to learn. You just have to see the bigger picture. So, I love volunteering. It’s definitely a hobby of mine, although it's hard for me to do it right now.