Per Ardua ad Astra (Through adversity to the stars) is how I would describe my volunteer experience at Pomona Homeless Outreach Project
To fully “sketchy” my journey to you, we need to rewind to the early year of 2018. I was mindlessly listening to the radio on my way home after another school day, fighting off my tiredness. Unexpectedly, the phrase “When you give a banquet: invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind...” entered my mind and kindled a fire in my heart to serve the needs of the homeless.
I began to ponder how I can assist the homeless in my community of Pomona. A concept of writing a message of assurance, encouragement, and hope illuminated my heart. Then, I molded a personal testimony about how I have overcome my physical affliction and inner struggles of atopic and seborrheic dermatitis and its embarrassment, hopelessness, and fear of death regarding its incurability.
Around 11 PM evening, I made copies of my personal testimony and drove around my neighborhood in the city of Pomona to share. I noticed the lines of the tent outside of the homeless shelter and this was the moment where I discovered the existence of the Pomona homeless shelter apartment, but also a depressing reality of the life of the homeless. In fact, many homeless people must sleep on the street between 7th Street and South Park Ave due to a lack of vacancies in the homeless shelter. Because the Pomona Superior court is beside the homeless shelter, the homeless must move all their tents and belongings from the street in the morning. Thus, they cyclically set up their tents in the night to sleep.
But, when I parked my car to approach the homeless in the night, I had a great feeling of unease and creeping fear.
What if... What if one comes up to me with a knife and demands a wallet or a car key? What if one tries to assault or kill me?
Truly, I was filled with stereotypes about the homeless. I thought they were dangerous people with unstable character. The dread of this unknown overwhelmed me, and I was about to drive away. Nevertheless, there is no fear in love, and perfect love casts out fear. The fear of being hurt by them did not hinder my leap of faith and love.
Throughout the months, I have been visiting the homeless who are sleeping on the streets to provide them with water, food, and words of hope and encouragement. I decided to become a light that shines the homeless with good deeds so that they may witness the picture of love. Unexpectedly, I was thankful for having my struggles and hardship because I was able to relate to their suffering and pain with mine and empathize with their stories. What I discovered in fellowship with the homeless is that they all had a “story”.
This is when I met Myra and Hugo, a married couple, who were forcefully kicked out from their apartment due to their abusive apartment manager and had trouble finding jobs due to their immigrant status. Even though we were very different, we had one thing in common which was faith in God. We were together in the train of life passing under valleys of problems and pain. Yet we believed that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. For Myra and Hugo, it was finding a job and a place to live. For me, it was passing my curriculum at the Western University of Health Sciences. It was a blessing every time I visited the homeless shelter and provide Myra and Hugo with soothing words of comfort, food, and water. We prayed and were building bonds with each other. We decided to take a picture on September 14, 2018, to leave a memory.
Sadly in early 2019, the homeless shelter at South Park Ave was permanently closed and living outside of the shelter was forbidden.
Unfortunately, I did not see them after this.
Around April 2019 I saw an email regarding Pomona Homeless Outreach Project (PHOP) and I decided to serve the homeless. On 04/16/2019, I drove to Pomona Valley Christian Center and walked cautiously into the church without knowing what to expect.
I asked the volunteer team if I can share a box of medical supply essentials which was graciously donated by Dr. Kathleen Satterfield, current Dean of the College of Podiatric Medicine. And they agreed. I nervously introduced myself to a group of people who were waiting for food and announced that I brought the donation for them to take. And they were taking the materials that they need.
Surprisingly, I saw very familiar faces; which were Myra and Hugo whom I longed to meet since the shelter’s closure. I was extremely happy to see them and rushed to them to ask if they found a place to live and a job that they were desperately looking for. They told me that Hugo found a job as a gardener and a one-bedroom apartment. We took a picture together to celebrate the good news and our friendship in Pomona. We were talking about how we both missed each other’s company. We exchanged our contact numbers to prevent another separation.
After that, the volunteers at PHOP served the food and beverages to the homeless who were sitting on the bench. Many of the volunteers looked very motivated to help and to serve. Indeed, as PHOP offered food and drink to the hungry. As a capstone, this volunteer experience restored my lost friendship. It was very surprising to see how there were many students in Western University interested in helping the poor.
On April 12, 1955, this was the interview between Edward R. Murrow, American broadcast journalist, and Jonas Edward Salk:
Edward R. Murrow: Who owns the patent on this vaccine?
Jonas Salk: Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?
By the utmost Dr. Jonas Salk’s value of saving the lives of others over his financial prosperity, he has protected millions of people from all over the world and became one of the most inspiring models for healthcare providers. And, it shows that putting the value of others’ health over his potential selfishness has saved the lives of children and solved a health societal problem of poliovirus. Likewise, Pomona Homeless Outreach Project is indeed saving the lives of the homeless and slowly but surely solving the homeless problem in Pomona. It is such a blessing to have an organization that has shown the utmost value of giving and sharing.
Like how Myra and Hugo were able to reach the stars of finding a job and a place to live after many struggles of hunger, pain, and disappointment, I wish to bring warmth to the heart of a patient as a podiatrist in the future even if there may be rigorous training required.
Anton Chekhov, Russian playwright, once said: “Don’t Tell Me the Moon Is Shining; Show Me the Glint of Light on Broken Glass”.