Michigan's AmeriCorps Member Council - Posting #13

Greetings and welcome back to the Michigan’s AmeriCorps Blog! My name is Raymond Murry. However, everyone calls me Ray.

I am in my second term serving as a full-time Michigan’s AmeriCorps member representing The Michigan AmeriCorps Partnership.

The Michigan AmeriCorps Partnership is a collaborative program of the Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning at The University of Michigan and the many organizations it serves.

Since 1995, the MAP has served over 30 diverse nonprofit organizations, schools, and communities in the Detroit area. Stationed at multiple service sites, MAP members strive to address local human needs through direct service activities related to social, economic and community development, health education and promotion services for children and families, academic enhancement of youth in after-school or summer programs, and volunteer recruitment and retention.

Since its start, over 769 members have given over 647,408 hours of service and recruited over 72,504 volunteers who have served over 239, 923 hours!

My service site is Clark Park Recreation Center located in Southwest Detroit. Each day I am at the center getting things done. Whether I am removing graffiti off the brick buildings, writing a grant, raking leaves, passing out skates, coaching soccer or hockey, creating flyers, or being a mentor, I am constantly given the opportunity to get things done.

I have had the opportunity to meet so many great people, who are all in some way passionate about serving their communities, schools, and country. They all give of themselves each and every day across Michigan. From Detroit to Ann Arbor, to Grand Rapids to Charlevoix and everywhere in between, Michigan’s AmeriCorps represents.

Recently I was asked the question “Why do you do what you do?” I have a tendency to be a brain picker and I like people to be specific, so my response was, “What do you mean?” They repeated the question. I replied, “Why do I do what?” Then they said, “All the things you do around here?”

You see, I could give them a careless answer like, “I don’t know.” Or I could give them a simple answer like, “Because.” But why not use this opportunity to enlighten someone, and open their eyes to the world of service? So instead I responded…

“When a young boy asks me while pointing to a ‘Closed’ sign and says, ‘What does that say?’ That’s why I tutor. When I sit and listen to the young lady who has an alcoholic mother, and although she is well taken care of, it hurts her to see her mother poison herself. That’s why I mentor. Knowing I can keep a kid off the streets and safe while learning a skill, that’s why I coach sports. I clean, and rake leaves and shovel snow, and remove graffiti, and pick up trash, and laugh, and smile, run, and type flyers, and listen to my volunteers, and give workshops, and breathe, and plant trees, and sweep, and sing, and pass out skates, and monitor the youth, well… I do it because it needs to be done. I do it because I like it. I do it because it makes me feel good. I do it because I can. I do it because I know I am making a difference. I do it because I care. I do it because I want to. I do it because the world is such a great place. I do it because I want to make it an even greater place. I do it because I’m not afraid to. I do it because I love to challenge myself. I do it because it’s life.

And so I thank the person who asked me this question because, you helped me with my blog submission. But in closing I just want to ask you all, “Why do you do what you do?” I think it is great for us to think about our reasons for doing things in life. Sometimes we do things for the wrong reasons and we miss the true rewards of doing them. So, I challenge you to take some time to yourself and think about that question. If you are anything like me you’ll ask, “What do you mean?” I think it’s clear what I mean now.