Beyond Ourselves: What made you want to serve with the DOOR program?
Alvarez: Summer vacation is supposed to be fun,
enjoyable, exciting! But for me, summer meant TV time 24/7 until school
started again. The summer before high school, I decided that instead of
wasting my life in front of a television screen, I could be out
somewhere helping people who need a hand.
Now when school’s over, I actually look forward to the summer. I even e-mail Krista Dutt, the DOOR Chicago city director, around January asking when I should turn in my application!
Beyond Ourselves: What organizations did you work with while you were serving with DOOR?
Alvarez: There were so many work sites that I did with DOOR! I will name a few where I would ask the city director to please, please, please send me.
- Cornerstone Community Outreach’s soup kitchen. I loved working with the awesome chefs! I enjoyed catching up with people who would eat at the soup kitchen. I’d ask how their week was going, about the new shoes that they got from the free thrift store, and so on.
- It was such an inspiration to work with Ellen in community gardens. She’s about three times my age and has more energy than you and me put together. She could garden in 90-degree weather in July! She’s an expert! Up until this day I still wonder how she does it.
- It was rewarding to put together hundreds and hundreds of food boxes at Mother and Child for people who needed it more than anyone.
I remember this one time we did about 800 food boxes in five hours! It was an amazing day for everyone.
Beyond Ourselves: Tell me about an experience you had during your service that changed you.
Alvarez: While volunteering over at Cornerstone’s soup kitchen, I encountered a man named Antonio. He would talk to me about his life: how his sons abandoned him because he was old (which he isn’t; he’s probably in his early 50s). When I looked into his eyes, I could see he was sad and tired of how people treated him.
And then with honesty and sincerity he grabbed my hand and said, “Thank you. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. I wanted someone to hear my cry and not judge me.” It was a very touching moment that I will never forget. It taught me that sometimes people don’t really need advice; they just want to be heard.
Beyond Ourselves: Where did you see the face of God in Chicago?
Alvarez: I saw God every day, everywhere, and in everyone. I would see God in the youth who would come from Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, North Dakota, New York, Colorado, Canada, Italy, you name it. I would see God in the food we served in the soup kitchen, in the eyes of the people who would eat it. I would see God in the people who worked at Ada Niles Senior Center, because they work with such passion and love. I would see God when the groups arrived Sunday evening during praise and worship time.
Beyond Ourselves: What are you up to these days?
Alvarez: As of right now, I’m a few credits away from becoming a junior at Triton College in River Grove, Ill. Because of the experiences I’ve had with the DOOR program and seeing the amount of people who are screaming their lungs out for help, I decided to major in the human services field. I will get my bachelor’s degree in social work and ultimately want to become a caseworker. People need others to walk alongside them through difficult times, and I’ll be there throughout the whole process.
Once I get my bachelor’s degree, I will immediately start to work. I went to school so my knowledge can expand and I can reach out for the people who need someone, who need hope, and who need to hear, “It’ll be OK; we will get through this together.”
Beyond Ourselves: Is there anything else you’d like to add about your experience serving with DOOR?
Alvarez: Over the years, DOOR has changed me mentally, emotionally and spiritually. It brought me closer to God and now makes me think and feel differently. I make wiser choices, have a more open mind, and open up my eyes and see the wonders of God and how he has worked in each and every one of us.
