"Retelling our Community Arts Day" – Volunteer Contribution

Posted by Allie Gospel, Spring 2014 Theatre Volunteer on Nov 11th 2014

As a college student, I am always looking for volunteer opportunities. So when I heard about the chance to do improv comedy with “Room at the Inn,” I immediately signed up. I really didn’t know much about the “Poverty and the Arts Day” going into it, but it seemed like a fun opportunity. I am so incredibly glad that I decided to volunteer that day. It was honestly one of the most rewarding and inspiring things I have ever done.

I worked in the improv comedy room, which wasn’t the most popular room, but we had two men willing to give it a try. One of the men was extremely hesitant about the whole thing, however he realized fairly quickly that we were not there to make fun of him. We were all working together to create characters and scenes, and by the end I think he was really enjoying himself. It was a joy to see them so engaged and entertained. The improv instructors had to leave halfway through the day, and we were all disappointed that we couldn’t learn more.

We then moved on to the music room. If that wasn’t one of the most joyful places you’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is. There were at least twenty people sitting in a circle all playing instruments. There were drums, guitars, a piano, and everybody joined the singing. The Belmont students that were there were so talented that they were able to play any song that was suggested. We played every genre by the time we left that afternoon. We covered it all from praise music, to blues.

The thing that I loved seeing the most was the joy in that room. Not just those who are struggling at that time, but the students, the volunteers, and everyone who poked their heads in the door. There was no way not to be affected by it.

I left that afternoon with a better sense of what it means to be happy and what it means to be accepting. People from all different walks of life who may not see eye-to-eye on anything, can become the best of friends when being creative. There’s something about the trust that is built through the comedy and the camaraderie that comes from “jam sessions,” that breaks the barriers of class and age. It is so common for people to walk by the homeless and never look them in the eye. That was not the case at the “Poverty and the Arts Day.” We became friends that day with those who we would not normally see. It changed my life, for sure. I am so glad that I decided to step out of my comfort zone for that afternoon and I can’t wait to do it again.