Lily Beaulieu - Service

Hello! My name is Lily Beaulieu, I am the Charity Ball co-lead, and I am a Biology major! I am from a little town called Kingston, just across the water from Seattle in Washington.

Although there are so many things, I love about being a part of the Setons of Gonzaga, one of the most fulfilling aspects is Service. I have the opportunity to volunteer with Blessings under the bridge, an organization that helps to serve those in the Spokane community who are experiencing homelessness or even those who may just need a little extra assistance.

Last semester, I volunteered with the meal prep aspect of BUTB. We would come every Tuesday and prepare a themed meal for 2 hours. Sometimes it would be Tacos, or Burgers, or one time it was even breakfast for dinner! These meals would be served the following Wednesday when BUTB went out into the community and held their weekly event. This semester, I am lucky enough to also be able to devote 2 hours a week to working with BUTB. However, I now volunteer on Fridays which is the donation sorting day. Although last semester was extremely meaningful, knowing we were going to help feed over 300 people, donation sorting had its own special meaning.

Every Friday we get to BUTB and see a huge pile of bags filled with clothing items from socks to jeans to sweatshirts and we get to sort through and organize based on what it is. We would sort each into separate bins and try to make sure there are a good range of sizes so everybody could get some new clothes. This semester has brought a new sense of awareness that meal prep didn’t. It allowed us to see how these people may not even have a winter coat, or under garments, or blankets. To think I have a closet full of clothes while some people are just trying to stay warm in the Spokane winter is heart wrenching. Every person deserves to be warm and feel comfortable in their clothes.

However, this semester has also been especially touching because it shows how much people are willing to try and help. Often times we focus on the negative in life instead of the good. Although those who are disadvantaged in the Spokane community is deeply saddening, we can all try and help aid those by just donating some old clothes or toiletries that we don’t use. It really doesn’t take too much. You never know who is going to need a new coat, shirt, or pair of socks. BUTB has showed me giving, even if it’s only 2 hours of your day, can make all the difference.