Helias Grad Volunteering In Liverpool

     Adam Frazier graduated from Helias in 2007.  From there, he attended Xavier University earning a bachelor's degree.  Here is where his narrative begins.

Adam playing soccer for Helias during his senior year.

     In September of 2011, I flew to Liverpool to begin my Vincentian Volunteer year.  I have spent the last 8 months living in community with two other volunteers, Patrick from North Carolina and Lisa from Indonesia. My two placements are at St. Vincent’s School for Sensory Impairment and Other Needs where I spend 3 days a week and the other placement has me spending 2 days a week in the Visual Rehabilitation Center at Christopher Grange.
      I choose to spend a year with the Vincentian Volunteers after a long, hard look at my claim to be a Roman Catholic. I am a product of Catholic schools, and without them I would not be here right now. Helias and Xavier taught me what it meant to be a Roman Catholic and how to practice my faith – not just say I am a Catholic or occupy a pew on Sundays. In May of 2011, I was accepted into the Vincentian Volunteers program. I was excited to embark upon this journey to live in a different country and serve the poor. Serve the poor. What does that mean?
     St. Vincent de Paul says, “You will find out that Charity is a heavy burden to carry, heavier than the kettle of soup and the full basket. But you will keep your gentleness and your smile. It is not enough to give soup and bread. This the rich can do. You are the servant of the poor, always smiling and good-humored. They are your masters, terribly sensitive and exacting master you will see. And the uglier and the dirtier they will be, the more unjust and insulting, the more love you must give them. It is only for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give to them.” Boy was he right.
      

     At St. Vincents, I work with the ‘post 16’ form. These 7 students each have a visual impairment of some degree and most have an additional impairment (physical, behavioral, or both). I work as a learning support assistant during the lessons. The school is residential and so two nights a week I accompany some of the students and residential care staff to off campus activities. The two activities I go to are Daisy Club which is a youth club put on by Daisy UK which offers youth clubs for disabled children. The other activity is horse riding at a local stable.
The other activities offered to the children include dance class, football training, and rock climbing. It is important to not provide the children with an accessible education but also to provide age appropriate recreational activities.
       At Christopher Grange I am an extra set of hands to help out the rehabilitation officers. At Christopher Grange, service users are taught living, cooking, mobility, and computer skills for their new lifestyle. Recently, the rehab center has secured a contract with the largest taxi firm in Merseyside to provide Visual Impairment Awareness Training to the drivers of the entire fleet. This came after receiving complaints from our service users about the problems they face
using taxis. I play a major role in this training and it has received positive remarks from all those who have taken the course.
      The love I have for the children and service users grows with each day. They can be difficult at times, and it is in times I remember this quote. The best I can do is simply be there for the children and service users – to offer my hand of friendship to those society would wish to ignore or discard. There is a lot of bitterness and anger when it comes to those who have had sight and lost it. I simply can be there for them – the gift of myself and my time is all I have to offer, but it is a treasured gift.