During 4th Semester, I ran a donation drive at my church for the Las Vegas Rescue Mission. Getting others to donate items to the Rescue Mission was more difficult than I anticipated. I sent out an email requesting donations for the Rescue Mission. I got a number of replies, but nearly everyone told me that they had recently cleaned their house and had given items away already. I tried to promote the cause and reminded them of the importance of donating. I knew many of these people well, and suspected that they had items they no longer wanted. It was frustrating to hear that they didn’t have anything to donate; I felt like I wasn’t being taken seriously, and it was hard to be patient. I asked them every week if they had found anything to donate. Finally, several people said they had some gently-used clothes and bedding that they could donate. I grew as an advocate by learning to be persistent and not give up. I learned that advocating for those in need can be as simple as persistently and kindly asking friends if they have anything they would like to donate.
