Sociology 101
MWF 11:00-11:50
Service Learning Paper

Fox Valley Humane Association Service Learning Project
I decided to start volunteering at the local humane society because I’ve always been really passionate about animals and wanted to start benefiting them in the community. Prior to my service I was delighted because I’ve wanted to start volunteering for years and was glad the opportunity had presented itself. Throughout my experience I learned a great deal and met a lot of new people. Even though I’ve only just started serving my time at the Fox Valley Humane Association I can truly see the difference it has made in the community.
I started out by attending an orientation for new volunteers. During this time I filled out
Many different people of all ethnicities came to the shelter. I helped out a couple that was deaf and partially blind. Although they were different than I, I was still able to communicate with them and help. I learned to deal with cheery people along with grumpy people as well. It astonishes me how grumpy people can be, even if they’re around animals. Most of the people had very positive energy and were excited by the animals.
The role donations play on the shelter is yet another thing I learned about my experience. I was surprised how many people came to drop off checks, material donations, and how many companies, such as Woodman’s, called to donate items. The shelter also relies a lot on local companies that have overstocked items such as dish soap, detergent, bleach, deodorant spray, and other needs for the animals. Most of the people that dropped off donations were the elderly, which didn’t surprise me.
There were many sociological concepts and theories that I could apply to my experience. The biggest term I can relate to my experience is re-socialization. Re-socialization is the idea that if culture can be learned it can also be unlearned. Some of the cats that came into the shelter once trusted humans but had unfortunately went through forms of abuse or neglect. This made most of the animals very timid and shy. I re-socialized them through spending time with them and building trust with them. This taught them that they can love and trust humans again. The