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An Incredible Day

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Today, we had the opportunity to meet Mike Kelly, U.S Republican for Pennsylvania. This was an eye-opening opportunity where we got to dig deeper into the political aspect of homelessness.Mike Kelly showed an interest in attending an ABST session at Gannon as he was astonished with the work we are doing at the Father McKenna Center. Mike Kelly was extremely open and listened intently to our concerns about what policies are being put into place regarding homelessness. After the meeting, we toured the Longworth House where we saw numerous statues and documents that are vital to our country's roots. These opportunities involved a lot of walking, so our group was extremely hungry, so we headed over to Union Station. We ate at Thunder Grill which was extremely delicious and provided an opportunity for the group to bond. When we were all full and happy, we walked back to the Father McKenna Center under the beautiful sun. In the evening, we volunteered with Peace Meals, which is another organization that provides meals every Wednesday for families and individuals. This opportunity provided our group with both positive and negative experiences, but ultimately we learned another approach when it comes to serving the homeless. Marita and Kleia were two women that instructed us and assisted in our learning during the three hour dinner. Ultimately, today was about being more open minded and recognizing we can make a difference by meeting with representatives as well as serving directly in the community. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. 
With love, 
Cassie

Hey all!

Today, day 3, of our ABST to Washington, D.C. was definitely an exhausting one. To give an idea of how busy we were today, my fitbit recorded 17,734 steps, 14 floors, and 7.75 miles.  We started our day walking to the capitol building where we met with congressman Mike Kelly who represents our district in the United States House of Representatives. I really enjoyed our meeting with him and felt that he genuinely showed interest in learning more about Gannon's ABST program. He also told us that he wanted us to write a proposal or a list of ideas that we have for improving homeless conditions in the Erie area. I don't know if there is ever going to be a delivery on our ideas but I appreciated the effort. We then had some downtime at the Father McKenna Center to nap, read, journal, and enjoy the sun. At around 4 we walked to a church where we volunteered at a program called Peace Meals that takes place every Wednesday. I think that this might have been one of my personal favorite interactions of the week as I got to interact with some young children which was really refreshing from the men we have been interacting with at the center. Overall, today was another very exhausting yet fulfilling day in our nation's capital. 
With love, 
Katie Hamilton
 

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