Service Reflexion

Service Reflecion: The Hope Chest

• The Hope Chest was established in 1994. It's a not-for-profit upscale re-sale shop that runs solely on volunteers. All proceeds from the clothes that are donated and re-sold go the the Pillars Constance Morris House, which is a domestic abuse shelter for women and children trying to escape abusive relationships. The proceeds go to the Pillars Constance Morris House so that the residents can live there for free, eat for free, and be provided with therapists and counseling; along with clothing for the residents as well. Website Link: http://www.thehopechest.net
• My service experience took place Saturday, May 2nd, at 11am-4pm. It took place at the Hope Chest in LaGrange, Illinois.
• At first, Sandy who is one of the supervisors was there, along with two other volunteers Jean and Meryl. They left an hour after I arrived, and then Pat, another supervisor, came and worked with me. There were also customers throughout the day, along with people dropping off donations.
• I sorted donations into which clothes to keep for selling and which clothes to throw away (clothes that were in bad condition or stained), I steamed the clothes, and hung the steamed clothes to be priced. I hung up the priced clothes on the racks and made sure the clothes were arranged by color on the shelves. I also cleaned up the back room. The supervisors approved of the clothes that us volunteers chose to keep to be sold, priced the items, and worked the cash register. The supervisors told me what I should be doing next and I asked them questions about various items and ways to do things efficiently.
• Some customers didn't speak when they came into the shop. The supervisors and other volunteers laughed with me and chatted with me as we were working.
• One effective interaction I had while volunteering was helping a lady carry in her donations. She had several boxes of clothes to donate and it gave me a good feeling asking her if I could lend a hand. She talked the most because she seemed to be happy that all of her used clothes would be going to a good cause; she told me that she sorted though them all and made sure they were all in great condition. She ended the interaction by thanking us for accepting her donations, and we said "no, thank you!"
• I learned that volunteering can actually be really fun and the time can go by fast when having fun and interacting with people. I would definitely volunteer there again in the future. 

Allowing Sources to Speak

Connecting Sources

Project Proposal

Angela Rini

Dr. Walts

27 March 2015

Project Proposal

Since the research paper topic is about service, I wish to write my paper on Animal cruelty; more specifically animal abuse. I wish to explore the reasons behind animal abuse and which psychiatric disorders are affiliated with the abuse of animals. I will back up these findings with research on studies conducted regarding animal abuse and statistics. 3 questions I wish to include in my paper based on my research are: To what extent do domestic abusers become animal abusers? In which ways is animal abuse a factor/symptom of psychiatric disorders? What are the reasons behind animal abuse psychologically? By using my 5 credible sources, I am able to do sufficient research regarding the ideas I wish to pursue in this paper. The article called “Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty” on the ASPCA website will help me by giving me specific statistics and straight facts about how animal abuse and domestic violence are related, which will give me sufficient support in my paper. The article called "Adulthood Animal Abuse Among Men Arrested for Domestic Violence" in the Violence Against Women Journal includes a study about the number of domestic abusers that also have a record of animal abuse. Getting support from a study further improves the credibility of my paper. In the “Animal Cruelty and Psychiatric Disorders" article from the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, I can draw information regarding which specific psychiatric disorders are most affiliated with animal abuse. Another source included in my annotated bibliography, “Examining the Link Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence” from the Crime, Law and Social Changes Journal will be useful in providing information in my paper about the direct links/ similarities between violence against humans and against animals. Lastly, the National Humane Education Society website has an article entitled “Animal Neglect and Cruelty” that will further provide me with evidence as to what reasons there are behind animal abuse and cruelty. In conclusion, my working thesis is: The psychological reasons behind domestic violence and animal abuse are related, which gives clear evidence and insight as to why people abuse animals.

Annotated Bibliography (full)

Angela Rini

Dr. Walts

27 March 2015

Annotated Bibliography

"Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty." ASPCA. np. nd. Web. 20 Mar. 2009.

This article is featured on the ASPCA website. The author’s purpose is to inform the audience about the facts and statistics between the link of domestic violence and animal abuse. Anyone interested or needing to know more about how domestic violence and animal abuse are related can find this article beneficial. The link between domestic violence and abuse against animals can be made clear through this article. The large numbers show the proof, and there are facts present to support those statistics. Also included in the article are ways in which the ASPCA is taking preventative measures in order to keep victims of battery and their pets together. This source is to be used when specific data and statistics are needed in my paper when discussing how domestic abuse and animal abuse are related.

Febres, Jeniimarie. "Adulthood Animal Abuse Among Men Arrested for Domestic Violence."    Violence Against Women 20. 9 (2014): 1059-1077. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.

This article is found in the Violence Against Women Journal. The author demonstrates how intimate partner violence (otherwise called domestic violence) and how adulthood animal abuse are related. People researching the link between domestic violence and animal abuse can benefit from this article. The article includes an examination of 307 men arrested for domestic violence and the percentage of those men that also had a history of animal abuse.This is a very fact filled and useful article, however it may be seen as biased since it only examined men. This article will be used in my paper for further proof about the link between domestic violence and animal abuse.

Flynn, Clifton P. “Examining the Links Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence.” Crime, Law and Social Change 55.5 (2011): 453-468. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

This article is found in the Journal of Crime, Law, and Social Changes. The author is informing about how interpersonal violence can be an indicator of animal abuse. The article provides research on both animal abuse and interpersonal violence, and how those two are connected, in order to prove how they are related. This article is very useful to anyone research how domestic violence and animal abuse are intertwined. Although the article contains facts pertaining to animal abuse, it also presents both sides to the argument of are they or aren’t they related? In my paper I will be examining the link between animal abuse and domestic violence, and this source will provide me with ample evidence for that idea.

Gleyzer, R. "Animal Cruelty and Psychiatric Disorders." Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online 30.2. (2002): np. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.

This article is featured in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online. The author is informing the audience about APD, antisocial personality disorder, and how many of the diagnosed are also cruel to animals. Anybody who needs to know about how psychiatric disorders play a part in animal cruelty can find use in this article. The article features information on a study conducted on 48 criminals who had a history of APD and other psychiatric disorders and how animal cruelty is associated with those disorders. This source will be used in my paper to back up facts regarding why people are cruel to animals, psychiatric disorders being one main reason.

“Understanding Animal Neglect and Cruelty.” The National Humane Education Society. np. nd. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

This article was found on the National Humane Education Society website. This article includes facts about the root causes, punishment, and solutions to animal abuse. The author wishes to inform the audience about these three subject areas, the audience being anyone who is researching or is curious as to why people abuse animals and what can be done about it. This source includes straight forward facts regarding reasons behind animal abuse, being: behavioral/psychotic disturbances, the “cycle of violence,” and a disconnect with nature. I will not need much information about the punishment and solutions part of the article for this paper, but the reasons behind the violence part of the article really helps to generalize the main reasons behind animal abuse, and gets into more specific details.

Annotated Bibliography (first 3 sources)

Annotated Bibliography

"Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty." ASPCA. np. nd. Web. 20 Mar. 2009.

This article is featured on the ASPCA website. The author’s purpose is to inform the audience about the facts and statistics between the link of domestic violence and animal abuse. Anyone interested or needing to know more about how domestic violence and animal abuse are related can find this article beneficial. The link between domestic violence and abuse against animals can be made clear through this article. The large numbers show the proof, and there are facts present to support those statistics. Also included in the article are ways in which the ASPCA is taking preventative measures in order to keep victims of battery and their pets together. This source is to be used when specific data and statistics are needed in my paper when discussing how domestic abuse and animal abuse are related.

Febres, Jeniimarie. "Adulthood Animal Abuse Among Men Arrested for Domestic Violence." Violence Against Women 20. 9 (2014): 1059-1077. Web. 20 Mar 2015.

This article is found in the Violence Against Women Journal. The author demonstrates how intimate partner violence (otherwise called domestic violence) and how adulthood animal abuse are related. People researching the link between domestic violence and animal abuse can benefit from this article. The article includes an examination of 307 men arrested for domestic violence and the percentage of those men that also had a history of animal abuse.This is a very fact filled and useful article, however it may be seen as biased since it only examined men. This article will be used in my paper for further proof about the link between domestic violence and animal abuse.

Gleyzer, R. "Animal Cruelty and Psychiatric Disorders." Jorunal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online 30.2. (2002): np. Web. 20 Mar 2015.

This article is featured in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online. The author is informing the audience about APD, antisocial personality disorder, and how many of the diagnosed are also cruel to animals. Anybody who needs to know about how psychiatric disorders play a part in animal cruelty can find use in this article. The article features information on a study conducted on 48 criminals who had a history of APD  and other psychiatric disorders and how animal cruelty is associated with those disorders. This source will be used in my paper to back up facts regarding why people are cruel to animals, psychiatirc disorders being one main reason.

3 Sources

"Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty." ASPCA. np. nd. Web. 20 Mar. 2009.

Febres, Jeniimarie. "Adulthood Animal Abuse Among Men Arrested for Domestic Violence." Violence Against Women 20. 9 (2014): 1059-1077. Web. 20 Mar 2015.

Gleyzer, R. "Animal Cruelty and Psychiatric Disorders." Jorunal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online 30.2. (2002): np. Web. 20 Mar 2015.