Corps Members

Jason Borja - City of Hope Youth Development Corps

A Note from Jason

My experience as a corps member has been… in a word, enlightening. By enlightening I do not mean that I feel as if I now have the answers to all of life’s questions in my back pocket. Merriam-Webster defines the term enlightened as: “freed from ignorance and misinformation.” I think that pretty much sums up the lessons I have learned from being a corps member. When I first joined the City of Hope Youth Development Corps, I encountered many different individuals from all walks of life. At first, it was foreign to me that so many different types of people could come from such a small area of this planet we live on. When my fellow corps members and I first came together in our meeting hall, we all looked around at each other as individuals. Of course, there were small groups of people which had known each other previously, but for the most part we were all new to each other. I knew what everyone was asking themselves. “How am I going to put up with these people every day for the next three and a half months?” We were all ignorant of how the leaders we had were going to help “change our lives.” Why would these people put there reputations and time on the line to help us? We started the cycle as individuals, but in the following three months we would come to understand what it means to become a team, and more importantly, a family.

I can go no further into depth about the change my fellow corps members experienced personally, but I know the Corps has helped me to better myself, first as an individual. I grew up in church and knew where my heart was supposed to be. However, when I moved away from home a little over three years ago, I experienced a change in my life. I no longer was interested in doing the right thing or focusing on my grades. I let the world get the best of me. Going through the Youth Development Corps helped get me refocused on my goals in life and set me on the right path to leading a good, successful life.

As part of a larger corps, I realized that it is never just you that needs help. Sure I have done some pretty bad things, but I have never had to experience being in trouble with the law or going through some of the trials and tribulations my fellow corps members had been through. Working with my crew, I had the pleasure to rebuild houses which helped me realize where my heart should be. I would like to think that my work ethic and trying to be a good role model for them helped them as much as it helped me.

The work we did helped me develop skills I did not have previously. Skills like ceramic tile installation, laminate floor installation, and basic carpentry are just a few that the corps taught me that I will now be able to utilize for the rest of my life. Whether I use those skills to get a part-time job, go into business for myself, or even to build a house for my future family and me, they will always come in good use.

The Youth Development Corps also helped me grow emotionally and mentally. The work we did was not only rebuilding the houses of families that could not physically or financially do it themselves, but also rebuilding the spirit of our community. As we stood and watched homeowners cry tears of joy to be back in their homes, it just gave me a euphoric feeling. They couldn’t put into words how thankful they were of the work we did, but seeing how happy they were was thanks enough for me. Knowing that I helped rebuild someone’s life like that is honestly one of the best feelings I have ever experienced.

We have all been through a lot. These last three months have been some of the most enlightening of my life in every meaning of the word. I have grown as an individual and as part of a team, through both hard work and service. I cannot speak for my fellow corps members, but I know my family just got a whole lot bigger.

Tony Tobin - City of Hope Youth Development Corps

Tony's Story

My experience as a Corps member has been very beneficial for me and my community. I learned a lot about myself, who I am and my character. I know now that my character and attitude will help me achieve my goals in life, such as a good career and a better future. City of Hope has taught me that the altitude of my attitude will determine success in the goals that I am trying to reach. As long as I stay positive and keep reaching for those goals, then anything is possible.

By helping rebuild these houses in our community is definitely the greatest thing I have done in my life. Just recently, we were able to put a family in their home the day before Thanksgiving. The look on their face and the tears in their eyes was one of the most touching things I have ever been a part of. To be able to know that I helped someone in such a way that words can’t express how they feel…is so wonderful. We are continuing to help people in need and sometime work gets hard, but it is worth it in the end.

Out in the field has also been a good experience for me. I learned how to do carpentry work, finishing work, insulation, tile and much more. My crew leader takes the time to teach us the right way on how to do different tasks. When we don’t know how to do something, there is always someone there to teach us. We always make sure we are working in a safe environment. We utilize all the safety equipment such as glasses, masks, and gloves. Safety is important on every site so nobody gets hurt.

I started off in the program with low self esteem. I thought that I wasn’t able to get a good job and that I would never have a good future for me and my daughter. Since then I learned that it’s me standing in the way of myself. If something goes wrong, then I still have to continue to move forward. I know that my life is what I make it and if God has other plans for me then I will still be grateful for the things in my life.

Being a part of a larger Corps makes me feel like there are a lot of people that want to make a difference in their community and in their own lives. Knowing that there are more people like me that want to help their community and better themselves in life is a great feeling. To me, this corps is like one big family that is working towards the same goals. I can truly say that the Corps helped me and made me feel like I am a part of something special.

Overall this program has helped me and my community, become something better. I didn’t think much of myself when I started, but now I feel like I have been built up into something great.