For the past several months, I have been volunteering at the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance (DHM). I have mostly done administrative tasks (read, boring office work), which have actually not been terribly boring, thanks in large part to the knowledge that what I’m doing is making a difference, no matter how small. It is satisfying to know that I am helping an organization do things that are furthering the cause of holocaust education.

I really love getting to see the way that a nonprofit organization works from the inside. There is quite a lot that goes on in the office that the museum patrons have no idea about. Since I want to have a nonprofit some day, this experience has been very enlightening, and more valuable than I can imagine. Seeing the different roles each administrator and employee must assume, as well as the importance of volunteers and members makes me feel as though I am getting a better education in the nonprofit arena than I could in any classroom. Another great benefit of volunteering at the DHM is seeing the passion people have for teaching the current generation about the horrors of the holocaust, an important step in preventing such atrocities in our time. I know that many people consider the holocaust a grim subject that should be swept aside, only mentioned in history texts. However, I feel as though we should talk about it and think about it, and consider why and how something so terrible could be allowed to happen. The holocaust isn’t the only cause I feel this way about, though. I am a proponent of preventing all terrible, preventable tragedies from happening. Anyway…

I love working in the West End of Dallas, amongst brick buildings so old that many have faded painted advertisements barely visible on their sides. The view of the city is great from our building, and the sense of history is palpable. We are just across a street from the Sixth Floor Museum, the place from which Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President Kennedy (or not, depending on your belief). In fact, whenever I drive to the DHM, my return journey takes me right past the fateful stretch of road.

I haven’t been driving down regularly, though; I have become a patron of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system. For three days a week, I spend about 80 minutes of each day riding the train downtown. It has been an interesting experience, to say the very least! ALL kinds of people ride the train, from young families headed down to the zoo to groups of senior adults, headed down to see the sights. There are usually several medical professionals, sometimes a homeless person, and occasionally someone who feels that the entire car should know all about their business. Once, a group of exuberant teens, all dressed in costume, chattered about Pokemon and video games for about 30 minutes, leaving the rest of us to sigh with relief when their stop finally came. The great thing about the DART train, though, is that I do not have to drive down and back, saving plenty of money that would otherwise be spent on tolls and gas. Also, I can read while onboard, which is always nicer than fighting traffic.

Well, I guess that is about the sum of my activities as of late. I am actually taking a small break from the museum to go to New England with my parents and brother for our family reunion this week. Unfortunately, Mark won’t be able to join us. I guess that’s what happens when you have a full time job and are going to grad school. It’s nice to know that he will be here when I get back, though!