Why Are You a Crow? Kelsey Confreda

            For the most part, I am a frequent volunteer for Calling All Crows.  I was also a leader for Rhode Island’s service project during the “Green Summer of Service.” I am so lucky to have been a part of the inaugural Northampton Halloween 5K, all of the Annual Benefit weekends, the Green Summer of Service and so many other great projects, big and small.  Working with Calling All Crows since its establishment has been so exciting.  I was quite literally “witnessing the movement.” It has empowered me to continue to do service, spread the word and hopefully, in turn, empower others to do the same.  Calling All Crows’ ability to mobilize and inspire people from all walks of life while bringing sustainable change is something I’m proud to witness. 

            Some of my favorite CAC projects/events are the ones where I learn something new especially when I can then share it with my own community.  There are two projects in particular that really stand out for me.  One being the Hunger Banquet that CAC partnered with Oxfam (oh, how I love Oxfam) during the weekend of the Third Annual Benefit Show.  It was very powerful to see the distinction between different classes of the world almost directly right in front of me.  I learned so much about hunger and poverty around the world and it really made me aware of how lucky I am and how important it is to give back in any way possible. 

Ganesh Photography

            Another project that was really special to me was the Second Annual Benefit in 2009. Crows were lucky enough to team up with City Year Boston at Bridge Over Troubled Waters, a home for high-risk, run away, or homeless youth.  This was one of the largest CAC project gatherings I had seen up to that time and it was very inspiring to work with and meet so many crows.  Together, we split up around the homestead and renovated, painted, and cleaned to make the home a happier and cleaner place that they all deserved.  This project opened my eyes to some of the circumstances that inner city youth face.  It felt great to be able to give these kids a place that could feel like home to them.  

            The amount of inspiring, motivated and humbling people that I have met throughout my years working alongside Calling All Crows takes my breath away. Every one of them is there to make the world a better place and it warms my heart and it assures me that we are all, most definitely, making a difference.  

            Calling All Crows provides a call to action to some of the world’s most pressing issues that might not be well known or widely addressed.  Through this wonderful organization, I have learned about countless issues that I was otherwise ignorant toward.  It has been so fulfilling to learn about so many matters and to continue to teach the people in my life about them. Calling All Crows has also a great platform to learn about other groups and volunteer opportunities in my community.

            If, by volunteering and working with CAC, I can inspire others to get up and do rather than just feel, then I think I have achieved my goal. 

Kelsey Confreda