UT student Jerod Calhoun talks about his experience at a church soup kitchen in Lydia Kane’s documentary

(Re-posted from the UT Division of Student Affairs, Office of Student Involvement blog)

It’s a proud day in Rocket Nation! One of our own has gone above and beyond to bring awareness of the service completed by our 2012 Leadership Through Service Living Learning Community during their alternative spring break experience. The LLC took 35 Rockets to New York City. Lydia Kane was one of the students who skipped beach time to spend the week serving others. Lydia made a video documentary, called “2012 UT Alternative Spring Break,” of the group’s experience and wanted the world to know about the great things our Rockets and LLC’s do. Lydia submitted her documentary to the Awareness Festival in Santa Monica, CA. She recently received the wonderful news that it has been accepted and will be shown to the world this month!

The Awareness Festival is an annual event for professional and student filmmakers to display their work to fellow film lovers. The festival includes feature films, shorts, documentaries, and music videos that bring awareness. The mission of the Awareness Film Festival is to bring awareness to today’s Ecological, Health/Well Being, Spirit and Political/Lands Without Borders topics. This festival is a fundraiser for the charity Heal One World and any net proceeds will go to fund programs for this charity.

Lydia reflected on the experience, “I have worked for the homeless and hungry throughout my life. My family and I would make meals for them once or twice a month growing up. While I knew that the problem of hunger and homelessness existed, it didn’t actually hit me until I traveled to New York City with the Leadership Through Service LLC. I was able to see hundreds of people that lined up for food and watched their eyes light up to have a warm meal and to have someone to have a conversation with.

I was also opened up to another major factor into this issue. I realized how much work and dedication is associated in running a soup kitchen, a shelter and even volunteering at these locations. It is very hard work and a majority of the people who run, work and volunteer in these places do it for free and have the greatest hearts. It was very gratifying to have the opportunity to document the hard work being done by the Leadership Through Service students. I was able to make a product that showed the hard work and sacrifice of taking time out of your life to help others in need.”

We are so proud of the amazing things our Rockets do. Great job Lydia!

July 25-28, 2013
Santa Monica, CA

Check out The Awareness Festival’s website HERE.

Watch Lydia’s 10 minute documentary HERE.