About ten years ago, while a student at the University of Louisville, I had the incredible opportunity to spend a semester volunteering as an elementary school English teacher in a small, rural town in Costa Rica. To give you an idea of life in San Martin, there was just one telephone which was located at the only store which also functioned as the bar hangout in the evenings (which was men only, please!). There was no restaurant or bank, and the high school was located in the next town over.

Another volunteer teacher and I taught classes at the two-room elementary school and lived with host families just down the road. Part of our volunteer assignment was to coordinate a community project to fill a need in the town. Of course, being foreign to the town and to the country, we did not know what was needed and what we could actually accomplish with our very limited budget (about $50.00). So, we turned to the parents of our students to tell us what they would like to see happen in their community and to ask for their blessing and their participation.

The project that was decided on was to paint a world map mural on the exterior wall of the "salon" - the dance hall/main gathering space for the community. Students, parents and other community members worked on the mural with us for several days and it turned out beautiful. It was so cool to see the kids' amazement at how small Costa Rica was on the map and how gigantic Russia is!

One high school student whose passion was art really took the lead on drawing out the map and painting each country. Stay-at-home moms put their babies in strollers and walked down to the salon every day to see the progress. The mural brought the community together around art and education.

This experience set the bar for my belief in collaborative community change work. Every community is unique, with different assets, resources, and needs. To make change in the world, we must work in partnership with communities and community leaders and ask what they need and how to make it happen.

With initiatives like Little Free Libraries and Ages and Stages Parent Networks, Metro United Way is working in collaboration with parents and neighborhood leaders to positively affect the lives of children and families. We are also increasing our presence in neighborhoods we serve and carrying out listening projects in order to hear stories of our community and amplify those voices. Whether it is Costa Rica or own back yard in Kentucky or Indiana, working alongside those most affected by injustice is the only way to make lasting change in our communities.

Find out more about how Metro United Way brings our community together to change the odds for our kids and families HERE and take the CHANGE THE ODDS pledge with me!

Emily Sprawls is the Business Integration Management Services Coordinator at Metro United Way. Prior to joining MUW, she served as an AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) with the Presbyterian Hunger Program in Louisville, Kentucky where she worked with local nonprofits to increase equitable access to fresh, healthy food in all of Louisville's neighborhoods. She has also previously worked in Washington, DC for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Native American Programs.

Emily was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and attended the University of Louisville where she studied Spanish. She enjoys traveling, cooking, playing tennis, hanging out with friends and family, and dancing around to music in her living room.

You can reach Emily at emily.sprawls@metrounitedway.org