Mike Kline was so affected by his participation in United Way’s Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program — he came back with “LIVE UNITED” tattooed on his back.
“During the routine of a day we tend to forget what's important,” Kline said. “When I look in the mirror I have a chance to reflect, remember my experiences, and remind myself to be a good person.”
His goal now is to get others involved, participate in ASB again and pursue a career in the nonprofit world. His love of volunteering and desire in making a difference truly makes him an individual who LIVES UNITED – a mantra he now carries with him forever.
Kline’s involvement with United Way began his junior year at Collin College, after being on a “volunteer hiatus” for the last several years. He wanted to do something to give back for spring break and remembered a commercial he’d seen on MTV for United Way’s ASB, he looked up the program and applied.
Two weeks later he was standing with a group of 60 other college kids from across the United States in Biloxi, Mississippi, an area some say was hit harder by Hurricane Katrina than New Orleans. When ASB staff divided the group into teams, Kline was given an unexpected project – a needs assessment survey that required his team to go door to door to find out from residents what the community needed after Hurricane Katrina.
The survey led to an encounter with a woman named Andrea who made a lasting impression on him. Her apartment complex was run down, over-run with drug dealers and ignored by police. She had lived a tough life where child abuse and substance abuse had been the norm. Hearing her story was an emotional experience, a far cry from his comfortable North Texas upbringing.
The ASB volunteer experience solidified Kline’s desire to make a difference and change our community.
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