CH 9
Memorial Chamber
Public Service
Lesson 3 - Citizen Service
This mural shows a community helping people in need. Stephen Cornelius Roberts, the artist who painted it, said, "The Poverty mural honors volunteers and social workers who provide meals to men, women and children."
Roberts chose to use actors as his models for the images of people in need in the soup kitchen. He didn’t want to use people who really were in that situation because he didn’t want to take advantage of those less fortunate.
The needs change, but the value of this type of citizen service doesn't.
Often it's offered outside the government, through private charitable groups. The people who volunteer and donate in this way help fill gaps between the needs of others and the resources of government.
By the 1970's, Nebraska was welcoming immigrants who had no choice about coming here. They left behind homes in war-torn Vietnam and came to start a new life. Catholic Social Services, a church organization, helped them start over and eventually resettle.
By 2016, Lincoln was still a destination for refugees, including Yazidi people fleeing oppression and terror in Iraq.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT . . .What do citizens do to help your community?