Application for Roadie Position – Written Application
Spring of 2009
Spring of 2009
Who am I? That is a pretty open-ended question! I guess my name is a good place to start! My name is William Hammill but I go by my middle name, Travis. I like going by my middle name, because it is not a common name and you can't cook up stupid names like “Billy”. I am a military kid, my father was in the Navy, both of my grandfathers were in the army, 3 of my uncles are in the Navy and I have grown up in predominately military communities. I have a great love for travel, mostly because of all the places I have lived; Orlando, FL, Providence, RI, Virginia Beach, VA, Yakoska, Japan, Idaho Falls, ID, Tampa FL, Coronado, CA, and Fairfax, VA. Overall, I have seen most of the US. I haven't been to 3 states. My family is very well off and fortunate and I come from a comfortable background. I currently attend George Mason University and am studying for a degree in International Social Work. I play the acoustic and electric guitar, d'jimbe, and a little harmonica. I work 3 different jobs, 2 of them are paying. I am a sales associate at REI in Fairfax where I work with customers in the camping and climbing section. I also work at the Patriot Center, the concert/sport arena on Mason's campus as a technician for the stage when shows come through. My non-paying job is at my local church, Burke Community Church, where I am an assistant to the Youth Pastor and I lead worship during Wednesday night youth group. I love being outdoors, hiking, camping, climbing, napping, playing Ultimate, swimming, and just looking at the sky, and thankfully my friends love doing those things too. I think one of the most defining things about me is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I love God with all my heart and I try to live for him in all that I do. I attend a non-denominational evangelical church where we believe the Bible to be the sole word and work of God. I believe His Spirit is in me and he makes every new day bright and will carry me through the rough points in my life. Some people think of God as a crutch, something for the weak. If that is the case then God is my wheelchair, and feeding tube, and IV's and so on. I know that I am too weak to get through life with out His help and love. I'm glad to have Him as a crutch. "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalms 73:26 is one of my favorite verses.
In 2004, our youth group at Burke Community Church started a series called “The Go Project”. The idea was that we would, as a youth group, be committed to helping others in our community and reaching out to those in need. So we watched “Invisible Children: Rough Cut”. There are 3 movies that have made me cry: “Schindler's List”, “World Trade Center”, and “IC: Rough Cut”. When the movie was over, not a sound came from the usually noisy middle/high school crowd. No one moved for a good 5 minutes before people slowly walked out of the room and went home. Unfortunately I was not able to attend the Global Night Commute due to family issues. But everything I heard that happened that night was so encouraging. A few of my friends who were able to attend, talked about people asking what they were doing, talking to news reporters and 2 of them were on the next day's evening news! So our youth group raised some money (not a lot) to send to Invisible Children through a clothing sale of “The Go Project” t-shirts. Then came DisplaceMe. Our youth group had over 60 people attend (at the time there were only 75ish people in the group) in Washington DC. My group of friends and I raided the dumpsters out behind my work for cardboard and brought 2 van fulls of it to the Metro station in Springfield. I have never been stared at like that before. But we had the opportunity to talk with everyone in the section of the train about what we were doing! I have never been so encouraged by friends I had never met before. It was great to see so many people on the mall. And the message from Mrs. Bush. And to see the President's fleet of helicopters fly overhead. Then the Lobby Days came this past year and it was awesome to be able to speak with Representative Jimmy Duncan about Invisible Children. I have also been involved in the Schools for Schools program at Robinson Secondary School throughout my Senior year. Also, a friend of mine gave me the disc for the Vanguard, which I signed up for and have learned so much through. I have even implemented some of what I've learned from the Vanguard site in my Global Perspectives on Human Rights course at George Mason. I think that I am ready to make a more defining step in my life.
What would make me a good roadie? I know what to expect. Michelle Tobias, who was an East Coast Roadie this past spring, is a good friend of mine from high school and she gave me the lowdown on being a roadie. Over the course of my life I think that I have been conditioned to deal with the nomadic life. I like to camp and can deal with grime if we are required to stay someplace less that desirable. I have been making long car trips with the family, moving, going to visit relatives, and even a few road trips with friends here and there. I also know that raising the $1500 for the food stipend is not going to be a problem for me as our church is very supportive of these efforts. Also I like traveling as I stated earlier. I like people and work well with pretty much anyone. I like to talk a lot if you can't tell from my rambling in this paper. I have training in theater and public speaking after 5 years of high school and community theater, so I don't mind being in front of people. I am also a careful driver as I have not had a ticket or been in an accident before (kind of important!). I am sure that you get the “I care about Uganda” thing a lot as well. I don't want to be cliché and look like I'm trying to impress everyone. But I do care! I would be setting myself back an entire semester in school, leaving family and friends for something I believe is right. For too long I have been sitting on my butt, living a lifestyle that has no real threat. I have my basic needs met everyday. Food, water, warmth, a bed, medical care, spending money, a shower, fresh clothes everyday (whether I choose to wear them or not!), parents who care about me, and a guarantee that armed men are not going to abduct me. Then I have so much extra! So I figure if I can take that extra, and give it to someone who has nothing, we are both better off.
Brad Corrigan from Dispatch would be the best travel buddy because he cares about people. He has an organization called Love, Light and Melody works to help the poor in Central America. He could also serenade me as we drive along. He is a masterful song writer and activist who loves people, loves helping them, and loves God. If we had the chance, playing guitar together as we cross the country in the vans would be a blast!
I see this as not only a chance to help the people of Uganda and a time to get students and adults active in their communities for IC, but also a period of growth for me. Not just a time to learn how to deal with others in a crowded van (listen to the song “Superpowers” by Five Iron Frenzy. It's pretty much exactly what we are talking about here.) but as a time for my personal growth away from my parents and what I know as familiar. Also, since I am studying International Social Work, I also need to start making connections and figure out the companies I could be working for once I am out of school. I want to grow like I saw Michelle grow. She left a pretty high school girl and came back a person who would never be the same. Her face was always smiling, she never stopped talking about the adventures she and her crew had. I feel selfish saying this but I want a piece of that pie. I am looking to be fulfilled and find meaning in the short life that I have. I don't want to have the “I lived but all I got was this lousy t-shirt” mentality. I don't want to be another mark of the page of time. I want to have done something responsible and of meaning before my last breath. It doesn't need to be fame for what I do, I just want to make someone to not just live day to day but to experience life and all it has to offer. The most important reason for my application for a position as a roadie is a boy named Elijah. He lives in Gulu and I sponsor him and his family every month through Compassion International. I am doing this for him.
I want to declare a war on war. I want to take apathy captive. I want to give what I can't afford. Christ said “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me”. I want to follow His words and do what is right to help the situation in Uganda and to get teens and young adults in the US involved in helping those who are in the middle of this crisis.
