Following the event we had an Out of State Documents Meeting. Several volunteers, one of which was the lawyer, filed through all of the applications with a fine toothed come. We took each application and checked for proof of ID (or the IDignity alternative which has been approved by almost every state, except a few states like NY and NJ), personal information, proof of address, and other needs that may have been over looked at the event. We then compared each application to its respective states rules of application, an example is that some states will return an application if the applicant's name is not present on the money order or check provided by IDignity. By the end of the meeting, we had proofed every application.
As each week with this event, there was one moment that truly stood out. Through out the week I continued working on the application packets, since most other volunteers can only come once a week. Since this is my first time working through this process, I forgot a piece of the packets, luckily Lisa makes sure to review my work pretty quickly. I had to file through applications and add a few documents. Being my normal overly-cautious self / curious self, I looked through each one carefully, even if they didn't match my criteria. Somehow I found an application whose ID was about to expire in so short a time, if we did not send it soon, it would more than likely be sent back to us. If it were sent back, we would not only have to track down the client, but find a time and place for the lawyer to meet her/him for representation paperwork (States will allow a lawyer to file for an individual, so long as the individual has signed the agreement).
After several calls to get the go ahead, we were able to expedite the application, in hopes to have it delivered before the expiration of the ID. Godspeed to it. I guess I should stop focusing so hard on the negative aspect of my mistakes, and see how they, ironically, push me to where I need to be to make a positive impact.
Looking forward to continuing to work with my site in the fall and getting back into the structure of academic life! This has been one crazy summer.
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