Friday, July 22, 2016

Volunteering at the Quicken Loans Arena

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of volunteering at the arcade entrance to the Quicken Loans Arena. From the beginning of my shift to the end, it was quite the day.

Since I am staying on campus right now, I decided to take the RTA rapid down to Tower City. My shift started in the afternoon and I left with plenty of time. To my surprise, the Green Line ran perfectly, even with the 2016 RNC in town. After I got to Tower City, the first thing I had to do was find the volunteer check-in for the Committee on Arrangements. I found the check-in for the 2016 Host Committee and they directed me to what I thought was East 9th and Boulevard. Unfortunately, as I found out about twenty minutes later when I was suddenly on East 9th and Chester, I was supposed to go to East 9th and Bolivar, which was about four blocks in the other direction. Being from just outside Chicago, I can handle navigating through crowds, but I am not completely familiar with Cleveland yet. Needless to say, I definitely got my exercise in yesterday.

Anyway, once I got to the check-in outside of Progressive Field, I received my credential for the day and walked through the secure area to the Quicken Loans Arena to receive my assignment. The whole day I was stationed at the arcade entrance and checked the credentials of the media who entered and helped open doors. While I did not see the convention in action, it felt good to be one of the first friendly faces people saw entering the arena.

(My view standing outside the Q)

Just like the volunteers I met at the hotel I volunteered at on Monday and Wednesday, these volunteers were just as great. Most of them worked all week and that is certainly a feat. Working at one of the entrances to the arena required being constantly on your feet and staying focused because there were a ton of people moving every which way. Paying attention to the credentials was also highly important because certain credentials are only accepted in certain spots.

Right before I left that night, I was able to hear part of Donald Trump's acceptance speech. While I may not agree with most of his ideas and comments, it was almost surreal to be in the same arena as the 2016 Republican presidential nominee. In just a few short months, Donald Trump may be the next President of the United States and I will never forget volunteering at the Quicken Loans Arena on the last day of the 2016 RNC.  History was just made in Cleveland, and while I may not be mentioned in the books, I was grateful to be in and around Cleveland volunteering that week.

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