Birmingham - AIDS

Day 6 and Wrap-up

On Friday, we worked at some of the homes owned by AIDS Alabama. We spent the day landscaping, cleaning, and painting. During the course of the day, we discovered that Sam has a "green thumb" and Helena, Whitney, Aaron, and Lauren are ridiculously good at carrying heavy boxes. Also, Jesse, Amanda, and Alicia got extremely good at painting themselves as well as the walls. All in all, it was hard work but we enjoyed every minute of it. Amanda Miller from AIDS Alabama said we were able to catch them up on three months worth of landscaping and paint offices that had needed a paint job for months. We are glad we could help AIDS Alabama get those jobs done to make their lives easier and help the organization run even smoother.

On Saturday, we left Birmingham at 7:30 am and drove back to Columbia. We stopped for lunch in Memphis at an amazing BBQ place called Rendezvous. After eating, we spent some time walking around Beale Street before loading up the vans again. We got back to Columbia around 8:30 pm.

In conclusion, there are truly no words to describe the experiences we had together this week. Not only did we learn about the fight against HIV/AIDS, but we also learned about the importance of volunteering. Even though we were only in Birmingham for a week, we saw and did SO much. From touring world-renowned HIV/AIDS clinics like St. George's and 1917 to hanging out with clients at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to painting offices and landscaping, we worked hard. At the same time, we feel like we got so much more out of volunteering than we could have ever given them. It was a great trip and we are so thankful to everyone who helped make this trip possible!