Wilmington, NC - Health (Post 2)

What a packed and fun filled last two days! We started Tuesday off back at Communities in Schools. It was a rainy day, but our awesome group kept smiles on their faces. The morning consisted of putting the final touches on various rooms that we started the week organizing. To treat us for all of our hard work, Brad, our Communities in Schools contact, took us up a floor to an abandoned jail! It was creepy and intriguing at the same time, and our group was of course, jumping into role playing.

After lunch we made our way to the American Red Cross where our group got to put their organizational skills to work again. Kelly from the Red Cross informed us that they just had their annual Gala, which is their major fundraiser since they are a non-profit and have to be self-sustaining. We were shocked to have learned that they cover such a wide range of services including military support, international support, and disaster relief. So, back to organizing we went! But of course, we had fun along the way. Cara discovered the awesomeness of band-aid kits, Matt and Aimee found some classy aprons, and some of our group found that Christmas carols are the best way to organize.

Tuesday night, we were warmly welcomed into Brad's home. We mingled with other Mizzou alumni and the friendliest dog ever, Lyle! We were so excited to spend some time outside of a service site with Brad and his family, who has been an inspiration to all of us. The day was long and exhausting but we felt very accomplished.

Today, we spent the day serving the Red Cross with trailer and storage organizing as well as cleaning out one of the emergency response vehicles. We got to help with the cots that were used in the last winter snow storm and learned all about how the Red Cross responds to various disasters. We got to hang out with a very jovial retired firefighter, James, who kept us entertained with lots of stories about his career. After a long hard day of work, we got to end the night with an AMAZINGLY, spectacular, mouth-watering Swedish cuisine from our very own Erin, with help from others of course. Well, that's it from the Wilmington crew! See ya next time. Surf's up!