Yesterday at six o’clock in the morning, half of our trip participants were groggily rolling out of bed, eating Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes at our site leader’s house, and double-checking luggage for a long trip from Columbia, Missouri to Savannah, Georgia. Talk was limited and the weather was cold while we loaded up and hit the road to the pick up the rest of our group. It seemed like this might be a quiet fourteen hours.
Wrong. With CD’s constructed from prompts like “Your Walk-up Song” and “Guilty Pleasure,” the music started to give us some energy. The vans seemed to have two volumes: uproarious as everyone excitedly talked over one another or dead quiet as heavy eyes succumbed to sleep. A few navigation errors, traffic, and breaks made the trip closer to sixteen hours without counting the hour we lost to the coastal time change. We arrived late and immediately set up our sleeping bags for the night, trying to get some sleep in anticipation for our first day of service.
This morning after a warm breakfast and lots of bathroom mirror sharing, we arrived at Coastal Center for Developmental Services. They work with developmentally disabled adults to assist them in their transition into careers. Our hosts, Lee Ann and Georgia (yes, Georgia), were amazing. They had doughnuts, coffee, and gifts for us, and then they showed us around. We ended up splitting into two groups, one working inside on cleaning and organizing projects, and the other outside doing some gardening work. Both groups had a fantastic time and made a major impact even in a short time. The inside group washed walls, organized closets, and, most importantly, got to hear Lee Ann speak about the work CCDS does in their community. Outside weeds were pulled and soil was turned, plus we had way too much fun posing with the equipment. (Think American Gothic photos with the pitchfork.) For a health trip like ours it might be easy to overlook our work as mundane, but what Lee Ann and Georgia emphasized was that clients appreciate a warm, inviting atmosphere. The personality of the building and workers makes it more than just to receive services. It’s a place you can enjoy being.
We were done with service by lunch, so we regrouped and then headed for the grocery store. We split up meal assignments and took over the store with our shopping. At the register we made guesses about what our total would be. When we were finally home, we washed up and relaxed before hitting the town for the first time. A classic coastal seafood dinner at the Flying Fish wrapped up our evening.
We talked in our reflection about what we look forward to for our free day tomorrow, and everyone agreed that just being in the city of Savannah would be the best part. We got a chance to see a beautiful stretch of Spanish moss after a fortunate wrong turn, and we can’t wait to take in the beach and architecture. After that we’re headed to Hoofs 4 Healing to do some therapeutic riding. Until then, peach out!
-MAB Savannah
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