Mizzou Alternative Spring Break

Murphy ASB pics

2011-04-27T13:13:00.000-05:00

Car ride and day off visit to some inn that looked like a hobbit house.

Cole Donelson

Summer Welcome 2010 ~ Leader

Mark Twain Hall ~ Peer Advisor
Missouri Student Unions ~ Ambassador

Alternative Spring Break ~ Treasurer

Delta Sigma Pi ~ Chancellor

* Achiever * Input * Ideation * Responsibility * Competition *

Murphy ASB pics

2011-04-27T13:09:00.001-05:00

Contra dancing and finding fire trucks in fields.

Murphy ASB pics

2011-04-27T13:07:00.001-05:00

ASB Murphy members: Sarah, Amy, Amelia, Teddy, Adriana, Laura, Curtis, Andy, Max, Cole

Detroit - Urban Issues

2011-04-13T12:42:00.002-05:00

Day 7, and the aftermath–

On the last morning of our trip, we packed up and shipped out of Detroit before the sunrise. The rectory was a flurry of activity, with everyone rushing to stuff stray chargers, socks, and toothbrushes into their suitcases, making sure that we didn't leave anything with our housemates. After stopping for gas, we left Detroit for good with a week's worth of memories and newfound appreciation and understanding. We came to Detroit a week ago, full of apprehension and fear for a city we had only known as a dead city. Now, we leave it knowing that people like Ms. Reit in Brightmoor, Christine and her associates at the United Neighborhood Initiative, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, and many of the residents of Detroit see their situation differently—they see a future and a life in their city that no one else can see quite yet, but no doubt will very soon. We will each take away something unique from our experience, but we will be able to share this hope with the people we encounter at Mizzou and beyond. Below are thoughts from our participants from our week.

Stephanie:

I remember receiving the email congratulating me on being chosen as a participant for the Detroit ASB. Excited beyond normalcy, I called everyone I knew, and they all had the same reaction. "Detroit? Why would you want to go there? It's dangerous!" Not once did I feel a bit of fear walking or driving around this city we have all grown to love in the past week. In fact, the most fear I felt was waking up this morning wondering what will happen now that we all have to go back to Columbia and back to our routine. School. Work. Homework. Sleep (rarely). Repeat. I fear that after this week, everything will go back to this routine without taking the time to remember all of the experiences we learned on this trip and using them to help one another in need and help bettering ourselves. It all starts with a story in Detroit. I learned far more from the high school students at UNI about pursuing dreams in the most difficult of situations than I could have possibly taught them. They seemed to have no fear even with their difficult situations. They inspired me to keep alive my own dreams and to use these lessons to help me achieve them. To all my fellow ASB members, I know you all will achieve your dreams. American love!

Stephen:

Upon returning to Como from our service trip to Detroit, I feel enriched by all my experiences in the Motor City. Each day brought something new and exciting. Despite the stereotypes about the city, I grew to love Detroit, with its artistic energy and friendly people. Detroiters also seemed to have hope for a better future for their city and are working hard to realize that dream. Although we accomplished much, we also learned a lot about the city's troubles and its residents. I loved that my talks about urban agriculture with Mrs. Reat and the visitors to the soup kitchen were so engaging. Coming from a farming background, I was very curious about urban ag, a new trend in Detroit and a particular brand of farming with which I was unfamiliar. Also, in addition to my invigorating volunteer work, I experienced a musical breakthrough at Baker's Keyboard & Lounge on Livernois. With the encouragement of my fellow ASBers, I sung "Fly Me to the Moon", a song from my boy Frank Sinatra, before the patrons of the jazz club. I was nervous and excited, but so happy to have that memory of singing before an audience for the first time. I was so fortunate to have had the support of the other members, all of whom I am so glad I have gotten to know over a week. Though I'm a bit disheartened leaving such an interesting city and returning to the rigors of school, I could not ask for more from my spring break.

Roze:

Confronted with the task of summing up the week in a tidy paragraph, I am at a loss. The past seven days do not lend themselves to cursory overviews at all.

The Good:

· The amazing work done by the community organizers in the city, including urban gardeners (the people at the Greening of Detroit and Reit in Brightmoor), the United Neighborhood Initiative, and the Capuchin Soup Kitchen

· The art community in Detroit, which is so freaking cool and complicated and ripped apart and beautiful

· My fellow Detroit ASB-ers, some of the funniest, kindest, sharpest, most wonderful people I've ever met

The Bad:

· The undeserved reputation of Detroit as a broken, empty city

· How little attention the attempts to rejuvenate the city get

· How much work there is left to be done (but at the same time, I have faith it will get done)

The Ugly:

· The short length of the trip

· THE SHORT LENGTH OF THE TRIP

Nick:

I'm from Chicago, and live fairly close to Detroit, but never visited previously because of its negative reputation. The prevailing opinion seemed to discredit Detroit as a city worth visiting due to poverty, violence, and other forms of urban decay. Going to Detroit took a leap of faith, but looking back on our visit, I find myself impressed beyond expression by the spirit of the people and sense of community. In Detroit, I got the feeling that everyone was in it together. The city rose together when the auto industry was doing well, and now that its fallen on tougher times, communities and organizations seem to have stayed together in search of a remedy. One thing I'm taking with me is the importance of human relations wherever you are. When times reasonably are good it's easy to get caught up in our own individualism, and to turn our backs on others that are struggling. It's worth considering Detroit, however, to appreciate common human struggles, and how engaged communities can help foster positivity when everything seems to be working against you. Specifically, the conversations at lunch at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen left me thinking about how vulnerable we all are, even those that appear to be the most intelligent and well off. The great support networks and community organizations of Detroit were an impressive example of how we can combat the

Alicia:

We gathered last Saturday in the darkness of 6am. As we loaded into the vehicle we had high hopes for making a difference in the Detroit we have all heard about – one in shambles of gunshots and broken people. Looking back at the week, it is hard not to laugh at how wrong all of the stereotypes have been. Yes, there are empty homes and people without jobs. But for every person who aches with a longing for the Detroit we know as the booming motor city, there is another who wants to create a new Detroit based in everything from art to urban agriculture. You would think that after a week of living on the "wrong" side of 8 mile and eating in soup kitchens we would be ready for the serenity of our college town. But somehow, we found smiles and stories on the faces of everyone we spoke with and I am in no way ready to say good-bye. I wish I could have seen Detroit when it was at the top of it's game but even more so, I hope I am blessed enough to see the art filled, green Detroit of the very near future.

Paul:

Before arriving in Detroit, I didn't really know what to expect. Sure there were the obvious stereotypes of a city in decline, stricken with homelessness, poverty, drugs, unemployment. It is hard not to know, or at least here about these things. What I didn't know, and I'm sure most of us not from Detroit were unaware of as well, was the determination of Detroiters to not give up on their communities. This is what makes Detroit special. The people. One of my favorite quotes is, and don't ask where it comes from because I've long forgotten, "Engage people, not issues". I like to think that is what we were doing in Detroit. That is what the people who are involved in the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Urban Neighborhoods Initiative, or the Greening of Detroit are doing. Yes, Detroit has many issues and can't be fixed overnight, or even in a week. In fact, it may never be the same again. But when people come together in times of need, that is when they truly grow and begin to make a difference in their own and each other's lives. When I sat down to eat lunch at the soup kitchen I was no longer a white kid from the suburbs. I was a man, hungry and grateful for the food in front of me, just as Jake, O'Terria, Hosea, and Alicia were. It is only in those shared moments of laughter, sweat, conversation, smiles, and love that change can be made. Detroit is changing. I was a part of it. My fellow ASBers were a part of it. The people of Detroit are it.

Taylor:

When I first found out that I would be going to Detroit for spring break, I must admit I wasn't very excited about going up north to colder weather. I was also very nervous about staying in what I thought was a "rough" city. However, this past week has completely surpassed all of my expectations. I had the most amazing time ever and made some amazing new friends. I actually miss Detroit already. I definitely had my stereotypes about the type of people who lived in Detroit; but after meeting some of the citizens I learned so much about the people in this city. I was truly touched by their stories and was able to empathize with their situations in which they now find themselves. When the auto industry left the city it also left thousands of people without jobs and without a bright future. So many people counted on work in the factories to provide for their families, and when there were no more jobs they had nowhere to go. This week really gave me a chance to reevaluate my life and realize how truly fortunate I am to live in a nice home in a nice city.

After many hours of volunteering at various sites in the city, I realized how connected the Detroit community is and how determined they are to get Detroit back on its' feet. Whether it's urban farming or working at a youth center after school, the community is constantly trying to find new ways to keep kids out of trouble and get them engaged in productive work. I was amazed to see that almost all of the organizations were connected to each other in some way to better the community; it's a huge city with a small town feel. Although there are so many problems with drugs and gangs, the community remains very optimistic about the changes and advancements occurring. I so badly want to go back and help them make the changes necessary to improve Detroit's heartbreaking situation.

I feel so fortunate to have been able to volunteer in Detroit for a week and hear the people's stories. This experience has made me think about what I want to do with my life and how I can help people in cities just like Detroit. I think I can speak for all of us when I say this has been an eye-opening experience that we will never forget. I love my new ASB family and am so glad I was able to share this awesome experience with them. Motown rocks!!

Carol:

I have to admit that when I first heard I will be going to Detroit for my spring break, I wasn't very looking forward to it because it's up north and very cold. Also, I am a bit scared when I realized I need to travel with a group of American friends to another city and I was afraid there is nothing left for me to talk about with them and I would be left out. But it turned out there is nothing for me to worry about because all of the people I went with are so great and amazing people, we are definitely like a big family together.

One of my favorite parts about the trip is the people I went with. I am fascinated by their passions and enthusiasm to engage me to do anything. I really love the nickname they give me which is "Chinatown", actually everybody has a nickname in our group and we called each other's nickname to make us even closer to each other. We always sat around the table every evening to share our interesting things happened each day, and we will shop together, sleep on the same floor, help each other cook etc. I can think of million things we've done together like a family!

As for the volunteering thing, we have done Greening of Detroit and helping out at the youth center. We've done volunteer work varied from gardening, to playing games with kids. It's always nice to talk to different people and step out of my comfort zone. When we went to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen to volunteer, we actually went to the places to eat with the homelessness people for lunch and we talked with them. I have to say that at first I am a bit scared to talk to them when I saw all the African-Americans men were sitting there. But I got over myself and had very interesting conversations with them and I am surprised to see that how willing and happy they are to talk to us and have their voices heard.

For our last day in Detroit, we went to downtown Detroit and have a relatively fancy dinner there. I realized that Detroit used to be a prosperous city, but now Detroit needed help from everyone to get back to its prosperity. There are many people moved out of Detroit, GM headquarter is kind of empty, there aren't many people walking on the street even though it's weekdays. I am happy to see that everybody in our group has a warm heart to give generous help to whoever needed.

I really miss everyone teasing me all the time; it makes me feel I am part of the group, an indispensible part. I feel so lucky to participate in the ASB and know this group of amazing people. I love them all!

Jake:

Life is made up of defining moments. More often than not, these moments come in the form of extraordinary events: meeting inspiring individuals, completing a significant or difficult task, losing something or someone important to you, and/or a multitude of other experiences. My trip with Alternative Spring Break included all of these things. Detroit is one of my life's defining moments.

Outside of my own self-absorbed musings on the world, witnessing firsthand the driving passion of the people of Detroit is the most inspiring thing I have ever been a part of. I wouldn't change my trip for the world, even after seeing all of my sun-kissed friends return from warm locales. Seeing the power of an idea manifest itself in real change is unreal. As Margaret Mead said more eloquently than I ever could, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

I remember during the 2008 election, many people demonized the "community organizing" background of Barack Obama. I couldn't think of something more important than community organizing, especially in a place as desolate as Detroit. The people of this city have not lost hope. They don't only hope things will change, they know they will. And they're not going to sit idly by and watch it happen from a safe distance. I hope one day I can make as much of a difference in a community as so many of the people we worked with.

I will never forget the relationships I formed on this trip. The other 11 individuals on this trip are some of the best people I have ever met. Although I was the "grandpa" of the trip, I couldn't imagine feeling closer to individuals in a 7-day span. Each individual brought a unique skillset, and the bond formed through giving back is unbreakable. As a senior graduating in a SHORT 5 weeks, my one regret is this being my first and only ASB trip at Mizzou. But at the same time, I'm glad all the people on this trip will be my reflection on the program. They set the bar pretty high.

I think this was the perfect trip for me to attend prior to serving the low-income, inner-city community of San Antonio as a teacher. I'm pretty excited I get to continue my passion for serving communities starting in late-May through Teach For America. I WILL incorporate the sense of community action in my work in Texas, because only together can real change come to fruition. There is only one method to ensure the future is a place you want to live: be the change you wish to see in the world. I'll see you there.

Monica:

To be completely honest, I was not expecting all that much from our ASB trip. I wasn't even sure if I was going to have any fun. I just assumed that we would come together, do the best we could to help the Detroit community, go back to Columbia and move on. The funny thing is, the first night I slept in my own bed after we got back, all I could think about is how I wish I could be sleeping in the rectory at Detroit Mercy on the floor- keep in mind that this floor was ant-infested, cold, hard and uncomfortable. When we started class again on Monday, my friends and teachers asked me how my break was and I didn't even know where to begin. At one point I stared in silence at my folklore professor for 10 seconds until I gathered the word "amazing" (lame, I know) out of the all the thoughts I was trying to articulate. I didn't know how to explain how it feels to enter a downtrodden city like Detroit, littered with burned houses and abandoned buildings, and leave it with a sense that while there is an overwhelming amount of work to be done, there is a vibrant community that is alive and trying to do its best. Every day I became more surprised by how interconnected the community is in Detroit. All of the organizations that we volunteered for knew of each other and were often somehow directly working with each other. While we were at Brightmoor volunteering with Riet, I expressed how I would have no idea how to start something as significant as she has and she explained that the most important thing to remember is that you can't do it alone, stressing the importance of a support system. By the end of the week I realized how completely right Riet was. The organizations we volunteered for relied on each other, our ASB group relied on members within the group and we relied on the organizations as much as they relied on us. I felt a connection to the inner workings of a city like I never have before and I couldn't get enough of it. There was a wonderful, comforting sense of community that we all felt, and none of us are even from Detroit. I look forward to returning to Detroit soon, especially if it's with our ASB group in tow.

Michelle:

After reading everyone else's reflections on the trip, the only thing I can say is that I am completely overwhelmed. I am the kind of person who sets her expectations ridiculously high, but despite this fact ASB Detroit completely superseded every single one that I had, a million times over. Our participants were absolutely phenomenal—no one complained, no one got in a fight, no one thought that the work we were doing was pointless and stupid. I didn't have to send anyone home for breaking the rules (if they crossed the border to Canada, it was super sneaky and without my knowledge). We all loved each other, and we all fell in love with Detroit. Before Nick and I decided to go there, I knew absolutely nothing about the city. I had read articles here and there about how empty and downtrodden it is, but I didn't know anything about its history or how it go there. Researching before the trip taught me a little bit more, but it wasn't until we arrived that I began to fully understand. Seeing a city large enough to fit 2 million people nearly empty is a jarring experience. We wandered around downtown on Sunday, our free day, and only a few people here and there could be found. However, the small population leads to something truly unique to Detroit—a tight knit community surviving together. Even though we found our housing and our three volunteer sites through random Google searches, every time we met someone they already knew someone else we had spoken with. Detroit is beautiful and filled with amazing people, and it's obvious that they are still there because they have a dedication to the city that is nearly impossible to abolish. I loved traveling there and discovering this passion, and I am excited to bring it back and share it with the people I know here in Missouri. I am thrilled to have eleven fantastic people to do this with, and I look forward to doing more good things with them and with Alternative Spring Break!

Niceville-Environment

2011-04-07T14:56:00.001-05:00

#what a week

I roll over and open my eyes. Waves gently tumble onto the shore, leveling out any imperfections in the sand. I have no conception of the time of day or the day of the week. I sit up and look across the ocean towards the tourist traps that line the horizon. A moment of perfection. And then a water balloon pelts me in the back of the head.

That moment in time captured this trip in a nutshell. This week, there have been so many times where I've literally stopped in my tracks and marveled at my surroundings. Even now, I'm too busy laughing at everything you guys are saying to write this post. The 11 other people that I've spent every waking moment of the past week with are among the most compassionate, hard-working and hilarious people I've ever met. They have made this trip one of my most memorable ones yet. The best part about this week is that they aren't just people I've met once and will never see again. I get to take these great memories and newfound friendships back to Mizzou.

Our day off was a nice break from the routine we had gotten so accustomed to. We slept in (past six in the morning!), made enough PB&J sandwiches to feed a whole country with, and spent the day at the beach. I wouldn't have had it any other way. We started our trek back to Columbia the next day, spending the night in Nashville along the way. The three L's of Nashville? Loveless, line dancing and laughing. It wasn't like anything I had ever experienced before, so I savored the opportunity to take it all in.

When you spend every waking moment with a group of people, you generally start to get sick of them. If spending a week together wasn't going to be enough, the 17-hour drive back home was bound to do us in. But it never happened. When we parted ways on our arrival to Columbia, I felt a sense of emptiness, not one of relief. I didn't know how I was going to go five days without seeing these people. And to think we started off as mere strangers only a few months ago! I don't want to conclude this blog post because I don't want to accept the fact that this trip is over. You've all made a lasting impact on me and I will never forget you guys. I know our trip didn't go exactly as planned, but our optimism and teamwork enabled us to prevail no matter what obstacles were thrown our way. I'm so lucky that I got to experience ASB as a sophomore, so that I can take advantage of this amazing opportunity in years to come. Lastly, Raha and Chelsea, I can't thank you two enough. I can't even imagine the work it took to plan and execute this whole expedition; I can only hope to be as effective of a leader someday.

-Veronica Polivanaya

Niceville- Environment

2011-04-04T20:25:00.001-05:00

The time I have spent in Florida has been such a grand adventure. From the very beginning, the 15-hour long drive, to now, reflecting upon each other, every moment has been a build to what is now. Each person I see now, I see as an unconditional friend that I have come to love. The growth that each individual has had is such an inspirational feeling for me. I notice that each person creates such a well-knit group, a group that creates the best out of nothing. We have become unconditionally close, better friends then so many of those on campus, just in two weeks. We wake up at the crack of dawn, exhausted, but it didn't matter. We not only worked HARD, but we had fun doing it.

On campus this semester before the trip I felt out of touch with my surroundings. In signing up for this trip I had no idea what I got myself into. This trip has meant so much to me. I have learned so much about this group and myself, just in one week; it is hard to express that in words. This out of touch feelings has only made me realize that things are all good, no matter the stress or worry. I think I have learned upon this trip many things because of the relationships I have built, and the great positivity that has come from this group. I see each person reflecting now, upon the week and it gives me great inspiration to be able to openly talk about ones experiences, and how it has affected ones life. I feel as though I will take upon many techniques of leadership, friendship, and service that I will use the rest of my life.

This trip is going to truly affect how I spend the rest of my years. I feel as though I am a lot more ready to take upon the challenges of what lies ahead. Chelsea and I were talking and she made me realize that I have come to fulfillment from this trip. I think I am ready for the next step, which is Europe. I feel as though I have the courage to get upon the plane. Thank you everyone for helping me build a better understanding of myself, and others. I love you all =)

Oh btw. The beach was awesome today. Muhaha. Gobble.

Louie

murphy - environment

2011-04-03T23:25:00.001-05:00

Here are some photos from our trip! (3/31 & 4/2)

murphy- environment

2011-04-03T19:44:00.002-05:00

**Special Note**

I learned after getting back to Mizzou and checking my email that the blog posts of Thur. and Fri did not go through. Sorry for the confusion. Saturday 4/2 is below these two, so you can actually read about the last three days in order starting here...

3/31/11

After a late night of fun and games, we woke up early to plant some trees with Tony in Blairsville, Georgia! We placed 137 trees along butternut creek to improve the landscape there. The work consisted of hole digging, root awakening, fertilizing, and beaver protecting. We found this work much more relaxing than invasive plant removal, and we appreciated not being stabbed by the evil multirosa. It was good to give life to something rather than violently ripping something up by it's roots. A local volunteer provided lunch for our group and we enjoyed turkey sandwiches on picnic benches. After lunch we went back to work, and Tony was extremely impressed by our efficiency. We finished planting 85 trees before lunch and quickly ran out of creek-side ground to plant our trees on. He even said we were one of his hardest working ASB groups ever! We ended the day a little early and headed home. On the ride back, we took a touristy group picture across the state line between Georgia and North Carolina (two places at once!) Since our work was less tiring, Laura decided to go for a 9 mile run for the fourth time this week (marathon training). The rest of us (except for Sarah who still needed a nap) took the opportunity to go on a hiking adventure. We drove through the Appalachian Highway and stopped off the road at scenic overlook. Feeling adventurous, we climbed down the mountain hopping from boulder to boulder. We now have a stronger appreciation for gravity and large falling rocks. After this excursion, we found a safer overlook and found a beautiful trail along a gorgeous creek that turned into a waterfall gushing through huge mossy boulders with fallen trees littering the sides. Hiking finished, we raced home and went to a bonfire with delicious RIP bbq provided by the HWRC. Once fed, we took the opportunity to play chubby bunny…Max won, Cole lost with marshmallow drool dripping down his face. Andy and Max were inducted into the wild potato clan. On the walk back from the bonfire through the rive cane trail we discovered firsthand the legend of the river cane ghosts. Then we headed back to the house listening to our new theme song "Home" for our typical game night. I never knew that ten randos could become a fam in four days.

-Murphy ASB

4/1/11

Friday, April first: Back to clearing weeds and taking names. The cabin awoke from another late night of cabin shanaigans to a beautiful, chill North Carolina morning. The late night kept our breakfast conversations to a minimum and we are not sure if everyone awoke in time for their morning showers. Anyway, we rendezvoused with our fearless leader, Tony and headed south into Georgia. Our team remarked about the stark contrast of the neighboring states lifestyles. North Carolina seems to be more relaxed and spaced-out. When we got to Byron's house we were ready for our last day of invasive removal. The honeysuckle and multi rosa were worse than expected. Luckily the owners dog, Ree, tagged along to help pass the time and chew our water bottles. The morning was a bit chilly and clearing the invasives was tiring and at times monotonous, since it was our last day we made it great despite lack of energy. At noon we met at a rustic mountain home to enjoy a lunch provided by another kind-hearted volunteer. There, we had two more dogs join in on the days activities, but they were second rate compared to Ree. As a side note, the deviled-eggs didn't go over as well as planned, but the rest of lunch was wonderful. Callie also showed up and let the team purchase shirts and caps for volunteering for the week at a double skookum discount. You know, for the memories. After another classic hour-long, Tony break were set to leave the lunch sight and return for our final afternoon of saving the world. The sun played tricks on us, and the hoodies and jackets were off and on. The team caught a groove and finished strong clearing Japanese knotweeds and Autumn Olive. As a side note, Tony was rocking the chainsaw and Max and Sarah was usually found playing with Ree. Overall, we were glad to finish on the beautiful property and enjoyed our experience. It made us appreciate Tony for all of his hard work and gave us a sense of accomplishment. We all feel closer to nature now and will never look at a rose bush the same. It was very hard work, and sometimes depressing because there is so much to do, but very necessary and quickly rewarding. We definitely learned a ton about the environment , watersheds, and can even ID about 5 plants. After work we swung by the cabin with a little extra pep in our step. We got ambitious and headed to the tallest peak in Georgia to hike, Brass Town Bald. We had a small mix up with the provided directions. Apparently we are much less successful at navigating without Ralphie at the helm, but eventually we straightened out and made it to the majestic mount. Speaking of that mischievous GPS, he played an April Fools Day joke on us when he reset himself and came back with a sex change (as a woman's voice). Since Ralphina doesn't quite fly, we changed him back pronto. The view from the top of our mile hike was beautiful and it was a great way to way to signify the trip's accomplishments and bonding. The trip back was less eventful and we spent our evening relaxing around the cabin waiting for a fabulous pasta dinner with cheesy bread out of hotdog buns . We planned our meals perfectly and we are finally getting in the days routine and swing of things. It is starting to hit the team that our time here is finally over and I think we will all miss it dearly and won't forget ASB '11 anytime soon. Tonight will again be full of fun, games, and plenty of laughter. On to Louisville tomorrow gang.

Love,

Murphy ASB

Atlanta - Homelessness

2011-04-03T13:43:00.001-05:00

Today was a very bittersweet day for us. It was our last day with The Edge and Cafe 458 but it was also graduation day for the students in the career preparation class! Last night, we prepared by making them a poster with their class motto, PPAW: Professional, Positive, Ambitious Warriors, to hold up during the ceremony. The graduation ceremony wasn’t until 11 a.m. so we performed our usual duties until then. The computer lab was packed with people wanting to ask last minute questions about everything from email to resumes and cover letters and the clothes closet was buzzing with the constant stream of people because students had to look their best for the ceremony. We were also allowed to sit in on the last class the students had – a guest lecture from a Minister who had experienced homelessness and unemployment himself asking students to stay determined and not loose faith. The graduation’s keynote speaker had a similar story to share with the graduates. James Glenn was fired while in hospice because his employer thought he would not survive. He has HIV and consequently has suffered many other illnesses. After many long cold nights on the streets he saw a women drop her wallet in front of a department story. Glenn decided to give the woman her wallet back, even though it would have been easier for him to keep it. Because of his integrity, the woman recommended him for a job at the Coca-Cola Company. Now, Glen is the Executive Guest Relations Specialist at Coca-Cola. His story was very inspiring – even when life looks hopeless and bleak you shouldn’t loose faith or give up the fight, it’s your life, you decide how to live it. Needless to say, the graduates gave him a standing ovation.

After the ceremony the graduates had a really nice reception in the cafeteria with their friends and family to celebrate their success. Even though we’ve only known these people for a week they’ve really impacted our lives. We were honored during the graduation ceremony for all the work we’ve been doing with them but really we should be giving them thanks. Each and every single one of them is a living testament of what hard work and perseverance can achieve and each and every single one of them hold a special place in our hearts. We wish the best of luck for ACSS Class 7 graduates on their job search and any future endeavors.

After the reception and after all the graduates had left there was still a lot of food left – even though everyone had had seconds, thirds and some had even had fourths! We didn’t want all the food to go to waste so we filled up as many to-go plates as we could and we hit the streets of Atlanta looking for people in need! We literally drove around Atlanta trying to find homeless people to feed, a surprisingly difficult feat (are they homeless or just having a bad hair day...?). Every single person we gave a plate to thanked us so whole-heartedly we could literally feel their gratitude. It was extremely rewarding to see people’s faces light up over something as simple as food.

Since there was no one at The Emmaus house today we decided to spend the afternoon going around Atlanta. We visited Martin Luther King’s childhood neighborhood, burial place and museum. We went to an indoor market full of fruits, meets, breads and eccentric bookstores – we were on the hunt for Georgia peaches. We found some peaches but it wasn’t until we bought them that we realized they were actually from Chile (what the heck?). The perfect close to a great week was definitely strolling along the beautiful downtown area, a popular, vibrant collection of stores and restaurants comparable to the loop in St. Louis.

This experience has been life changing for many of us. Dealing with homelessness in Atlanta was both hard and rewarding at the same time. We’ve become close with a lot of the people we’ve met and we’ll definitely always have a spot in our hearts for the people of Cafe 458, The Edge and The Emmause House.

Atlanta - Homelessness

2011-04-03T13:42:00.000-05:00

Cafe 458 was hoppin’ today. As soon as we got there they put us to work. We were chopping tubs and tubs of raw beef, boiling huge pots of water for the noodles and stirring pans that required two-hands for the necessary strength to move its contents. We finished the day’s food right as people started shuffling in – beef tips with mushroom gravy over noodles, peas and carrots, cauliflower, strawberry cake and brownies. A lot of us joke that the homeless in Atlanta eat better than most of us in college (ramen noodles, anyone?). The cafe was so full today that we ran out of food and we weren’t able to sit down until some of the diners left and started clearing out seats. We met an extremely friendly man named Walter, a Filipino immigrant that had worked as a lab technician at a hospital in Texas. After losing his job, he traveled through half the United States before ending up in Atlanta, now he’s just hoping he’ll receive his green card soon so that he’ll have a better prospect of finding a job. Walter was extremely kind and thanked us for the time we were putting in during our spring break. Meeting people like that is really what this trip is about, widening our perspectives. Although we, in particular, don’t hold these beliefs, as Lynn (the cafeteria supervisor at The Edge) and Otis were telling us today, many people think that homelessness is something that people bring upon themselves because of drug or alcohol addictions. It’s important to realize that in a lot of cases homelessness is not a choice, it’s a set of structures that have been laid in place, sometimes even long before an individual is even born, that prevent them from moving forward in life. This is why programs like ACSS are so important; they give people a second shot at a quality life.

Today we stayed at The Edge an extra few hours, performing our usual tasks. It’s been really rewarding not just helping feed or clothe people but also helping them with simple tasks they need to get ahead in their professional careers. People at ACSS are really grateful when we help them with things such as adding an attachment to an email, or starting up a word document – things that we do everyday so easily that we often take it for granted.

Unfortunately, today was our last day volunteering at the Emmaus House because the kids don’t come in on Fridays. As usual, we helped them with their homework and made them sit down for the allotted reading time (20 minutes seems like an eternity to a 7-year-old). We had a lot of fun outside today too since the weather was a lot nicer. We had a lot of piggy-back races, the kids danced “the Bernie” (if you don’t know what that is, YouTube it!) and they drained us of any form of energy running circles around the house and climbing to the very top of the tallest tree in the yard (not even squirrels climb that high!). A lot of the children made us good-bye cards and, since it was the end of the week, they had a little mini award ceremony for the child with the most “good-behavior points” where they got to draw prizes such as temporary tattoos or coloring books from a giant plastic tub. At the end of the award ceremony the kids gave short speeches on how much they had enjoyed our company and appreciated the help throughout the week. It was really hard watching the kids climb the bus yelling their good-byes and asking them to keep in touch by emailing them. We’re really going to miss these kids.

....annnnnd Chelsea found a great poem on the wall at the Edge...she’d like to share it:

To be homeless is not to be ashamed, but to be hopeful.
Not to be embarrassed, but to be thankful.
Holding on and marching forward is all you have to do,
and God will make a way to see you through.
Homelessness is all around us, you see.
Some you notice right off the bat, others are hopeful and free.
Homelessness is just the beginning of a new start,
It’s hard, simple and it sometimes makes you blue.
It could never define the character in you.
To be homeless we all know is oh so hard,
Never give up or be afraid of a new start.
Hold your head up and believe in you,
for all of your wildest dreams can still come true.

We believe in you!!! Goodnight ATL!!

Louisville - Children & Health (Food Access)

2011-04-02T23:15:00.001-05:00

Day 6: April 2nd

This has been an incredibly rewarding week. Everyone worked hard Monday thru Friday so we could play today. The crew loaded up bleary eyed at 7:30am to make the hour and a half trip to Lexington, Kentucky just in time to catch the last hour of morning workouts at Keeneland racetrack. Keeneland is known as one of the coldest places in Lexington and today was no different. Although we were given a warm, Kentucky greeting by our tour guide – Pete, who promptly showed us to the racetrack to watch the thoroughbreds in action. After everyone had been shivering for a good bit watching the horses we were ushered to the clubhouse, where less than 1% of the Lexington population has ever been - so we felt pretty special. Afterward we rounded all the troops and headed into town for pizza and calzones at one of my favorite restaurants, Pazzo's, just off the University of Kentucky's campus. We filled our bellies with delicious Italian treats as we watched UK fans file-in, in preparation for the BIG game tonight (UK vs. UCONN in the Final Four). We all agreed we (Mizzou) is black and gold….not blue and white.

After lunch at Pazzo's, I proudly showed everyone around the University of Kentucky campus, where I began my life as a college student. It has been almost a year since I had been in Lexington, let alone on campus, so I was happy to see the hospital in its final phase of construction (considering it started over 2 years ago). Everyone seemed surprised at the quaintness of the campus in comparison to MU. It was much smaller than they seemed to expect.

The Kentucky Horse Park was the next item on the list of things to see/catch before we headed back to Louisville for the night. At the Horse Park we all got to ride horses (some of us for the first time!). We took a 40-minute ride around the paddocks and learned all about the Equestrian Games that were held on the farm last year. Some of us (myself included) had feistier horses than others, which made the trip all the more interesting. My horse, properly named Diesel, was quite cheeky and had a little attitude when he didn't want to follow the rest of the horses. After our ride we loaded up, once again, and took the vans full of tired participants back to Louisville.

Our final (and nicest) dinner in Kentucky was at Bristol. We invited Mary Sullivan from the United Way to join us. She has been such an instrumental part of our trip we only felt it proper to treat her to dinner. Everyone chatted and noshed on delicious dishes like crab cakes, pork chops, and linguine with all the works. We presented Mary with a bouquet of flowers and a card, and she (surprised us) by giving us each a photo of the mural, a certificate, AND home-made treat bags for the ride home! Oh….and she hooked us up with some more United Way T-shirts, which was nice since most of us haven't done laundry and have been wearing the same clothes for a couple days. Now we won't stink up the vans on the ride home!! Yay!! Well, we decided to leave bright and early (7am EST) so I better be off to bed (it's 11:50pm), but as I said before. This week has been very successful, I speak for both Evan and I when I say, we couldn't be prouder of our participants and all the hard work and dedication they put in this week. The University of Missouri has officially left its mark on yet another great city. We hope to see you in years to come, Louisville!

-Madison

Birmingham - AIDS

2011-04-02T22:55:00.002-05:00

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!

Murphy - environment

2011-04-02T22:20:00.002-05:00

4/2/11

Last night after vigorous gaming, contemplative star-gazing, midnight snacking, and reflective pillow talk we all fell asleep in our massive three mattress bed. We finally got to sleep in and once we got up we cleaned house, ate a breakfast full of leftovers, and admired the beautiful weather. Sadly NC saved its best weather day for just when we were leaving in desperate hopes of tempting us into prolonging our stay. On our way out we didn't have to turn in our key because we never had one. The Hinton Center is pretty relaxed. The big event during the first half of our drive was when a tree fell down blocking the whole country highway. We were just the second car to arrive at the roadblock. We were forced to turn around and take the excessively curvy Candy Mountain Road. Half of the van looked like they wanted to hurl by the end of it. Other than the detour, several snoozefests, and humorous pick-up phone calls, Winston delivered us safely to our layover in Louisville at Cole's humble homestead. We had our final family dinner of the trip at the famous pizza joint, Chubby Ray's. The crowd favorite was undoubtedly the Santa Fe ranch and chicken pizza. It's like they cut out the Newman's Own middle man with his creamy dressing. The sports bar was heating up as University of Kentucky was getting ready to play in its final four basketball game. We relaxed at the cozy Donelson home to watch the basketball games and play games a final time. We are anxious to get some more Bang in tonight (our new favorite Italian card game) and will be fighting over who gets to sleep on the buffalo robe. Tomorrow we are fixing to sleep in, enjoy tasty Scottish eggs, and try our hand at tomahawk throwing (a favorite Donelson hobby).

As a whole our trip was fantastic! We want to thank everyone who supported our trip. You are a huge part of our success. The thought of going back to our normal lives tomorrow and starting class is torture, but everything was great while it lasted. All in all, we hate invasives, we love Tony, and we beg everyone stick to native decorative plants.

Herbs and Happiness,

Murphy ASB

New Orleans - Homeless Animals

2011-04-02T21:49:00.001-05:00

Of all the cities I've been to, none casts a spell over people like New Orleans.

Eleven women and one man arrived in the Crescent City last Saturday via cramped 12-passenger "creeper van." The vast majority had never set foot in Louisiana. We were thrilled to not only be spending our spring break away from the snowstorm that had just hit Missouri, but to be using that time to help out in an understaffed volunteer animal rescue.

Animal Rescue New Orleans was founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina as a temporary first response team. While the national attention and volunteer help was (understandably) focused on the human victims of the storm, the animal population largely went ignored. ARNO stepped in and rescued these lost creatures. The need of the city was so great that ARNO continues to operate today as New Orleans' only no-kill animal shelter. The BP oil spill only increased the demand for their services, as those who worked on the Gulf of Mexico lost their jobs and were unable to keep their pets.

The shelter is understaffed, as it comprises solely of volunteers. With our team of twelve, daylong chores were knocked out before lunch and we could then all focus our attention on improving the shelter. We deep cleaned cages, re-organized the shelter, and gave the animals the extra love they'd been missing. It was amazing to see what our group could do and everyone at ARNO threatened us that we aren't allowed to leave. Ever.

The animals weren't the only ones affected by this trip. I spent the week watching our group roll up their sleeves and really committing to a project selflessly. As the work went on, a new energy and spirit was instilled in each member. The look on Kourtney's face whenever Marky Mark was brought out of his cage was one of pure love. Tori's entire day revolved around making sure Sunshine, a cat diagnosed with feline leukemia, would be able to have some much-needed attention and love. Hell, Jayme even donned extra layers of clothing in order to spend time with Patty Cake, a puppy with a case of scabies.

ARNO was an inspirational volunteer experience and the city of New Orleans was the absolute best backdrop for it. Our impression of the city evolved as the week went on. On our very first day, we visited the Lower Ninth Ward. This area received international media attention as an example of what devastation Katrina had done. Many have chosen to rebuild, but a very large amount of broken shells of homes remain. It was a sobering and humbling experience and I doubt any group member will forget it. We all saw the destruction on the news, but to see it firsthand even years later is entirely different.

Despite the hurricane, much of the rest of the city has bounced back even better than before. We fell in love with the French Quarter, which has more culture and history than you can handle. We did a little dancing, we did a lot of eating, and we even sang *NSYNC karaoke on the same stage they did on Bourbon Street. We went uptown (which is technically west, but New Orleanians don't believe in cardinal directions) and saw beautiful large homes and the gorgeous campus of Tulane University. Every neighborhood of New Orleans has its own flavor that can't be found anywhere else in America. Those who may have been a bit hesitant about the city at first quickly came around. The people are friendly, the food is amazing and the spirit of the Big Easy can be felt on every corner. We already have plans to come back in the summer and take on even more of this beautiful place.

This has been an amazing experience. Not only did New Orleans completely win me over in every way possible, but I had the opportunity to see it win over everyone else as well. The homeless animals inspired us, the city inspired us, and we inspired each other.

I want to thank everyone who helped support the New Orleans trip as well as every other ASB trip this year. Thank you for reading our blogs and our tweets as we went on this adventure. While we are sad to have left behind such an amazing city, we're excited to bring our experiences back to Mizzou.

And if you ever get the chance to visit New Orleans, stop by Banks Street and give Nola the cat our love (and let him inside for a bit…but don't tell anyone).

Eliot - ASB NOLA

Detroit - Urban Issues

2011-04-02T20:29:00.002-05:00

Day 6 –

A few people from our group woke up early to take Ro to the bus. She had to catch the 8am to Chicago in order to make it back to a class lecture Saturday morning. We all woke up earlier than necessary and made a large breakfast – eggs, hash browns, and pancakes. Everyone was lively and upbeat but somber at the same time. Our last day in Detroit, already one member short, arrived too early.

We left in time to make it to our 10am tour of the Heidelberg Project on Heidelberg Street. It is a street full of artwork that one man, Tyree Guyton, created. He had creative representations of everything from alcoholism's effect on families to the oil spill in the gulf. He had completely revamped the old abandoned houses on the street by painting them with polka dots, hanging random signs and stuffed animals to help transform the house into something pleasant to see. He also had other pieces distributed throughout the block, such as a brick sundial that you can read by standing in the center of it and seeing where your shadow falls. After our tour we had an opportunity to meet with Tyree to talk about his art and motivation.

Next we made a quick stop to the Motown Museum. Without a doubt, if you make a trip to Detroit this museum is a must-see. After struggling to find parking, we were able to enter the house where Berry Gordy started Motown music. Our fantastic tour guide, Eric, showed us through the museum (house and studio) where Berry developed Detroit children into stars like the Supremes, Jackson 5, Mary Wells, Smokie Robinson, Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Beatles, and many more. It was wonderful to hear their stories, their music and have the opportunity to sing right along with our guide. The tour ended in the studio where the magic happened and we danced like the Temptations, did the moon walk in the same spot Michael Jackson had and shook our hips with one hand forward singing "Stop, in the name of love…" The atmosphere was infectious and the spirit undeniable. Motown was a wonderful opportunity to step back into the Detroit that existed throughout the 60s.

We quickly ran off to meet with Tiffany of United Neighborhood Initiative, UNI (the same organization where we worked Wednesday and Thursday with the after school program). Tiffany gave us a tour of the town that we have been serving and took us to a taco shop to grab lunch. After eating delicious local food, we went to Sheila's Bakery for dessert. We piled a tray high with all sorts of treats and our total was only ten dollars!

We had to run back to the All Saints School (UNI) to meet with the young adults (ages 14 to 21) who are taking advantage of a wonderful professional development program that allows them to have an apprenticeship in the community and to help them make their way to college. We played a quick ice breaker and then broke down into smaller groups in order to talk about ourselves and Mizzou, and answer any questions that they had.

It ended up being an incredible opportunity to share about FAFSA, extra curricular involvement, and even what its like to live in a Residence Hall. We also answered unexpected questions about life in general. Their questions gave us incredible insight to what they know and don't know which revealed more than expected about the community. Most of the young people had knowledge we didn't expect – it's clear that this program is already having a large effect. However, it is obvious that many students still aren't learning everything they need to know to transition successfully into college. UNI's plan, however, is a good one and is helping to alleviate this knowledge gap.

As our last night in Detroit we splurged and walked to Greektown for a final family dinner instead of our typical budget conscious at-home meals. As we sat there, laughing, eating bread and thinking back to everything that we've experienced this week, we looked around and it was apparent that we were no longer strangers with a plan to head to the Motor City. We are friends who have become family – laughing at inside jokes, discussing everything that the trip has become, and truly enjoying one another's company. The day came to an end too early. The week has come to an end too early. We joke about being rebels and staying in Detroit volunteering for another week but I know that if school wasn't waiting, not one of us would hesitate to work our way through another tough week making a difference in Detroit and within ourselves.

Peacing out of D-town,

Alicia, Carol, Stephanie, Jake, Paul, Stephen, Taylor, Monica, Roze, Nick, Michelle, and Ro (in spirit)

Birmingham - aids

2011-04-02T00:55:00.001-05:00

Birmingham - aids

2011-04-02T00:53:00.001-05:00

Birmingham-HIV

2011-04-02T00:48:00.001-05:00

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Felton, MN - Children and Health

2011-04-01T23:51:00.001-05:00

Sorry! Forgot the pictures!!

Love,

-The Best of the 216

Felton, MN - Children and Health

2011-04-01T23:06:00.002-05:00

CANADA

Things our site leaders let us do today: go to Canada.

Today, the Felton crew took a well-earned break from all of our hard work on the farm and had a Fun Day. We said farewell to the Travelodge in Morehead and began our trek up to the border. After a brief run-in with the border patrol, we ran around in the Canadian wilderness and played a little bit of hockey while we were out there.

From there, we headed to Minneapolis. One of the cars passed the time by trying to see who could be the first to find a hill in flat Western Minnesota. The game was derailed by Taylore's impossible to live-up-to expectations of what a "hill" should really be. The other passed the time by singing country songs.

Once we arrived in Minneapolis, we headed straight for the Mall of America. Due to a complex parking garage set-up, there was a brief debacle in our efforts to find an available spot. We almost died in the parking garage. But Team Felton prevailed. After a quick lunch, we were overwhelmed by some of the crazy-cool parts of the mall. LegoLand was definitely one of our favorites. Some of us got presents for our friends and family. Some of us were content with trying on cowboy hats and funky sunglasses. Before heading out, a couple of guys showed us some awesome magic tricks.

We lost another member of our crew today. But we met a new friend who graciously is letting us crash in her apartment. Our last group dinner today was a delicious Thai feast, where we also got to celebrate Site Leader Lyndsay's birthday! We ended the night with some ice cream at Sebastian Joe's, a local Minneapolis favorite.

As our trip comes to an end, we all are starting to realize how lucky we are to have had this experience in Felton. We learned a lot working at Riding on Angel's WIngs. We definitely appreciate the value of hard work a lot more than before. We also have a lot more love for Missouri weather, as hard as that may be to believe. Most of all, we earned a lot of respect for people who work with people with disabilities. Bette and her workers wowed us with their commitment to what they do, and we will never forget them and the lessons they taught us.

This is our last blog, and we really appreciate you all checking in on our trip. Without your support, we couldn't have done it. Thank you. A million times, thank you.

Even though we didn't really know each other when we started, we have now become great friends. We all owe a lot to our awesome site leaders, Lyndsay and Taylore. We would have been lost without them. Thank you.

Oh yeah, that Canada thing…..April Fools.

-The Best of the 216

Louisville - Children & Health (Food Access)

2011-04-01T21:59:00.001-05:00

Day 5: April 1st

Today was our last day of service! As usual, one group was at Oxmoor Farm, and the other was finishing the mural. The time at the farm was fantastic—elementary school kids were there and were able to enjoy a terrific tasting tour, and afterwards they made fresh garden salads with us! The mural turned out beautifully, and we even got a chance to speak to Wave 3 News! Rick (the reporter) stayed with us for about half an hour and said we were going to be featured on the news this evening. Now that the end of the week has come, we're realizing what we've done is having even more of an impact on the community than it is on us. Every passer-by of Smoketown stopped to thank us for our great effort on the mural that will remain in their neighborhood long after we leave. By simply adding color and personality to a building, the life of the community has been brightened. At the farm, kids—like the ones we played with yesterday—will remember the activities they enjoyed with us as they continue to grow up. The entire week has prepared us far beyond what was necessary to complete this week's service: If any of us should one day decide to participate in another mission like this, we'll know what type of personal fulfillment can be sought and what accomplishments can be achieved for others. All good things must come to an end, but the "seeds" we've planted all over Louisville will definitely blossom and spread.

We ended the day by visiting the Louisville Slugger Museum and were thrilled to receive our free 18" bats! For dinner we made our way to Lynn's Paradise Cafe, which has been featured on Oprah, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and the Food Network for its excellent food & eclectic style. Check out our Facebook page for more pictures of the day!

Charleston - Children with Special Needs

2011-04-01T21:51:00.007-05:00

This bright sunny morning began by dropping off Liz and Morgan at the Charleston Autism Academy as the rest of the trip headed back to the adaptive gardening farm with their new friend-- Mr. Jodie.
Liz and Morgan were greeted by a groggy but friendly staff as the students began to funnel in slowly on this laid back Friday morning. One by one, familiar faces from earlier in the week came through the door to meet Liz and Morgan-- eager to play! Often, mornings begin with a period of play time to engage the senses of the students and warm them up to the staff. From a swing hanging from the ceiling and bouncing balls to keyboard practice and puzzles, the children enjoyed leading the girls around to all their favorite toys.

Play time was followed by snacks and then the shoes and socks were put back on as everyone loaded into cars to head out to Rein & Shine therapeutic riding. Back at the barn, the kids were filled with excitement to saddle up and ride down the scenic path through the woods-- some were more apprehensive. Nevertheless, everyone enjoyed being outside in the sunshine playing with toys, riding horses, collecting sticks in the woods and greeting all the friendly dogs. The benefit of therapeutic riding extends far beyond the smiles and squeals of joy. Riding improves balance, speech ability, and independence of the riders.
Having a chance to see the kids ride after picking the stalls and mending fences earlier in the week was greatly rewarding to both Liz and Morgan. Just as the last riders mounted the horses, General Lee (our big white fun-filled van) pulled up with the adaptive gardening group to take us to our next volunteering adventure.

Flash-back about 3 hours. The rest of the squad who didn’t go to the Autism Academy headed on to the Thornhill Adaptive Gardens a bit farther off the road. We grabbed some coffee and breakfast knowing we most likely had an exciting morning ahead of us. We rolled in and the fearless hippie adaptive farmer, known as Jodie, put us straight to work. We first composted some old soil and cleaned up the potting shed, then Jodie set us onto the real work: hoe-ing it up.

We hoe-d all the rest of the morning long, we hoe-d up and down those rows until we couldn’t hoe it up any more. Kerry hoe-d so much she broke her hoe and started to bleed. Zach hoe-d until he was ripe with sweat. Kyle ho-ed to the point where he got red bumps. (Those fire ants) Ayelen also suffered from these injuries. Karen ho-ed to the point wear she swore she wouldn’t ever ho-ed again. Needless to say, the hoe-ing was successful, we tore those rows up.. literally. And after all the blood, sweat, and red bumps; we felt as though we accomplished something with our hoe-ing. (This narrative was written immaturely and inappropriately by Kyle.. I’m sorry Mom and Dad.)
Beaten and bruised, we all reconvened and headed back to the main Charleston area to assume our duties at the Cooper River Bridge Kid Run. Not before Kyle backed into that tree that came out of no where! I swear, the tree just grew in place. Really guys; I’m sorry. ..It’s definitely the tree’s fault. But don’t worry, I got his insurance information.

The group we assisted at the Cooper River Bridge Kid Run was the Charleston Miracle League. They are a baseball team that has kids and adults with special needs that buddy up with volunteers and play together. There are also volunteers and parents in the stands that cheer on the athletes. This bridges the gap between the volunteers and kids by allowing them to interact via sports. There is a lot of community involvement with Charleston and the participants love playing! Today, at the run we helped by working their table, acting as crowd control, and assisting with parking.

To close out our night we went to a local restaurant and as always, made a scene. While it was tasty and filling, again, we still needed a tasty frozen dairy treat. With ice cream in tow we head out to the pier and finally the church we call home for some much needed rest before our 17 hour adventure home tomorrow. Columbia, we’re coming home.

Saturated in Sweet Tea and Fried Pickles;
The CharleSTUNNERS

Pittsboro - Tigers

2011-04-01T21:43:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Today was our final day volunteering at Carolina Tiger Rescue. We continued work on the lion's den, which proved to be difficult since the lions were super playful in the morning, making them very distracting to us! Most of us kept sneaking away from our fencing duties to take pictures of the adorable lions sunning their bellies all snuggled up together. So cute! But after about 3 hours of hard work, we managed to replace 8 rusty poles in the lion's cage and attach the fencing to brand new poles. After all the fencing work we completed this week, we feel pretty confident in our skills that we could start a fencing business in Columbia to fund our college tuitions. The wonderful workers at the tiger rescue were nice enough to make us some fantastic tacos for lunch and even get us a cake! Yum! With our bellies full once again, Scott, the volunteer coordinator, led us on an official tour of the facility. He discussed all the different species of animals they house there, including servals, ocelots, caracals, tigers, lions, and, my personal favorite, the binturongs. He told us the personal stories of most of the animals and how they came to be at Carolina Tiger Rescue. Tiger Rescue is a sanctuary, which means they are a non-profit organization, cannot use the animals for breeding, cannot buy, sell or trade animals or their parts, and the animals cannot come into contact with the public. They taught us the importance of not keeping wild animals as pets since they cannot be domesticated. We learned a lot of important facts about the pet trade industry and how the public needs to be educated to reduce the number of wild animals kept as pets. After the tour, we were back on the road through the beautiful Jefferson National Forest in Virginia and arrived to our home for the night at Blessed Sacrament Church in West Virginia.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we've had a wonderful week together bonding over tigers, food, and weird sleeping habits. It's been a great experiencing getting to know everyone better and spending a week helping out a great organization! That's all for tonight!

With love,

Tigers ASB

Dallas_poverty

2011-04-01T18:07:00.003-05:00

Over the course of the past week, our work with HIV victims, feeding and serving them at Resource Center Dallas, has left us with hearts full of love and minds full of newfound knowledge about HIV and it’s effects. The purpose of RCDallas’ hot meals and food pantry program is to give at least one good meal, if not more, to HIV victims on fixed incomes. If they eat even one good meal, they’ll be more likely to take their medications. Without that meal, the medication can be very harsh on their bodies.

The friends we’ve made have included all of the wonderful volunteers at RCDallas and some of the clients. From Ms. Doris, the queen of the kitchen, to Johnny, our friend and fellow volunteer, as well as our coordinators, Deborah and Daniel, we learned what kind of team effort it can take to run a hot meals program, but also what kind of love it can take to show up every morning at 9:00 a.m. with energy and smiles.

We’ve had our fun, too. In the warm Spring air of last night, we trekked it to Cedar Springs Road to a club recommended by our friends at RCDallas. S4, an 18 and over club, was the name, and through the blue lights and loud music, we watched as drag queens danced their way around the room, showcasing their talent and hoping to win the 1st place prize at the end of the night. It was certainly a lesson in culture. We’d found ourselves working beside many people within the LGBTQ community at the Center and often they encouraged us to see a show. We enjoyed the experience and went home ready to catch some sleep before our last day at the hot meals.

It was a sad departure, but we’re excited to tell our friends about our experiences. We hope to continue to make a difference for those affected by HIV and the subsequent cost, physically and financially, of it.

Do it for Carl,
Schurz ASB

Niceville-Environment

2011-04-01T15:11:00.002-05:00

The Happiest Regret

ASBFLO 2011; I'm going to define this trip as one without expectation, one littered with pleasant surprises followed by my post enlightening reflection. This entry might seem a little premature, especially in the sense that we aren't even done with our holiday yet, but I think I've come to my conclusions on just how special the last few days have been. Keep in mind we still get to spend some time at the beach and in Nashville. Either way, I had few expectations for this trip, and quite frankly, I had no idea what it was going to be like. Originally I was sold merely at the thought of spending a week with several other people I didn't know and the chance to take part in community service. Also I knew we would be spending a lot of time in our van, either suffering the awkward silence of twelve strangers or—and thankfully what actually happened—laughing and bonding over such classic games as Loaded Questions, Taboo, Never Have I Ever, "What words make Ian sound pretentious" (he's British); so, basically anything that exposes your quirky sense of humor and how weird we all actually are. It was incredibly comforting to see how fast our group was able to open up and drop the veil of restraint, required so often in public. Our journey from Columbia to Niceville was nothing less than hilarious. Our 5 days so far have been very fulfilling in terms of our environmentally oriented community service. More so, I'd discuss each person here individually, but I know the others have already done so, and in better words than I. Which is really a testament to how highly we all regard each other. What I really want to do is describe what ASB has been for me, through my eyes. ASB Niceville has been another experience where I got to put myself out there with eleven strangers, brainstorm, fundraise, and eventually enjoy the trip of a lifetime in sunny and beautiful Florida. ASB is so much more than just the persistent hilarity interrupted only by seconds, bonding through our attempts to overcome whatever problems might arise, or intellectual discussions common amongst university students. ASB is an opportunity to expand our comfort zone and temporarily escape our usual cliques back home. It's a chance to enjoy doing something different, take a break from the monotony that is a semester in college, and build lasting relationships with our peers. That's my mural of what ASB represents.

What ASB has been for me, and on a personal scale is something I will cherish for a lifetime. The decision to spend my senior spring break doing community service wasn't hard, but had I known the scope of how fun this week would be, I would have been actively seeking it the last several years I've had at Mizzou. I can't stop smiling when I think about the last few days and never have I been around such a compassionate and supportive group. To talk about how impressed I am with the people I've spent the last week with would be an understatement. I couldn't be happier this week, and I wouldn't rather be anywhere else than here, with all of my fellow ASBFLOers. It's not often that I get to spend so much time in close proximity with such intelligent and genuine people…I could write for days about each and every one of them, and how much potential they possess. Even in the midst of all they have done to distinguish themselves from their fellow classmates I am surrounded by some of the most impressive people I will ever know. Being around like minded people in their passion for life and community service, it's so exciting to feel like I'm part of a group that has seemingly been together for much longer than has been the case. And now in my attempt to relate the title to the rest of this thankful rant; I don't regret many things in my life, but I can honestly say that this week has revealed one more that I do. And for all future ASB prospects, Mizzou freshmen, or anyone else who might read this blog. I truly regret not knowing about ASB prior to this school year. I would trade all my past spring break trips to be able to do this one more time or to remember past ASB trips that, regrettably, never happened. I love these people and what they represent. There is nothing more I can say about this now. If you are reading this I hope my peers and their blog posts inspire you. Please though, take what you read to heart and take a chance with ASB. When you do, I promise you'll regret not doing it sooner.

-Cameron Sneed (Cammy Cakes)

Niceville-environment

2011-04-01T11:54:00.002-05:00

Timerica

So yesterday was the last day of real hard work for us – and it was the day that we all had been waiting for. Coastal restoration was the main reason for us coming to Florida for our spring break, and we all wanted to leave our mark here. The previous days had been amazing as well; everything we have done here has helped a town that was devastated economically and environmentally by the oil spill last year. But yesterday we were assigned with the task of planting seagrass, the most sustainable way of preventing coastal erosion. And we all jumped on the task. It was very cool to see everyone work together again, just like the rest of the week, in such an efficient, hard working, and fun manner, to make a simple, monotonous task so enjoyable.

I had the pleasure of partnering up with Claire, and our grass planting skills were unparalleled. As I dug holes, she filled them up with the seagrass, and our efficiency and attention to detail provided coastal erosion with a real nemesis. In addition to saving the world, we were able to bond over silly things such as the movie Kung Pow (what do you get when you cross an owl with a bungie cord?....). It was great to get to know her a little more and make connections, just as it has been with everyone on this trip.

After our last big task was done, and the disease that was coastal erosion had been cured, ASBFLO excitedly traveled over to Panama City Beach to spend some fun in the sun. It was great to relax and reflect over the past days, and the hard work we had all accomplished. As usual, my pale skin burned and freckled no matter how much lotion I applied (yes mom, I did use sunscreen), but it wouldn't be a real day at the beach if it didn't. However, the water felt great, and getting to see Panama, where half of Mizzou spring breakers seemed to be, was fun. It was a good day.

But I can't end this post without talking about the amazing people I have had the privilege of spending the past week with. Like, really, this trip would not have been the same without them. It's an incredible thing to spend a week with 11 other people who I had not known too well before the trip (we had only gotten so close as to touch each other's faces if that says anything) and I already feel like I have known them for years. Honestly. Although Ryan cheated, because I have known him since high school.

Cameron is a fun guy, and one who I have found out I have quite a bit in common with. Music, movies, tv shows… Also, he sprained his ankle playing ultimate Frisbee, which is hardcore. Even more hardcore, he planted that seagrass like there was no tomorrow with the aforementioned sprained ankle. Like a boss. Ron is just a very happy, fun person. She loves to dance in the van, to almost any song that comes on. And she always worked very hard in every task we were assigned this week. Claire is so fun to be around as well, and always made both work and downtime fun, and has quite a contagious happiness about her. Steven has great stories, a passion for what we were all doing here in Florida, and an enthusiasm for teamwork that really kept me motivated to keep going at it. Ian has been a great person to get to know – his Britishness was always entertaining, and he is a good sport about it. But in addition to that, he really seems appreciate this group and the work we are doing in a special way, and he is just a very good person. It's a true shame that he will be leaving us to go back to his homeland at the end of the semester, but I really do hope I can visit him this summer during my study abroad trip. Ryan I have known for a good while, and have always sensed his calmness, intelligence, and passion, and especially his ability to articulate his feelings sooooo well – but it was so cool to see the rest of the group see the same things in him as well. Louie has the same qualities – he was always willing to say how he felt, and really appreciated our group as something inspiring to him. I wish him good luck in Europe this summer – it's going to be an amazing experience, and I hope we keep in touch. Kate is just hilarious, and so kind and caring – her smile is huge and her silliness lightens up every situation. Jess is very smart, kind, and selfless, and always went out of her way to help all of us in every situation, and you can just tell that that's the way she lives her life.

I do want to give a special mention to our leaders, Chelsea and Raha. I can honestly say I would rather have had no one else in charge of our trip. Both are so responsible, caring, and incredibly fun. Getting to know them, and what they have accomplished and plan to accomplish, has been very inspiring for me. Their passion for what we were doing here, right from our first meeting before winter break, was incredibly contagious and uplifting, and they never let it up. That, combined with the care that they had for every one of us, made this trip very rewarding. I really noticed it when, on the third day of cutting down trees, they instantly sensed that I was feeling uneasy. I loved the tasks that we were doing – physical work outside was the reason I signed up for an Environmental spring break trip. But I was becoming a little disappointed because I hadn't expected to cut down trees for three days in a row, I expected to help gulf coast restoration. Chelsea and Raha made a point in the middle of the day explaining why we were doing what we were doing, at the end of the day both came to me and asked how I was feeling and that they noticed I seemed unhappy earlier in the day. It wasn't a long conversation, just a few words, but it had a huge impression on me. It wasn't like I was moping around earlier in the day, and I honestly was surprised they noticed at all, because I really didn't want to express my slight disappointment because everyone else was still enthusiastic. But they did notice, and addressed me about it, and from then on I could see the good in everything we were doing and had done.

Anyway, this is long enough. If you read this whole thing – well, you should have stopped a long time ago. But I think it says something about everyone here with me – I just can't say enough good things about them, and I am so glad to have gotten to know them so well.

- Tim MacNair

Niceville- Environment

2011-04-01T08:48:00.002-05:00

Never Have I Ever (Until ASB):

Ventured into Panama City, FL

Planted hundreds of plants to stop erosion

Planted said hundreds of plants on a "secret" naval base

Laughed so hard with sand in my teeth

And been so proud to be a part of such an amazing group.

Friends and family of ASBFlorida:

To start this blog post out, I must apologize, it will be cheesy, (hopefully) funny and sentimental, but honestly, it's the way I have felt all week around our tight knit, 12-person group. With graduation approaching in nearly six weeks, I wish I could stop time (like Zach Morris) and simply stay here with no concept of time and endless opportunity to help the people of Northern Florida.

To begin, yesterday morning, we hit the road for Panama City Beach, Florida - commonly know as PCB. Even at age 22, I know that give my own mother a mild heart palpitation; we're on Alternative Spring Break, so why did we adventure to the epicenter of college spring break? After much driving and a Starbucks trip that perked ASBFlo up significantly, we arrived at the shoreline restoration project to plant sea grass on the oceanfront. After four days of forestry work, it was refreshing to dip our feet into the water and plant 1000+ grasses into the beach.

Zach, our friendly leader from a local environmental group, was young and understood our youth (and incessant turkey calls to each other – just wait for us to return to the Midwest . . . you'll hear it from far away!). Initially, I thought this task would be strenuous and boring. Planting grasses all day? Alas, my own worries were quickly proven wrong. You could throw the 12 of us in a room with nothing but each other and we could easily be entertained. From politics to Bryan J's "That Girl," we entertained ourselves with the company of one another.

Unfortunately, we don't have many pictures of the actually location where we planted – we were on a Naval Base, and the US Government restrictions prevented us from taking pictures that would display any buildings of the base :/

As the week has progressed, I have made it my goal to initiate conversation with each and every person on the trip. From a CVS trip for crutches for our new gimp, Cammy Cakes, to dancing and making noises while sitting on the beach, random conversation has ensued. This group is so immensely diverse and deep – Chelsea and Raha, our fearless leaders who I admire greatly; Ryan, who I have been acquainted with for years, but am finally getting to know as a respect and fun-loving man who sparks intelligent conversation; Claire, our freshman who is going to do so much at Mizzou and has made me laugh for hours; Ron, her noises and her spirit that has kept everyone engaged all week; Louie, who is likely the most adventurous out of all us; Ian, who has tricked gullible me so many times; Cammy Cakes, as he has preserved despite a slight injury and engaged in high political debate; Jes, who I should have known sooner, but has become a kindred spirit this week in our senioritis; Tim, our resident model full of endless humor; and Steven, who has surprised me and made me giggle more than I ever thought I could.

I am sentimental and hoping for 11 new visitors in my new town next year. I am excited for our 16-hour ride home – we'll be tired, but in each other's company, it'll be fun.

And maybe I'll finally get my dance party.

-Kate Chizek

New Orleans - Homeless Animals

2011-04-01T07:34:00.002-05:00

March 31

Love from NOLA! It's Mariah checking in from HONO bunkhouse on lovely Banks St. We had another wonderful day at the shelter cleaning cages, sweeping floors, and cuddling our favorite animals. Today we once again switched up chores, with Eliot and Tori getting their first doggy day taking care of the ChiPoms with me while Stephanie, Audrey and Emmie took over for our feline friends. Everyone else banded together to tackle the big dog chores. After we enjoyed our elementary school-style lunch, everyone got a chance to play with their favorite dog from ARNO. The play yard was open for the first time today, so we had a blast! Since the shelter is so understaffed, many of these dogs rarely have an opportunity to leave their cages. It was great to see them stretch their legs and have some time to goof off. In other great news, Micha filled out the application to adopt Candy today! Hopefully she'll be back down in a few weeks to take the dog home. Everyone is so excited that Micha and Candy will get to be best friends forever and that we can bring a little part of New Orleans back with us.

After cleaning up at the bunkhouse, we headed back to the French Quarter for our long-anticipated ghost tour. Our guide Dawn was very knowledgeable and fun. She was able to tell us the history of NOLA while spicing it up with tales of the paranormal, without being totally hokey. I had a great time wandering the Quarter hearing stories of pirates, prostitutes, the Mafia, haunted hotels, and restless spirits. Now we are back at the house, trying to sleep, even though some of us are still a little scared from our tour. Hopefully the HONO house ghost is friendly!

Peace. Love. NOLA.

Felton, MN - Children and Health

2011-04-01T00:41:00.001-05:00

"I hatched from an egg and knew I was going to change the world"

Today was our very last day at Riding on Angels Wings and it was bittersweet to say the least. Our fearless leader and barn manager Hannah caught a nasty bug and was unable to make it out to the ranch today. We missed her energetic spirit and enduring optimism. But the work continued.

We started the day gutting a few stalls and of course we 'apple picked'. The owner of ROAW, Bette, brought in the horses to the barn. We all knew what this meant: time to groom our best friends, the horses. The horses have become part of our group, all with their own personality quirks. Needless to say, we will miss all the horses, even Tinker, the awkward out of place pony.

Later, Bette sent the ladies off to scrapbook and the Hannahs to help organize her files. Due to the snow and changing temperature, Bette's shop had flooded. The boys were sent to help Bette's husband to fix the flooding problem. Luckily, they were there to save the day or we all might of been swimming. We also got a chance to soak up some Minnesota culture and were sent to sand bag, a group effort to say the least.

Soon riders began showing up for their sessions. Meeting kids like Benjamin, who was dressed like an English prince and Kristopher, who knew everything there was to know about dinosaurs made all the hard work and freezing toes of the week worth it.

But then we were all fortunate enough to meet the inspiration behind ROAW, Bette's son DJ. DJ has an amazing smile and a passion for KE$HA, which of course lead to an awesome dance party. Unfortunately, our time with DJ didn't last long, but before we left DJ gave us all personal THANK YOU cards. This was the greatest gift any of us could of gotten.

The amazing Bette took us all out to Pizza Ranch for our last dinner. After stuffing our faces in the all-you-can-eat buffet, Bette told us all about her life and her amazing journey. Her passion for life, countless jobs and endless love for DJ inspired us all. When we look back at our time with ROAW, we will remember the the freezing toes, the horse poop perfume, but most of all the woman behind it all and her journey.

It's been an eventful few days to say the least and something we will never forget. Good night.

-The Best of the 216

Pittsboro - Tigers

2011-03-31T22:24:00.001-05:00

Luckily, we avoided the rain today and were able to continue our work
at Carolina Tiger Rescue. We met a couple more of the active
volunteers there that helped us out with our morning work. They helped
us continue disassembling the unused leopard structure and do a little
more fencing around the perimeter. We discovered that we no longer
need to use power saws to cut down poles, but instead Amy and Maria
can just knock them down with their strength! After a long lunch,
during which a couple of us were able to sneak quick naps, we moved on
to the lion's den. Once Sheeba, Tarzan, and Sebastian (the lions) were
lured into the adjacent cage by some of the animal keepers (Sebastian
was a little bit stubborn at first), we moved into the lion's den to
attach the fencing to brand new poles and cut down the rusted ones.
After finishing up our work there, we headed home to get creative in
the kitchen with all the leftover food we had to finish off before we
left. Chicken parmesan, anyone? We didn't have breadcrumbs for the
chicken, but we did have triscuits! Dinner turned out to be terrific
thanks to the help of Chris, Sarah and Maria. But no meal is complete
without dessert so after letting our dinner digest for a couple hours,
we headed to downtown Chapel Hill to some local shops to fulfill our
chocolate cravings. With our final night in North Carolina nearly
complete, we went back to our cozy cabin in the woods to pack up
things and prepare for the first part of our journey home tomorrow.

Goodnight world,
ASB tiger love

Photos from our day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tigersasb/sets/72157626402233856/

Xenia - Service Dogs

2011-03-31T21:56:00.002-05:00

Today we spent the entire day at the Fairfield Mall socializing dogs. Socialization is an important part of their training to become service dogs because they are exposed to many different kinds of stimuli. At the mall we were able to expose our dogs to elevators, stairs, escalators (though we were not allowed to ride on the escalators), bathrooms, glass barriers, all sorts of different people, strollers, food smells, different types of flooring, shopping carts in some places, mirrors, and small crowded shops. It is highly important to do this with the dogs because they must be taught to ignore distractions while they work once they graduate training. We each worked with five different dogs throughout the day.

We began the day at 4 Paws by assisting with the rotations of the dogs and getting them outside so they can relieve themselves after the night. Once we were done with this, we set out for the mall with a van full of dogs and three different trainers from 4 Paws. We learned later that one of the trainers, Peg, was an intern from Alaska for 4 Paws that was inspired by the service dogs she got from 4 Paws for her son. She hopes to learn from 4 Paws and begin her own organization similar to 4 Paws. Alan was absolutely thrilled to be going to the mall with seven girls. Once we got there, we stood outside in the freezing cold temperatures (come on, seriously, its Spring Break! it's not supposed to be so cold!) next to the doggie shuttle, putting collars and working dog vests on each dog. We did this each time we took out a new dog to socialize. We each then set out on our own individual journeys with our dogs throughout the mall...

Kayla began her day with a beautiful and amazing yellow lab puppy name Alanna. Alanna was only four month old but she was Kayla's best behaved dog. Alanna was very confident, and the only thing she was really nervous of was the bathroom stalls. After Alanna, Kayla worked with one of Alanna's sisters, Lizzie. Lizzie wasn't so fond of the mall... she was nervous of the mall and cried some. Kayla then was able to take a break and browse the stores some because the doggie shuttle did not bring enough dogs for everyone that time. The next two dogs were fairly well behaved but not as perfect as the adorable Alanna. Kayla did have to clean up a few potty accidents as well.

Casey worked with papillons her first two rounds. Both pups were smart and easy to work with. Flyer is training to be a seizure alert dog, and Mika is training to be a hearing aid dog. After the papillons, Casey worked with various beautiful large dogs. Overall the dogs she worked with were fairly confident and all of them loved people.

Stephanie got to work with her favorite dog, Enzo, who is an adorbale and sweet one year old black lab. She also got to work a four month old yellow lab named Noelle and a year old Chocolate lab named Indigo. Indigo and Stephanie spent most of their time hanging around the play area, which Indigo thought was torture, as she was very nervous around children. In the end, Indigo relaxed and had a great time!

Rachel spent her day with 5 well-behaved dogs, including her favorite pup, a 5 month old German Shepard named Sadie. She also got to spend time with Omri, a yellow lab pup who was able to respond to "come" as it was spelled out and even knew a little bit of math. All these dogs were awesome and are going to make amazing service dogs. They made people at the mall smile and will make some well-deserving person very happy.

Karlee met her new favorite dog, Alfalfa, who was obedient and almost ready for graduation. She also worked with Rosalie, Indigo, Oba, and Bond. All of the dogs made great progress in their socialization! Also she went shopping and bought some socks at Dicks sporting goods. And enjoyed a delicious footlong sub for lunch. Bond had some of the bread. Shhhh.

Alan spent his day with 5 great dogs as well (Clifford, Razi, Delta, Booker and Juniper). Clifford was his favorite, a yellow lab puppy. He was so mature for being only 4 months old! Overall, all the dogs that Alan worked with today made great strides in their socialization and interactions with the environment. The day at the mall was a long one (9:45-3:20), but the work with all of the dogs made it worth it!

Bridget went shopping with many different large dogs today! Her favorite was Lucy Too, who did all of her tricks without even being asked! Some of the dogs were obviously early in their training, but showed lots of hope. One dog was very scared of many things and may or may not make it into the program. Lucy Too made everyone smile and would lay down just like a frog. It was a very exhausting, but super fun day!!!

Jordan loved each and every one of her dogs she spent time with today! Ghost, Atticus, Whizz, Liem, and Kirk were all awesome in their own special way. She felt each dog had made some progress in the short time she had with them. The dogs she worked with were all lovable and put smiles on all who walked past!! You could not help but feel the warm fuzzy feelings. It was sad to see the dogs go at the end of the day.

Knoxville - Habitat

2011-03-31T21:55:00.001-05:00

Day 6 - Thursday May 31

Today, we went to the ReStore at 9 to help reorganize the store floor and clean the items that were for sale. Another project we had was to tear down the display area for the doors because it was a dangerous setup. We tore it down and changed the orientation of the doors from leaning against the sides to laying on the floor so that customers won't hurt themselves looking through the doors. We ate our sack lunches at the ReStore with Julie. After lunch we loaded some more things onto the trucks while others of us wrote thank you notes to those who have donated materials to the ReStore. We also finished up putting the wheels on the portable shelves we made the other day.

At 4 we finished up at the ReStore and went back to the Habitat office. We had the opportunity to sit in on a budget class with Marsha and Darla. At Habitat, when a person applies to become a homeowner they must put in 500 hours of sweat equity over a year, and one way to get these hours is through the classes. There are classes for construction, budgeting, design, and other things important for homeowners. At the budget class we watched as Marsha, the tutor, went through the weekly budgets with the homeowners, who are now writing down every single transaction they make and keeping a receipt for them. A few of the homeowners talked to us about the process of getting a Habitat home, which one woman said was very time consuming. It can be difficult for the future homeowners to fit in these classes along with a full time job and possibly children. We were impressed by how dedicated these people are to putting their lives together and learning the skills they need to own a home. Those were some skills that we tend to take for granted because our budgets aren't always as tight as theirs.

For dinner we went to Soccer Taco on the Market Square, which was great. Then we went back to the house and played poker with Ryan until the kids had to go to bed. We all went upstairs to the great room we're staying in and socialized. We also reflected on our day. We can't believe that tomorrow is our last day working with Habitat for Humanity! We've become really close with the Habitat staff and we'll all have a hard time saying goodbye.

Knoxville - Habitat

2011-03-31T21:53:00.001-05:00

Day 5 - Wednesday May 30

Today, we got a chance to sleep in since the Habitat for Humanity staff had a breakfast in the morning. We arrived at the warehouse at 9. Three of us stayed in the construction area and helped make portable shelves to display the granite counter tops that were recently donated to Habitat. The rest of our group helped out Julie and the other workers by cleaning out some areas of the warehouse and loading up a couple trucks with materials that needed to go to the ReStore. We moved some materials for the blitz build and things that would be sold at the Thrift Store, such as appliances and lighting. We carried a lot of windows and doors, as well, which were really heavy. But we felt accomplished once we finally got them all on and off the trucks and on the floor. A few of us also helped Neil, the manager of the Thrift Store, move cabinetry and reorganize the floor to make room for the things we were bringing over. Once the trucks were full we drove over to the Thrift Store and unloaded the trucks. We finished up around 5 and headed back to the Sundham house. Scott is a "hobbyist barbequer" and made us pulled pork, potatoes and beans for dinner. Scott is an awesome cook and we loved eating some homemade food this week. After dinner we did the dishes for them as a thank you for the dinner. We went to the YMCA to take showers and then came back to play Uno and Kinect. We reflected on the service we did today and then went to bed.

Louisville - Children & Health (Food Access)

2011-03-31T21:49:00.001-05:00

Day 4: Thursday, March 31

Hey ya'll Lauren and Josh here,

Today we were able to do some more farm and mural work and it was really exciting to see some of our projects that we have been working on throughout the week about to be completed. At the farm today we were able to work with some local high school students who were there to learn about food literacy and how to eat healthier. We got to paint signs today, which was a lot of fun because we got more of a chance to work all together and get to know one another better.

At the mural, we started the finishing touches and are almost complete! We whitewashed and started painting the border black that will eventually say "Smoketown" and will also have the students' handprints around the mural. We also put on second coats of paint to the rest of our mural. Throughout the day, residents of Smoketown came out and continually told us how great and pretty our mural is and that they are excited to see the finished product. It filled us all with pride to see and hear these comments from the residents because it showed us that they appreciate our work that we've been doing and that they are motivated to become a healthier community!

This afternoon, we also got the opportunity to visit Neighborhood House (Kid's Café). Neighborhood House houses multiple groups of people aging from kindergarten kids all the way up to senior citizens in the neighborhood of Portland. It is a community-based organization that provides programs and services for many individuals coming from disadvantaged communities.

We had the chance to cook dinner and also help tutor students in the after school program which was definitely an activity we all enjoyed. Before dinner, we helped the younger students with their reading and then got to engage in constructive activities like building with Lego's and colored blocks. It was very interesting to see how enthused all of the students were to learn new things and how polite and gracious they were to us.

After dinner, we also got the chance to play with all of the students in their full-size basketball gym! It was definitely a great time to play and run around with the students. They have so much energy! It made us all feel like kids again being able to play games like four-square, basketball, football, gymnastics, or even just games that the students made up! It was really sad to leave, but we are thankful we had the opportunity to volunteer and meet with these wonderful students. If you're ever in Louisville, you should definitely volunteer there!

Well, time for us to sign out. Only one more day of service left, but we are still very pumped for what's ahead!

-Lauren and Josh

Birmingham - AIDS

2011-03-31T21:42:00.004-05:00

Day 5

Today was our free day and we were excited to explore more of Birmingham! We began our day at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The gardens were absolutely outstanding and we had a great time exploring the area and taking pictures. The group was especially impressed by the Japanese gardens. After spending the morning at the botanical gardens, we headed to Tuscaloosa to check out the University of Alabama. The university is only 45 minutes from where we are staying in Birmingham. Everyone loved the campus and many people bought Alabama t-shirts as souvenirs. Roll tide! We ate lunch at a pizza place called the Mellow Mushroom and then Helena, Whitney, and Kim got the opportunity to tour the chapter houses of their respective sororities. We finished our day with a movie and got to bed early to be ready to work at AIDS Alabama tomorrow!

Louisville - Children & Health (Food Access)

2011-03-31T21:42:00.003-05:00

Day 3 – Wednesday, March 30

Today it rained, sleeted, and snowed.

At Oxmoor during all this disheartening weather we were laying bricks, building rainwater catchers, hoeing garlic and painting signs, in the weather, with MU ponchos. We took a very welcomed early lunch break and tried our best to thaw, the boys' shoes and socks were soaking wet, they were not happy. After lunch Mike was eager to put us back to work. We spent the rest of the afternoon split into pairs; folding and putting fliers in envelopes, finishing up a paint job and filling potholes on the drive. The sun then came out, a little to late, but better late than never. All in all it was a good and very productive day.

On the other side of town, the gang wasn't able to pick up a paintbrush – the weather wouldn't allow it. We were afraid of putting up more paint in these dismal conditions. Instead of working on the mural, we got sent to a Catholic Charities house where we helped out a class of completely illiterate refugees from Bhutan, Somalia, Eritrea, and many other places. The teacher of the class was in great need of help. The class was learning their alphabet today. Later on, we worked in a more advanced classroom, and then made our way over to Meyzeek Middle School to help and hang out with the kids in the CLASP program. Stephen and I got owned in basketball. But it was fun. After that, the Oxmoor group met up with us and we ate dinner at the school with the kids and their families. After dinner we displayed the mural to the kid's families. The night ended with more dinner at some local restaurants and a much needed laundry run along with a short tour and photo op around Old Louisville.

It's been good, hopefully the weather improves.

written by Ethan and Mareike

Knoxville - Habitat

2011-03-31T21:23:00.001-05:00

Day 4 - Tuesday March 29

Today was our first day working in the Habitat for Humanity warehouse with the construction workers. We helped build prefabricated walls and doorways for the 7 day blitz built that is happening next week. The Habitat crew is making 7 houses in 7 days next week and they needed a lot of help to prepare. For many of us, this was the first time we had done woodwork, especially to help someone else. Our wrists and arms were sore by lunch, but we loved having the chance to do that. At noon we ate our sack lunches in the Habitat Office with Julie. Then Julie took us to the Habitat Thrift Store for us to get some supplies for our house for the week, including pots, cutlery, and other assorted things that we hadn't already gotten. From there we went to the Habitat ReStore to help out. The ReStore sells extra and donated materials to do home renovations at a cheaper price, and then the funds go directly back to the organization to fund more build sites. Since it opened its new location on March 10, the ReStore earned $67,000 for these projects. We helped the ReStore workers by organizing a lot of the materials they had in the back room to make space for more donations. Since the ReStore has a staff of only 7 people, they don't usually have the time or manpower to be restocking the floor as much as they need to.

After we finished up at the ReStore we drove back to our house. Unfortunately, when we arrived at our house we noticed that one of our front windows had been broken. We called the Habitat Office immediately to ask what to do, as they told us to contact them if the house was vandalized. A few men from Habitat drove to the house and we went in to find that a large rock had been thrown through the window. A couple of us had our money stolen, and one had his iPod and cellphone stolen. The burglars also stole our bag of jellybeans, which we thought was actually pretty funny. We were a little scared and upset, but we were all just grateful that no one was hurt and that we weren't at the house when the incident happened. No one wanted to continue staying in the house for the rest of the week, so we packed up our stuff and drove the minivans to the Habitat Office. Habitat did reimburse us for the cash that was stolen. After a few phone calls, a family on the Habitat for Humanity board allowed us to stay at their house for the remainder of our trip. We're currently staying with Scott and Kim Sundham with their two children, Ally and Ryan. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity and warmth, especially on such short notice.

Once we figured out where we would be staying, we drove through the University of Tennessee's campus, downtown Knoxville, and Market Square. We ate at a restaurant called The Copper Cellar on the strip, which a student recommended to us. That excursion was a nice way for us to get our minds off the robbery and continue to bond with each other. After dinner we came back to the Sundham house, reflected on our day and went to bed.

Knoxville - Habitat

2011-03-31T20:58:00.001-05:00

Day 3 - Monday May 28

On Monday we went to the Habitat for Humanity office for our first day of volunteer work. We met Julie, a volunteer at Habitat who works with Americorps. We became friends with her almost instantly. We went with Julie to a house that Habitat had built previously but it was draining into a neighbor's yard. We pulled weeds out of the natural drain at the bottom of the hill where the rocks are. We also set down sod on part of the lawn that had died. Julie shared a lot about her life with us and we solidified our friendship. We finished up with the weed pulling around noon and ate lunch. Since Mondays are a day off for the construction workers, we were finished for the day. Julie recommended we visit a waterfall at Cade's Cove, which is part of the Smoky Mountains National Park. We hiked about 5 miles round trip to see Abram's Falls, which was beautiful. It was in a secluded area a few stories high. We even climbed up to the top of the waterfall, and we took a lot of pictures. Cade's Cove is a loop, so we finished going through the loop. Then we stopped at Texas Roadhouse for dinner, as we were exhausted and hungry from our hike. When we got back to our house we reflected on our day and the service we did and then went to bed, resting up for our next day of hard work at Habitat.

Charleston - Children with Special Needs

2011-03-31T20:28:00.003-05:00

After a much needed warm and dry sleep at the church we started our drive out to Awendaw, SC to work with Rein and Shine, a therapeutic riding facility. 20 minutes and two wrong turns later (thanks, Liz...) we pulled up to an extremely soggy Rein and Shine farm. We were unfortunately told that they were not having any lessons today because their arena was flooded! Too much rain apparently puts Charleston on the Struggle Bus. However, we (mostly city and suburban people...) helped around the barn with various chores. After a quick tour and introduction to the horses, half of us went off to repair a fence that some rowdy horses had knocked down the night before and half of us worked to clean out the stalls. Theresa mastered the drill today and we all gained the knowledge of cleaning stalls...it was definitely a success.

Then, we sat down with the therapeutic riding instructor and she explained how the riding helps those with disabilities. She explained that the horseback riding is the only motion that is similar to the motion of walking in humans, making it a feeling those with physical disabilities rarely feel. The riding also is a soothing activity for those with both physical and intellectual disabilities. After explaining the benefits that are gained through riding, she showed us the equipment and explained how people are put up and held up (if needed..) on the horse. She was very thorough with her explanations and was a great resource for our group! Two of us will be going out tomorrow to Rein and Shine with the Charleston Autism Academy, the group we worked with on Monday and we’re excited to see it in action!

Due to the fact that there were no children today, we left Rein and Shine right before lunch. Thankfully our wonderful site leaders had a plan though (they have become really good at winging it!). After eating PB & J on the road in the big white van (AKA “General Lee”) we headed to West Ashley High School to work in their special education classrooms. Caleb’s GPS first took us to the Middle School (keep in mind it was not close at all) and we finally made it the high school around 1 PM.

West Ashley High School has six special education classrooms with about 120 students in total with 28 teachers and 21 aides. The classrooms were split up by diagnosis and functional abilities. Dividing the classrooms like this helps with focusing on the needs of each child to the best of their abilities. We paired off and went into these classrooms to help out and observe what they were doing. These classes did activities such as cookie baking, pizza making, vocational activities, worksheets, flashcards, filling out information for library cards, and many more. The teachers were thankful to have us there to help and were open to answer any questions that we may have had. The students were very friendly and couldn’t seem to wipe the smiles off their faces or get rid of the giggles! At the end of the school day most of us ended up in one room where we were able to hang out and have fun with these students!

The ride back in General Lee consisted of some awesome theme song singing, I’ll Make a Man Out of You, and various other disney music. We went back to our church, made plans for dinner and sealed our love with friendship bracelets.

We just arrived at a Starbucks after eating dinner at Santi’s Restaurante Mexicano, where we ate a variety of delicious mexican dishes (a few of us were brave enough to try tripe... and decided that it’s not our favorite) and we’re trying to figure out what our plans are for the rest of the night.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

Peace and love,
Charle-STUNNERS.

Detroit - Urban Issues

2011-03-31T18:12:00.001-05:00

Day 4

Our day today was a repeat of yesterday. We started out with serving at the Capuchin Kitchen's distribution center. We mixed up our jobs with different groups each doing different things: bagging food (tomatoes and apples), hanging clothes, organizing the clothing section and preparing the carts of food for customers.

Today was an opportunity to learn more about the organization and the people that Capuchin serves. Capuchin started in Detroit when Father Solanus began feeding one person at a time in his community. Capuchin now serves multiple cities, with multiple locations in Detroit alone. Each person who walks through the door is able to leave without having spent a penny. Generally, having children under the age of 18 would make you applicable for services. Almost everything Capuchin provides is donated, from fruit and vegetables to clothes and mattresses. When they do have to purchase items, it tends to be protein such as the ten-pound chicken leg packs we gave out today.

After a few hours at the distribution center we were taken to another one of their Detroit locations. We were able to spread out and eat with the Detroiters who were also enjoying a hot lunch. We walked into the doors (held open for us by a local who welcomed us) into a large cafeteria type room with about 40 round tables. We then circled around to the line where we each took a prepared plate and a drink (tea or milk). We sat down and really got to know the people we shared our meal with.

Jake, Alicia and Paul sat with a man who talked about his customers and jobs. It was wonderful to hear of someone who was lucky enough to have an opportunity to support himself. Especially considering that he rides his bike three miles to a nice neighborhood to do landscaping and handy work. The men and women we've met all have different stories but the trend is similar. They live in Detroit and many are doing all they can to work and support themselves in rough times. Most have children, broken relationships and a need for a hot meal and good company. The congruencies keep us together but their individual stories keep us aware that this is a large problem full of very unique individuals with very different life paths.

After lunch we went to a monastery and were able to hear about Father Solanus a bit more. The monastery was a wonderful time to learn about the history of Capuchin and the soup kitchen while having time to walk around and think through the immense amounts of information we've been given.

Around 1:30pm we went back to the All Saints School that we served at yesterday. First we went to meet with a gentleman who is the Director of the Southwest Detroit. He's working on developing the Springdale area (where we've been working in the afternoons) into a more community-centered area. He talked about the goals and projects along with the struggles that they face. One thing he mentioned is that their community is racially diverse and has more of a class spread than most. As one woman in the community said, their divide was not similar to most of Detroit; rather it was a divide between night people and day people. He mentioned that nearly 2,000 people in their community of around 8,000 all live on less than 15,000 dollars as their annual household income. He shared stories about corrupt government and vacant buildings being destroyed with arson. Somehow though, through all of this, he was inspiring and encouraging. He has a clear passion for his community and goals that he and his residents believe in.

We helped the children with their homework, played games with them and had the opportunity to talk to them. They share stories of wanting to move back in with other relatives; they argue about whether they're cooler than their siblings or not. They talk and share and laugh while we play Candyland and Twister. It is wonderful to relax and dance, chat and play. They are wonderful and community atmosphere is encouraging. As we left it is hard to say goodbye and know that our lives will go on and so with their lives. It is empowering, day in and day out, to meet the wonderful people in each of these communities that will carry on long after we leave.

Detroit - Urban Issues

2011-03-31T18:11:00.001-05:00

We woke up this morning not having a clue what to expect. We arrived at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen still tired and groggy from lack of sleep and settled into the conference room with our cups of coffee prepared for another day of work. We met Roy, director of the soup kitchen who informed us more on the community and people we would be serving for the next two days. We then went on to sort out donated clothes and help the Detroit citizens help shop for clothes in the warehouse. Those who come to shop for clothes at Capuchin's warehouse do not have to pay a single dollar for anything. All of the clothing and shoes are graciously given away to all those in need in Detroit.

After a few hours of sorting and chatting with the other volunteers we took a break for lunch in the actual soup kitchen. We went through the line for hot dogs, sausage soup, salad, crackers, cookies, juice and milk: a very hearty meal. We didn't know exactly what to expect for lunch, but were all pleasantly surprised (except for the vegetarians on the trip). We split up into pairs and sat with the Detroit citizens at the tables. Taylor and Monica sat with four lively Detroit citizens who were very curious about their college experiences and their adventures so far in Detroit. They had a few good laughs about life and said goodbye to their new-found friends.

After lunch and a tour of the facility, we drove to our next site for the day: the All Saints youth center for the after school program. We chatted with the supervisors about the future plans for Detroit and then bounced around ideas for the best places to eat in town. The kids started trickling in after school and they settled in to some PB&J'S and homework. A little girl named Emma challenged many of us to a game of fooseball and beat all of us- she was awesome.

We were all so inspired to make a difference in the world today after seeing another side of Detroit. We look forward to another day at the soup kitchen and working with the kids again. Hopefully we can convince Roger, a student at the after school program, to show us his break dancing skills!

Colorado- Environment

2011-03-31T17:28:00.002-05:00

Today was our last day in Colorado = [. We had a free day, so we decided to go up to the Arches in Utah. We walked up to Delicate Arch, which was about a 1 ½ mile hike…all up hill. It was hard, but it was breathtaking at the top. Jake read that it took something like 30 million years for the Arches to form, but he could have been pulling my leg. We had extra time before we had to be home, so we decided to get ice cream and shop in Moab, Utah. Apparently Moab is the city that the movie 127 Hours took place. It was a really neat little town full of gift shops. Jake spent a ridiculous amount.

Tonight we have the community BBQ. This is one of my favorite parts of the trip. Everyone we have worked with, and other members of the community (farmers, politicians, friends, etc.) come over to the Heaton's house. At the end of the night, all the musicians play some old genuine blue grass for us. There are some really amazing musicians in the group. Ron even plays guitar and fiddle for us! It's a great way to end the trip.

Unfortunately this will be our last blog. Back to boring old Missouri tomorrow. Thank you for taking the time to read it and supporting our trip. We hope you enjoyed it!!

New Orleans - Homeless Animals

2011-03-31T17:11:00.002-05:00

Hi from NOLA!! This is the ginger, the vegan, and the tor recapping our awesome day.

So we started off the day pretty much like every other day, heading to the shelter around 9, cleaning some cages, walking some sweet dogs, playing with some adorable puppies, etc. Once again, it was beautiful with a temperature around 75 the entire day, perfect cleaning/walking/ almost getting pulled down by dogs that are waaay stronger than you weather. We stopped for lunch around noon and then got back to work. Eliot, Emmie, Kourtney, and I worked on cleaning dishes which is definitely my favorite thing to do. No really, it is. Jayme worked with the ISO dogs again which she loves but everyone else is kind of afraid of…scabies? Eww… not many people want to bring that home from spring break. But she definitely has a gift, they love her! Everyone else worked on cleaning and organizing and brushing dogs.

Fudge Ripple, one of the pit bulls, absolutely LOVES Micha -- no really, we have videos to prove it (probably the funniest thing of the day). We helped do some reorganization and cleaning that the shelter staff never had the time to do. We left after another great day – without our gang there, the shelter would still be in a state of disrepair and uncleanliness.

We headed back to the house for a while and some of us took naps (which felt wonderful btw), then we all got ready to head out (which was pretty shocking since we all look pretty ugly on a regular basis…) but we all looked lovely of course, and we headed to listen to some music in Lafayette Square. Since we all have incredibly short attention spans, and everyone watching the band was at least twenty years older than us, we left to go eat, since we all really enjoy eating.

We ended up going to the Jazz Café which offered some delicious options for everyone, including our vegans, which was great. After that we headed to Café Du Monde again for more beignets, which are obviously one of the best things New Orleans has to offer, and then we headed to Bourbon Street.

Bourbon Street sober is super exciting, especially with all the sweet people in our group. We all had a blast singing karaoke at the Cat's Meow, we hit up some clubs to dance, and screamed off a balcony. Be jealous, it was awesome. Now time for bed after another fabulous day in NOLA.

Peace love and puppies

Eagle Butte - Habitat

2011-03-31T14:31:00.002-05:00

DAY FIVE - Tuesday March 29
Today we had a lot of great experiences but we decided to spotlight everyone in the group and ask them what they thought of their experience thus far:

Dory: “The best part of this trip is that not only are you able to travel to a different place, spend time with new people, and do service work, but also immerse yourself into a completely foreign culture.”

Casey: “The trip and the atmosphere of the group gets better and better each day and I have a feeling that by the end of our time in Eagle Butte, we won’t want to leave.”

Maura: “This has been the best volunteer experience I’ve ever had – and we’re not even done yet! It is such a privilege to be here and see a different culture close-up. Taking in the scenery and meeting the people on the reservation has been an unforgettable experience.”

Jen: “I feel although I am a leader in the sense I helped plan the trip and coordinate things, I couldn’t be happier that I feel like I am a part of a group of individuals who take the lead at different times and in different ways. The fact that our group is comfortable enough for every member to feel as though they can step up at different times has made this experience mean a lot to me. Words cannot describe the connection I have felt with the people of Eagle Butte, all I can really say is that I am extremely glad I can share this experience with my group.”

Luke: “The best thing about this trip is everything. I came into it with a few expectations, because I’ve been to a reservation before, but this has blown all of them away. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Sunny, which is awkward because he’s like three feet from me. But him and I have been cutting boards every day, and I have gotten to know him, a real Native American man, pretty well. It’s been such an opening experience so far. And it’s Wednesday.

Jessica: “My favorite part of this trip is getting to know the people here in Eagle Butte. People are so giving and excited to welcome us into their community.”

Angela: “"When Larry came to visit us at the house I was interested to hear that he was disappointed with the position of the elder members of the tribe clinging to the attitude of victimization. As someone in power I was glad to hear that he had hopes of moving his tribe forward and progressing in a modern world. An example of this progression was brought up by John when he mentioned at the community dinner that there are four Habitat offices in South Dakota that work with reservations and they had plans to organize in the future. This excites me, as one of the leaders who researched sites, because until that conversation I was unaware that other Habitat sites exsisted. Hopefully, by working together, in part, other sites will be able to capitalize on the attention and success this organization is beginning to see."

Jake- My favorite part of the trip so far has been meeting and getting to know the people here. Their stories and openness have great for helping us to better understand the day to day realities of American Indians.

Claire: “I love this trip because I have been able to get to know the people we are working with personally. I appreciate that our site leaders, co-workers, and community members are extremely friendly and more than willing to spend evenings with us, invite us to dinners, and welcome us into their homes.”

Mary Ellen: “Being here at the Cheyenne River Reservation has taught me so much about the way life should be lived. Their way of life is not only fascinating, but highly admirable and difficult in an unseen way. For the first time in my life I’ve seen a group of people who value people based on who they are as a person over how they look on a piece of paper. I will forever treasure my experience here and emulate the way of life I have witnessed.”

Danny: “Never having been to a ‘Rez’, I was shocked at first by the poverty and dilapidated houses and businesses. But, after meeting John Bachman (Mayor of Eagle Butte), Larry Fiddler (Director of Habitat for Humanity Eagle Butte) and Ted Eagle (construction foreman), its obvious that there is a lot of work being put forth to change things for the better on the reservation. There has to be a system that allows preservation of Sioux culture and major infrastructure change, simultaneously.”

Eagle Butte - Habitat

2011-03-31T14:31:00.001-05:00

DAY FOUR - Monday March 28
This morning we planned to head over the house at 8:30 a.m. – except the blizzard got in the way. We postponed our trip and ate more bagels, or just crawled back into bed. Once it was time for us to head to our project site, we were ready to get to work. The house was built in 1994, and Jimmy Carter himself built the front porch. But the roof of the house caved in the following year because of nonstop blizzards. The roof was fixed, of course, but the house has been in need of some help for a while now. An interesting fact is that Cheryl, the woman whose house we are working on, has earned this project because she saved $1,000, then earned a bank loan for another $1,000, and finally earned a grant from Habitat for Humanity for $1,000. All of this money is funding the refurbishment of her house.
We started the project by moving out all the furniture in the living room, and then we started tearing out the molding from the walls. We pulled the carpet up off the floor, replaced the stairs leading down to the basement, and replaced the toilet in the bathroom too. Our big project for the day was scraping the plaster off the ceiling (and turning our heads and clothing white in the process). We also played with the pack of neighborhood dogs who stayed outside in the snow watching us with huge goo-goo eyes. One of them later jumped in our van, and we were sad that we couldn’t take him home. The day flew by, and although we made a lot of progress, we know we have a long way to go. The week will be over before we know it, but we’re excited to see how the house turns out for the family, and to see what we learn in the process.

Atlanta - Homelessness

2011-03-31T14:29:00.002-05:00

This morning we prepared for our routine as usual, six of us went to The Edge and four of us helped out at Cafe 458. We were greeted with the delightful surprise of showcase day at The Edge – a short talent show where soon to be graduates of the Atlanta Center for Self-Sufficiency’s (ACSS) career preparation class performed their own specific talents. The cafeteria was transformed into a stage, complete with a podium and a projector for a PowerPoint presentation from the staff members talking about why artistic expression is an important release during times of stress. One student read a poem by Maya Angelou, another student sang a few of his original songs, another wrote and performed in a skit and another put on a fashion show but the them ran clear throughout the morning – self empowerment. It was really empowering to see a group of individuals that just four weeks ago had come to ACSS hopeless and homeless with such a positive outlook on life and healthy self-esteem.
After that, we returned to our usual duties: manning the computer lab, front desk, clothes closet and of course the odd jobs around the office. At 11:30 AM we all met up in the kitchen to help distribute lunch. Lunch is only available to those who have a meal ticket and it’s really heartbreaking to see people who are obviously hungry get turned away for food. It is the single hardest thing we have had to experience thus far. Funding simply isn’t sufficient, the supply does not meet the demand, this is why fundraising and donations are so important, maybe the 5 extra bucks we keep in our wallet could help feed that person that got turned away today at the cafeteria.

The highlight of the day was definitely when the homeless man that volunteers at The Edge and has been our volunteer coordinator throughout the week announced that he had finally landed a job interview for tomorrow! He personally thanked Christine who had helped him fill out his job application just on Monday. He called us his favorite volunteer group, although Christine is his lucky charm. His smile, excitement and happiness was contagious and we wish him the best of luck for tomorrow!

In the afternoon we returned to the Emmaus House to hang out with our little friends in the after-school program here. The kids have come to accept us more and more as the week goes by – kids that were hostile and uncooperative on Monday received us today with open arms and let us in on their little secrets. We play games such as school, and Candyland and today we were even lucky enough to have a personal serenade by one of the children, Shunita, when one of the participants, Ashley, pulled up a Justin Beiber video on her phone. Justin Beiber is, surprisingly, a crowd favorite at the Emmaus House.

Birmingham - AIDS

2011-03-31T11:04:00.001-05:00

Day 4

Today was a busy day at Birmingham AIDS Outreach. We started the day reorganizing upstairs storage rooms, moving furniture, and cleaning out the clothing closet. Several people also packed food boxes for the clients. While we worked, we learned a great deal about BAO and the issues faced by people living with HIV. BAO has been serving the people of Birmingham for over 25 years. They provide many services to HIV positive clients including transportation to and from medical appointments, free food and clothing according to need, and assistance paying for prescriptions and doctor's visits. We were shocked to learn that even if a client has insurance, the co-pay for HIV medication can be around $800. To qualify for services at BAO, an HIV positive individual must earn less than four times the federal poverty level ($22,000). We were also impressed when we found out that BAO is one of only a few AIDS service organizations in the country that has a full-time lawyer on staff to provide free legal advice to clients.

After a busy morning at BAO, we toured the 1917 Clinic with Amanda from AIDS Alabama. Similar to St. Geroge's Clinic, the 1917 Clinic provides medical and dental care to HIV positive patients regardless of their ability to pay. The 1917 Clinic, which is part of the University of Alabama Birmingham's health system, is at the forefront of AIDS research. They are in the process of developing an HIV vaccination and a lube that could significantly reduce a person's chance of contracting HIV. While at 1917, we learned about the clinic's education and prevention programs and put together more safer sex packages for the clinic to handout at outreach events. We also learned more about AIDS. For instance, we learned that you would have to drink a gallon of an HIV positive person's saliva to contract HIV. Over one million people have HIV/AIDS in America and according to the U.S Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 250,000 Americans have HIV but don't know it. Also, one in two people will contract a sexually transmitted infection before the age of 25. A mother who is HIV positive will not necessarily pass on HIV to their baby. The placenta acts as a protective barrier and c-sections make it possible for babies to be born without contracting the infection.

Our experiences with Birmingham AIDS Alabama, AIDS Alabama, St. George's Clinic, and the 1917 Clinic so far have been both enlightening and inspiring. Our group has had the opportunity to work with the major AIDS service organizations in Birmingham and learn about their fight against the disease and the social stigma it brings. Tomorrow is our day off and we are planning on going to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the University of Alabama.

Birmingham - HIV/AIDS

2011-03-31T10:51:00.001-05:00

Previously on...

Birmingham - HIV/AIDS

2011-03-31T10:44:00.001-05:00

Blog Entry 3

We started our day at AIDS Alabama putting together several hundred safe sex kits. We then headed over to St. George's Clinic, an HIV/AIDS clinic that serves everyone regardless of their ability to pay. St. George's is one of only a few free HIV clinics in the nation and serves hundreds of people a year. We went on an exclusive tour with the director of St. George's and were amazed by the work they are doing for the citizens of Birmingham. After our tour, we visited the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute with a group of AIDS Alabama's clients. The museum itself is extremely powerful, but the experience was made even more special because of the company we were with. Beginning with a short documentary about the early years of Birmingham and ending with an exhibit about the global civil rights movement, the museum depicted the struggle for equality in the United States and Birmingham. Characterized by inspiring videos, photos, newspaper clippings, and artifacts, everyone left the Civil Rights Institute with a new understanding of the civil rights movement and what it means to American society. One of the greatest parts of the museum is the fact that it's across the street from the 16^th Street Baptist Church, the church where a bomb killed four young African American girls. It was amazing to be able to see such an important historical site after learning about it in an exhibit.

After spending an afternoon at the Civil Rights Institute with the clients, we went back home to make dinner and play catch phrase. We will be working at Birmingham AIDS Outreach tomorrow!

Murphy - Environment

2011-03-31T07:40:00.003-05:00

3/29

This morning we met up with Tony at Clay's Corner, a convenience store where the owner has a possum drop (think the ball drop) every New Year's Eve. This event was even featured on CBS Sunday Morning! Then, we were off to work at the Oland project. We crossed a 100 year-old bridge as we entered the property. This crossing was a little easier than forging the river as we did yesterday, an event that brought Tony to us in a truck today instead of his normal Jeep (apparently it didn't quite survive the river crossing).

We got a lot more work done today due to our full-day schedule and experience from yesterday. We worked really hard trying to get through a 200 yard range covered in Japanese Honeysuckle, Multi-Floral Rose, and Oriental Bittersweet. A lot of the time it felt like a tug-of-war battle with the plants. We all came back with some scratches from the thorns and some of us even came back with a little bit of a sunburn. We had another delicious lunch provided by a volunteer from the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition. We finished strong and were surprised at how clear the land was after we had taken out all of the invasive plant species. We put in some live stakes, sections of Dogwood trees that would grow into trees to shadow the water and provide fortification on the bank. Tony documented much of our work; hopefully we will be able to get the pictures up later! We were proud of ourselves and Tony seemed to be happy with our work, too.

We headed back to the house after work to shower and rest a bit. Some of us headed off to visit the Goldhagen Art Glass Studio and Gallery where Larry showed us some of the pieces he and the other artist had created. He was very friendly and even explained some of the process to us and invited us to watch them blow glass tomorrow. We returned home to a home-cooked meal from the rest of our group of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. The family-style meal is a wonderful part of the day!

After dinner we rushed off to the John C. Campbell Folk School to join the local community for a night of contra dancing. All of the locals were very welcoming and kept pulling us onto the dance floor. Even Andy got his groove on! The live music, spinning, and promenading were a great way to wind down after a hard day of work. Now, we are getting ready for another night filled with our new favorite game, Mafia.

3/30

Today was a nice change of pace for us because we didn't work on invasive plants (so they didn't invade our mid-day naps' dreams). Because the forecast had a 90% chance of rain, we instead made arrangements to work for the Hinton Center (which is the organization accommodating us with our wonderful lake house this week). The program we worked on was called New Homes Self-Help Project. It's very similar to Habitat for Humanity. All families have to put sweat equity into their homes. Also, neighborhoods that are made up of these houses all work on each others at the same time, and no one is allowed to move into his/her home until the whole group of them all have been completed .

Specifically, our group had two special tasks. Our fearless site leaders (Cole and Max) worked with the director, Charles Penland, "venting" (i.e. attaching vents from the dryers to the basement to the outside). Cole got to use some big bad power tools which Max could neither operate nor pronounce. The others all got their hands dirty—or wet, rather—with some PAINT! They worked with another Hinton Center employee named Darrin on a house for a woman named Amanda. Amanda was so sweet. She has four kids, seven and under and rich platinum blond hair. Perhaps she was just thirty. She worked on painting with the group and complimented Sarah on her priming skills. Throughout the day of painting, Darrin tried multiple times to convince us to come back another day because of how efficient we were and the hours of work we were saving them. (Apparently, we saved them a total of three days worth of work.) The group as a whole loved this work because we could interact with the family whose life we were improving.

For lunch we drove back to the lake house, and Andy made the delicious burgers. Then it was back to the ole nose to the ole grindstone. We continued with the work we were doing before lunch, but we had a wonderful new addition—Sarah's boombox and mix c.d. So we jammed out to some tunes which both enhanced the worker spirit and overall productivity. Then we cleaned up all the paint tools, which turned into a mild water fight.

Afterwards, a few of us got dropped off at the glass studio where they watched professional glass blowers blow glass. The rest of us came home early and ate Max's unbeatable peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then we all passed out for about two or three hours because, well, we've been doing a lot of hard work consisting of early days and late nights! After our semi-evening siesta, it was dinner time. Amy, Amelia, Andy, and Sarah created our festive quesadillas, Teddy chopped the tomatoes. Adriana and Laura slept. For the first time all week, the house was totally quiet…for about five minutes.

We have realized we are over halfway through our trip. The general consensus is that we love it here and never want to leave. The group has become quite attached and bonded into a family. We even have a huge circle table where we eat all our meals together and a downstairs living room filled with beds where we all crash together for our aforementioned communal naps.

Now we are about to enjoy some of Sarah's self-proclaimed "Cookie Bars from Heaven," then cleanup then play games for the rest of the night. Also, yesterday Sarah fell into a beaver hole, and we discovered a tree house and hiked to an outdoor chapel. Holla holla holla!

How much glass could a glass blower blow if a glass blower could blow glass?

- Murphy ASB

Niceville-Environment

2011-03-31T00:15:00.002-05:00

BRO–BRY: Alphebetizing + Spring Break = Brain Pain.

6:30 a.m. The breakfast bell goes off, and twelve campers pop out (ok, some of us rolled out) of their bunk beds in sleepy confusion. Our camp mom, Ophelia, got us up a bit earlier than planned today, and upon leaving our cabins we were greeted with a steady Florida downpour. Most of our first thoughts involved the fruits of our hard work sopping wet out on the clothes line behind our cabins – we'd already gone through our clothes so quickly this week that we hand-washed all of our dirties last night and hung them out to dry. Thwarted.

Due to the rain and lightening, our day's plan to continue clearing the Valparaiso water treatment site turned into performing indoor jobs for various areas of the city. We split into two groups – we hate to separate, but that's how serious we are about efficiency – and one group went to work at the local library (Claire will tell you all about it) while another went to the Heritage Museum of Western Florida to do odd jobs and learn a bit about the history of the area we're working in. This museum was quaint and cozy, and full of tasks well suited for a strong, strategic team.
The day at the museum consisted mainly of clearing out and reorganizing an archival area that would allow for more efficient use of available space. A few tasks involved some serious organizational and strategic brain usage, which I think was a bit of a shock to us after days of hard labor. Once the puzzle of the archive room was sufficiently solved, we all felt quite satisfied with our ability to work as a team to accomplish a communication-heavy task. The work we did today was something that the women supervising us said had been put off for weeks – simply because they'd had neither the time nor the manual resources to put into it. It is just amazing to see the effect that the Gulf Spill has had on this town. Tourism is down, which is a primary support system for this museum. Hopefully the work we accomplished today will allow the facility's planners to focus more on attracting visitors, and stress less about organization issues within the museum.
After a delicious Mexican feast tonight, we had the awesome opportunity to be trained for volunteer service at a Red Cross disaster relief shelter. Essentially, we are now able to set up and volunteer at any Red Cross shelter in the country in the event of a disaster. The training was extremely informative and quite eye opening. I had very little previous knowledge of the organization, and now I feel like this is something that I may consider as a postgraduate career. This week has just been a constant reminder of the fact that there is so much more out there than school and work, school and work. There are so many opportunities to make a difference; it's been uplifting to actually see the differences we are already beginning to make here. I am really excited to get involved with the local chapter of Red Cross back in Columbia, and it looks like the rest of the group is making the same plans.

After a hard day's work inside, we are definitely ready to tackle the physical work that tomorrow's going to bring. Woo sea grass!
--Jessica Garrett

Today we woke up to rain. We anticipated the rain, but shrugged it off with 'Florida always rains, but it never lasts'. Well this lasted. And lasted through mid-afternoon. It was evident outside work would be unpleasant. Even though all the physical work we were doing was extremely rewarding and challenging, being a girl of "5'4" who's main physical activity is lugging a giant backpack across campus, I welcomed a change. (Not that I didn't love the physical stuff, I just think I about died the day before.) Our group was split and six of us went to paint at a library/community center. I really enjoyed the split time. I got to bond with some team members I hadn't talked to that much so far. I learned a lot about these people (including how Kate got her nickname, Pee Girl), my team members, my classmates, my friends. I shared with them and learned more than I thought I would about people I was thrown into a 12-passenger van with.

To me, this exemplified the entire trip. Sometimes its amazing the luck you have. I look around me at the circle of 12 people, some formerly strangers, all currently close friends and cannot imagine how lucky we all our that we click and get along so well. We have boosted each other's morale and helped each other through any tough moments. Louie, with his smiling optimism, keeps our spirits high with a constant stream of thumbs up and ever present vitality. Veronica keeps us all cheery by changing song lyrics to fit our various moods and trying her best to make everyone happy and comfortable. I have never met anyone else who can use 'nom' is as many different contexts.

Ryan's quiet intelligence and amazing love for everything we've been doing inspires us to keep vigilant even when the works seems too tough to bear. Kate, who will get her dance party one day, can't speak to anyone without making them smile. Tim keeps our spirits high with his amazing modeling poses and hilarious commentary for everything. Cameron (more commonly known as Camey Cakes) inspires us with his incredible work ethic and ability to play ultimate so intense he sprains his ankle. He was genuinely thankful when we ate outside with him and kind enough to thank us, which most people would have overlooked. He possesses warmth the Southerners would be proud to call polite. Ian is English, which is just hilarious. He keeps us laughing even when we feel so tired that we couldn't work another moment. Stephen is basically Dug from the movie Up. His energy never ceases, keeps every revitalized and can take a bit of team abuse. Plus, he also gave me some awesome advice about business school so he's pretty much my favorite (just kidding everyone else!). Jess always has a kind and encouraging word and has a rare gift of making everyone feel important and listened too. Raha and Chelsea are the best trip leaders anyone could ask for. They are the perfect team of calm and energetic, sensible and fun.

Basically, this day was my favorite so far. I felt I bonded with this amazing group of people and am looking forward to another 17-hour drive with my friends. What cemented this day as particularly memorable to me was the amazing amount of teamwork. On previous days, we have worked together, but our jobs have been so immense we haven't been able to finish a job. Today, we got the first coat painted on a whole, humongous room. The six of us had most of the room done, but there was no way we could finish by ourselves. Our other half showed up and together we pulled the last bit of room together. It was amazing to see everyone encourage and use their gifts to help our group accomplish a goal.

Altogether today was amazing. Team bonding, Mexican food for dinner and not to mention, the city of Valpairso bought us some nom pizza (Ron inspired me). Even though my physical capacity reached max at lifting a 30 lb tree, I know I can lean on my team to help me through it, keep me inspired, and carry the bottom half to lighten the load. And isn't that what friends are for?
-Claire Virden

Xenia - Service Dogs

2011-03-30T22:45:00.002-05:00

WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! HUMP DAY, MIDDLE OF THE WEEK!!!

Today was our free day. "Free at last! Free at last! Freeeee attttt laaaaaast!" Alan and some other members believe it is too heavy of a subject to compare our free day to the civil rights movement, but here we are.

No getting up at 7am for us today, WOOOO! We all slept in late in our warm, comfy beds and after a quick breakfast we made our way to tHe bIg cItAy aka Cincinatti (slash Newport). We got lost along the way, but eventually we made it -- just in time to grab some Skyline Chili for lunch, nom nom nom. Half the group split but the other (better) half enjoyed some chili-spaghetti-cheesey goodness. Why yes, yes we did wear bibs and yes, yes we did have the best waittress ever. After lunch, we met back up and went to Graeter's for the best ice cream in Cincinatti.

After our bellies were more than satisfied and after we finished mosying around downtown, we finally headed to Newport Aquarium!!! There we met Sweetpea the shark-ray (her birthday is coming up!!! Start thinking of a gift to buy now...) and Mike the 800 lb, 14ft long alligator, which were Rachel's favorite. Stephanie got some nectar to feed the lorikeets and they repaid her kindness by pooping on her face. Bridget and Karlee were enamored with the puffer fish and the long-horned cow box fish "that had perfect hexagons!". Jordan enjoyed the piranhas. Kayla witnessed garden eels fighting!!! But she particularly enjoyed the fluidic movements of the jellyfish--which were certainly a crowd favorite. Casey liked watching the people as much as she liked watching the fish. She also liked reading about oar-fish—look them up. #monsters P.S. Alan was as tall as the hammerhead shark #cool

Our group was super resourceful and gathered information about good eats from the local Kentuckians and Ohioans. This led us to an authentic Indian restaurant in Clifton, Ohio for our dinner. Major nomz. Mainly rosewater and samosas. Next we hit up hipster row to pick up some discounted Muk-Luks straight from Afghanistan. We also checked out a spiritual gift shop of sorts where Alan splurged and bought a bumper sticker for $2.50. WOW. We hit the road once again and traveled on back to our pseudo home of Xenia, OH. Jammin' to the best the 90's had to offer.

We are looking forward to heading back to 4 Paws!

Felton, MN - Children and Health

2011-03-30T22:09:00.001-05:00

"So, what are you doing up here?"

1. Welp, the Red River has officially flooded. And the Buffalo River has been spilling its waters for the last couple days. It has been all sorts of wet and mushy, but don't worry, the snow is still here.

2. Michelle overcame her fear of horses today. Well, miniature ones at least. While the rest of us were grooming the much larger horses, Michelle groomed the Miniature Gelding named Tinker. We were kind enough to wait until after she finished to mention that Tinker is a bit of a biter.

3. We discovered the the intimate desires of each other's hearts: dream job, type of guy (or girl for the 2 odd balls out), views on marriage, middle names, and number of kids we want. Needless to say, there was a lot of bonding… And we have all decided that we will be married at the end of the week, lucky guys.

4. A PEDA debate. We were educated on the treatment of animals and the process of providing comfort in their slaughter, specifically with cows. Interesting topic for all of us uneducated city kids… We concluded by going to the local grill to indulge in some tasty cheeseburgers, where we were watched like ants with a magnifying glass. Apparently outsiders don't show up very often to the only eatery in town. After a prolonged period of staring, we befriended the fourth of the town that had come in for refreshments this evening.

5. Saddle Oiling: Lather, wipe, repeat. We rubbed enough oil on each saddle to make the BP spill look minor… okay, maybe not, but we definitely didn't want to wipe our faces when we finished. But the leather is now moisturized and has no fear of cracking. Each of us can now name the parts of the saddle… at least a few of the parts.

6. Apple Picking. Again.

7. Shoving hay bales up a ladder. Sarah and Dani were asked to bring a couple bales down from the loft, but in the end, we only needed one of the bales. Since we got it down, it was our task to get it back up to the loft. Needless to say, it was far easier going down than coming back up.

8. The Hannah's were in charge of organizing, sorting, and condensing the mounds of paperwork that had overwhelmed Bette's office. The maze of papers, brochures, and wide variety of supplies that some how clutter every office was eventually sorted into an organized chaos that is actually functional. It helps when you can find the paper in order to file it.

9. Words Assassins has come to a heated climax. If you are clueless about this game, research it. It is a game of trickery and conniving… and lots of excited yelling.

Check in tomorrow for more updates

-The Best of the 216

Louisville - Children & Health (Food Access)

2011-03-30T21:59:00.001-05:00

Day 2: March, 29th

Today was the perfect day! We again separated into two groups, one made the short journey over to the mural site in Smoketown, while the other group headed to the farm. For the farm group, we had to start our day bright and early to leave the hotel by 7:50am. We spent all morning building an irrigation system to collect rain water, clearing brush and moving mulch, and also planted broccoli and other vegetables all morning. It sure was frigid, but our spirits kept us alive!

For the mural group, we enjoyed sleeping in until 9:30 this morning. When we reached the mural sight, Mary greeted us with hot chocolate and coffee…what a treat! After we enjoyed our morning delights, we got to straight to work listening to the top 100 hits from 1999. We began outlining part of the mural and finished almost all of the painting. By mid morning we made a new friend. He was quite the character and gave us advice about the mural with some collaboration from his friends from across the street at the soup kitchen. In return, we gave him a cup of coffee. For lunch we went to the United Way and listened to a local farmer speak about her family's farming business, which was very interesting!

At two o'clock both groups had made their way back to the hotel to get ready for our next adventure of the day! We piled in the vans and headed to Gilda's Club, a non-profit community center for families and patients affected by cancer. We spend two and a half hours preparing a heartwarming banquet of spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, brownies, and peanut butter cookies. We served over fifty individuals and had many compliments about our meat sauce! We were happy to be able to help Marie with the clean up especially after telling us she normally has to do it by herself.

Today was another great day in Louisville! We are excited to hopefully finish the mural tomorrow and spend more time on the farm. Be sure to check back to see how it goes! That's all folks.

Written by Jenna and Stephen

Charleston - Chidren with Special Needs

2011-03-30T21:56:00.003-05:00

Dear friends and family of Charleston ASB,

After an action packed day, we got the opportunity to meet with an awesome group of students from the College of Charleston who recently started a Special Olympics organization in their college. We sat in on one of their meetings and then just talked to them about all of their amazing activities are, which has inspired us to bring back some of those ideas to Mizzou! We are really excited to start an official Special Olympics Mizzou club where we can work with the state and local games and activities, sponsor field games, host fundraisers for SO and start a Best Buds program. The Best Buds program in Charleston, we found out, is a huge program where many students on campus are paired with a buddy with a special need and simply hangs out with them! It's has really helped to integrate the special needs community in Charleston with the rest of the community, and we really want to see this happen in Columbia. Finally, the students told us about REACH, a university program gives students with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to attend college. While it is a federally funded grant and something that only the College of Charleston and one other college have, it would be awesome to advocate at Mizzou and see our university be at the forefront.

Keep checking in with te BEST ASB blog!
Charle-STUNNERS

Pittsboro-Tigers

2011-03-30T21:40:00.001-05:00

Top 10 Things to Bring When Volunteering at Carolina Tiger Rescue

10. Waterproof gear and/or lots of quarters for the dryer
9. Cosmo.
8. Ipod and connector for maximun jamming
7. A coffee maker THAT WORKS
6. Newspaper for wet tennis shoes
5. M&Ms of any variety
4. A sledgehammer
3. A toothbrush (unless you have a priest available to donate one to
the cause)
2. At least one knife (plasticware melts and isnt ideal for cutting
vegetables to make chicken fajitas)
1. A smart phone so you can read fun facts about everywhere you go

We spent our morning standing out in the freezing rain taking apart an
unused wooden structure in the compound. Perfecting our skills with
crowbars and hammers, we undid all the nails at the bottom of the
structure and then used ropes and a bobcat (a tractor, not a cat) to
pull the structure on its side. We then proceeded to use sledgehammers
to knock apart all the wood and load it on the trailer. After all the
pain we suffered in the morning, Dan, the construction manager, made
us some delicious hot chocolate and cider! He then let us take the
rest of the day off and go home. After we all changed into dry
clothes, hour long cat naps were in need for everyone. We headed to
Durham in the afternoon and explored Duke University and they're
famous chapel. We then finished off our evening with incredible
chicken fajitas!

Much love,
ASB tigers!

Dallas - Poverty

2011-03-30T20:44:00.003-05:00

Day 3 comes to an end as our group sips coffee in the Bishop Arts District of Dallas. The day has been full with a trip to the Dallas Zoo and our busiest day at the Resource Center Dallas food pantry yet.

Bundled and layered in the few jackets we brought, our group took a journey to the wilds of the Dallas Zoo. Amongst the tigers, elephants, mandrills, and ducks, our Mizzou 7 roamed and laughed and even rode the carousel. Thanks to our friend Deborah at the Resource Center, we landed free entry to the zoo, as well as tickets for the zoo railway and carousel. As the place was fairly empty, except for a few families and one school group of small kids, we had quite of bit of interaction with zoo researchers and staff. We ran into a group of researchers observing the two new male guerillas who’d come from the Toronto Zoo. The boys were only 6 months apart and came together, as “they are BFF’s,” as one researcher put it.

Our work at the RCD’s food pantry was with little downtime. They receive their shipments of donated food on Wednesdays. We were happy to do the work and got plenty of chances to chat with clients while they shopped. Kevin, the other volunteer with us at the pantry, is always nice to work with and gave Sean a taste of his life story, which proved to be interesting as he’s lived in several cities around the country. We’re enjoying our time with RCD. It’s hard to think we’re over half-way done with our week. I’m sure we’ll find reasons to keep up with them from Columbia.

The coffee in our mugs is beginning to run dry and we’ll soon head for some pizza. We look forward to telling your more as we take on the Lone Star State and get to know a community outside our own.

Do it for Carl,
Dallas ASB

Colorado- Environment

2011-03-30T17:40:00.001-05:00

March 30, 2011

Today was another busy day. But before we talk about the day, we have to discuss the tipi. Ian and I (Kaylan) helped Ron put the finishing touches on it. We put a tarp around the bottom to keep the winds out, set out the sleeping mats, and started the fire. Since it was a new tipi, Ron had us bless the tipi and ourselves. Cedar branches are sacred to the Native Americans, so those were put into the fire. We then had to scoop up the smoke and do various hand motions. It was pretty neat to learn. We are all convinced Ron knows everything about everything. Ian and I were shocked to hear him use the word vector. Even though I was the one who made the contact with Ron, I was not brave enough to sleep in it. Everyone except Jillian came and made s'mores in it. Christine and Erin were brave (crazy) enough to sleep in it. They said it wasn't so bad!

This morning we met Kathy at Sand Canyon. Sand Canyon is a really neat place full of ancient ruins. We got a chance to see some of them along the way. Our job for the day was to cover up trails that have been formed where they are not wanted. People try to go off the path to see some ruins, but unfortunately the ruins are too fragile to have visitors. We took dead trees and rocks and tried to block off the path, while making it as natural looking as possible. It was hard work, but you couldn't even tell there used to be a path there by the time we were done!

We ended up finishing early today, and had a chance to go to the Anasazi Heritage Center. This is kind of like a visitor's center. There is a really nice museum in the center that gives a lot of background information on the Native Americans. Right now we are currently making Navajo Tacos (one of my favorite parts of the trip!) Ron's cousin's wife (take a minute to think about that one…) and their daughter Laura make the batter from scratch, then deep fry it. Soooooo good! Last year I ate 5 and I think I was literally on the verge of a food coma. Christine can eat 6 without any problem.

Tomorrow is our last day here, and another free day. We decided we are going to go to the Arches in Utah, and hopefully do some shopping! Tomorrow night is the community BBQ, which is always fun! Tomorrow will probably be our last blog until we head home =[ I know some people really want pictures, but I don't think it's going to happen. We don't have any camera cords. I will try to upload pictures to the blog when we get home on Saturday!

Charleston - Children with Special Needs

2011-03-30T16:59:00.003-05:00

Dear friends and family of Charleston ASB,

This morning had an early start for us as we had to travel about two hours to get to our volunteer site today. We spent the day at Adaptive Gardening of the Low Country helping children with special needs. When we first got there, we got a tour of the facilities. They have two donkeys, five chickens, and a lot of room for plant beds and growing. Our awesome host, Jodie, then explained the Adaptive Gardening program to us. Children with special needs of all ages come from the area weekly or bi-weekly to participate. There are a variety of disabilities ranging from physical to intellectual and mild to severe. The children are involved in all parts of gardening including preparing the gardens, planting the seeds, and helping them grow. There are also gardens for all sorts of special needs. There are sensory gardens, zen gardens, raised gardens, and many more to match what each child needs. Jodie explained that no matter what special need the child has, he will find something for them to do to help. He also teaches them about taking care of the animals on the farm. He told us that he wants to give these children skills to problem solve and to be independent. For the older children close to graduating this program serves as a way of learning skills that they may use in their future. Jodie then explained to us what exactly we would be doing for the day.

At 10 AM the children arrived and we got to work immediately. As they came through the door we greeted each one and took them out into the garden to work. Half were planting okra, rattlesnake beans, and spaghetti squash, while the rest began by weeding the different gardens. As we dodged the fire ants, we got to know the kids and got our hands dirty right along with them. Just before the rain started we made it onto the porch to hear from Jodie and learn about feeding the chickens. Shortly thereafter everyone’s attention spans waned, and the children went off again to school. Jodie kindly grilled up some burgers and brats, organically made from nearby, while we continued to work, moving new plants into larger pots. We finished Jodie’s work for the day and continued on.
Because of the torrential downpour happening outside, our campsite, being at sea level, would no longer be safe for us to sleep in. So we called up our church, grateful for their offer to host us. Bethel Methodist United opened their doors to us, and we split up to organize the move. Liz, Ayelen, and Kerry returned to assess the damage and save what they could from the flooded campsite. The campsite crew is now on their way back with soggy bags and tents. While the campsite may be flooded and some of our stuff a little wet, hopes are high and we are looking forward to an evening of more service in Charleston, South Carolina!

Stay tuned for more from the Charle-STUNNERS!!

Pittsboro-Tigers

2011-03-30T13:01:00.002-05:00

Life lessons learned today rescuing tigers:

10. Amy is the man.

9. ASB first aid kits are inadequate to heal broken toe nails.

8. College kids have too much ADD to finish 18 rounds of putt-putt golf.

7. Diets must consist of North Carolina BBQ...and nothing else.

6. Friends never let friends stand too close to the lion’s cage (“Sheeba, stop chasing after the volunteers again..”)

5. When in a 100 foot vicinity of Jane Goodall, exaggerate all possible encounters you could have had with her.

4. Mom, if you’re reading this, everything we did today was perfectly safe. No, we did not carry rusty poles (or drop them on our toes.)

3. Don’t ever take your power steering on your car for granted.

2. Try to keep your conversations to a minimum with the Wal-Mart cashier as to not cause a line 10-deep behind you.

1. North Carolina BBQ is good enough to make a Jew, a vegetarian, and Chris Spurlock eat BBQ.

Click here to see a slideshow of our day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tigersasb/sets/72157626384624458/show/

Besides continuing on our work repairing the outer fences of the Tiger Rescue facility, we also learned how to mix cement and secure more new poles on the outside of the perimeter. We then took a trip to the Duke lemur research facility (yes, Duke does do research on lemurs; we were shocked too), where we transported old fences back to the Tiger Rescue. And yes, THE Jane Goodall was there. Of course we met her and had many intellectual conversations with her...kind of. We then finished up our day by unloading all the rusty poles we had cut down the day before and headed out for some Allen and Sons BBQ . Best. BBQ. Ever. Seriously. With our tummies full, we sluggishly headed to Raleigh for some putt-putt golf. After a very exhausting and fulfilling day, we went back to New Hope Camp for some much needed rest.

Love,
Your ASB tigers in Pittsboro

Birmingham - HIV/AIDS

2011-03-30T08:46:00.002-05:00

Blog Entry 2
03/28/11
Hello,
The weather around Birmingham, so far, has been spectacular, yet disappointing. The temperature hung around the mid-60's today, but was cloudy throughout the entire day. Compared to Missouri, I would say we are quite fortunate to have such great weather (instead of snow!). Today was our first day at Aids Alabama, which was eye-opening to say the least. We arrived at the main office at 9 a.m. and started our volunteer orientation. Amanda Miller introduced us to the guidelines that we have to follow including, no scented fragrances due to some of the patients' weak immune systems and disclosure of patient information outside of the organization. We were then introduced to Patricia Todd, the first openly gay representative in the Alabama legislature. Once we signed our volunteer disclosure agreements, Arthur Wynn gave us an HIV 101 educational session. He says HIV and Aids are not just problems that correlate with poverty, but anyone! In fact, people with large sums of money tend to attract more people and have more partners, which place them at higher risk for contracting these diseases. After lunch, Amanda took us on a tour of the Agape and JASPER houses. These are transitional lodges for HIV victims with disabilities and previous drug addictions. After our time with Amanda at Aids Alabama and the touring of the housing, she showed us a local fair trade coffee shop called the Red Cat. The inside was decorated with print designs from a local designer, Amos Kennedy, and several flyers from local events, such as concerts. The signature coffee beverages were named after cats! From the Red Cat, we attempted to go to the Birmingham Jazz Hall of Fame, but it was closed. We proceeded to go to a shopping strip known as the Summit. The view was truly breath-taking. We closed the night off with some pasta con broccoli and home-made bread. Looking back on our day, we couldn't have seen more action on the volunteering front. We didn't volunteer as much as we would have liked, but tomorrow will hopefully hold a more productive day for us at Aids Alabama.

New Orleans - Homeless Animals

2011-03-30T08:04:00.002-05:00

March 29

Hola from NOLA! Again. This is Kourtney with a K :)

We spent another lovely day at the shelter taking care of dogs and cats. Seeing the wagging tails of the dogs and hearing the soft purrs of the cats never seems to get old. We (Mariah, Jayme, Micha, Nikki, Emmie, Stephanie, Audrey, Mollie, and me) started out the day by walking the dogs and cleaning their kennels with the lead volunteers. Eliot, Becca, and Tori spent the day with kitties, cleaning out their litter boxes and freshening their cages. The dogs were excited to get some fresh air and play in the sun, and we had fun running up and down the street with them to get out some of their energy. The Chi-Poms (Chihuahua-Pomeranian mixes) weren't up for running so much, but they enjoyed themselves just the same. I was really excited to be reunited with my favorite Shepherd mix puppy Marky (or more affectionately known as Marky Mark) who was really happy to go on a nice run in the sun with Jayme. :)

After a nice lunch break of homemade sandwiches and chips (Just like the good, old elementary field trips days), we got to work helping ARNO deep clean their facility. This was especially rewarding because they wouldn't have been able to get this done if our group wasn't there. We organized some of their storage units and worked hard to wash a lot of their dishes and litter pans. Nikki and Emmie spent time deep cleaning in the Breezeway and underneath the Chi-Pom's cages. Eliot, Stephanie, and I had some nice bonding time while rinsing the dishes and litter pans.

Jayme, Mariah, Micha, and Mollie gave some of the dogs and puppies much needed medicated baths, so the cool water felt really good on their coats. The girls filled up a kiddie pool with water and let the dogs splash around in the sun. The Chi-Poms were especially funny to look at while bathing because their long, wet fur made them look like little rats, but they were still so cute!

Once again, Jayme got to bond with little Patti Cake after her bath. :)

Becca took a lot of great pictures at the shelter today. She really captured the essence of what ARNO is about: a love for the displaced dogs and cats. Through these pictures, you can see just how much the volunteers care for these animals and do their best in giving them the best life that they can. We'll try to share some with you all as soon as we can!

Dinner tonight was taco salads and burritos (Thank you Jayme, Stephanie, Becca, Emmie, and Mollie!) and it was yummy! Who would have thought that you could make twelve people agree on how good one meal was?
We're excited to spend another day at the shelter tomorrow and spend more time with the sweet dogs and cats. We wake up every morning ready to start the day! Our group is working very well together and we're having a blast down here in Nawlins'!

Who dat? We dat. ASB NOLA.

Murphy - Environment

2011-03-30T07:51:00.002-05:00

3/329

This morning we met up with Tony at Clay's Corner, a convenience store where the owner has a possum drop (think the ball drop) every New Year's Eve. This event was even featured on CBS Sunday Morning! Then, we were off to work at the Oland project. We crossed a 100 year-old bridge as we entered the property. This crossing was a little easier than forging the river as we did yesterday, an event that brought Tony to us in a truck today instead of his normal Jeep (apparently it didn't quite survive the river crossing).

We got a lot more work done today due to our full-day schedule and experience from yesterday. We worked really hard trying to get through a 200 yard range covered in Japanese Honeysuckle, Multi-Floral Rose, and Oriental Bittersweet. A lot of the time it felt like a tug-of-war battle with the plants. We all came back with some scratches from the thorns and some of us even came back with a little bit of a sunburn. We had another delicious lunch provided by a volunteer from the Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition. We finished strong and were surprised at how clear the land was after we had taken out all of the invasive plant species. We put in some live stakes, sections of Dogwood trees that would grow into trees to shadow the water and provide fortification on the bank. Tony documented much of our work; hopefully we will be able to get the pictures up later! We were proud of ourselves and Tony seemed to be happy with our work, too.

We headed back to the house after work to shower and rest a bit. Some of us headed off to visit the Goldhagen Art Glass Studio and Gallery where Larry showed us some of the pieces he and the other artist had created. He was very friendly and even explained some of the process to us and invited us to watch them blow glass tomorrow. We returned home to a home-cooked meal from the rest of our group of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. The family-style meal is a wonderful part of the day!

After dinner we rushed off to the John C. Campbell Folk School to join the local community for a night of contra dancing. All of the locals were very welcoming and kept pulling us onto the dance floor. Even Andy got his groove on! The live music, spinning, and promenading were a great way to wind down after a hard day of work. Now, we are getting ready for another night filled with our new favorite game, Mafia.

Atlanta - Homelessness

2011-03-29T22:56:00.001-05:00

After a successful night of films and popcorn (avec M&Ms) we all got a full nights sleep and woke up ready for our second day of work. We split up into groups of six and four, those who had not been to Cafe 458 worked there for the day and the rest continued on at the Edge.

A few jobs at the Edge varied from organizing donated clothing and helping jobseekers edit their resumes. Being familiar with the surroundings and other volunteers made for a comfortable environment and allowed us to really interact with the people and employees. Otis: a fellow volunteer who serves as the volunteer coordinator at the Edge, really made us laugh throughout the day cracking jokes while guiding us through tasks. Around eleven thirty we left our jobs to help serve lunch at the soup kitchen-esque cafeteria connected to the Edge. Lynn, the director of the soup kitchen, has provided us with knowledge of Atlanta happenings and keeps the radio on the local old school jazz station that keeps us groovin' throughout the lunch hour.

A strong indicator of Southern hospitality is evident when all the children we work with at the Emmaus House reference us as "Miss (insert name)." Though they are still children; and that is evident after two hours of working with them. Two young ladies by the names of Mackenzie and Trinity serenaded us with songs such as Justin Bieber's "One Less Lonely Girl" and Keri Hilson's "Pretty Girl". Thought the students are less adamant about doing homework, participating in activities with them (such as drawing, playing on the computer, and board games) has been such a great opportunity to bond with them.

We are now ending day three in ATL with another movie after an enjoyable dinner of quesadillas and ice cream. More to come tomorrow!

Atlanta - Homelessness

2011-03-29T22:54:00.002-05:00

After a long mentally draining trip yesterday, we were looking forward to our free day today to recharge for the remaider of the week. First we went on a picnic to Piedmont Park. While getting into our cars some friendly children hollered at us (Atlanta style) from the window of a home next to the Emmaus House. They asked us our names and introduced us to their baby brother Dante, and when we had to leave they were heartbroken - one child even broke out in tears! This made us really excited to work with the children we'll be tutoring throughout the week, hoping all the kids we encountered were equally as nice. Piedmont Park is a beautifully preserved area in the heart of Atlanta. Particiants got to play frisbee and enjoy the natural scenary while munching on chips and peanut butter and jelly. The pond next to our picnic area was home to some of the ugliest turkey-duck looking animals we had ever seen who started getting angry when we ran out of crumbs to feed them. We also saw a heron, geese and plenty of fish - because right after our picnic we got to go to the Georgia Aquarium! Thanks to a faulty computer system the line to the entrance was really long but definitely worth the wait. Inside there were penguins, beluga whales, sharks, sting rays, otters, pirhanas and thousands of
different types of fish. The group's favorite exhibit was "The Ocean Voyager," a tour through a glass tunnel that allowed you to see the animals as if you were swimming right under them. We've had a great day exploring Atlanta, a wonderful start to our eventful week.

Atlanta - Homelessness

2011-03-29T22:53:00.001-05:00

Despite a loud thunderstorm keeping a lot of us awake last night, we made it bright and early this morning to Cafe 458 and The Edge to start volunteering. After a quick orientation with Otis at The Edge, four of us went to Cafe 458 while the remaining six stayed at The Edge.

Cafe 458 was a quaint, restaurant-style kitchen where homeless people with disabilities are able to come in and enjoy quality food and friendly service. Preparing for their arrival was no easy feat. We chopped, diced and sliced until every ingredient was used up - the kitchen at Cafe 458 also prepares the food for The Edge - and then we wiped, cleaned and rinsed everything that was left. Diners were seated at 11 am and were served red beans and rice with sausage, peas, green beans, cookies and tea. It was really rewarding to see someone enjoy food that you had prepared with your own hands so whole-heartedly. We worked as cooks, waiters, bus boys, dish washers and the cleaning crew - all at once! After everyone was served we prepared our own plates and got to sit and interact with the diners.

At The Edge we had to help homeless people in Atlanta find jobs. Some of us were assigned to the computer lab, patrolling the screens to make sure they stayed Facebook free and were used solely to look for jobs. Some of us worked the closet, a huge compilation of business clothes, shoes and accessories to make sure once they landed the interview they looked professional enough to land the job. Some of us worked the front desk and some of us even had to act as impromptu bouncers at the back door to make sure only those who had appointments came in to the office and to make sure no one used a false identity to try and get it. At the end everyone worked the cafeteria at The Edge.

In the afternoon we volunteered at the Emmaus House where we actually got to meet the friendly kids that hollered at us from the window of a nearby home yesterday! The 7 to 11 year old kids took no time at all to befriend us and after quick introductions we were on our way to help them with their homework. A lot of the kids were friendly and told us funny stories or songs, but many others where short tempered and not patient. It was definitely a struggle to get some to do their homework. Many of the children were a little to old for their grades or struggling with school so it was even harder to try and help with regular homework assignments. After homework we participated in playtime which can be described in only one word - chaotic. Children were running, jumping and skipping everywhere, they were yelling and throwing things and pulling us here and there. It was an enjoyable but tiring experience - many of us had forgotten how draining it is to be 7-year-old. After that we walked the kids home an got to see the neighborhoods they live in. One of the groups had to walk by an arrest on the walk home and the children did not even bother to look twice. It was a really eye-opening experience to get to experience the lives of these kids which invited us in with open arms (many of the children made cards for the participants during play time) and we're definitely looking forward to learning from them even more in the weeks to come.

Niceville-Environment

2011-03-29T22:31:00.004-05:00

Head Veins

Today we'll clean the oil spill.

Today we'll clean the oil spill and change the planet.

We'll scrub seals with Dove.

And birds too.

We'll reconcile the ocean's wildlife with the town of Niceville and maybe all of Florida, and then maybe we can make plans to fix Japan too.

Saving.

The.

World.

We'll turn the world green.

By bringing our own dishes.

By planting sea grass.

By giving up Spring Break.

We'll drive for nineteen hours and hit the beaches, drinking water instead of beer and camp food instead of seafood, to restore the shores to their former glory.

ASBflo.

Needless to say, my expectations were high. The last few days haven't been exactly what I thought they would be. We've worked hard. I mean, really hard. Today we worked with a Florida State Park Ranger named Patrick, and an Americorps volunteer, Donnie. We helped them clear out an invasive species of tree known as "Ti-Ti" which crowds out the indigenous plants and transforms the sporadically spaced tree giants into dense jungle-like undergrowth.

Patrick explained to us the oil spill forced the state of Florida to invest in its cleanup and the State Parks in Florida have consequently been stripped of a lot of their funding. So basically you have this one guy in charge of maintaining hundreds if not thousands of acres of forest with several types of endangered plant species.

After we'd been working for a few hours, Patrick took us to a place in the park which was cleared out a couple of weeks ago.

It was perfect.

There was a lazy stream idling through a gap between towering Cyprus trees and nesting birds. Small plants beginning to poke through the dirt housed a few spiders and gofers. It was the way things should have been.

Before seeing what the final product should look like, I saw our work-in-progress as mostly stumps and mud. But by the time we finished lunch, our site looked more and more like the utopian-stream-haven we'd just visited.

Patrick told us we got more done in the one day of work with him than the previous group had finished in three. When I thought of that later, I got past the pride of our team and realized if there weren't volunteers down here, Patrick and Donnie would be the only ones doing the work. If we weren't here, the work we did probably wouldn't have been done, at least not for a long time. The trees we saved might have rotted out and the endangered species might have been a little more endangered.

Instead, there are still towering trees and they'll stay there for at least a few more years, safe from wildfire and Ti-Ti. It was the first time I got to see the bigger picture from the detailed work we've done.

Maybe we aren't single-handedly saving Florida and the gulf coast, but hey, one step at a time.

--Steven Dickherber

Felton, MN - Children and Health

2011-03-29T22:16:00.001-05:00

Howdy,

Today was a wonderful day in the neighborhood. (Taylore's addition to this blog)

(Sarah's addition to the blog) Waking up a little bit later today (around 9ish) we headed out to take photos along the frozen terrain. Our photo shoot included these large tube things and a neighborhood watch sign (yes, this is ironic because we are in the middle of nowhere).

When we arrived we started with the cutting of insulation, apple-picking (a.k.a. picking up horse poop), building a fence, and folding t-shirts. One of our most challenging chores was when we had to go out into the pasture and grab the large, circular food trough. While the horses watched us struggle, we tried to maneuver it through a huge lake of horse poop, mud, and other things we don't really want to remember to the other side of the pasture.

Upon completing everything for the classes, we finally got the chance to spend time with the kids. Classes started at 4:30 and by this time we were pretty pooped from all the chores. But it was not a problem for us the second we saw the kids faces on their favorite horses we got a second wind and preserved. All of us got the chance to sidewalk, meaning we got to walk along side the horses as the kids exercised, stretched, and just had a good time.

The ending of our day couldn't have been better because of what Bette (the owner of Riding on Angels Wings) left us with for the day, "Honesty, we could not have been ready for today without you guys." With all of us feeling good about our preparation for classes, and the first day of classes going well, we all feel pretty excited for the rest of the week.

*Reminder for tomorrow: Bring 6 pairs of socks, no more frozen toes!

Detroit-Urban Issues

2011-03-29T22:11:00.003-05:00

Day three in Detroit began with getting ready and heading off to another Greening of Detroit project, this time in the neighborhood of Brightmoor, about twenty minutes from where we're staying near the University of Detroit Mercy. As we drove through the neighborhood, we saw boarded up houses and a wall of artwork—everything else seemed like any other normal suburban neighborhood.

We pulled up to one of the houses, and an older woman stepped out to greet us. She introduced herself as Ms. Reit, and after we introduced ourselves she invited us inside. We gathered in her living room, and she began to tell us about the community we would be working for throughout the day. Brightmoor, she said, was virtually abandoned—over 60% of the homes in the neighborhood are completely abandoned. These homes are privately owned, or owned by the city, county, or state. Many of them have back taxes and have been gutted by vandals for copper, furniture, and other valuable fixtures. We later learned that you can purchase a home in this neighborhood for $5000-$10000, and that down payments to rent are nonexistent. These homes stand vacant until they are boarded up, set on fire, or—best case scenario—the city tears them down. Ms. Reit is currently working toward rehabilitating the empty lots, making them into community gardens or pocket parks that can be utilized by the locals.

We would be working on a garden plot that is mostly used by children in the community, who help to plant and cultivate the land and then sell the crops for profit. Many times, this money goes toward helping maintain their families. Ms. Reit split us up into three groups. Three of us helped to dig out and sift the compost pile to use as topsoil for the beds, three went to create a new tomato garden, and six began to clean out the twenty three raised garden beds.

Our first four hours were spent digging, sifting, and plowing—preparing the garden so that the children can have a good starting point for the season. Ms. Reit is going to be working with twelve 8-12 year olds this harvesting season. They are all neighborhood children who, because of this program, will have the opportunity to learn work ethic and other transferable work skills—and hopefully turn a small profit to give back to their struggling families.

For lunch, Ms. Reit decided to bring us to a pocket park in the neighborhood. On our way there, she explained the various issues facing the community. She touched on battles with the city over back-taxes, struggles with apathetic neighbors, and she pointed out crime that the community faces on a daily basis. However, she also focused on the positive developments they have made, such as their largest community garden plot which has its own self-sustaining irrigation system built by children in the neighborhood with the guidance of her husband.

Some differences can be made by just one person. Ms. Riet is a remarkably positive influence whose dedication to her community is making a noticeable difference. She knows a phenomenal amount about the neighborhood, and told us some statistics to put the work of Brightmoor in perspective. All of the students who continue to work in her gardens also still attend to high school—they, however, are part of a minority as only 60% of high school aged people in the community actually attend high school. While Ms. Reit can make an incredible difference, staying in high school is not easy. Students must take two public buses that pick up on the same corner where many prostitutes work. This means that girls attempting to get an education must put up with being heckled at 5:30 in the morning while waiting at the bus stop. Ms. Reit will continue to work to change this, and we hope that our one day of work made a difference, however small.

After lunch, we went back to our tasks for the afternoon. With aching muscles and exhausted hands, at the end of the day we were able to see cleaned and top-soiled garden plots, a brand new tomato patch, and a sifted and turned compost pile. The garden is now ready for the children to begin their work!

Memphis - Children/Health

2011-03-29T22:05:00.002-05:00

See the previous post for our beautiful shining faces atop the Peabody
Hotel! But besides that --

Today was our first full day of volunteering at Le Bonheur Children's
Hospital. Everyone switched duties today and experienced something
new. Alyssa got the chance to shadow a doctor in the ER. It was a
learning experience for someone who wants to go into the medical field
-- she saw a few broken ankles and a case of Hydrocephalus (google
it). Tomorrow Joe M. will get the chance to shadow a doctor too!

For me (Kristin), today meant a shift of baby hugging which like I
said a few posts ago is exactly what it sounds like! I held a baby for
the very first time and I have to say I was a bit nervous I would do
something wrong! After a quick tutorial from a friendly nurse, I held
two babies, read to them and managed to not get pooed on
(unfortunately I can't say the same for Madeline). A few of us also
got the chance to do some research on medical disorders to add to the
hospital's resource library for parents looking for more information
on their child's newly diagnosed condition. Other ASBers served hot
chocolate and coffee to parents and patients in their hospital rooms,
made welcome bags for new patients and their families.

After a long day of volunteering and duck-watching at the Peabody
Hotel (long story), we gathered in the lounge of the retreat center to
learn some sweet dance movies. If you want to learn how to dougie,
jerk or do the Carlton, find your nearest ASB Memphis member for some
lessons.

Now we're watching YouTube videos to wind down before another day of
doctor shadowing and hospital volunteering!

Memphis - Children/Health

2011-03-29T21:40:00.002-05:00

Here's a shot from our group on top of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis!

Xenia-Service Dawgs

2011-03-29T21:32:00.002-05:00

Greetings loved ones!

We are chuffed to bits to write this blog today. We were exhausted zombies today, but maintained our ASB smiles. Alan, Karlee, Kayla and Rachel held down the fort and took care of the dogs all day. Kayla cleaned some half-diarrhea and had fun rotating dogs outside during morning. In the afternoon, she helped trim nails and play with a puppy. Alan moved all the kennels with his giant-man strength and cleaned behind them. He could touch the ceiling because he is a giant. Rachel wore tie-dye socks today and followed the manager during nail trims and ear cleaning. She can now go home and clean ears herself. WATCH OUT DOGS OF COMO. Then she helped medicate all of the dogs. Karlee fed and bathed dogs. She also watered dogs, dusted and deep cleaned kennels.

Group 1 got to socialize today! We loaded and unloaded a multitude/plethora (this is cumbersome) of dogs. We went to a grocery store, Lowe's, the city hall, the library and the courthouse. In these places, we simulated a variety of experiences the dogs must get used to. We took them into loos, pretended to shop, went up and down stairs and elevators. We even read books, like Chicken Sunday, to the dogs in the library. Y (the socialization head) trusted us to go off on our own today. Jordan almost wept with joy when she saw the children's eyes light up. Stephanie worked with an adorable border collie puppy and fell on the sidewalk in laughter (on her arse) at Casey's funny LOLOLOLOLOL jokes. Casey fell in love with a beautiful golden retriever named Slugger. Overall, we saw dogs making progress from the time we got them out of their kennels until we brought them home.

We took the most amazing nap ever ever ever. Then our amazing friend, Y, gave us the idea of eating La Rosa (or La Posa? La Mosa?) in Beavercreek, OH nearby. We enjoyed pastas, pizza, calzones, salads and cheesesticks.

We are looking forward to sleeping in (in The Lord's Business) and going to Cincinnati tomorrow. Alan loves you, Janet.

Cheerio!!!!!

Niceville-Environment

2011-03-29T18:42:00.001-05:00

Getting There

After getting to know each other for the past few months, there is nothing like a 16 hour car ride to really make a connection with 12 people piled into one van. We left as soon as possible Friday evening and drove to Chelsea's house in Nashville, where we spent the night with the Charleston trip as well. The Tossings are such sweet people, and Chelsea's dog Lanie was the saddest part to leave. I don't think any of us have had someone cry like that before we left somewhere ever before.

The car ride really flew by. We played games like Loaded Questions, Taboo, and sang along to some great mix CDs we all made. Also, Kansas lost to VCU, so we've all been in really high spirits.

Driving through the South was great. We tried to find an authentic Southern restaurant for lunch in Alabam, and ended up in an abandoned barbeque hut that was more than a little sketchy. Truman was in some great pictures on the broken dirty furniture that was strewn all across the back of the restaurant. We ended up at Milo's, a burger chain. It was great, and the vegetarians (our trip has 4!) all had toasted cheese--which apparently is the same thing as a grilled cheese.

Arriving was by far worth the 16 hour ride. Our site is absolutely beautiful and unreal. We are at Camp Timpoochee, which is a 4-H Camp of the University of Florida. THe girls and the boys each get cabins, there is a nice mess hall for our breakfasts and dinners, oh, and we have our own private stretch of beach. No big deal. We haven't been quiet about how great the weather is, either. It has been in the upper 70s the entire time we have been here, which is great considering the snow back home in Columbia!

-Raha Obaei

Hakuna Matata

Waking up was like a dream continued this morning…Warm weather, a quiet stretch of ocean, and most of all grits for breakfast. Today was our community service day here in this beautiful sunny state and we headed out the Muscogee Nation of Florida, an Indian reservation in the small city of Bruce. We started our work organizing the food pantry that has served nearly 110 underserved families in the past month and strategically painting ourselves into the corners of decks. Our next task took us to a sacred 800-year-old cypress pond to clear out brush and popcorn trees, and let me tell you, we whacked it like champs out there. The appreciation we met was absolutely humbling.

Not to rub it in, but kind of to rub it in (sorrrrry Missouri), we spent the rest of the 78 degree afternoon throwing Frisbee in the ocean, eating s'mores on the beach and getting hit on by 12 year olds. But there were 4 of them and 12x4=48 so it's fine.

Some of our goals and expectations for the week:

1. 1. Good, honest work.

2. 2. Making a lasting impact

3. 3. Serving in silence

4. 4. Play mind games with Tim because its hilarious when he's mad

5. 5. To realize that our lives are not the only thing going on

6. 6. Make a fire in under 2 hours

7. 7. Recognize little things that have a big impact

8. 8. Make pigs fly.

-Chelsea Tossing

That's Where We Used To Watch The Strobelights

Doing work is a tricky thing. As college students, despite full resumes all around, it can be hard to delineate where we've come from, what we've accomplished. We wake up and plan, study, meet, strategize, team-build, write, work out. We juggle a lot of tasks, keeping multiple balls in the air at any given time. Still, when we go to bed and look back, it can be hard to wonder if anything we did today truly left a mark. By what record could we see that we had been there, that we had made a difference?

Today, our work made a difference. Today, our work left a mark. There is something distinctly poetic about working all day and getting something done. When you can just put your head down and go for a solid day, then look up and see the tangible results of your sweat and your effort, that's a beautiful thing, and something we don't get to do very often.

Our role today was clearing out an abandoned wastewater treatment plant that has been designated for an experimental water treatment program. The plant, abandoned for decades, had significant brush built up around it. Branch by arduous branch, we cleared it out. We severed vines, felled large trees, and had a good time doing it.

Our group was unfailingly supportive and enthusiastic in the face of the difficult tasks, which was incredible to experience. Despite the fact that this was not exactly what we had expected from our trip, and being something not precisely aligned with the strengths of our particular group, it was something we resolved to do to the absolute utmost of our ability. A lot of us faced the realization today that our tasks during the week would be distinctly different from what we had expected, but our excitement at the opportunity to throw our collective backs into a cause bigger than ourselves has not waned.

For me personally, this trip has put me closer in touch with myself than I've been in a long time. Putting myself behind a task and pushing until I can't push anymore, and seeing the results of my efforts pile up higher and higher has been truly relaxing and therapeutic. Putting in a hard day's work and then standing back and taking it in has a lyricism all its own.

This trip has also been very thought-provoking for me. There's just so much in this world, in every single little pocket of it, that I don't know and don't have experience with—Niceville included. This chance to stimulate myself—physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—is something I don't take for granted.

Today, every laborious and minute of it, leaves more excited for tomorrow, for another chance to leave my mark on Niceville.

-Ryan Bueckendorf

Charleston - Children with Special Needs

2011-03-29T18:28:00.003-05:00

Dear ASB Charleston friends and family,

THE SUN CAME OUT TODAY!!!!!!!!!

Today we started our day off waking up at 5:45 in the morning, more commonly know as the crack of dawn. After sleeping in chilly weather (47 degrees) we were quite sluggish at waking up, but we needed to get to work with the Area 6 Special Olympics Track Meet. After a hour and half trip across the City of Charleston, a stop at Dunkin’ Donuts, and a quick trip to Walmart, we were ready to work this event.

Upon arriving we met up with Suzie, our event coordinator , and made the course for the young athletes events. Young athletes included children between the ages of three and seven. We set up various obstacles such as a balance beam, soccer kick, bean bag toss, and more.

Before opening ceremony we talked with Suzie about the Special Olympics Program. The organization started in the 1960’s with the first track meet in Chicago with one thousand athletes. Today the Special Olympics is in multiple countries and has a whole lot more than a thousand athletes. What was really amazing about the Special Olympics is that it is more than just sports events; at Special Olympic events there are health screenings as well. Suzie told us that this has helped many athletes with problems that their parents were unaware of like needing glasses, proper footwear, and dental care. We found it amazing that the organization really focuses on the overall health of their athletes. One thing that really stuck out was that Suzie informed us that these athletes were to be referred to as people with an intellectual disability. She explained the reasoning behind this; these athletes do no want to be defined by the disabilities in which they are faced with everyday. After this discussion we started the games!

We attempted to coordinate ourselves in attempt to give 75 young athletes the best time we possibly could. After about an hour and a half or so of running the activities; we spent the rest of our time handing out lunches to other volunteers, sweating and dancing in Olympic Town with the athletes, and giving our contact information to strangers. Post-games we began our expedition back to the campsite in Edisto Beach.

Our first plan of action at camp was to acquire hygiene, considering most of us had not showered in a couple days. But before that, a few members of the gang decided swimming in the ocean would be a terrific idea. Upon entering the icy waters that have claimed many-a-sailor; many regrets were had.

After a quick stop at the local Piggly-Wiggly to grab groceries and fire wood, (all the wood on the ground is saturated) we then started our Iron Chef-esque preparing techniques of all the bell peppers, onions, and chicken noms that would end up in our bellies. A little improvising and a lot of burned digits later, we were fat and happy. But not nearly fat enough as the crew ventured out for frozen dairy delights.

Right now we are at the gas station where we just got ice cream. We are about to go back to the campsite to make friendship bracelets (because we’re a big happy family and we love one another!) and since we’re on spring break (aka not dieting) we’re making S’MORES! Tomorrow we are waking up super early and doing adaptive gardening as well as meeting up with some College of Charleston students. Stay tuned for more updates! :-)

Love,
The CharleSTUNNERS.

Congaree- Environment

2011-03-29T18:07:00.002-05:00

Hello from Congaree National Park! Today, we discovered that the sun does indeed shine in South Carolina. We took advantage of the great weather by helping the park rangers remove a deteriorating cabin. It was a challenging task, but we completely filled the bus-sized dumpster!

Yesterday, was another long day filled with park intro videos and other volunteer training. We also helped remove several evasive species from the park and cleared a fallen tree that was blocking the an important park road.

We spent Saturday exploring Charleston's famous French Quarter, checking out the city market, and enjoying some fresh seafood. Sunday morning, we relaxed on the beach before heading to the National Park where the rangers have really made us feel at home.

The weather has been very bipolar, but unfortunately, Missouri has prepared us well for this. We've experienced a few setbacks, but our group has really grown together and things couldn't be better in Congaree! Hopefully we'll be able to find cell service again soon!

Colorado- Environment

2011-03-29T17:45:00.002-05:00

March 29, 2011

Another tiring day out in Colorado. This morning we went with Kathy Hayes to Mud Spring. Mud Springs is Bureau of Land Management property. There is a really nice trail, but unfortunately it's not clearly defined. Part of the trail is for motorized vehicles, but the majority of it is for hikers, mountain bikers, and horsemen. It was our job today to mark the trail. We built rock caverns and dragged logs along the path. I'd say we did a pretty good job! Kathy took us down to some Native American ruins. Everywhere you stepped you could find pottery shards. It was really neat to be able to touch history like that. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any arrow heads. On the walk back, Christine and Jake found an elk carcass. Apparently, elk's have two ivory teeth. They were brave enough to pull them out and take them home. Trevor wanted to make sure the prairie dogs were mentioned. We went to Sonic after all of our work and saw them just hanging out. We will probably blog more later tonight. We still have adventure club, making dinner, and sleeping in the tipi! We stay busy out here! We have had some requests for pictures, but unfortunately no one brought their USB cord. We'll try to figure something out!

Murphy- Environment

2011-03-29T16:52:00.002-05:00

3/28/11

This morning, we groggily woke up to rain, and were extremely pleased when Cole announced that we would be starting later than scheduled. Rather than rushing out the door, most of us enjoyed a leisurely breakfast while some others (Max) went right back to bed. The rest of us eventually headed down to the basement for a communal nap, which involved much more laughing and talking than sleeping, although some people did catch a few winks. By 11am, we headed to the HRWC office to begin our first day of work. On the way there, we jammed out to Celene Dione, Journey, and Queen. We arrived at the office and were treated to a delicious pizza lunch provided by the gracious volunteers at HRWC. We were especially amused with the dessert pizza. We also met a retired from Atlanta who was excited to meet future journalists in our group and enjoyed talking to all of us. After we were full of pizza, we were finally ready to get to work.

When we got to our sight, we parked our white van and then waded through a field of cow pies (and real cows!) towards the river. Tony, our project director, informed us that we had to cross to the other side. We were stuck with a predicament: how to cross the river. Even Tony was puzzeled with the correct way to cross. The water was cold and rushing quickly, and we estimated that it was about 5 ft. deep and 15 ft. wide. Tony decided to drive his jeep across. We were skeptical of his plan, but to our surprise, he made it safely to the other side. But, the rest of us were still stuck on the opposite side of the bank. Andy manned up and decided to roll up his pants, take off his shoes and walk across. Soon, the rest of us followed, but Laura and Teddy decided to venture further down the bank to find an easier way to cross. Before long, Laura decided to wade through in her boots. In shear panic, she proceeded to scream "Teddy! Where are you?!" Adriana and Sarah were quite amused at this to say the least. But, they figured that since they didn't see Teddy floating downstream, she must be safe. Max and Laura came to the rescue, and Teddy waded across.

Now that we were all across the river, we went to work on the far side of the bank, pulling out invasive plants. It didn't take long for us to identify our challenge: Japanese Honeysuckle, a long vine-y plant that wraps itself around trees, girdling them and essentially suffocating. Eventually, this kills the trees, and prevents their roots from stabilizing the bank. Without trees along the bank, it will erode, bringing an excess of sediment which throws of the balance of the eco-system and clogs treatment plants. We worked aggressively for several hours, attempting to battle the honeysuckle. (As benign as this sounds, honeysuckle is extremely monstrous!) A lot of the honeysuckle was tangled within trees and thorny bushes, and we had to attempt to remove it without killing the native plants. We also sprayed the roots of the honeysuckle and other invasive plants with a chemical that keeps them from growing back. We were appalled to see that the vines had left giant imprinted scars on the trees, and we felt victorious for saving the trees from near suffocation. We also had a little scare with dried, dormant poison-ivy, but luckily, no one has developed a rash (YET…) Although the work was tedious, we kept ourselves amused by singing Cee Lo Green. We had fun talking to Tony, and he taught us more about the invasive plants as we worked. As we were leaving, Cole and some trouble taking the E-break off, which was frustrating to Max—"It's like you've never driven a car before!!!!"

When we got back to "The Lake House" after working, we were tired but ready to relax and enjoy the beautiful evening. We spent some time outside playing Frisbee, skipping rocks, taking a walk around the lake, enjoying the gorgeous landscape, and walking the labrinth that we found. Half of us cooked dinner, and we all sat down at the round "conference table" and enjoyed a cute little dinner of chicken, grilled cheese, salad, and lemonade. At dinner, Sarah and Laura had a competition to see how long they could hold their hands above their heads. (although they are denying it now.) That's about it for today! We are eating some delicious ice cream and plan to play some games before hitting the hay for tonight.

Eagle Butte - Habitat

2011-03-29T11:31:00.006-05:00

Monday, March 28 (Day 4)

This morning we planned to head over the house at 8:30 a.m. – except the blizzard got in the way. We postponed our trip and ate more bagels, or just crawled back into bed. Once it was time for us to head to our project site, we were ready to get to work. The house was built in 1994, and Jimmy Carter himself built the front porch. But the roof of the house caved in the following year because of nonstop blizzards. The roof was fixed, of course, but the house has been in need of some help for a while now. An interesting fact is that Cheryl, the woman whose house we are working on, has earned this project because she saved $1,000, then earned a bank loan for another $1,000, and finally earned a grant from Habitat for Humanity for $1,000. All of this money is funding the refurbishment of her house.
We started the project by moving out all the furniture in the living room, and then we started tearing out the molding from the walls. We pulled the carpet up off the floor, replaced the stairs leading down to the basement, and replaced the toilet in the bathroom too. Our big project for the day was scraping the plaster off the ceiling (and turning our heads and clothing white in the process). We also played with the pack of neighborhood dogs who stayed outside in the snow watching us with huge goo-goo eyes. One of them later jumped in our van, and we were sad that we couldn’t take him home. The day flew by, and although we made a lot of progress, we know we have a long way to go. The week will be over before we know it, but we’re excited to see how the house turns out for the family, and to see what we learn in the process.

Eagle Butte - Habitat

2011-03-29T11:31:00.004-05:00

DAY THREE - Sunday, March 27
Although we planned to make our Sunday “free day” a trip to Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument, the snow made the roads a little precarious, so we decided it was a no go. Instead, we decided to spend the day exploring the South Dakota state capitol – Pierre! (Mystery of the trip: is it pronounced Pierre like the French name, or Pier like by the ocean? The locals in one of the gas stations thought it was the latter.) And the adventures commenced! Well, we drove into town and realized that nothing was open. Why? It’s Sunday. The Pawn Shop wasn’t even open. We talked to a guy in the hobby shop (which was the only store open) who suggested we check out the dam.
The dam was one of the coolest things we’ve found in South Dakota so far. There were just piles and piles of rocks leading down to the shores of Lake Oahe. Everything was misty and gray, and we all basically hop-scotched down the rocks to get to the water. Then we took pictures like tourists and ran back to the van because our faces were getting wind-burned.
Then we had a bit of a mischievous adventure: we turned the state capitol building into our personal playground. Sliding down the banisters, playing the piano, imitating statues, crashing the Senate and House galleries, exploring the fancy bathrooms – we did it all and we didn’t get caught because the building was more or less vacant. Also, on our self-guided pamphlet tour, we learned that Pierre was chosen as the state capitol because it is in the middle of the state. You can’t argue with that logic.
We had quite a bit of time to kill for the rest of the day, so we decided to take in a movie: “The Adjustment Bureau.” There were mixed opinions about the film, particularly regarding how Matt Damon looked in a fedora.
Back at the house, we all worked as a team to make breakfast for dinner – BRINNER! Basically, the most delicious meal in the world. Special thanks to Angela for the yummy hashbrowns, and to Luke for the buttery pancakes, which were only occasionally misshaped.
That was about it for the day. We went to bed early and prepared for our real work to start the next morning.

Eagle Butte - Habitat

2011-03-29T11:31:00.001-05:00

DAY TWO - Saturday, March 26
Jen woke us up at 6:30 a.m. in the kindest way possible: she blasted “Friday” by Rebecca Black from her phone. It didn’t take us long to get up after that. We were on a strict timeline for the day, so we all rolled up our sleeping bags and tossed our stuff back into the van. We made a pit stop for coffee on our way out of town (and took a few wrong turns) and set off for the day. The events in the car were much like yesterday: talk, sleep, repeat.
We were scheduled to arrive in Eagle Butte around 3:00 that day, but things didn’t go quite as planned. A few of our stops took a bit longer than expected, particularly our stop for lunch in Guadalajara, which is the 4th most popular restaurant in Pierre, SD, according to Jessica’s Google search. After we stuffed our faces with Mexican food, we embarked on the last hour and a half leg of our trip, which would take us to Eagle Butte. The weather worsened at that point. Out our windows, we could make out rolling brown hills through the snow and wind. We reached the bridge that crosses Lake Oahe. The lake was half-frozen, patched with chunks of ice, and there was a white snowy mist hanging over the water. We were surrounded in white.
When we finally made it to Eagle Butte, it was about 5:00. We met John, the former acting director for Habitat for Humanity, at a gas station, and he took us to the house we would be staying in for the week. The house is small but there’s more than enough room for everyone, with around 10 bunk beds lined up among the three sleeping quarters. We have a screened-in porch (The Porch of Solitude) that would be perfect to hang out in during warmer weather, but is less than ideal during a snowstorm. Our favorite parts about the house are the decorations. Past volunteers for Habitat have covered three walls in torn-out coloring book pages written with funny captions. We’re planning on adding a few coloring pages of or own to the collection.
After we settled in, we went to the grocery store, Lakota Thrifty Mart, and gathered up some sustenance for the week. For dinner we cooked up some frozen pizzas in the oven, despite the fact that as we were putting them in a billow of smoke came out. They were quite tasty. After that we went to bed and dreamed sweet dreams in our sleeping bags.

Eagle Butte - Habitat

2011-03-29T11:30:00.001-05:00

DAY ONE - Friday, March 25
Around 5:30, we all met at the top of Virginia Avenue Parking Garage with the vans to pack up and hit the road. Unfortunately, the elevators were broken, which meant we all had to climb up at least 5 flights of stairs while lugging backpacks, duffel bags, and sleeping bags. After that feat of physical endurance, we strategically piled all our stuff in the trunks, put on some sweet road trip tunes, and made our way out of town.
Two hours into our trip we stopped in northern Kansas City (my hometown) at a little local diner called Hayes. Hayes had all the ingredients of an excellent diner: it was open 24 hours, had dirt-cheap food, and had just enough shady people eating there to feel authentic. We ordered miniature hamburgers covered in grease, grilled cheese, breakfast for dinner, fries, strawberry malts, pie, and ... fried cauliflower, a Hayes specialty. (My parents made a guest appearance at the diner, too, and my dad may or may not have Tweeted about it.)
From there, it was about a four-hour drive to Bellevue, Nebraska. In the vans, we passed the time by sleeping, playing Desert Island, jamming out to our Eagle Butte playlists, or just talking. Once we were in Bellevue, it took us a little time to find the church we planned to stay in, but we eventually made it. We spread out our sleeping bags on the floor and went to bed.

New Orleans - Homeless Animals

2011-03-29T08:09:00.003-05:00

March 28

Good evening from new number 11 (aka Jayme).

We all got up, ate breakfast and climbed in the van at 9 a.m. to go to our first day volunteering at Animal Rescue New Orleans. After about fifteen minutes and a particularly terrifying trip to the round-a-bout in the sky, we arrived almost thirty minutes early to the shelter. The regular volunteers put us to work right away with most of us (Becca, Audrey, Stephanie, Nikki, Micha, Mariah, Myself, Emmie, Mollie and Kourtney) walking dogs and cleaning their kennels and the other two (Eliot and Tori) taking care of the cats. While this seemingly would have taken the three volunteers well into the afternoon to walk the more than forty dogs and take care of the thirty cats, it only took us until 2:00 p.m.

All morning, the dogs in the Isolated Care Area had been staring and begging and barking at us. They wanted attention and I was determined to give it to them by the end of our day. When we were done with most of the odd jobs that they had left for us, one of the volunteers, Kendra, gave Becca and me permission to help her clean their cages by taking them out and playing with them across the street.

The most playful puppy by far was also the worst one to get attached to. Patti Cake, a small black puppy, has scabies. Now, I had been eyeing little Patti Cake all day and even though my roommate battled the itchy-scratchy, miserable infection, Patti Cake need some love too. So, I donned a long sleeve t-shirt and gloves and took her out anyway. My scabies status is pending. (On the way back to our bunkhouse, I sat on a trash bag in front seat isolation).

Since we were done at the shelter early, we decided to go down and check out Magazine Street. Even though we split up into groups, we all went to the same places. There were cool vintage shops and ridiculously expensive boutiques. I think we all found at least one thing to cart home with us though. We all met up at an AWESOME sweet shop called Sucré that had incredibly overpriced, but delicious and fancy looking, desserts and chocolates.

Most of us abstained because we knew we were going to a place called The Creole Creamery, which is basically the NOLA version of Sparky's. IT WAS SO WORTH IT. Creole Cream Cheese Ice Cream. 'Nuff said.

After ice cream, we went and had many adventures at Tulane University. We knocked out a few Scav Hunt photos and embarrassed ourselves by forgetting that, in most cities, you can't just walk into traffic when you want to cross the street.

All in all, it was a successful day. Fo reals.

Love Jayme

P.S. We have a house cat named NOLA who likes to snuggle. He also likes to sneak in the house and hide so that we can't kick him out. He's clever. We may or may not bring a cat home to Columbia. No promises.

Felton - Children and Health

2011-03-28T23:24:00.001-05:00

Flaming Feces

Day 1 at the site: Success! We arrived at Riding on Angels Wings to conquer a variety of tasks- we cleaned a layer of dirt off of, what seemed like, everything on the farm before we enjoyed some slush burgers for lunch and were promoted to "barn work". The owner, Betty, instructed the volunteer coordinator, (another) Hannah, to keep us busy all afternoon. Hannah kept her promise.

Our barn work included dumping hay out of the hay loft, mucking stalls, digging a trench out of frozen horse poop and wheel-barrowing many trips of stinky straw out of the barn and into a huge pile. To top it off, we lit the whole pile on fire. The farm took on a whole new scent. Ten of us cleaned ten stalls in two hours but Hannah said she does that once a week and it only takes her 4 hours all on her own. She is the strongest person we've ever met- our idol. While cleaning out the stalls, the horses began to wander over and we got to groom a few horses. It may have been 25 degrees, but it felt great to be working out in the sunshine. However, the sunshine is not good for the floods. We pass Buffalo River on our route to Riding on Angels Wings and the water is definitely higher than it should be but we are keeping an eye on it.

We ended the day with a training that prepares us to work with the riders tomorrow. The training was comprised of students from different colleges around the area and it was really cool to get to talk to them. We learned: Yes, it is always this cold; A common college spring break trip is a service trip just like our ASB trip; It is a lot easier to get stuck in the mud than one may have expected!

Monday was productive- we are all tired, sore, and have an interesting odor. Most importantly, we can't wait to get back to ROAW tomorrow to work with the kids!

Today's Collective High: A lot accomplished on the farm

Today's Collective Low: Car Troubles… Keys Locked in car, Stuck in the Mud, Met a Nice Man with a Badge and a Uniform.

Check in tomorrow for the stories that are to come!

Knoxville - Habitat

2011-03-28T23:01:00.001-05:00

Day 2, Sunday, March 27th

Sunday was our free day. We started the day bright and early at 10:00 a.m. We went to McDonald's to find activities we could enjoy for the day, and headed for nearby towns Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Much to our surprise, Pigeon Forge was the equivalent of the South's 'Small Vegas' (Branson), with mini-golf and go-karts as far as the eye could see. If you're looking for anything extraordinarily large, anything 'As Seen on TV', or anything exotic (animals), Pigeon Forge had it. We stopped in Gatlinburg, similar to a small Colorado mountain town, to eat and kill time exploring. We ate at a ski-lodge setup Mountain Grill restaurant with all sorts of slope favorites to offer. We then stumbled across a running ski-lift that took us up a mountain to 'Gatlinburg's Best Lookout!', only to find that the top of the mountain was called a smoky mountain for a reason. Dense fog impaired our view, but the ride up/down the mountain was still very enjoyable (for most). After a short but memorable hike to an AMAZING waterfall, we decided to head home with enough time to play Scattergories and still get to bed on time for an early morning.

More to come soon.... ASB Knoxville

Xenia - Service Dogs

2011-03-28T22:50:00.002-05:00

Monday, March 28:

Today the group had to get up early to make it to 4 Paws for Ability by 8 AM. Everyone woke up around 7 AM and had breakfast which consisted of food that we bought last night at Walmart (bagles, pop-tarts, coffee, etc.). The morning started off rather cool, but the sun was out. Once we got to our site, the group split up in to two group of four. Jordan, Stephanie, Casey and Bridget were in Group 1 and Alan, Kayla, Rachel and Karlee were in Group 2.

Group 1 spent the day working exclusively at 4 Paws. Each participant was paired up with a staff member at 4 Paws who showed them exactly what to do and how to do it. Everyone in our group especially noticed how welcoming the staff was today and enjoyed spending time with them. The staff genuinely cared for each and every dog at the facility and had its interest at heart. The chores that Group 1 completed today ranged from mopping the floors, cleaning kennels, clipping nails, cleaning out dogs' ears, feeding dogs and taking them out to run. Stephanie particularly enjoyed learning how to restrain the dogs in order for Bridget to clip their nails. The greatest part of Group 1's experience today was realizing that they help 4 Paws complete several tasks that they wouldn't normally be able to complete with the regular staff numbers. Volunteering our time helped ease the work load for 4 Paws tremendously.

Group 2 spent the day socializing the dogs. This task involves taking dogs out to local stores and observing how they react to different situations. Because these dogs are going to eventually be working as service dogs, they need to be prepared for any and all situations. Everyone in Group 2 really enjoyed heading to Elm Croft Nursing Home this morning with four Papillons (a dog breed). The residents at the nursing home LOVED seeing the small dogs and had a great time playing with them. As far as the rewarding experience of socializing the puppies, Kayla writes:

"I especially enjoyed watching how the Border collie puppy named Darwin gained so much confidence with going up and down stairs today. I was also so happy to see him be separated from his brother Blaster for a little bit and not be extremely upset about it. Seeing Darwin grow like this was the most special part of my day."

At the end of our day at 4 Paws, a number of us were allowed to exercise a few dogs that don't necessarily get to go outside as much as others because they are not part of the service dog training program. We were all glad that we could play a part in making the lives of these dogs better, if only just for today.

Once our day was over at 4 Paws, we headed to Beavercreek (a suburb of Dayton) to grab something for dinner. Several of the staff members had suggested we check out a local burger joint, EO Burgers. After dinner there, we headed to The Cheesecake for some dessert. The day was long and strenuous, but definitely worth every minute. We all had a great time and plan on switching tasks tomorrow.

Love from Xenia,

Stephanie Wood, Bridget Harvey, Casey Peetz, Kayla Flamm, Alan Keller, Rachel Higgins, Karlee Trankler and Jordan Duft

Pittsboro-Tigers

2011-03-28T21:50:00.002-05:00

Good morning tigers!

Rules of The Day:
1. Lose a tool and/or pet a tiger=lose eyes (or worse)
2. You don't have to be faster than the tiger you only have to be
faster than the slowest runner
3. If you're not the fastest runner find them and kick them down
4. Don't trust pizza crust crispers that come with 3.99 Walmart pizza-
it will result in a decent amount of smoke coming out of the oven
5. The three biggest fears are snakes, dying, and never finding love
6. There is no such thing as too much chocolate
7. Don't stand behind a cat with its tail straight up
8. If you fall in a "vat of chicken goo" you may take a shower
9. If the steering or brakes go out just throw the car into park. It's
better to pick up engine pieces than clean blood out of the interior.
10. Meow

We spent our morning in an attic moving boxes assembly line style.
Hello dustbunnies. Question of the day. Did you go on a safari? DIDNT
THINK SO. WE DID. After orientation we took a tour of all the big cats
on the premise. Our furry friends rolled around and roared for us all
day. Lions and tigers and ocelots OH MY! Despite their claws they
still looked cuddly enough to pet. We were reminded numerous times
that if we came too close we would get kitty clawed. While we were
moving a giant log that was quite obviously A.) Not in the way and B.)
Not going to move we saw a tiny mouse creeping out of the inside of
the log. Note: cuteness factor of the day already reached. SURPRISE
there's more. This mouse crawled out with about 10 baby mice clinging
to her as she skittered away. So we know you're wondering...are these
people actually doing any volunteer work? The second half of the day
consisted of repairing the electric security fence that keeps the
kitties from escaping the premise. This included cutting down 12 foot
rusty poles with a power saw (a learning experience) and tying the
fence to new, non-rusty poles. We then made our way back to our little
hideaway in the forest and had dinner. Frozen pizza fail. Ready for a
good night's sleep and a sunny day tomorrow at the tiger rescue.

Peace out.

Tigers

Colorado- Environment

2011-03-28T21:48:00.001-05:00

March 27

WE ARE ALIVE. So this trip is NOT real. Seriously. And Bobby is beautiful. Stay tuned…(from Bobby) We have given ourselves nick names. They are as follows:

The Van: Rebecca Black…Duh

Bobby: Finn (it's a nature name)

Rose: Candy Clover

Trevor: Cobra

Erin: Mama Verde

Caitlin: Newton or Tart, your choice

Jake: Friiiiiiday

Ian: Diva Scooper

Christine: China Woman

Kaylan: Mulan

Jillian: Steve.

Erin got hit on by the baby powder smelling Mexican waiter. He made her a rose, and kissed her. It's a legit romance. Christine fell out of the van, she chooses to use the trunk instead of the real door. We all have our Diva moments, so we decided to invest in a tiara for the "Diva of the Moment". Bobby wore it first. But let's start at the beginning.

Some of us decided to wake up early and walk around the grounds. It's amazing how different it is out here. Around 10 we headed to Mesa Verde, which are ancient Native American dwellings in the side of a mountain. The drive was a little scary, mostly for Rose. Yesterday Rose drove into a ditch, so she's had a rough go at it. We tried to go to the Four Corners, but Diva's of the Moment Friiiiday and Mama Verde shopped to long at a gift shop. We have only been here for one full day and it's already chaotic. I don't know how much more we can handle….If you want to hear more about our trip, follow Rose on Twitter @RoseKatherine. She tweets approximately once every 5 seconds.

March 28

Today was our first day of work. And boy did we work hard! We drove down to Disappointment Valley with some members of the San Juan Mountain Association. We split into four groups, and went our separate ways. Each group had a GPS, and we plotted the Tamarisk plants. Tamarisk are foreign plants that were brought over from Asia. These plants grow along the riverbanks and suck up gallons of water. The GPS locations will be used for future volunteers to cut down the plants. This year we were really lucky, and saw tons of the wild horses form the herd down in the valley. They were surprisingly tame and let one group get within 20 yards. After hiking for miles, we went to a BBQ hosted by a local family. Various members of the community were there, and taught us a little more about the land. We also learned a lot about Monopoly. We can give you the details if you really want. These are the things we learned today: We learned that Jillian aka Steve is really good at Junior Monopoly. She's in tournaments. Trevor has the energy of a 5 year old. He literally never stops moving. Jake apparently attracts the sun (he's a little red), to get cell phone service you have to stand in the middle of the road, and one wrong move will end the call. We found out the first monopoly is made in 1934. I think that about covers it. While it was a great day, we are all completely exhausted. Tomorrow night we sleep in the tipi…I'm sure we'll have great stories about that.

Memphis - Children

2011-03-28T20:43:00.002-05:00

Today marks our third day in Memphis and our first day volunteering at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. We arrived Saturday evening after getting slowed down by a snow storm while leaving Missouri but managed to make it just two hours behind schedule! We're staying at the Pilgrim House Retreat Center, where we have triple bunks. It's like being away at camp or back in the dorms for the week!

At the hospital today we had orientation and our first volunteer shifts. Some of us were baby huggers--which is exactly what it sounds like, others took a cart of hot chocolate up and down the hospital halls to serve to patients and families and some of us brought an activity cart to kids. We made princess crowns for a birthday girl and decorated a room of a girl with cerebral palsy, and it was great to see how just showing up brightened up their days.

We're pretty tired but we'll write more tomorrow. Good luck to all the trips!