CSIL Alternative Spring Break (3-16-2013 to 3-21-2013)
Day
1: Grow Memphis
This spring break I decided to do something a little
bit different and participated in a service learning trip to Memphis,
Tennessee. As preparation for the trip,
our group of 15 students read the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”
by Rebecca Skloot. We also met weekly
for five weeks before the trip to better prepare ourselves and better
understand each organization that we were helping.
On Day 1, we did urban gardening at two different
gardens. We tilled, raked, planted trees,
and put up a partial fence. Having a
large group of students allowed everyone to pick the gardening task that they
were most interested in. I helped to install the fence and quickly learned that
it was a little bit more complicated that it looks! The first garden was in the initial development
stage, while the second garden we helped was further along with raised beds and
growing produce. It was inspiring to help
people who do this work on a daily basis and to hear from them how much they
appreciated our help.
Day
2: Hope House
On Day 2, we played with kids at Hope House, which is a day care for children affected by HIV and AIDS. The kids were great and loved having us all there to play with them. Some of the kids had a lot of energy and played basketball while some of the other kids were a little bit quieter and we read to them. It was great to see all the students being really engaged with the kids and seeing some really fun personalities come out. In the afternoon we learned more about HIV and AIDS, followed by a short ice cream break, some yard work, and more playing with the kids. We received an email the next day saying that they kids were asking about us and that they missed playing with us.
Day
3: Friends for Life
On our last day, we helped at Friends for Life,
which is a support organization for persons affected by HIV/AIDS. While there, we helped to make safe sex kits,
stock the food pantry, do yard work, and filing. Due to the lack of funding, they had not done
any filing for almost a year. In one
day, we were able to do 3 months of filing for them which is pretty
incredible. They explained to us that
they especially appreciated us helping with the filing because it allows them to
focus and spend more time with the people they are helping.
As I reflect on my time in Memphis, I most
importantly feel grateful to have met everyone on this trip. It was wonderful
to see everyone jump in at each site and help right away. As a group we were able to accomplish so much
more in a short time than each of us could have done alone. This trip has made
me appreciate all the things I have to be grateful for and has inspired me to
continue to stay involved in my own community.
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