In this crazy program we signed up for, Martin Luther King Day is designated as “a day on, NOT a day off.” When you’re working as hard as we do out in the forest, the last thing I wanted was to give up my earned government holiday. Oh well. I was dragged two hours down the hill to Prescott to volunteer with the Vista branch of AmeriCorps at their Day of Service. There were many project sites to pick from and I ended up working at a youth home refurnishing kitchen cabinets. My teammates went out to different locations, so it was just myself with a crew of people that I did not know. To my great surprise, I ended up having a wonderful day. The event was kicked off with a few keynote speakers who shared their experiences about growing up in a segregated nation. After the introductory remarks, I headed to Turning Points Youth Inn. Here, I put some of my handy skills, like sanding and painting, to work. Quickly, people were looking to me as the point person on the project. It felt great to be able to put my leadership skills into action. At the end of the day, all the kitchen cabinets and drawers had a fresh coat of new paint on them and I had a couple new friends. I don’t think I could have spent my time in a better way that day. My teammates had equally good experiences and all the sponsors we worked with that day invited us back. It’s a great feeling to be appreciated and needed. I think I will try to spend all my MLK days like this. 
-Stef
No comments:
Post a Comment