Earlier this month, the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity AmeriCorps members embarked on their spring retreat. This trip brought us from Minnesota down to St. Louis, Missouri, followed by Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee.
This retreat brought members into many new communities, presented a diverse group of service activities, and offered chances to explore each new city. To start off, we left Minnesota on a Friday morning in March and arrived in St. Louis later that evening.
On Saturday morning, we gathered at the House of Miles East St. Louis to get our assignment for the day. Many homes in St. Louis were damaged by floods that occurred earlier in the year, so, we were tasked with removing the mold in one of these houses.
After that, we began getting ready for our service project of the day: mold remediation. We cut out the damaged drywall, scraped down every surface that had been submerged, and sprayed them down with fungicide in order to prevent further damage.
On Monday, we left for Nashville and arrived in the evening just in time for dinner. We then got ready for our next service project the following day at Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary. Half of the group left earlier to take a morning hike, and then we all met up in the afternoon to begin our service.
That afternoon, we removed invasive plants and re-laid a walking path that was damaged by armadillos. In between jobs, members were able to soak in the breathtaking views of the sanctuary and appreciate the absence of snow.
The next day, we volunteered with Nashville Diaper Connection. We unpacked and repacked donations in order to prepare them for the community partners for distribution.
Our final stop was Memphis, Tennessee. Upon arrival, we went to the National Civil Rights Museum and shared in an important learning and reflecting experience. Once we were in Memphis, we also stopped by the Memphis Habitat for Humanity affiliate and engaged in discussions about each of our affiliates and how they operate.
The final service activity of our trip was at the Memphis Habitat for Humanity ReStore. We helped sort and move items into the correct areas, as well as answer any questions clients had while we were there. This provided members with the opportunity to directly work with the Memphis HFH Staff and connect with them on a deeper level.
Finally, here are some closing thoughts on the trip from AmeriCorps Member Zach Lee:
"I have enjoyed reflecting on the variety of places and service opportunities we got to experience. The trip was a reminder that there are endless ways to both contribute and undergo personal growth in this world."
If you would like to learn more about our favorite things to do in each city, you can click the links below:
St. Louis - The City Museum, St Louis Aquarium
Nashville - Johnny Cash Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame
Memphis - National Civil Rights Museum
Consider joining AmeriCorps for the summer - Summer AmeriCorps positions are now open!