My Alternative Spring Break Journey: Wildflower Preserves and Marshes

On our final day of service, Friday, we visited the North Carolina aquarium to help with outside renovations of a wildflower preserve.

We not only laid down gravel on the pathway, but also pulled out vines that were growing everywhere. Some of the vines, at least the ones growing on the ground, were Japanese Honeysuckle. Other vines included various types of ivies.

We cleaned out vines and weeds from the wildflower preserve

Our site supervisor was a botanist experienced in horticulture, so it was exciting to hear about her work with plants. I enjoyed listening to her speak because you could hear the passion she has for her work and her thirty years of experience working in horticulture.

I learned it is crucial to weed and pull out vines from gardens and wildflower preserves because it helps clear the path for budding flowers. In addition, without vines or weeds, insects have an easier time engaging with the plants. For instance, bees and butterflies have easier times pollinating flowers and helping them blossom. Without weeds and vines, the soil that is necessary for these plants is healthier and cleaner. We can protect the ecosystem by removing harmful weeds and vines from gardens and wildflower preserves on a regular basis.

In the afternoon, we explored a marsh on Jockey's Ridge State Park. Here, it was cool to see the wildlife and seawater animals that live in the lake. Our week's worth of work has resulted in our learning and understanding of how to protect the environment and its wildlife, and I think it was a unique experience to wade into the water and find wildlife we have been learning about every day.

The marsh we explored at Jockey's Ridge State Park

In the marsh, we discovered baby flounder, shrimp, blue crabs, mud crabs, and anchovies. Not only that, but we also saw the impact of our oyster shell bags. As we opened up a bag of oyster shells from last year, we saw how the oyster larvae attached to the shell, and thus, has been growing for the past year. Also, we learned that mud crabs and small shrimp like to live inside the shells as well.

Shells are an important part of wildlife, too

Visiting the marsh reinforced the impact of our work over the past week. For instance, bagged oyster shells are not only important for helping oyster larvae attach and grow, but it is also important for other organisms to thrive. Bagged oyster shells and the marsh are crucial for our food chain. They are environments for various wildlife, and without them, wildlife would be put on harm's way.

In addition, our planet ought to be well-maintained and protected because it is the environment that we live in. People not only benefit from a clean Earth, but animals do as well. Wildlife, mammals, insects, and sea life are all impacted by our actions. The next time we think about throwing garbage out a car window or letting pollutants enter bodies of water, we should think about how these actions will effect the life of an animal.







All photos are my own.

It's the Little Things

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Spring into Volunteering

Happy March! With warmer weather on the horizon and the Spring season just around the corner, remember that volunteering can brighten someone's day! Let this be a motivation to zone out of Winter mode and step into Spring mode.

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How do you show how YOU care?

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IC Spreads Awareness to Hunger Action Month

September is Hunger Action Month and there are several ways to bring attention to both hunger and poverty. Many may decide to host month-long fundraisers in collection of donations to local food banks while others may choose to volunteer at a community soup kitchen. Whatever actions you decide to pursue in working to fight poverty and hunger, every donation (whether it's time, money, or campaigns) makes a difference. By teaching others the art of volunteering and giving back to those who are in need, we can work to combat the social issues rooted within our communities.

Below is an excerpt from an article I wrote for The Ithacan about a local radio host who decided to walk 100 miles around Tompkins County in New York in order to raise money for a food bank that works to stop childhood hunger.

Check out the full story at http://theithacan.org.

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In recognition of September as Hunger Action Month, Ithaca College supported Q103.7 radio host Chris Allinger as he stopped by the college Sept. 12 for the last leg of his 100-mile walk around Tompkins County.

Allinger’s walk, called “Walkin’ the Country,” is an annual event he began in order to raise money for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier’s BackPack Program, which puts food into the backpacks of kids, Allinger said.

“They don’t give kids backpacks; they put food into the backpacks while other kids are at lunch so that nobody knows who gets it,” Allinger said. “And this could be the only food they have in that home for the whole weekend or [during school] holidays.”

For the third year in a row, Allinger said, he walked the county asking for donations from the people he encountered along the way. This year, he said he hopes to have raised more money than last year’s estimated $30,000 total.

“Each year is a little bit different, but it’s been great,” Allinger said. “I asked for $3 from every person I meet, and when we tally up all the money at night, we have fewer dollar bills than we have larger bills. People are generous.”

The college's dining services presented Allinger with a $2,300 check to donate to the BackPack program.

JUMPSTARTing My Way to College

One of my most memorable moments of freshman year at Ithaca College was being a participant of the Jumpstart program that is offered through the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs.

The program, offered for incoming freshmen, allows for students to arrive a week early to campus, settle into their housing assignments, and participate in one of four activity tracks over the course of three days. These tracks, which are designed to help freshmen transition to life at college, provide participants with various activities and exercises revolving around their selected theme. The tracks are Lead-In, ECHO, The GREEN Tour, and Community Plunge.

I decided to join the Community Plunge program because it combines my love for helping others, meeting new people, and exploring a new community.

The girls of my Community Plunge group

One of the many activities through Community Plunge included helping with the local State Theater renovations. Here, my group and I organized the box office, re-painted the stage area, and cleaned up the basement. We then proceeded outside and weeded the alleyways and even managed to work together to paint a large fire escape. That was hard work! 

Here I am sweeping the basement of the State Theater

While standing outside under the blazing hot sun and then bending over to pull out the weeds, I learned that even the smallest and most mundane tasks are a big help to the community. Not only that, but I came to realize that uneventful tasks, such as cleaning and sweeping, can be a whole lot of fun with a group of friends. Tasks undertaken at the State Theater allowed me to appreciate the need to clean, reorganize, and paint because those actions become the stepping stone to a productive and hard-working day.

Another location my group served is the Finger Lakes ReUse Center. The ReUse Center takes used, donated items and refurbishes them to resell to the community. It acts as a thrift store for many pieces of unwanted furniture, hardware, and appliances for many residents of the community. Here, our duty as a team was to sort the store's heaping pile of donated items and then organize them by category so we can help the employees price the items for sale. 

My group working hard at painting the fire escape

Although the tasks of the ReUse Center required us to be tedious, organized, and patient, I learned the true meaning of team work. Since we had to work together to sort items and price them, we got to learn about each others' preferences, interests, and background. Needless to say, it was here that I truly felt we connected and started to adapt to the Ithaca community. We discussed our previous experiences, high school memories, and the excitement of starting our journey as class of 2017 at IC. 

During our time in-between activities and group lunches with the other Community Plunge teams, we got to meet other people and connect with them as well. I would often talk to those around me when many of the teams waited together for the bus that would transport us back to campus. As a result, I was surprised to learn that the Community Plunge program sent so many students to a plethora of locations around town, including local elementary schools and public sites like the library. 

I am happy to have participated in the Jumpstart program because it has allowed me to connect with a diverse group of people and has given me the ability to explore the Ithaca community. Today, I still keep in close contact with those whom I have met through Jumpstart, whether they were a part of my team or not. Community Plunge has helped me meet the people I call my best friends, all of them who were on a different team than I. 

My Community Plunge group after a day's work at the State Theater 

Photo credits: All of the photos are my own and the quote is through http://messages.365greetings.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/teamwork-quotes-image.jpg

Spring Cleaning

Amidst the muggy (and sometimes rainy) summer weather, we often find ourselves sitting inside the house with nothing productive to do. We struggle to find activities that are fun and will keep us cool without spending the extra cash. One of the ways that I started off the hot days in Ithaca is through volunteering at the local YMCA. 

The YMCA is a recreational center for the local citizens of the community. Many cities will have one because the center is fun for all ages and provides an abundance of activities that one can learn from and participate in. A place of learning and for exercise, the YMCA should not be hastily cared for; in fact, a community center such as this ought to be well-maintained so that patrons of the community can have a place to rely on if they want to exercise at a whole new level.

I worked with employees at the Ithaca YMCA during the last Service Saturday of the year. Just in time for the hot weather and for its summer attendees, the center was in the midst of renovating the swimming area. To help, a group of us started off by taking towels and drying off the entire concrete around the swimming pool -- that is, taking towels and drying each and every crack/spot so that painting would be easier. Drying the concrete around the entire pool area was not easy; it took us about an hour or so to finish this first step.

Next, after the concrete was dried, each of us claimed a different section of the pool area and began painting. I paired up with a friend and began painting the base of the side wall. This was a task that was much harder than I thought. As we painted, we had to make sure the we did not splatter paint on the already-painted white area of the wall. To avoid this as much as possible, we took a piece of cardboard paper and held it behind the area we were painting so that the paint would splash on the cardboard rather than the white areas. It required coordination and meticulousness. 

After we finished the base, we moved on to the other side of the pool area and began painting the concrete floor with a roller. As we took turns painting, we found the task to be more strenuous than we imagined; for, it was hot and muggy inside the renovating area and some parts of the floor were difficult to paint without drawing footprints as we moved along. 

Once it was time to head back on the bus, the employees expressed their gratitude towards us and thanked us for our help. I learned a lot about the YMCA and about the importance of lending a helping hand, even for such small tasks at a local center. 

I learned that even though the task of painting and helping to clean up a small community center was tedious, the center benefitted greatly from our help. When I returned to the bus, I realized that my clothes and shoes were splattered with paint stains. However, I was okay with the fact because I knew that the paint marks meant that I had made a difference in Ithaca before returning back home for the summer. Before leaving the YMCA, the employees told us that they could not imagine the time it would have taken to renovate the pool area without our help. A worker told us that Service Saturday was a great opportunity to give back to the community and praised Ithaca College, and its students, for continually helping out in the community. I couldn't agree more. 

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much" ~ Helen Keller

How do you give?

Everyone has the ability to change the lives of others in one way or another. What's your way of giving?

Happy Summer!

Happy Summer volunteering! 

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The Invisible Issue That Blindsides Society

Ithaca College presents opportunities that invite its faculty, students, and community to think critically on an important issue, analyzing the specific conflicts and injustices that are situated within our nation. Tonight, I took advantage of a wonderful presentation about the issue of structural poverty in and around Tompkins County and Ithaca, New York. 

The presentation, "How can we eliminate structural poverty?" focused on the local economic, political, and social structure that the speaker believed was too dependent on waste. I believe that our society today wastes incredibly valuable items that some citizens cannot easily obtain. One of the items, for instance, is food. Whether it's a snack or a meal, many people waste the food on their plate. I think people should take more consideration into the food that we eat and waste because somewhere out in the world, whether it's in a third-world country or in a local city, families and individuals struggle for food. Furthermore, by wasting our food, we are throwing away the hard work of farmers and individuals who spend days and months preparing the food. Without their hard labor and time during the harvest season, we, as consumers, would not have such food to indulge in year after year and season after season. 

Throughout the lecture, the speaker also mentioned the public education system and the workforce to contribute greatly to structural poverty. What many people fail to realize about the public education system in America is that it is an opportunity that should not be taken for granted. Be it the area in which they live, the familial situation they come from, or the education system they fall under, some students do not have the chance to pursue a higher education, such as attend college or a university, even if they wish to. Students who are without these education opportunities and are growing up within the poverty bubble possess a limited opportunity to learn as a result of a lack of resources and stability. Therefore, they are at a great disadvantage when it comes to finding jobs and becoming employed. Their lack of ability to enter the workforce make it nearly impossible for poverty-stricken families to obtain an income, resulting in difficulties supporting their families. 

A major problem since the mid-1960s when President Lyndon B. Johnson's declared the "War on Poverty," the issue of poverty continues to linger in our society. It is definitely an issue that must not be ignored, but rather, an issue that citizens should raise awareness to. Today, with the economy in a recession, poverty continues to grow as many families are put on food stamps and children are denied the basic resources that are needed to pull themselves out of poverty. I believe that poverty is a crucial issue that should have society wondering how to help those in need. One way to work to alleviate the great disparity between the middle and lower classes is to feed into the structural poverty system with abundant resources, capital, and goods; hence, we should attempt to balance the advantages and disadvantages between the wealthy and poor so that everyone can have an equal opportunity to pursue an education and enter the workforce. Other ways to lend a helping hand include donating to a homeless shelter, serving meals at a food bank, sponsoring a family/child, and even spreading awareness on the issue. 

"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion about the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it" ~ Benjamin Franklin

Pay It Forward

It's Spring Break time! Even if you have plans this week, making a difference is easy. Take some time to put a smile on someone's face, especially to those who serve our country. This 8-year-old boy from Ohio shows us the true meaning of honor --- he decided to pay it forward and thank a U.S. soldier.

We support our troops and thank them for all that they do. They deserve our love, respect, and gratitude, so pay it forward! 

Kindness is always bound to make someone's day. It's the smallest acts that make a huge difference! Have a happy Spring Break! 

**Check out Ellen DeGeneres' decision to pay it forward here at http://www.ellentv.com/videos/0_sulp48eg 

"If you have much, give your wealth; if you have little, give your heart" ~ Anonymous

Video credit: http://youtu.be/9FCxuVSkT7k