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Nashville

  • May 16, 2019
  • 5 min read

Updated: May 20, 2019

Yee-haw! In May of 2019, members in the second-year cohort of CLDP and I took a service trip to Nashville for a whole week. We volunteered for five different organizations in the area, all of which tackle different issues ranging from homelessness and hunger to park recreation and access to healthcare. This was not only my first service trip, but it is where I learned how to grow from being a volunteer to an active citizen.



Thursday, May 9th


Day one of serving baby! Project C.U.R.E was our first stop, an organization that "identifies, solicits, collects, sorts and distributes medical supplies and services according to the imperative needs of the world" (Project C.U.R.E. Mission). Our goal? To do exactly that. From finding twenty-four full-on hospital beds, to sorting hundreds of medical tools, we were able to ship out medical supplies to a Nigerian health clinic in need. Every item had either been used or was deemed unfit for an American hospital. Instead of simply tossing the supplies aside, certain hospitals decided to donate them to Project C.U.R.E.. My gratitude for living in a nation which can afford to throw away older (or even perfectly usable and untouched) items grew three times its size that day. I saw how lucky I am to be able to choose, or to have doctors that choose, the particular type of medical products used on my unique and completely individual body. The people in Nigeria do not have the luxuries of knowing what brands come their way or the types of conditions these materials are in; however, they will use them anyway.


Next, we headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame. I have never been a huge fan of country music, and I can name only a few songs. But, after touring, I gained a deeper appreciation for the genre and its history. And, of course, we had to pose in front of all the murals like the one you see.






Friday, May 10th


This day was full of nature as we served at Radnor Lake Park and visited Cheekwood Botanical Garden. Radnor Lake is not only a public park, but it has an aviary education center where we did most of our work. Barreling and laying out tens, possibly even hundreds of pounds of pebbles meant embracing our inner weightlifter and being comfortable with getting our hands down in the dirt. Once the job was accomplished, the park ranger gave us a guide of the aviary and the magnificent birds it homes and restores. My favorite was a mystical, watching owl. I had previously learned that many minorities do not even think about, let alone have ever stepped in, their state and local parks. Growing up going to countless of them, this fact was new and surprising to me. Walking through Radnor, and especially through Cheekwood, unveiled this truth to me—most visitors were white families or couples. It is vital that we make parks more appealing and accessible to other groups so everyone can enjoy their benefits.




Saturday, May 11th


Serving for Second Harvest Food Bank went by faster than I could blink! We spent two hours in a giant freezer sorting hundreds of food donations for shipment. By the end, we had prepared 6,500 pounds of food to feed over 7,000 people! Hearing these numbers could not have been the more perfect cherry on top of an already rewarding day. While our van pulled out of the food bank, I reflected on the types of products Second Harvest was receiving, thus distributing back out for consumption. Disappointingly, most of it was meat and dessert. For example, for every ten boxes of poultry and desserts I packed, there was about only one box for both fruit and vegetables. This means that, though the people experiencing hunger and accessing these resources are getting calories, there is little variety thus little nutrition in their diet. This is especially so if they are relying on food banks such as Second Harvest for most of their food needs. In the future, I am making it a point to donate as much non-perishable produce as I can versus processed foods. From canned beans to canned vegetables and fruit, a good diet is the basis of good health; something that those already experiencing hunger can't afford to lose.



Sunday, May 12th


Our first stop was Nashville Rescue Mission, an organization lending a helping hand to the homeless, the hungry, and the pained through Christian based approaches. I am a Christian, so I resonate with their belief that growing your relationship with the Lord, understanding his undying and incomparable love, can help one grow in various aspects of their life as well as promote healing. Coincidentally, we came in on

a Sunday, so I was able to take a quick glance at the Sunday service that they provide before lunch. During this service, we were preparing meals in the kitchen. My job—crack eggs. I became a pro. Then, it was time to serve the munchies! I was most surprised by the variety of people who grabbed lunch, people who defied the typical stereotypes of someone experiencing homelessness and/or hunger.


The next stop was Nashville’s Farmers Market to grab our own lunch before hitting up the Tennessee State Museum and the Nashville Public Library. My favorite part was the children’s center and the civil rights center, both located in the public library. We watched Dr. Martin Luther’s “I Have A Dream” speech, and I was fascinated by the extravagant area they had for children. There were classic puppets from all parts of the world and a playground, things which remind me of my time in Germany when I was little.



Monday, May 13th


Though this was our "off" day from serving, I still learned about the importance of recognizing African American history while touring Andrew Jackson's Hermitage as well as gentrification while walking around 12th South. I was intrigued by Andrew Jackson's dedication to preserving his time period. He subscribed to fifteen newspapers and hand bound them into a book for the future reflection and learning of our nation (but it was not very inclusive of slaves). At 12th South, I had the chance to drink free sweet tea given out in Draper James, a boutique owned by Reese Witherspoon. Per usual, there seemed to be a mural on every building.


The day concluded with an Alumni dinner at Fido, which has the best sweet potato french toast! The two Alumni both earned their undergraduate degrees at NC State and are currently studying at Vanderbilt. My conversations with them assured my desire to take on as many different experiences as I can during my time in college, which will only help me to discover my true passions and narrow them down into a potential career. With the plethora of experiences that CLDP grants, I know that I am headed in the right direction!





Tuesday, May 14th


By the end of the week, I could confidently say that our second-year cohort had mastered efficient team work! The Room In The Inn, a non-profit providing services and recuperation to those experiencing homelessness, was our last stop. Not only did we organize their basement full of home, hygienic, crafting, and other supplies in a little over an hour, but we were taken on a thorough tour of the facility and gained a deep insight of their mission. I was particularly impressed by their dedication to creativity and self-expression. They had a room solely for musical jam sessions and another one for the visual arts. As I walked up and down the halls, everything displayed on the walls were original pieces made by individuals using The Room In The Inn's resources. At the end of our trip, the staff sat us down for a brief reflection on the impact we had made as well as how we can approach the issue of homelessness outside their doors, in our personal lives. I left feeling more confident in by ability to understand and assist people experiencing homelessness than ever before, and I hope to share my new knowledge with others.

 
 
 

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