This past Friday and Saturday I spent six hours doing something I don’t usually do: service. On Friday afternoon, about eight other lodgers and I traveled down to the 14th street bridge on the James where we met Ralph White to do some work on a small island situated halfway across the river. Once we got to the island we split up; half of us (myself included) going to paint over some graffiti on one side of the railroad tracks, and half of us going to clean trash out of a homeless camp on the other. The painting took about an hour, and while it looked good when it was done, I cant help but think that we just gave someone a blank canvas on which they can paint new graffiti. In my opinion, the best way to deter graffiti is to put real art on public surfaces, so that vandals will be deterred from leaving their mark and so that everyone has something to look at that is more interesting than concrete.
After painting, we all moved across the tracks to help the others clear away trash from the homeless camp. I was surprised by the general look and feel of the site because apart from a large, crudely made tent and a few small piles of trash, the clearing looked very similar to what one would find at a standard campsite that was geared toward much wealthier individuals. Clearing the trash away was honestly pretty disgusting given the omnipresent smell of beer and urine, and the general dampness of all the discarded items, but it had to be done. In the future, I wonder if it would make sense to leave trash bags or barrels at the camp for the homeless to use, not only so that it becomes easier to carry everything away, but also so that it would become harder to lose bits of trash in the surrounding woods. After two hours, we packed up our tools, carried the few remaining bags of trash and recycling back across the tracks to the mainland, and said goodbye to Ralph White. The experience, despite the fact that it only lasted two and a half hours, was definitely unique and definitely worthwhile. It’s nice to know that I was able to do something that directly improved the health of the river and that I am doing what I can to better the park for everyone to enjoy, one small step at a time.
Saturday started bright and early (by college student standards at least) as we travelled downtown to help out at the William Byrd Community House’s farm. The work I did that day (mostly weeding, mulching and repairing a gravel driveway) was certainly different than the work from the day before, but it was no less rewarding. From what we learned from the volunteer coordinator and from what I read online, the William Byrd Community House plays a vital role in the community and I am glad we were able to help in a small way to make things run more smoothly. The small garden that we were working on is definitely in its beginning stages and I hope I will get the chance to come back in a while to see how it has progressed and to see if it has a positive impact on those who come to the house.
Although I do not usually do service work, I have always wanted to make it a regular part of my life. Finding the time to do so, however, has always been difficult and so I am glad that I had to do it for class, simply because it forced me to go out and actually commit to doing something. The two days of service were quite different from one another, but they were both equally rewarding and I am glad I was able to do something to benefit the local community.