Name:
Taylor Wade
At Saint Nicholas Monastery we will be helping them
recover and beautify their eleven acre property. Mother Andrea, our contact
with the monastery, told us that since we are nearing the end of the rainy
season that their property is a mess. As a group we will help restore a piece
of the land so that the area will be able to be used during the winter months.
The areas that we will be cleaning up will be the future location of the Bible
Herb Garden that the Saint Nicholas Monastery is planning to build. Also, she
mentioned that we will have the opportunity to collect and process beeswax for
their candle shop. From the way it sounds, Saint Nicholas Monastery is eager
for volunteers to come and help them with their environmental needs, so they
can meet the needs of their members.
Are you working in a group or alone?
I will be working with
two other people from our class, Jeanie Verderese and Makenzie Hanle. We’ve had
classes prior to Colloquium together, and we’ve all worked together well.
Hopefully we will be able to make this project a great one to remember because
we are able to do it as a group.
How does this fit into your schedule?
While we were trying to
decide on the right venue for our group, we all decided that something close to
campus would work best. Since we are all involved with an athletics team we
have busy schedules already, so convenience is important to us. After corresponding
with Mother Andrea from the Saint Nicholas Monastery, she told us that she
would be very flexible with the days and times that we are able to volunteer. This
was a huge deciding factor when narrowing down our possible service learning
venues. She said it was up to us how we complete the hours, all in one day or
spread out over several days which is what she recommended.
How will the service benefit the organization you
serve?
The Saint Nicholas
Monastery is a place specifically organized for women to go to help find their
“sense of place.” It is stated on their website that they are trying to
transform the eleven acres they own into “a place of splendor and spiritual
retreat.” I think Mother Andrea sounded very excited to hear that a group of
college students wanted to volunteer for her, so we are hoping we will
be able to help her achieve her goals of beatifying their property while we are
trying to meet our goals of learning more about the environment and
sustainability.
Will
this service enrich your understanding of the material covered in this class?
How?
Yes, I definitely think
this service learning opportunity will help enrich my understanding of the
material covered in University Colloquium. Personally, I don’t have much
experience working with and around the natural environment. I grew up playing
sports and being active outdoors, but I never really thought about
sustainability and preserving the natural environment. With the activities we
are doing, I will be exposed to the ecological systems in our local area, and I
will be helping to restore them to their natural states. Since it is nearing
the end of the wet season, I will be able to observe some possible issues that
are associated with our local ecosystems. I think this is also a great example
of commitment to community because we are able to support a local group in our
area reach their own objectives. Completing these tasks with fellow class
members will also provide a great avenue to build community within the
classroom and hopefully extend what we are going to learn to our fellow peers.
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