Bluffton University’s student group SERVE hosted a community service trip to Jackson, Kentucky, during spring break. The trip was led by Senior Director of Residence Life and Student Engagement Holly Metzger. Five students attended and were given jobs at various job sites involving painting, insulation, floor installation and more.
Every morning we would gather in the cafeteria to check the job board to see what we would be doing for the day, what vehicle we were taking, who our crew leader was and what cooler to put our lunches in. We would then pack our lunches for the day and then wait for breakfast. After breakfast we would have a devotional and then head out to the job site we were assigned for the day.
The lounge is connected to the cafeteria. We would gather here when waiting for dinner after taking showers and after dinner before going to bed. This was also the only area of the camp that had Wi-Fi. Which I enjoyed being able to unplug for a week.
Every night after dinner, the evening report and dishes we would gather together to play a game. We played a different game every night. I didn’t play often, but I enjoyed watching while working on my embroidery.
For the first two days we were there, senior English major Deborah Yoder and I were given the job to paint doors and trim. I was given the opportunity to install some of the base trim for the windows. I had never used a nail gun before then, but found it was easy to use with assistance from fellow volunteer Carol.
On the third day Yoder, junior pre-med and biology major Zekriyat Ahmed and I were given the job of putting in insulation and installing a support beam at a new job site. Our Crew leader that day was Bob.
While Yoder and Ahmed put in insulation Bob and I installed a support beam for the roof. I used a nail gun for the second time and had to climb into the roof to finish the support beam. Which proved to be quite fun. When we finished the installation Bob and I helped with the insulation work.
On our last day of working, all participants were paired together to work on flooring at a third job site. Some of us had been at this site before and learned how to floor. We were able to floor an entire room that workday. None of us had ever installed flooring before this trip, making us proud of our accomplishment.
Overall, I loved being a part of this trip. It was great to be able to get away and unplug while helping others. I would highly recommend going on future SERVE trips to anyone interested in being involved in community service initiatives.
