I was not originally planning to participate in Into the Streets, but I stepped in for a friend who couldn’t go. I’m really glad I did. We volunteered for an organization called Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC). We did some yard work such as raking leaves and pulling weeds. It was a great experience for me because I grew up in Japan, and I never had a yard, so I’ve never raked leaves before. I also got to get to know some of my fellow rose scholars better. It was a lot more fun than I would have expected.
After we were done, we went inside and a staff member explained to us what GIAC does. They have many programs such as after school tutoring, a boxing program, a STEM program that is essentially run by the kids, gym facilities, senior citizen programs, among others. She also explained that GIAC is publicly funded and that the facilities staff is stretched a little thin, which is why volunteers to do yard work is so important.
Overall it was a great experience, and I was happy to be able to give back to the Ithaca community.
That sounds like a really awesome way to give back to the community! I’m sad I was busy and couldn’t go this year but I think all the stuff that GIAC does for the community is amazing! I’m glad you had such a fun time volunteering!
I gave back to my community once, they gave me a black eye….
Good post, its such a nice thing to help people out. Also if you really enjoy raking leaves a friend of mine has a huge yard that is begging to be raked.