Traveling to Asheville
On Monday, June 2nd, the Class of 2026 Student Service Program flew from PIE to AVL. Once we arrived in Asheville, we settled down and explored the downtown area near our hotel. With stomachs rumbling, we searched for dinner, eventually deciding on PIE-ZAA. The pizza was as big as our heads, and with appetites satisfied, we went back to the hotel, eagerly awaiting an early morning.
All Hands and Hearts
On Tuesday, June 3rd, we had three service opportunities awaiting us, which were divided among the students. The first opportunity was with All Hands and Hearts, a service organization dedicated to disaster relief. At All Hands and Hearts, unpaid (usually residential) volunteers go out each day and work on a new task, such as cleaning up destroyed houses from the recent hurricanes with activities like installing insulation, mold remediation, and installing drywall. Students safely cleaned a garage destroyed by high-water levels and learned about mold remediation, helping the chaperones with the mold cleanup. Another batch of students went to a mobile home and also learned about mold remediation. They crawled under a home and cleaned the bottom of the home, spiders included. The last group traveled to a home and installed insulation, drywall, and learned how to use tools such as ratchet straps and an oscillating saw.
Eliada
The second organization was Eliada Homes. Eliada was originally an orphanage, now helping troubled women and children who have been displaced. Also, animal therapy is a popular activity at Eliada, as well as storytelling therapy among kids at the preschool. Students went on a tour of the facilities and saw lots of animals, as well as met the staff, who explained how they operated. They also explained ground-base therapy, which is a method that allows horses to roam free in a field and allows the kids to reflect on their own lives based off of the horses’ actions. Here, students helped refurbish commodities on the property, such as an extremely long fence!
Asheville Humane Society
The third organization was the Asheville Humane Society. The Humane Society is an organization dedicated to promoting animal welfare and protecting animals from cruelty, neglect, and exploitation. Here, students helped create enrichment items for animals without owners. They also received an interesting tour of the facilities, meeting dogs such as Juliet, a cute mixed breed who no one wanted to leave.
Wrapping Up
After a long day, we came back to the hotel hungry and exhausted, but with hearts full. Everyone shared laughter, discussing their experiences from volunteering earlier in the day over delicious burgers from Farm Burger, ending off the night successfully.
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