All in a days work

So  today is the last day of the AFB adventure and it was a pretty successful one! Our first service was with one of the more unique organizations called Adullam House. They took in children whose parents had been incarcerated or even just abandoned them and took them in, fed them, raised them in a christian environment, provided schooling, and gave them a safe space to grow around other children they could relate to. One group worked at the nursery of the house and dealt with more of the direct service component, while the rest of the group worked at their thrift shop down the road to tackle the indirect service component. The hard-work, dedication, and passion of these individuals who came to this job everyday was really inspiring and their reasons for doing so where even more motivational. Our second service was again with Common Ground ,but this time we focused more on the indirect service component. We removed basically all types of things from this large room that was really cluttered and dirty, cleaned it out, and then helped organize and place things where they needed to be. The cool part about this is that there had only been one man working on this project who was in his 60s and he claimed it would've taken him months to accomplish the massive job we did in a days time. It was so amazing to see how much we'd been a beneficiary to these organizations and how they truly valued our presence and even wanted to brag on how great of a job we did! Post service, we were able to have our dinner out/ pizza night at one of the more popular pizza places in Montgomery. We ended our night with a sensitive yet effective reflection that recapped the experiences that we all shared. Overall, the trip was a huge success and everyone definitely walked away and had learned at least something new about an organization, service in general, another trip participant, or whatever else had been discussed during reflections. 

Packaging and Playing with the youth.

To start the day,  we went to the Montgomery food bank to help sort and package non-perishable items that will be distributed to the community. We also went to the Montgomery Boys And Girls club to hang out with the kids and help the staff. We were able to lighten the load of the workers at the food bank by doing a few days worth of work in a few hours, due to the extra 12 volunteers. As far as the food packing went, we may not know the immediate effects that were made by serving here, but the food we packed may go to the kids and families that we were helping. Also, the kids in the boys and girls club were able to have fun in a safe environment and get lots of energy out playing kickball! In between volunteer sites, we stopped at the Civil Rights Memorial Center to learn more about the history of Montgomery and the Civil Rights movement. After that we stopped by the Capitol building to take prom pictures. We ended the day with a really fun game of Sardines throughout our host church.

A day with Common Ground

We tutored youth at the Montgomery Commonground.
We made them feel like the had people that they could lean on for support in both academics and extracurricular activities.
These kids could have a rough family background and this gives them a support base they can rely on. Also, by doing this after school it is giving the kids a good and safe place to go instead of being in a bad environment.
We taught them how to do fractions using concepts such as splitting food like pizza, and one of the kids insisted on doing tacos, so we practiced fractions by comparing it to splitting a single taco five ways. Also it was cool seeing the kids spreading information that they had just learned and watching them grow as a group and not just individuals.

Meet the Leaders & Learning partners:

Robert Nisby (Trip Leader)
Hello! I am a sophomore from Memphis,TN double majoring in psychology and Business Marketing. When thinking about a theme for our trip, I knew I wanted to focus on something that related to issues regarding diversity or differences amongst common day people. I look forward to serving, laughing, simple living, and sharing a eye-opening experience with all my soon-to-be trip buddies and hopefully establish some common ground in relation to the trip theme.Ultimately, I hope the impact we have on our selected community will create a ripple effect that inspires positive change.

Megan Dishman (Trip Leader)
Hey guys! I am a senior from Rock Island,TN majoring in psychology. I am so excited about this trip. I really look forward to serving the Montgomery community. I know that this will be a great experience for everyone to gain a new perspective with this community. I would love that this trip would become a catalyst for service in all multiple communities and facets of life.


Lacie Rhoden (Learning Partner)
 I am from Brunson, SC. I earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from The University of South Carolina Aiken and I am currently enrolled in the College Student Personnel Master’s program here at UT. I work as a graduate assistant in the Center for Leadership and Service, primarily with our service and community engagement endeavors. I am most looking forward to meeting everyone on the trip and coming together as a group to make a positive impact on the community. I’m particularly excited to be working with marginalized youth because I feel that they truly are our future and can make a difference; I’m excited to let them know that they matter. 

NaQuaina Moore (Learning Partner)
 My name is NaQuaina Moore, I am from “Up North” hailing from Inkster, Michigan. I have earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Master’s degree in Higher Education Student Affairs from Eastern Michigan University. I work as a Professional Academic Coach in the Student Success Center here at the University of Tennessee. It is a privilege to be able to help and serve other communities as well as learn from the experience.  I am super excited about meeting and getting to know everyone.  I am even more excited about the journey we taking to make a difference and have a positive impact.  Together we go on this journey to learn and grow!