Today we convened in Ms. Henneberry’s classroom and began to curate a collection of photos for a interfaith slideshow. We then boarded the bus to make our way to Philadelphia. Today’s place of interest was the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Our tour started with a visit to a Japanese Buddhist temple. We learned ways to identify Buddha, some...
Continue readingExploring Art: Final Day — Bringing It All Together
After lunch, we finally got to set up our ceramic totem poles on the MFS grounds. The poles consist of cylinders, pinch pots and other shapes stacked on top of one another. Each person made at least 3 pieces for the totem poles. Each piece was decorated individually to represent the individual and the...
Continue readingExploring Art: Putting the final touches on our projects
Today we stayed on campus to complete all of our projects both individual and group — photography, sculpture, mandalas and totems abound! It was a great way to end our week of exploration and creation. The photos say it all …...
Continue readingGood for the Soil, Good for the Soul
Today we went to the Perkins Center for the Arts to help out in the garden. First, we split up into four groups and set to work weeding the raised flower beds. Under the grey overcast sky, we tilled the soil and planted all types of vegetables and herbs. Then we cleaned up the grounds,...
Continue readingA Visit to the Pine Island Cranberry Co!
On the final day of our journeys through the Pine Barrens, our group visited the Pine Island Cranberry Company in Washington, NJ. Once there, we learned about the history of cranberry farming in New Jersey. We were welcomed by employees of the company, including Stefanie and Mike Haines, and learned about the beginning of...
Continue readingGYLI: Rock Climbing & Final Reflection
Today was a long day for us at GYLI. We left MFS and went to Elite Climbing for the day. After we had a quick training, everyone was scrambling up the various climbing wall. Although the rock climbing is really challenging because most of us have never tried this, and we were all really...
Continue readingMaking Tamales
On Friday we made tamales in the MacColl room. We had to gather ingredients and prepare the food. The filling of masa flour and green chile went in a cornhusk. Another type of tamale was chicken. This kind used chicken and a red chili sauce as the filling. Once prepared, the food was served....
Continue readingThe Hoedown Sewdown
Today was our last day of sewing 🙁 We started our day off with a couple hours of finish-up work, followed by an educational video about where all of our clothes will be going! After a quick snack and a couple more hours of work, we were treated to a super special Healthy Garden...
Continue readingExploring Art: More Reflections from the Pond
We all had a great time at Pakim Pond on Wednesday and wanted to share a few more pics....
Continue readingSJ Service Day Four — Young at Heart at Collingswood Manor
Today we headed to Collingswood Manor, a retirement home in Collingswood, NJ. We started off the day by circling the building and parking lot looking for trash to pick up. At 10 we split up into groups. Some went to give a few of the residents manicures, while others played and called bingo. A...
Continue readingOne Word
March 30, 2016 We completed our part of the outdoor gazebo at the Casa del Niños by leveling the floor, which will remain a dirt floor until they get more funding to pour concrete, and then stamping it down to compact it. The poles that will hold up the ceiling beams we painted were...
Continue readingSJ Service Day Three: Mulch, Kids, and Community
Today we went to the Neighborhood Center in Camden, we started the day off with a goal of transporting a large pile of mulch across the yard to a playground. It was hard work, but it was totally worth it when we saw the hordes of children rush to the playground. When lunch time...
Continue readingExploring Art: Art on the Pond
A beautiful day for an adventure outside of the classroom! Getting an early start to our day, we traveled to Pakim Pond, in the Brendan T. Byrne State Forest (formerly Lebanon State Forest) for a day of hiking, exploring and as usual — creating. It was refreshing to travel less than 30 miles from...
Continue readingNicaragua: Finishing Our Project in Solidarity
https://youtu.be/8eQR7nnnG0A...
Continue readingA Pile of Carpets, or a Pile of Fun
Today, we went back to the Restore. Most of us moved carpets and stacked large boxes in the alternate warehouse for most of the day. Although, a few of us remained in the store’s main warehouse to help organize and restock the inventory. We jammed out to some sweet tunes on a boombox, and...
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