By Brooke Adams
Construction Coordinator in Smith River, CA
from Corona United Methodist Church
I was hired as a staff member, or as my fellow staffer Chloe Parker called it “cookstruction coordinator,” for Sierra Service Project’s Los Angeles Weekend of Service in the beginning of April. We wear many hats as a staff member for such a short weekend, including cooking for over 50 people and leading construction/gardening projects all over town.
It was great to see how SSP has helped this great space and the difference it has made in the community.
On Saturday morning, Regional Coordinator Melani Carroll and I accompanied a few of the work teams to Manual Arts High School where we planted trees with City Plants alongside community members. For the rest of the day, I took a work team to pick up trash and pull weeds at Vermont Square Community Garden a few blocks down from the high school. On Sunday the work team served at Solano Canyon Community Garden where they pulled some more weeds and got to meet Al, the manager of the garden. It was great to see how SSP has helped this great space and the difference it has made in the community.
During the weekend, I was amazed with the youth’s willingness to help out both on the work site and at the community center we stayed in. There was rarely a time when there weren’t youth helping us out in the kitchen. Even at the work site, the youth (and counselors) never had a free hand and were always wanting to do more.
There was rarely a time when there weren’t youth helping us out in the kitchen.
Interacting with the youth and counselors for this small amount of time makes me excited to be able to experience this for even longer. During the summer, I am working as a construction coordinator in Smith River, CA, with Kevin Hwang, who also staffed this weekend. From the fellow staff on this weekend, I loved hearing stories and advice about their experiences during summer, and thanks to Chloe and Nathan Sandford I will always have extra drill bits and other materials with me at all times. This brief taste of being a staff member makes me very excited to make my own memories this summer!
Editor’s Note: View more photos from the weekend. Our year-round program opportunities have concluded for the season. Contact Megan Walsh if your group would like to schedule a Weekend of Service in Portland, Vernonia, Sacramento, Los Angeles, or Phoenix, or an Alternative Break in Portland, or Los Angeles. Learn more about serving this summer at one of our six locations.