Volunteering at Pembroke Park Community Garden Clean-Up

Community service is a valuable contribution to society. I have volunteered previously, more for requirements rather than just doing so. Entering ENC 3212 and finding out that community service would be a part of the curriculum had me intrigued, especially since one of the volunteer opportunities was to hold a basketball tournament for charity. Unfortunately, the day of the tournament conflicted with my schedule so I had to find an alternative volunteering event. 

When it came to deciding where I wanted to volunteer, I had many places to choose from. As advised, when it comes to volunteering, you should find something that falls along your interests. For instance, if you advocate for the environment and sea creatures, a beach clean-up would be a good place to start. Personally, I wasn't sure where I wanted to volunteer. It wasn't until I watched the Ted Talk in class about Ron Finely, a gardener who made a difference in planting community gardens in abandoned places. I always had an interest in gardening and plants, but never had a green thumb (most of my indoor houseplants would end up dying of thirst). I have come to learn that volunteering does not only benefit others as you can learn new skills and knowledge from these experiences. As a full-time student working a part-time job, a majority of community service opportunities clashed with my schedule, making it difficult to find something that piqued my interest during the days I was available. However, after being inspired, I took to the Web to find community gardens that were open and in need of volunteers.

I came across Hands On Broward, a community service website that offered a multitude of volunteering opportunities from thrift shops to community engagement events. Fortunately for me, they had a community garden clean-up at Pembroke Park where I registered my sister and me.

Here's the link if you wish
to find volunteer opportunities yourself: https://www.handsonbroward.org/

Upon arriving at the park and signing in, we were taken on a tour of the garden. They had herbs, vegetables, fruits, even vertical gardens, and a small section of flowers to attract butterflies. They had a spot where they grew sugar cane, which was the first start of our community service experience.

Our first task was to remove the dead leaves and weeds to prep for these new sugar canes to be planted. My sister and I took care of the weeds growing along the sugar canes, avoiding the fire ants that made a home amongst the soil and roots, and clearing the small plot of land for the sugar canes to be planted. After taking a water break, we were able to move on to the next task which allowed us to tend the garden. We were asked to pull the weeds growing along the plants under their DIY irrigation system and later were tasked with organizing a section of the garden that needed a lot of work. It was a tangled mess of hoses and overgrown weeds, the potted plants and small trees somehow surviving through the chaos. At the end of it, we were granted some rosemary to take home. 

I hadn't experienced many challenges-- despite getting hit in the shin with a shovel-- and instead took this as a new learning experience for me. I was tired of being in the all too well-known Florida heat, sweating more than I like. But instead of feeling irritated, or grumpy, I was hit with satisfaction and contempt. It wasn't a park near me, nor located in the same district where I live. Yet, I was happy to know that the little effort I made, contributed to that communities livelihood. I was able to in touch with nature, get my hands dirty (or more like gloves), and meet little critters along the way. In addition, I found a new interest in plants and nature. I plan to invest some time in learning more about the benefits of gardening and the environment. As I was, and still am, unsure of what I want to do with my career, this experience has inspired me to look into careers relating to nature. I have dug into looking for more volunteer services focusing on horticulture and found one at a botanical garden, which I plan to do over the summer. 

The irrigation system filled with weeds

The irrigation system after cleaning it out

        

This little snail was put onto the higher ground after we found him in the tangle of weeds and water hoses



 

Little Frog by the sugar canes

This was an overall amazing experience and I would recommend that anyone try to get down and dirty planting something new as it can teach you something about yourself that you never knew. I hope I will continue to learn these new skills and find a way to implement them in my own community, such as creating a community garden in my living area. 

Volunteering will further on to become an important aspect of my life. In today's society, it's difficult for people to do things without getting paid for them. While it is harder to give up free time, we should learn the value of volunteering our time and the benefits it holds for the community. Volunteering won't make you rich, but it will benefit you in more ways than one.  As stated in the article, The Intangible Benefits of Volunteering, "Volunteering has a profound effect on your body and mental wellness" (Radwan). You can meet new people with common interests, acquire skills that can be put on your resume if you have no prior experience, and achieve self-satisfaction knowing you are playing your part in helping someone else (Radwan). It's unfortunate that the benefits individuals receive from providing community service are not heavily promoted. It's a good way to help those who are unsure of what they want to pursue in life, allowing them to try new things and make connections with others. Community service should be promoted in a way that high school students will continue to offer their free time and skills even after meeting their graduation requirements. As humans, we seek ways to feel good about ourselves, and typically that means giving back. While volunteering holds many benefits for us, we can't forget the ones who benefit the most. Since volunteering services can go from helping out at a soup kitchen to volunteering to teach coding, the community, and its members, whether they are in dire need of help or not, gain the utmost support from those individuals. 

Here is the link to the article:

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A655548456/AONE?u=29081_mdpls&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=6399db15

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As mentioned earlier, the class held a basketball tournament to raise money to donate to two charitable foundations; the Miami Rescue Mission and the Lotus House Women's Shelter. The focus of our class community service learning was to help the homeless. 

Homeless shelters are just one of the potential solutions that can be implemented within our society. Other solutions can include mobile vans to offer medical care, training more volunteers and of course, expanding housing options. 

From my own volunteering experience, I believe building community gardens near homeless shelters would benefit them as occupants of these shelters can participate in gardening and growing their own food. They can develop new skills, add them on as experience and possibly find opportunities for employment with said skills. Additionally, gardening and being surrounded by plants have been proven to help reduce stress and promote mental well-being. 

The Green America organization is a good example of advocating for homelessness while also promoting the importance of sustainability and gardening. They offer different programs and workshops that align with their mission, even offering their community members job training and paid employment. The organization establishes its gardens in shelters and as they state,  "...our garden programs create a sense of belonging and the opportunity to make beneficial connections. People are also connecting to the source of their food and cultivation practices that bring organic, sustainable, and seasonally appropriate food to their urban setting" (Calderon). As people's livelihood begins to thrive through Green America's help, so will the volunteers as they will gain the satisfaction of knowing they are contributing their time to something bigger and worth giving a helping hand.

Here is the link to the article:

https://www.greenamerica.org/story/growing-gardens-help-homeless