More opportunities await these young people. In October the club will be handing out bags to the community for the purpose of collecting non-perishable food items for the Capitol Area Food Bank. In November a banquet is planned for a group of Senior Citizens. And, in December the plan is to take part for the third year in the reforestation efforts at Bastrop State Park following the 2011 Labor Day fires.
It was a cool, misty morning when the SAIL Pathfinders headed out to Arkansas Bend Park to take part in their sixth year of volunteering in the Lake Travis Clean-up. Rain is a natural part of SAIL Pathfinder outings, so the new members of the club got introduced to what to expect on future outings. It made for a perfect day to hunt for trash! Everyone was eager to get started and see what treasures lay out there waiting to be found. With bags and trash grabbers in hand they set off. What would they find? Half of a flip phone, a plastic salad bowl, a pair of sunglasses, a table, a mask and snorkel. The usual find of boat anchors brought smiles to the faces of those who had a plan to put them to good use. But the super find was a demolished boat house! Using teamwork and tag-teaming the pile of vinyl siding, large pieces of Styrofoam and miscellaneous pieces of rubber and wood was moved from the lake bed up the steep hillside to the waiting trailer to be hauled away. In the end 20 bags of trash, 4 boat anchors, 2 large pieces of Styrofoam and a boathouse were removed from the park. The final assessment of the experience was summed up by one young Pathfinder who said, “I didn’t know work could be fun! I had fun!”
More opportunities await these young people. In October the club will be handing out bags to the community for the purpose of collecting non-perishable food items for the Capitol Area Food Bank. In November a banquet is planned for a group of Senior Citizens. And, in December the plan is to take part for the third year in the reforestation efforts at Bastrop State Park following the 2011 Labor Day fires.
0 Comments
SAIL Pathfinders finished 2013 strong and have already launched into 2014 with ambitious plans. Toward the end of December, the SAILs returned to Bastrop to continue with the tree planting efforts as remediation from the 2011 wildfires. Already, some of the plantings from the previous year are looking more vigorous, and in a few decades, we will be able to return to the part and admire our small contributions towering above us. The SAILs began January with a practice session for the Pathfinder Bible Experience, having studied Second Samuel in preparation for the area-level program coming up in February. The two SAIL teams had a chance to assess their knowledge in a realistic practice, and both did fairly well, but will continue studying and preparing. The SAILs also began their regular meetings, and the Junior unit learned to make rope and practice knots. We are now looking forward to our overnight in Corpus Christi, some time on the beach, worship and fellowship together with other Pathfinders, and a visit to the aquarium to study marine mammals and sharks. Looking forward to a great 2014. It is nearly the end of the year, but the SAIL Pathfinders are remaining active. We recently packed flood relief buckets for Adventist Community Services Disaster Response - buckets that will be stored and used in situations similar to the recent floods in Austin that some of the SAILs helped out after. In addition to flood buckets, the SAILs will be heading out to Bastrop again soon for a second year of volunteering to help re-plant the Lost Pines following the terrible fires a few years back. The SAILs' commitment to community service this year has provided the club members with numerous opportunities to help out. We still have a lot planned for the coming year - from an overnight to the shore to backpacking to preparing for the big Camporee in Oshkosh. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|