Community Service in Globe/ San Carlos

One of the best components of Up With People is the community service we provide. It is so rewarding to see the impact that we can make. Yesterday’s CI in San Carlos and Globe was no different. The Cast was divided into half for the morning (excluding those staying behind for workshops) . Half went to San Carlos to work on the Apache Reservation doing Project Pride, and the other half stayed in Globe and worked with the Gila County Special Employment Services doing music and dance and an art project.
Louise had me head up those that went to San Carlos Apache Reservation and were a part of Project Pride, which was a Council sponsored event that was put on to get the community involved in cleaning up the business district of the reservation. So from 9-11 all the business were shut down and they were outside renovating their properties. It was great for them to be setting the example, and the council realy hopes this will be carried even further. While we were there we painted and weeded, and mowed and cleaned the whole area. It was such a transformation in the end. It looked 100% better! Then we had lunch and a little time to relax. After lunch we did a BTS (or mini show) at San Carlos High School. It was a little frustrating because the Native American culture is such that they don’t show a whole lot of enthusiasm. The cast did beautifully despite the lack of crowd support and I was proud to be in the audience (since I have been busy doing advance work I was unable to participate). After the BTS we went back to the Elks Lodge (were we were stationed for the day) and had CI wrap up and disscused the day. Later we went to Globe City Park and held a Teen Event for the local youth. It was a chance for us to interact with the youth of Globe, and a chance for the cast to kind of relax a bit. We had food and live music and played some Frisbee. It was great to see all of Louise's and My planning play out and be so successful. It was nice to know that all the work we put in to this week is paying off with great rewards.
Louise was with the group that stayed in Globe. She has a radio interview in the morning and then was driving people around to the different CI sites for the rest of day. Those that went worked with a group of disabled adults that are part of a program called Gila Employment and Special Training Services (GESTS). GESTS is an organization that better prepares physically and mentally disabled adults for the real world. The Cast did some song and dance with them and then did a really neat art project. They traced the hands of the clients and their own and then the clients decorated them and signed them and then they interlocked the hands around an image of a globe. It was really neat. The clients (and the cast) loved it. Then they went and had lunch with the clients at a great Mexican Restaurant called Chalo’s. YUMM. After lunch some of them came and joined the BTS others went and painted an old historic steam engine. It looked great when they were done. Then after CI wrap up they too went to the park for the Teen Event. All in all it was a great day! Again it was super rewarding to see all the planning and blood, sweat and tears Louise and I have poured in to this day finally pay off. Now tomorrow we leave for Sierra Vista, where we will be until Monday. My Advance Team internship is coming to an end and I am rejoining my cast once more. I am a ball of emotions - from happy to sad to nervous to excited. I am nervous for my Cast's performance tonight, excited to be traveling tomorrow, sad to be leaving, and happy to be back with my cast. It's a roller coaster to be sure. I am proud of myself for having worked so hard these last few weeks, and amazed at everything that I have learned. I find myself slowly but surely gaining patience as I have dealt with issues and obsticles that have arrised. I am learning to be more aware, both socially and globally, and I have really just gained a huge amount of insight. All told this has been an awesome experience and I there are more to come