Almost two weeks ago, I got the chance to be a part of Drury's Smart Mob with all of my Summit classmates and other Drury students! It was a fun, if short, trip down to Joplin. We laid sod at the Volunteer Memorial that Drury students designed, which is something I'd never done before. It was good to volunteer alongside others and bond as we worked. Then, while most of the other students headed off to work on the playground a little farther away, I stayed behind and swept sidewalks with Diane, a faculty member. We talked about urban poverty and how the economic downturn is changing homelessness. This was an apt subject, as many Joplin residents have been displaced by the tornado.
After we finished working, we all headed to dinner and got to peek at the houses being built. It was cool to see how many people are supporting the efforts there, both volunteers and businesses. We then loaded up on our buses and went back to campus. I was exhausted and went to bed at ten, which is super early for me!
Today, we went to Ravenwood and watched Roman Holiday, a classic Audrey Hepburn movie. We also popped popcorn, which was a hit!
For future events, I'm going to try to learn some songs on guitar that the residents would enjoy so we can have a sing-along. I'm super excited about that - it's not quite music therapy, but, nevertheless is right up my alley as a MT major. We are looking for lots of fun activities to do with the residents that will keep their attention, so hopefully that we be a good one.