Colorado Rocky Mountain High: My Service Trip Experience
Image Courtesy of Kelly Thomason
By Mariam Baldwin
This is an independently submitted op-ed for our Quill section. Views and statements made in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Tower.
This spring break, I didn’t drive back to the familiar comforts of my house. Instead, I was wide awake at 6 AM for my flight to Denver, Colorado. A local to the DC-metro area, I’d never ventured that far west before and largely remained on the East Coast. But I decided to think outside myself this spring break and try living for others; that’s how I wound up volunteering for the Longmont chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat for Humanity strives to help low-income families in wide-reaching ways, whether it be through their ReStore locations or construction sites. Their ReStore locations are non-profit retail stores that resell quality new and gently used items at affordable prices; all money spent there will fund affordable housing. Meanwhile, the construction sites are used to build affordable housing for families in need. My group spent one day volunteering at a ReStore and four days volunteering at construction sites.
There were fifteen volunteers total, and we all stayed at an affiliate house together. I was initially worried that I’d make the dynamic uncomfortable because I was extremely shy while the other volunteers were very outgoing. I was also the only freshman in a group of largely upperclassmen. But everyone was so gracious and welcoming that none of it mattered. I enjoyed getting to know all of them and can confidently say that the people were one of the best parts of this trip.
Outside of just my own group, it was nice to connect with other Habitat workers in a meaningful way. We worked at two separate construction sites in Longmont and Boulder, respectively; we were at the first for three days and the latter for only one day. It was nice getting to know the workers at both sites as we ate lunch and worked on various construction projects with them. We especially got to know the workers at the Longmont site and even ate dinner at one of their houses on the final day.
As an architecture major, I greatly enjoyed getting to work on the construction site and use power tools. One day, I was in charge of cutting wooden planks for shelving with a power saw. It was very cool to see a lot of the tools that we use in architecture class come into play throughout the construction process. But even if your major has nothing to do with architecture, the skills we learned on the construction site are applicable to any homeowner. We spent a lot of time sanding, painting, putting doors into place, and more
The most important part of this trip was that we were making a lasting difference. Habitat for Humanity puts in the work to ensure that affordable housing remains available. In that sense, it was good for me to know that I was a small part of a long-term solution.
After this experience, I highly endorse service trips to anyone interested in them. Not only has volunteering been shown to improve mental health, but it reaps great rewards for the communities served. This trip gave me a sense of purpose as I worked alongside other well-meaning volunteers to help families in need. It was only enhanced by the scenic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. Even if you’re an introvert like myself, I wouldn’t discount a trip with Habitat for Humanity or any other service organization. I’d tell you to test the territory outside your comfort zone. You just might surprise yourself.
