For the month of July, I volunteered with a non-profit located in West Virginia called Nazareth Farm. I have had the opportunity to volunteer there the past two January’s on SEND trips, so it was really special to get to spend a longer time at the farm living out their cornerstones of Community, Prayer, Simplicity, and Service. My role as a sojourner this summer was to help staff with leading the retreat aspect of the farm, by engaging with the high school volunteers and chaperones making sure they are having a fun time and felt welcomed. Additionally, my role was to help assist the staff with home repair projects we would do around the local community. Projects I got to be involved in were a siding project. I learned how to side a house from start to finish. I got to demo a deck and help rebuild a new one in its place, and I got to learn how to tar a roof in 90-degree weather. Outside of the home repair projects I got to work on I also got to do a lot of work in the farm's gardens and the garden of their neighbor Butch, who became my bestie while I was there. He taught me a lot about gardens, and he always kept me supplied with cucumbers, watermelon and sprite. My time at Nazareth was incredible, I got to strengthen bonds I have made in my prior times being there and I also got to create new friendships. Nazareth Farm has always been such a peaceful place for me, my time there this summer gave me the opportunity to learn a lot not just about myself but about the world around me and the people I was with. The farm will always hold a special place in my heart, and I hope that more people get the opportunity to experience Nazareth Farm’s four cornerstones. Thanks to Nazareth Farm I might just be able to answer your questions about construction, just maybe.

This summer, I spent six weeks on the Pine Ridge reservation in Pine Ridge South Dakota. While there I worked with Re-Member, a non-profit organization that partners with the Oglala Lakota Nation as a Program Supervisor. Re-Member provides essential housing repairs (skirting trailers, building steps, decks, and ramps, delivering and installing beds and outhouses and also distributing fresh vegetables grown at Feather 2 Gardens). Beyond the physical service that I listed above, the organization offers ongoing community support and fosters meaningful relationships between volunteers full time staff  and local residents on the Pine Ridge Reservation one of the ways we do this is through weekly community dinner and artisan night held every Wednesday night where volunteers and staff are given the opportunity to share a meal and conversation  with community members, and community members are given the opportunity to come and sell their crafts to volunteers and staff members. In my role, I coordinated daily volunteer projects, managed site logistics, and helped facilitate and delegate volunteers with understanding the meaning behind their service with the Lakota nation. But what impacted me the most weren’t just the projects—it was the people. Sharing meals, hearing stories, laughing and connecting with the community gave me a new perspective on what it truly means to live by Mitákuye Oyásiŋ which translates to  “we are all related” in Lakota. This experience challenged me, inspired me, and reminded me how important it is to use my privilege and my voice to stand with others. I left with more than I ever imagined—lifelong friends and memories, deep personal growth, a heart full of purpose and a second family. To summarize, my time at Re-Member was nothing short of life-changing. I walked away with more than I could ever give. I can't wait to go back next summer and continue to serve the Lakota Nation in ways that go far beyond physical.  If you’re looking for an opportunity that allows you to give back while growing personally and spiritually, I wholeheartedly recommend volunteering with Re-Member. It is something you will never regret .

Written by: Itzel Guzman '24

Written by: Audrey McGill '25

Written by: Harrison Bell '24