Most third year tribes spend the year earning their totem pole patches for completing community service work. But first and second year tribes can get involved too! It's a perfect time during the Christmas season!
I recently ran into a 4th year Trailmates tribe at the Harris Teeter at Crescent Commons Shopping Center in Cary helping out the Salvation Army by ringing the bell and collecting donations in their red kettle. Everyone was wearing their vests and greeting people as they walked in. It was great to see!
I work at SAS and SAS employees take an active role in helping the Salvation Army with their Angel Tree program. SAS employees bought clothes and books for more than 90 children.
SAS introduced a new program called the Elder Elf Holiday Home Improvement Program. Using money raised by employees, teams of SAS employees and their families, help make home and yard improvements for seniors who can no longer maintain their homes and yards due to restricted finances or physical limitations. I signed up my wife and two children and we volunteered this past Saturday in Apex.
It was fantastic! We met at the house at 10:00 am, surveyed the area with our team of volunteers and went to work. We tore down a rotten wooden fence and replaced it with a new fence. We fixed and painted another fence. Painted the shutters and mailbox post. Mowed and pulled vines off the back fence. Raked and stained the back deck. We replaced the rotten siding and door from a storage and gave it a fresh coat of paint. We painted caulked and painted windows sills inside, along with adding new blinds. We brought our senior a new Christmas tree and decorated it for her. In only 6 hours, we made great progress in improving her house and yard. The kids were right in there, helping with the yard work, painting and hauling trash.
Our senior was so appreciative and we all got hugs. We all got together to tell her that SAS employees had raised over $300 and this money had been paid to her utilities account, so she won't have a utility bill for several months.
When we were done and got home, we were all exhausted and a little sore. But it was a good sore and our hearts felt great!
Can you and your tribe make a difference?
You can!... and it's great experience and lesson for your children.
Check out the Arapahoe Nation Web site for community service opportunities in your area.
How-How!
