One of the ideas that the Crossing continually affirms is that serving alongside another is one of the best ways to form bonds. This is one of the many reasons why the Crossing gets students involved in service learning projects throughout the community at least once per quarter. For over 2 1/2 hours, the crowd of nearly thirty people reflected this principle by raking leaves into piles that at times reached nearly five feet high! This later led to some creativity and problem-solving as rakes and leaf blowers alone could not tackle the job. What resulted was lines of people trudging chest deep in leaves in an effort to corral them to where they could later be picked up by the city. Though everyone worked hard, there were times when both students and adults alike couldn’t resist the urge to jump into the mountains of leaves that were created.
By the end of our time there, many were out of breath and had blister-covered hands, but also had a smile on their faces to go along with their battle wounds. Everyone agreed that it was a worthwhile way to spend a school day. Before leaving, we all gathered in Mrs. Hayes’ garage. She spent the afternoon watching the work unfold and wanted to take the time to thank everyone for their efforts. It was really neat to watch the students to connect with the woman who they were serving and who had already given so much to them behind-the-scenes.
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