Service Reflection
On October 31st, the Boo Crew forged ahead in helping Nolde Forest prepare for their third annual Day of the Dead celebration that would take place on November 3rd. The festival in these woods is comprised of several events, such as comparing the bones of different animals, learning about extinct/endangered species, and creating glow-in-the-dark masks. Food trucks selling authentic Spanish cuisine were also at the celebration.
We all had a spectacular time helping to set up decorations and props in different areas of the main house. Our group showed up at ten thirty in the morning and, after Rachel (who was one of the people in charge of the event) gave us a tour of the main house and told us which rooms we needed to decorate, we were quick to get to work. Tori and Tessa set off to hang multi-colored streamers from the handrail of a spiral staircase leading upstairs while Brianne and Kaila taped 2D masks, objects, and speech bubbles onto sticks that would later be used as props for the festival’s “selfie station.” The Boo Crew took many selfies themselves once these props were completed, and we were even allowed to take a few of the objects home!
Next, while Tessa went down into the basement to hang paper banners and set an array of tiny toy skeletons on top of the mantle of a fireplace, the others decorated both the up and down stairwells with posters of partying skeletons and colorful paper flowers. After a quick lunch break, we all went back into the basement to hang more banners, flowers, and other nifty objects. Once we deemed that all of the rooms were properly adorned with spooky Day of the Dead decorations, we joined Rachel in setting up activities for the kids. This included cutting tissue paper and pipe cleaners that the children would be able to use to make their own decorative flowers, creating examples of color-your-own-skull (Tessa was quite excited by the array of professional-grade markers provided to make the examples), and setting up Frita, the Nolde Day- of-the-Dead ghost bride.
While we helped Rachel set up the children’s activities, she told us a bit about the property and its history. It was interesting to learn about the Nolde family who built the various buildings on the property and what remaining family members are doing now. Once everything was complete and properly set up, we said our farewells and headed on home.
It was a truly wonderful experience helping the Nolde team prepare for their Day of the Dead celebration. Being able to help out an organization that hosts free and fun educational activities like these for everyone to attend was a wonderful experience. The Boo Crew took great pride in their aid, helping to prepare for the celebration that hundreds of people in the local community would come out to enjoy.
We hope that Nolde Forest continues to be an organization that this class works with for the EACAP project, as they are highly deserving of our volunteer work and a blast to participate with. We also encourage other teens and young adults to do similar volunteer work and attend the events these organizations put on in order to support their causes and the preservation of their sites.
