Peacehaven Farm with TAGS

On Saturday, September 22, I went to Peacehaven Farm with TAGS, located about fifteen minutes or so from Greensboro, on the shores of Lake Mackintosh. The farm was founded with the ultimate goal of providing a place for adults with physical or mental disabilities to live independently in a loving community. For now it is a working farm with gardens that the disabled can work in and experience. TAGS went several times last year but I hadn't been able to go until this weekend. For about three hours I and other TAGS members worked in the garden, moving plant beds, shoveling dirt and mulch, spreading straw, and marking beds for strawberries. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed my time. Helping all people in society is an important value of mine. I can't wait to see how my the effects of my volunteer work when Peacehaven's goals are reached. I plan to volunteer again soon.

Moving mulch

Canvassing for Obama

About two weeks ago I had the opportunity to volunteer for Obama's reelection campaign by going door-to-door to make sure all Democrats were registered and to see how they were planning to vote. When most of my classmates were either asleep or waking up, I was trekking up and down streets for four hours in a South Greensboro neighborhood, tackling each address one-by-one and handing out early voting information. I had done canvassing before, on election day in 2008, but that time I mostly stood in the background while my older brother and mother did most of the talking. This time I decided to take a more active role. I suppose this is an inherently awkward activity, showing up at a stranger's door and asking them a series of questions. Since I was little I've always been a little nervous around strangers. For a while I didn't even like ordering food at fast food restaurants or paying for purchases at stores. As I approached the first house I was afraid the door would be slammed in my face or something worse. But nothing of the sort happened. The woman who answered was kind; we chatted about the election for a few moments and even joked a little. After that I wasn't so nervous anymore. Sure, some people did ignore us, but no one slammed the door, and most were friendly, commending us for volunteering. One woman spoke of how she could see God's work in our volunteer work for the campaign. I returned home feeling proud of my contribution to something I believe in. This election is important for our country, and in turn the world. From my experience in '08 I know that every little bit counts, and hopefully with a little luck we can help turn North Carolina blue again.

CAS Goals

Sometimes we can get so absorbed by the academic aspects of IB that we forget that knowledge is not the only part of being a good person and a good world citizen. In my view, CAS is what reminds us that there is more to life than grades and tests. It encourages us to be well-rounded, creative, and involved in our communities. Through CAS I hope to be able to make an impact, achieve goals for myself in athletics and creative areas, become well-rounded, and learn about myself and experience new things. For that is what CAS is about.