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In The News

Spring breakers build community garden, help elderly in Williamson County

Source: The Tennessean  

By Nancy Stephens

While many college students head to the coast for spring break, a group of 40 volunteers came to Fairview to participate in the United Way of Williamson County’s Alternative Spring Break program.

It's a week of service projects, leadership training and relationship-building.  Volunteers get to make a positive impact and learn more about challenges faced in different parts of the country.

“We’ve got a large group this year, and we’re excited to have them helping in Williamson County,” said Debby Rainey, program organizer for the county's United Way.

Rainey promoted Fairview as a potential Alternative Spring Break destination on college campuses across the country. She said, “The response was overwhelming, and this year, we (Fairview) are the only alternative spring break being offered in Tennessee.”

The program allows volunteers to travel to new places, enjoy time with friends, but also work to help others. “We have students who have traveled from all over -- Kansas, New Hampshire, Iowa, Nebraska, Georgia, Florida – all to spend the week in Fairview and see something new,” Rainey said.

“I chose to come to Tennessee just to give back to other communities and experience the eastern half of the United States,” said Alison Brown, a student at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Even families participated. Leslie Trotter came from Kansas City to Fairview with her husband and children. A repeat volunteer with the program, Trotter says they chose Fairview because “we wanted our kids to have a different experience for spring break, and get off the iPads and out and helping people - and see a different perspective on life and be outside.”

Volunteers "come from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds, all sorts of religions, and they just come here and go to work together,” Rainey said.

Making an impact

The volunteers arrived at Camp Marymount last Sunday, passing up beach sand to dig in Williamson County dirt and create a community garden to feed the less fortunate.

Work began Monday morning with ground preparation and planting the garden, located at Westview United Methodist Church in Fairview.

In the afternoon, the group assisted at GraceWorks West, the Fairview Boys and Girls Club, and Camp Marymount and completed small projects for a few elderly homeowners in the community.

“I really enjoy helping people and I really just wanted to get out of Iowa and kind of experience this,” said Allison Heitman, also a student at Mount Mercy.

Having never been on a service trip before, Heitman said her time in Fairview has been a lot of fun.

In addition to the volunteer work, participants  "pay their own transportation, plus a $300 participation fee,” explained Rainey. The fee cover meals, housing, local transportation during their stay, project supplies and any excursions to nearby attractions.

Rainey says the four-year partnership in Fairview has been a success and “one of the many things that United Way does that makes a huge impact on our local community.”

Alternative Spring Break a Family Affair

For Sean Hart, a Kansas City businessman and father of three,   it's his third trip to Williamson County.

“I love to garden," Hart said, "and my business has an office in Memphis, so once I connected to Debby Rainey ... well, it was easy to see this was going to be a match made in heaven.”

This year, he invited close family friends, Leslee and Jonathan Trotter, also of Kansas, to join him in planting this year’s community garden, in addition to his children and other friends.  “So the gang is growing - a little pun there,” Hart said. He hopes to bring more volunteers in the coming years.

He has already seen the impact on his own family, “My middle daughter Abby does lots of volunteer work outside of United Way and this project. And I firmly believe our first trip to Tennessee three years ago spurred this on.”

“I want them (his children) to learn there is so much beyond their small diameter of life; that they can give back to those around them and be proud of what they do.”

On a personal level, he said, “We as a family get closer by this trip, putting aside technology and the social circles teenagers get into, and work together... while laughing and getting our hands dirty with fresh soil!”

The program

Last year, Fairview’s community garden produced 1,200 pounds of food for needy families. “This year," Rainey said, "we have made it bigger...” 

Approximately 5,000 students have participated in the United Way’s Alternative Spring Break program since 2006, completing 150,000 volunteer service hours nationwide.  This year, Fairview was one of 15 communities in the program.

About the garden

Westview United Methodist has named the community garden, “The Good Samaritan Garden.”

Along with United Way, the garden is supported by Williamson County Farmer's Co-Op, the UT Extension Office and the Sean Hart family.

With the garden off to a great start, there is still work to be done this spring and through the summer months. Community volunteers are needed to care for the garden, harves the produce, and donate it to GraceWorks West. 

To volunteer, contact Westview UMC at 615-799-0250.