Hop in, let's go!

In Van #1: Leigh at the wheel, Tyler riding shotgun, Katie giving me a real smile (Shortly after this, however, she honed her uncanny ability to anticipate my every shot, somehow managing to make goofy faces for just about every photo for the rest of the trip. Watch for it.)

In Van #2: Kate and Katie in the background, McKenzie in the middle,
smiling that contagious grin of hers.

Van #2: my spot! With Moses and Oge in the back (along with Ezra, but that's another story)
and Michele and Anna in the front, all making me feel welcome.

I flew into Memphis and got a ride with an old friend to the parking lot outside Topps BBQ to rendezvous with two white passenger vans loaded down with 11 Wittenberg University students, one alum, one faculty adviser, several coolers and boxes of food,  and luggage and sleeping bags for all.

Happily, they made room for one more.

Back to where we started. . .

Or back to the Phillips's cabins outside of Oxford for the night, anyway. And tomorrow morning, it'll be back to Ohio for this bunch of exhausted but happy—and thoroughly enriched—Mississippi Delta volunteers.

Photos: 1) The Phillips's cabin; 2) the Witt gang prior to leaving Cary

Leaving Cary

The teams from Wittenberg and Northwestern College and the Cary Christian Center staff pose for one last photo before hitting the road for home.

Project Manager (and chef!) Robert Jackson treated the volunteers to a celebratory farewell catfish supper last night. Here, Cary Christian Center board member Ruby Johnson shares one of her many fascinating life stories with those around her. 

 

The sign over the dormitory door offers us some parting wisdom . . .

Why the world needs more female roofers

Erin, up on the roof today with the Wittenberg/Northwestern College team from Cary Christian Center, celebrating the wind. . .

Planting seeds and changing lives

Another crazy day for the Wittenberg and Northwestern folks, this one packed with gardening with kids, painting houses, roofing, tutoring, playing on the playground, shooting portraits of young moms-to-be, and cooking after-school treats for 50 students and dinner for 30 hungry volunteers.

Photos (above): Tyler and Kirstie show students how to lay black plastic in the flower bed. (below): 1) Fist bump! 2) Nickie's prenatal class gets crazy; 3) Mica and new friends on the playground; 4) Cathy gets tickled at Karl's rendition of the Taboo Rap; 5) the Wednesday Night team of tortilla chefs: Erin, Tori, Clint, and Kirstie.

A job well done

Under the guidance of Ryan and Karlos (the adult volunteers who had headed up this project had to hit the road for Michigan this morning), today's team of painters finished Sandra's house. She was thrilled with her home's makeover. . . and we were pretty happy ourselves.

Photos: At top, Karlos and Ryan pose with Sandra outside her freshly-painted house. Above, today's crew.

Everybody, paint!

Monday and Tuesday found us painting two different houses. Here are a few shots of the volunteers hard at work. . .

The Wittenberg team

Here's a shot of our Alternative Spring Break team of Wittenberg students, headed to Cary Christian Center to do some service work.

We made a few stops on our way to Cary, including this one at Ground Zero (in Clarksdale, Mississippi), the nightclub owned by local celebrity Morgan Freeman. Mr. Freeman was not around, alas, since it was Sunday afternoon and the club was closed up tight. But, following the example of those who came before us, we signed our names on the wall so he'd know we'd been there, then headed on towards the Crossroads and Abe's BBQ for lunch.

Here's an introduction to the team and their responses to the question: What do you hope to get out of the week ahead?

1 Karlos Marshall
Hometown: Springfield, Ohio
Major/Year: Philosophy, 2013
I want to learn more about poverty-stricken area and how to eradicate poverty

2 Catherine Egley Waggoner
Hometown: Leland, Mississippi
17th year teaching at Wittenberg
I've had such a rich experience doing interviews in the Delta over the last couple of years that I wanted to come back and be immersed in the culture. I enjoy sharing it with people. 

3 Kirstie Hansen
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Major/Year: Communication and Psychology, 2013
I'm interested in the social aspects of the area and seeing how the people there interact. 

4 Ryan Smith
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Major/Year: Communication, 2013
I just hope to help somebody and learn something along the way.

5 Bea Nichols
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Major/Year: Biology and  Spanish (PreMed), 2014
I'm hoping to see how they do their health-related services in the Delta. I'm very interested in the medical aspects — and the need in that sense. 

6 Leigh Hastings
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Major/Year: English major, 2013
I'm excited to meet new people, especially the kids, and hang out with them and play with them.
 
 7 Tyler Hall
Hometown: Fairfield, Ohio
Major/Year: Communication, 2012
I hope to gain a better understanding of the people in the Delta and a better appreciation for the culture.

8 Clint Rodgers
Hometown: Ashtabula Ohio
Major/Year: English 2014
I'm a perpetual explorer. I want to immerse myself in another culture and help the people there.

9 Erin Harte
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Major/Year: Communication 2014
I am also a perpetual explorer. I think it's cool to get out of the Wittenberg "bubble" and experience the sobering reality of the real world. 

10 Tori Overholt
Hometown: Granville, Ohio
Major/Year: Early Childhood/Special Education, 2014
I like seeing different backgrounds and how people act;  and I have a passion for service. 

11 Laura Egley Taylor
Hometown: Leland, Mississippi (now in Santa Fe, New Mexico)
Cathy's sister
I've learned over the years to say yes whenever I get the chance to accompany Cathy on one of her adventures: the experience usually will be both hilarious and profound. I'm thrilled to be able to tag along with this group, making new friends and helping out in the Delta!

On the road again

And we're off! After a mini vacation get-away at Richard Phillips's cabin and bunkhouse near Oxford, Mississippi last night, we hit the road, pointing the vans toward the famed Mississippi Delta. . .

Photos: Bea hops back into the van after a brief leg-stretching stop in Clarksdale.
happy travelers Tyler and Leigh