by Tucker Sellers, Arras Foundation Intern

One of the most impactful things that I have done as an intern with the Arras Foundation was volunteering with Lancaster Promise Neighborhood for one of their community cleanup days. On Saturday, June 10th, I joined my peers Braden, Jaden, and Elizabeth for a morning of community fellowship and volunteering. I enjoy my weekends, so I didn’t love that it was on a Saturday, but it was worth it in the end! 

At 8:30 that morning, we arrived at Luz y Verdad Church in Lancaster. I have lived in Lancaster (Buford) my whole life, and I had never been to the area of this church… I didn’t even know it existed! It was cool for me to realize that opportunities like this give me a chance to get out in our community and learn more about it. As more volunteers began to arrive, we headed into the church for a full breakfast spread. The food was different than what I’m used to, but it was very tasty. My favorite part was the eggs mixed with vegetables. There were also berries and yogurt with granola provided to make parfaits. Once everyone arrived and ate, we all circled up and did an ice breaker. Each volunteer introduced themselves and then said something unique about themselves. If you could relate to their unique statement, then you yelled “CONNECTION” and then it was your turn to share.

After we learned a bit about one another, we split into four large groups with different team leaders. Each group was assigned an area to clean up. All Arras interns and Elizabeth stayed in the same group and were assigned the roadway areas surrounding the church. We suited up with our gloves, trash bags, and pick-up tools, and we were off! We joined the rest of our team and picked up trash on the sides of Bradburn Drive and Usher Road. I was surprised to find so many alcohol bottles right next to a church, but it made for more trash for me to fill up my bag the fastest… Sometimes my competitive mind gets the best of me! Once we finished our route, we returned to the church, turned in our bags and equipment, and left to enjoy the rest of our Saturday.  

This was a very insightful experience for me, and I’m so glad I was able to be a part of it! This experience provided me with the opportunity to learn more about my community and allowed me to do something good for my city which made me feel accomplished!

by Tucker Sellers, Arras Foundation Intern

One of the most impactful things that I have done as an intern with the Arras Foundation was volunteering with Lancaster Promise Neighborhood for one of their community cleanup days. On Saturday, June 10th, I joined my peers Braden, Jaden, and Elizabeth for a morning of community fellowship and volunteering. I enjoy my weekends, so I didn’t love that it was on a Saturday, but it was worth it in the end! 

At 8:30 that morning, we arrived at Luz y Verdad Church in Lancaster. I have lived in Lancaster (Buford) my whole life, and I had never been to the area of this church… I didn’t even know it existed! It was cool for me to realize that opportunities like this give me a chance to get out in our community and learn more about it. As more volunteers began to arrive, we headed into the church for a full breakfast spread. The food was different than what I’m used to, but it was very tasty. My favorite part was the eggs mixed with vegetables. There were also berries and yogurt with granola provided to make parfaits. Once everyone arrived and ate, we all circled up and did an ice breaker. Each volunteer introduced themselves and then said something unique about themselves. If you could relate to their unique statement, then you yelled “CONNECTION” and then it was your turn to share.

After we learned a bit about one another, we split into four large groups with different team leaders. Each group was assigned an area to clean up. All Arras interns and Elizabeth stayed in the same group and were assigned the roadway areas surrounding the church. We suited up with our gloves, trash bags, and pick-up tools, and we were off! We joined the rest of our team and picked up trash on the sides of Bradburn Drive and Usher Road. I was surprised to find so many alcohol bottles right next to a church, but it made for more trash for me to fill up my bag the fastest… Sometimes my competitive mind gets the best of me! Once we finished our route, we returned to the church, turned in our bags and equipment, and left to enjoy the rest of our Saturday.  

This was a very insightful experience for me, and I’m so glad I was able to be a part of it! This experience provided me with the opportunity to learn more about my community and allowed me to do something good for my city which made me feel accomplished!