Today, we spent most of our day at the Mary and Martha House in Ruskin. This organization helps ladies and their families that have been in some kind of crisis (such as domestic abuse or homelessness) by giving them a place to stay, giving them classes for things like budgeting and career development, helping them find permanent housing, and anything and everything else that will help them get acclimated to a new life. We learned that this organization is very different from other shelters because they emphasize the need for each family to have their own private space and certain accommodations. They work with each women individually every day to make sure each is getting the specific things that they need.
To help the Mary and Martha House with their mission, we spent the morning gardening and beautifying the main walkway. This allows the women coming to the Mary and Martha House to be welcomed by something beautiful and feel more comfortable and safe. With all of us working hard, we were able to do the work very quickly and still had time to spare. So, after our lunch, which consisted of tasty Cuban sandwiches (a nice Floridian meal!), we moved on to painting a gazebo. We gave the gazebo a fresh new coat of paint, and also added a splash of paint to a neighboring lizard (we washed him off and he's okay, though!).
After we cleaned up, we headed over to the Rose Boutique which is owned and run by the Mary and Martha House. This boutique has so much amazing clothes and shoes, ranging from beautiful wedding dresses to cozy sweaters. Each member of the group went home with a treasure from the store, knowing that all the money spent will go back to the women at the house.
Then, we came back to the Ruskin campus. We finished the night up by painting what we call "Magic Mirrors." The point of these mirrors is to show and portray what our true self is through the colors and decorations we use. We also plan to share this activity with some girls at one of the organizations we are helping out at later this week.
Stay tuned for more adventures tomorrow!
With love,
Lydia and Katie
No comments:
Post a Comment