NicoleDuvall

Today was our last day at the Nashville Rescue Mission and it was kinda sad. The people there were really nice and so appreciated all of our efforts and help. When we got there, a bunch of us went straight down to the basement again to sort canned food items and crushed boxes for a couple of hours.
During lunch we said “bye” to Pittman and wished him happy birthday –Willie told us because we asked where he was because we wanted to say goodbye. Stephen and I really liked him-he was really genuine and friendly. I hope things go well for him.
Later on, we moved over towards the shampoo, lotions , & toothpastes, (toiletries) etc. into boxes for the Mission to distribute to the participants. It seemed like a never-ending process, but we did make the area a lot neater and got rid of a lot of unnecessary stuff. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I am very proud of all the hard work we did. We definitely made a difference. It was fun too, working with everyone helped the time pass by faster.
Before we left, the people at the Mission decided to do something special for us- they served us a really nice dinner in a special conference like room. I don’t think any of us were expecting them to go to that extreme for us because we were there to help, not to earn food. I mean there are other people there who were more deserving of that food that we were. I was in Heaven-2 kinds of chicken! Can’t beat that! They even had dessert! I was really excited!
After that, we said our goodbyes and thank you’s and I’m pretty sure some people got a little teary eyed, since we did get pretty used to being there and they were very hospitable.
After we got back to the hotel, I took a nap and then it was off to the Bicentennial Park to at nighttime. It was a little dark, but still pretty and the Parthenon was gorgeous. After the park we went back Downtown and walked around the streets to do some sightseeing. It was really cold, but I’m glad I went because all the little shops are so neat. We even got serenaded by two gentlemen on the street playing the guitar. They were really talented. A few people gave them money and they were very appreciative, saying that it was going to go towards a hotel room, since the temperature was dropping.
I am definitely very thankful for the opportunity to come to Nashville to visit the Campus for Human Development and The Nashville Rescue Mission. I was glad to make a difference helping clean up as well as getting to meet new people and hear their stories. It really made me realize how lucky we all are and that when a group a people come together, a lot can be accomplished to help better others. I hope that the Bonner Program will be able to do this again next year. Even though I will have graduated, I think it was a very successful trip and that most people did enjoy making a difference. Thanks Jesse and Alex for making this trip possible, successful, and for keeping us safe! :)