Intensive Learning @ MFS
The World At Your Fingertips
Our day began as we boarded the bus to Woodford Cedar Run where we raked and collected leaves to clean up the trails around the animal enclosures. Although it was cold and windy, we were able to work as a team and clear out more land than we could imagine! We even got to...
Continue readingToday South Jersey Service Learning took a trip to one of New Jersey’s hidden gems, Camden’s Children’s Garden. While there, the team met the enthusiastic staff who is ecstatic for their opening Saturday. The volunteers from MFS assisted with various tasks such as raking, collecting trash, and planting flowers throughout the garden. While working,...
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In Collingswood, NJ, South Jersey Service partnered with South Jersey Land and Water Trust (SJLWT) to pick up trash around Newton Lake. We collected beer bottles, takeout bags, wrappers, plastic, and more among the leaves and mud surrounding the lake. Afterwards, an organizer of the SJLWT collected water samples with macro-invertebrates to educate us...
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Today we went to the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford. We started off the day by seeing some of the animals up close and going on a tour of the area. During the tour we learned about Cedar Run and what they do. Many animals that arrive at the hospital there are...
Continue readingToday our day started out with testing and making prototypes for Youth Engineering and Science (YES). YES travels around to different recreation centers in under-resourced neighborhoods of Philadelphia to bring children opportunities to experiment in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). We repaired carts to test safety features that can be...
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Students had the choice of volunteering at the United Methodist Community of Collingswood, or helping St. Mary’s Episcopal Church of Haddon Heights prepare for the local March of Our Lives, which it is co-sponsoring tomorrow. Student bloggers weigh in on each activity. United Methodist Community of Collingswood Today we went to the UM...
Continue readingExploration: something that everyone desires, but only a few get to grasp. So many people aspire to spend even a fraction of their lives exploring places, ideas, memories, yet barely a handful of them find the lucky key that unlocks the time for exploration. Today, the key was handed to us, as well as...
Continue readingMortality: a paradox constantly stressed but often neglected. We know our time is of the essence, yet we sometimes forget to act upon it, and end up sometimes breathing instead of living. On average, our species lives seventy-nine years before our parting breath. Us humans go through life constantly waiting on the next step,...
Continue readingToday, we spent time at the Perkins Center for the Arts, at 30 Irwin Ave. in Collingswood. (There is a second location right in Moorestown, located at 395 Kings Highway). Led by Samantha Salazar, manager of Special Events and Education Assistant, we helped clean the massively impressive warehouse space, and we helped create artistic...
Continue readingWhen we arrived at the garden’s waterfront location around 9 a.m., it was drizzling. One of the main staff members, Jeff Clarke, greeted and talked to us about what he and his team do at the garden and throughout Camden. Jeff explained to us how he travels to schools throughout Camden city and...
Continue readingToday, our group went to the The Food Bank of South Jersey, which is located at 1501 John Tipton Boulevard, in Pennsauken. When we departed the bus, we signed in and each got a volunteer number. Next, we were given a brief tour of the massive and impressive facility, and then we were introduced...
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Today, we traveled to Newton Creek, a park in the Camden County system. We met a nice, enthusiastic man by the name of Michael Hogan. Mr. Hogan works for the South Jersey Land and Water Trust, a nonprofit organization that protects and preserves resources within southern New Jersey watersheds. Our first challenge was...
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Today we went to the Perkins Center for the Arts to help out in the garden. First, we split up into four groups and set to work weeding the raised flower beds. Under the grey overcast sky, we tilled the soil and planted all types of vegetables and herbs. Then we cleaned up the grounds,...
Continue readingToday we headed to Collingswood Manor, a retirement home in Collingswood, NJ. We started off the day by circling the building and parking lot looking for trash to pick up. At 10 we split up into groups. Some went to give a few of the residents manicures, while others played and called bingo. A...
Continue readingToday we went to the Neighborhood Center in Camden, we started the day off with a goal of transporting a large pile of mulch across the yard to a playground. It was hard work, but it was totally worth it when we saw the hordes of children rush to the playground. When lunch time...
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