Ithamar Mwense LBST 2215 First Reflection Due 2/14/2017

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FRIENDSHIP GARDENS

The volunteer organization that I have chosen for the 25 hours of volunteer service required for
this semester citizenships class is the Friendship Garden. The Friendship Gardens is non-profit
organization created in spring 2009, the friendship has expanded network of community, school,
public, private, and backyard gardens. The Friendship Gardens provide 750 meals a day to
members of the community in Charlotte who have a scarcity access to healthy foods. The
friendship Gardens has for mission to deliver daily, in a caring and friendly manner, balanced
meals to individuals in the community who are unable, because of age or infirmity to obtain or
prepare their own meals.

The main reason I choose to volunteer at the Friendship Garden is to create an environmental
sustainability in the city of Charlotte. I have always been interested in keeping, conserving, and
protecting our natural resource in the community I live in. I enjoyed living in environmentally
friendly community surrounding by trees and gardens growing organic foods, because I have an
interest in live in environmental friendly place, the Friendship Gardens offer an opportunity of
creating a community around local food traditions and growing healthy food making it available
to all, especially those with scarcity access. This organization, Friendship Gardens, share a goal
that will influence my decision of staying in this city or leaving this city.

The Friendship Gardens has tasked me the responsibility of working in one of the many urban
farm located at public school, Garinger High School, campus. I will be getting my hands dirty
in the best way possible, that means I will planting canes, removing top netting from fruits,
check the state of fruits in the garden and many other tasks involve in the greenhouse, I will call
it Gardening. Gardening will have a significant health benefits on me such as improving my
mental health and reducing my exposure to higher food nutrient contents.

Unfortunately, my volunteer service will begin later this month on February 27, 2017
nonetheless I have no comment on my experience at the Friendship Gardens urban farm.

I plan to exercise all the reading we done so far in the citizenships class in my volunteer service
especially Old Myths and New Epiphanies by Danielle Allen. This reading especially
challenge our ethics view on citizenship into two fallacies. Dr. Sanders emphasized the class on
the application of those two fallacies on how the volunteer service is view by the society and
drawing our conclusion on the work done.

This artifact is included in my reflection because it shows the place where I will be starting my
volunteer service. I will be working in this place at least 2-3 hours a day at this urban farm.