I love this time of year. The first flowers peek up from the soil, and blossoms magically appear on trees. Color comes back into the forests as leaves fill the trees. It’s like the whole world is starting to wake up. Spring is in the air!
For people like me, it’s a time to watch for beauty and surprises, but for avid gardeners, this is a time for planning and
preparation. Time to prepare soil, take care of any remaining winter debris and choose your plantings. It’s an art form that those of us with green thumbs understand, and the rest of us at least can admire.
Even if you don’t have the greenest of thumbs, you still can enjoy getting out in the garden by sowing seeds of service. There are several garden opportunities in our area; here are three to check out on justserve.org:
1. Help maintain the SmileUp! Happy Garden. Visit the G. Cecil Pruett YMCA to weed, water and tidy things up at the Smile Up! Happy Garden. Then, pick as many herbs as you would like. Come once a week, according to your availability (http://bit.ly/3DsWZlr).
2. Grow Next Step’s Butterfly Garden. Help maintain this inspiring space for those with physical and cognitive challenges. Only light manual work needed, and no expert knowledge required! Volunteer at the Butterfly Garden from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday (http://bit.ly/3Jq6fup).
3. Volunteer at the Allatoona Resource Center (ARC) Community Garden. The ARC Community Garden needs volunteers to help weed and water. And, classes and training are provided, as well. Shifts are available on Tuesday and Friday evenings, and every third Saturday morning. Volunteer groups are welcome (http://bit.ly/3Y71wSm).
Be sure to check out these great opportunities — and more! — on the JustServe website. Or, for additional ideas, join the JustServe Georgia Volunteers public Facebook group. Get out and enjoy this beautiful season while helping the community.
Justserve.org is a free, nationwide website and app that works to match volunteers with nonprofit organizations and service opportunities. If you run a nonprofit, or are looking for ways to make service a regular part of your life, check out justserve.org. You can sign up for regular updates and learn more about organizations nearby, too. JustServe makes it easy to just go out and serve!
– Susannah MacKay is a local JustServe specialist. She grew up in Marietta and loves helping strengthen her community through service! Follow her on Facebook @JustServeGeorgia.
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