Interview with Clara

Click twice on the YouTube video on the right to see and hear Anna's interview with Clara Shannon, our primary contact at the Brushy church of Christ.

Clara talks about her experience on the night of the tornado, relief efforts, the community response to help, and the special place that the Humaniramitarians now have in the hearts of Brushy community members.

Gratitude

This trip was awesome!!!!!! The kindness and love we received on this trip was unimaginable!! The people of Brushy, TN were absolutely wonderful!! I am so grateful we were able to go down there and help others who wanted and needed our help. There were so many kind people there, but a few stuck out in my mind. Gloria and David were so wonderful during the trip. They sacrificed their time and house for us to be able to shower and to cook us the most wonderful food I have ever tasted! Gloria gave me some great advice that I will forever remember; she said whatever we decide to do in life, make sure we love every minute of it. She had been a postman for many years and she loved her job. She said 'do something that will make you want to get up in the morning';she is absolutely right. James and his wife were so nice and were full of stories that made you grateful for every moment you have on earth. Then there was Mary who was a feisty lady with so much life in her it made me burst into a smile every time I saw her. These folks were so kind and amazing; these are the people you wish were your in your family. They shined with so much happiness even though their friends, family, and community had been involved in so much tragedy. I honestly love these people, even if I have not known them for long. I wish the best for them and the people of Brushy, TN and I hope to be in contact with them soon.

Trip Highlights

What a great trip! We're home safely after a powerful two weeks of service and cultural exchange. Unity College should once again be proud of our student ambassadors.

Students will be blogging details, but trip highlights include:

• Working and living with the folks of Brushy TN. Hi to Clara, Gloria, Mary, James, David, and all the folks in Brushy!
• Working on Bonnie's farm in Liberty TN, attending the Tennessee Organic Grower's Association conference at Tennessee State University and presenting Elliot Coleman and Cindy Devlin with a Unity College T-Shirts.
• Staying with family and friends. Hi and thanks to the Knippers (all 243 of you!), the McGalliards, and Paul and Jamie.
• Seeing live music: A bunch of folks in Nashville (we're going to be in a music video!); Robinella in Knoxville; Fox Run in Johnson City, Tennessee. And making some of our own too.
• Meeting up with friends along the way: Unity Alum Jason York (Hot Springs), Unity student Tom Frezza (West VA), Melonee McKinney (Nashville), Becky's pals in Asheville and Amanda's pals in Knoxville.
• Horseback riding, hiking and touring historical sites in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• And lots of bonding time in the vans.

Time for a nap...

John

T.O.G.A! T.O.G.A!

After a week of working (both on Bonnie's Farm and in Brushy, TN) we treated ourselves to a day off in Nashville. The organic farming gods and godesses were smiling on the Humaniramitarians, because our first day of rest happened to fall on the annual Tennessee Organic Growers' Association (or T.O.G.A) conference. (www.tnorganics.org)

The President of T.O.G.A, Cindy Delvin, was a huge help in connecting with potential partners down south, such as Bonnie. Cindy also gave our whole crew scholarships to attend the conference, which included a beautiful local foods luncheon. This time of year in Tennessee, that means way more than squash and potatoes!

Eliot Coleman, fellow Mainer and world famous organic inovator, was the keynote speaker. Not only did I get to chat with him, have my New Organic Grower signed, and give him a Unity College T-shirt, but the Humaniramitarians are coming home with our Horticulture Department's broadfork autographed...yep, we're that dorky. (Or rather, I am that dorky and the rest of the crew was just that supportive.)

We felt so at home at T.O.G.A. and also so proud of our association with MOFGA. Just all over warm and fuzzy feelings...

More to come; stay tuned.

Hospitality Feeds Hard Work

For many of us, this trip is a first extended stay in the South. And while many speak of the extreme hosopitality this region of the country is known for, it was truely overwhelming.

We arived ready for work. Some with only a vague idea of the type of work that might be needed. Even so, as a group, we remained steadfast with enthusiasm to help those in need.

Every day, meals were provided by hardworking individuals from the community. In exchange, we provided them and their imediate comunity with physical labor and emotional support. The interaction couldn't have been any more harmonious.

For those wondering, a typical work day looked something like this:

We split our time sleeping inside on the floor of the Brushy Church of Christ, and the outdoors where we crashed in the tents we brought with us.

A little after 5 am folks from the community would show up and begin preparing breakfast for the crew. Those in our group would begin to wake up around 6 and get the rest of the group moving as needed.

Once awake and mobile, community memebers and Unity College folk would gather for breakfast in a building owned by the curch.

Euuwee, the food was good. We ate and we ate. Then we ate somemore.

Following breakfast, we would begin to collect for a hard days work.

In the begining, the unity crew was devided into two groups which worked for separate road-work crews from Hickman County.

This work

Forest Soil

Woah, what a huge week!!!! Since there are so many of us, I am going to write about my first highlight.

Bonnie's Farm- this incredible little piece of land surrounded on three sides by a ridge of forested hills. The non-hilled side looked out on the surrounding Tennessee farm land. It was sunny and breezy and absolutely wonderful!

We split into teams at the farm and a troop of us went into the woods to gather forest soil. Bonnie does this thing where she gathers forest soil and brings it back to the garden to mix with the normal garden soil. The 'why' of that is kind of beyond me, I only understand that there are differant bacteria and fungi in the forest soil and so it brings a new something to the garden. It was cool though, and I think a new experience for all of us. She brought us to a spot that she remembered had good soil and instructed us to walk around until the soil feels soft under our feet. Then we cleared the leaves and dug up the soft forest soil and brought it back in bags to the garden.

There were a bunch of old, falling-down buildings on the farm, and an old house whose roof was falling in. We couldn't go into any of the buildings, but they were neat to look at. The farm and the woods have a gorgeous creek running through it with walls made long ago along the embankment. Bonnie took us on a walk to see a small waterfall in the creek and told us dozens of stories about the plants she has seen there. She also showed us a new tree (to me, at least), called Old Sage Orange. The roots are bright orange and look like carrots.

The actual farm was really small, more like a garden. It was cute, without strait edges and all kinds of round fences to keep the deer out. We got the entire garden dug up and planted lettuce, peas and...spinich? I cant remember all of that, but it was marvelous!

Relief Work Relief

Hi everyone!

Thanks so much for posting your little hearts out while we've been incommunicato in the field in Brushy TN.

The students will be posting today while we're getting rejuvenated, cleaned up, and just a little rested in Knoxville (thanks Tom and Nancy), so I'll just give the overview.

Since Sara's last post about the work on Bonnie Hall's farm, we've spent a very full work week helping the residents of Brushy Tennessee get a little more on their feet after at least one tornado came down the Brushy Road hollow. First we worked with two county road crews clearing fallen trees from people's yards along Brushy Road. The other time was spent working off of "Clara's List."

Clara gave us a list of the folks in the hollow who were the most in need of some help and I'm proud to say that we were able to give at least a little assistance to each of the ten families on it.

Details, pictures, descriptions, thank yous and more should be appearing very soon--stay tuned!

John

Tennessee: The Volunteer State

No kidding, that's the state motto! Today is our first day of dirty work; we're headed just southeast of Nashville to Bonnie's organic farm for the day.

Bonnie is an organic farmer who emphasizes low-impact, using all manual labor: shovels, rakes, watering cans filled at the spring. (Her home was damaged by the storms, which pushed back her farm work and plantings.) More to come on her unique farming practices...

Yesterday was a driving marathon which ended up in Knoxville, TN, where Anna's folks hosted us. Big thanks to them for cushy beds, warm house, and a great big breakfast.

Soon, we'll roll out in Carhartts and raincoats and with Nalgenes full for our first day of work...Unit-Y!

Jersey Girls (and Boys)

That's right folks, we successfully made it to New Jersey. Not only is the Garden State #1 in population density, it is also my birthplace, and home to the Knipper Family.

Once we arrived at the Knipper homestead, Pete's mom invited us into her kitchen for an awesome feast of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches...ah, mommy food. When you meet Pete's mom, it become why the kid loves food and cooking, and why he's so darn nice!

The highlight of the Knipper visit (besides their hospitality) was getting to see hilarious baby photos of Pete. He was squirrely and inquistive from infancy!

Well, we're off to another full day of driving, which should land us in Knoxville, TN at Anna McGalliard's family home. Baby Pictures Tour 2008!

So Many Thanks....

There are so many of you out there that have helped to get us on the road, I just want to take a minute to say thanks. I'm sure I've left someone out but here goes:

Thanks to Roger D., Ivan and Aimee for getting us equipped with vans and trailers. We'll be stylin' in the new vans!

Thanks to Rob Constantine in the Advancement office and to Kate Grenier and the office of Alumni Affairs for the fabulous t-shirts and financial support. Thanks to Susan Fedoush for helping us get bloggy with it.

Thanks also to Chris Melanson and President Mitch Thomashow for financial support.

Thanks to Gerry Saunders, Lisa B. Martin, Chris Marshall, Doug Fox, Jacob DesLauriers, Doug Van Horn, Lois Ongley, Jen Olin, Beth Arnold, Mick Womersley, and Mr. LeClerc (Andy's dad) for either loaning or donating tools and supplies.

Thanks to Sandy Olson for the cameras, batteries, chargers, cables, the works--(the pressure is on!--we've gotta come back with some good material now!)

Thanks to Mark Tardif for your promotion of our shenanigans.

And last but not least, thanks to Andy LeClerc for his tireless work in helping to plan this trip, gathering gear, and just being a fantastic supportive humaniramitarian! We wish you were going with us!

Pack it up, Pack it in, Let me begin...

One really exciting aspect of this trip is our connection to food security (by volunteering on a small organic farm which participates in a CSA). In fair weather, the local food system is vital to the well-being of communities, but after disasters it is even more important to have food available where the needy folks live.

We are also lucky enough to be attending the Tennessee Organic Growers' Association annual conference, which features workshops on composting, season extension, marketing, collaborating with chefs, beekeeping, mulch, mushrooms, food co-ops, and much more! By much more I mean a keynote address by Eliot Coleman and a local foods luncheon. Yum.

As I prepare for the trip, I am puzzled by what to pack to wear to the conference. Conference implies that it is kind of professional...but it 's all organic grower type folks...

I think Carhartt's are acceptable, perhaps if accompanied by hoop earrings.

hurray for blogs!!!

Hey everybody - I just wanted to express the excitement that we all have about this trip. Those individuals who have worked so hard in the planning of our journey simply cannot wait for all of their hard work to pay off. All of us who are fortunate enough to join the crew are super anxious to enjoy the fruits of the crew's efforts. Seriously, this trip is all that I have been able to think about for the last two weeks and all that anyone else involved has been able to think about. Enough for the blog - I have got to pack...WE'RE LEAVING TOMORROW!!! WOO HOO!!!

Tennessee Here we Come!!!

Sara, Jake, Pete and I are sitting in my office: downloading video...inventory-izing the pruning shears. Talkin' chainsaws... Getting ready to go!

Thanks to everyone who dontated or loaned equipment. Thanks for the many gloves, saws, shears, video equipment, t-shirts, banjos and mandolins, rain sticks, wheel barrows, broadforks, et-cetera.

Sara and Peter are currently fantasizing about meeting Eliott Coleman at the Tennessee Organic Grower's Association conference on March 15. They're scheming about how to sidle up to Coleman and get him to sign Doug's broadfork. Here's a real time quote from Sara: "If you get in between me and him, Peter, I am going to take you down! Seriously!"

Can you tell we're excited?

Note from Clara in Centerville TN

I thought you folks might all enjoy this re-cap from Clara. I just got this in an email from her this morning……..

Good Morning again, Anna! I will test with this e-mail to be sure I have the correct e-mail address for you. Also will give you a little more background info.

As I told you before Brushy is a rural community between two small towns - about 8 miles from Centerville and 12 miles from Hohenwald. The tornado (reported to be an F4) made about a 5 mile path through this community, causing damage to 40+ homes and completely destroying about a dozen homes. Since this is a rural area, many barns and out buildings/storage buildings were destroyed in addition to the homes. We are in an area of rolling hills covered with thick forest. There is much damage to the trees and timber. Our church building (Brushy Church of Christ) is right along the path of the tornado and sustained only minor damage. The tornado touched down about 8:30 PM and within the hour, our building automatically became headquarters for "disaster relief" for this community with several families staying the rest of the night there. The next day we began preparing meals at the church building annex for those without homes and for the many work crews. This is continuing on at a steady pace How we look forward to you being among those served next week!

I just realized that today is March 5th - the tornado hit February 5th! - It's been one month. The initial shock and excitement is subsiding somewhat, but now reality and fatigue is setting in with those hardest hit. What a breath of fresh air you will be! Your timing is great.

Just to recap some of our conversation last evening:

-- Suggested list of tools/items to bring:
-- safety glasses
-- heavy (leather?) work gloves
-- dust masks
-- large pruning tools
-- small pruning tools
-- chain saw (only if experienced operator)
-- wheel barrows
-- tarps
-- leaf rakes

We will be mindful of those who prefer a vegetarian diet, including beans, cheese, nuts, rice, eggs, a lot of veggies and fruits, etc. and soy milk in our meals.

We look forward to hearing how you found us, all the way from Maine! We thank God that you did! ~ Clara

Tool Drive

I just spoke with Clara Shannon who is a community member in the town of Brushy, TN where we will be working. Clara is coordinating meals for volunteers and victims and is our unofficial "host," although I feel like the entire community of Brushy is our gracious host!

Clara has also been our liaison helping us to get ready for our work week down there. She gave me a list of supplies that we will likely need to do our work safely and effectively. If any of you have anything on the list below that you would like to loan out or donate, I will be gathering supplies between now and Friday afternoon. (We're movin' out on Saturday, bright and early!)

If you want to loan items, please put your name on them. We will do our best to take care of them and bring them back home safely. If you want to donate items, please indicate that to me (on a sticky, a napkin, a band-aid--anything, just let me know that you don't want it back!) We will leave the donated items in Brushy for the community members to continue their clean up.

Chainsaw
Safety glasses
leather work gloves
large pruners
small pruners
wheelbarrows (don't worry, we're taking a trailor!)
tarps
leaf rakes
dust masks
contractor bags
reg.30 gal garbage bags
Hearos (those little squishy ear plugs).

We don't know what we'll need for the farmwork yet, so the list will likely grow. I can guess: shovels, trowels........I can come pick up items or you can drop them off at the Health Center.

Anna

Calling all Humaniramitarians! Meeting today March 5

The Humaniramitarians have what might be our last organizational meeting tonight. The meeting will be held in South Coop 213 at 4:30. We'll be completing our Full Value Contract and putting the final touches on our gear list.

Blog in and Blog Us!

Consider this your official invitation to blog the Humaniramitarians. We'll do our best to keep you up to speed on what's going on during our latest relief trip.

Very often there isn't going to be good internet access where we're going, but that doesn't mean that you can't blog your little hearts out! Just 'cause we can't read your messages (yet) doesn't mean that we can't receive your good vibes--send 'em on!

We're also hoping that friends and family will keep the blog up to date during the work trip with the latest from phone check-ins (we'll remind them to call home) from our work sites.

Add the Humaniramitarian Blog to your favorites and check back often--Heck, why not just make us your home page for the time being?

Tennessee Tornado Relief--March 2008

Well, the Humaniramitarians are off again. This time we're headed to middle Tennessee to help out as much as we can in the aftermath of the February 5th, 2008 tornadoes that did so much damage to the south.

We're leaving on Saturday March 8th and will be back by the time school starts at Unity again on March 24th.

Our plans include helping out on Bonnie's organic farm in Liberty Tennessee. Bonnie's house was hit hard and so she's been too busy to get her crop in. We're hoping to help with that.

Next we're expecting to work through Clara and friends at the Brushy Road Church of Christ to give some aid to several families who have tons of brush and trees down on their severely damanged homes.

After several days of work we hope to attend the Tennessee Organic Grower's Association Conference (http://www.tnorganics.org/) with our new T.O.G.A friends and Elliot Coleman. Then get some exposure to some southern Appalachian culture, food, and geography (hellllooo Great Smoky Mountains).

Join the ranks of the Humani-ram-itarians!

The Humani-ram-itarians are a group of Unity College affiliated (somehow someway) and loosely-configured, like-minded, and otherwise independent individuals who nevertheless get organized, when occasion demands, to help folks out.

Does this sound like you or someone you care about? Take the Travelling Humaniramitarian Quiz to see if you qualify as a Humaniramitarian?

1. Are you a student, faculty, staff, alum, parent or friend of UNITY COLLEGE in Maine?
2. Do you find yourself compelled to sigh at your T.V. when bad things happen to very nice people?
3. Do you get antsy when some people are hurting and some other people are doing nothing?
4. Do you have so much good will that sometimes you just feel like blogging about it?
5. Do you find yourself inexplicably drawn to comically long, comically hyphenated words?

If you've answered "Yes Indeed!" to any of the above, then you might as well open your front door, call your friends, fire up an email to the world and admit...

"I'M A HUMANI-RAM-ITARIAN."

Go on...we'll wait.

When you're done hollerin', log back in and blog your allegiance to the Unity College Travelling Humaniramitarians by commenting to this post.