James Madison University is located in Harrisonburg, VA, so you might wonder why students from Virginia would travel all the way to Georgia for spring break. The answer is simple: Through one of their professors, they learned about the work our organization is doing and wanted to support it in any way they could.
Last March, the BOC, along with Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and the team at Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, hosted 15 young women who chose to spend their spring break working in a community hundreds of miles from their campus.
These students, ranging from sophomores to seniors and representing a variety of academic disciplines, shared one thing in common: a commitment to service. They truly understood the assignment: To show up and lend a hand wherever it was needed. Together, we worked long hours in the Georgia heat cutting trails, removing invasive plants, painting, and tackling many other projects that help care for this special place.
This year, 11 more JMU students will be traveling to Georgia to support similar projects, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome them back. The work may be hard, but it is truly what we call heart work.
We are incredibly grateful for the continued support and dedication of the students from James Madison University.
If you would like to lend a hard or just want to say hello to our visitors, you can stop by the Davidson Nature Preserve at Arabia Mountain State Park or sign up to join our “labor of love” work day. We will be on site in the Heritage Area from Monday, March 16, to Friday, March 20. Our work day will be from 9 am to 4 pm.
For more information, email nicomanarjett@gmail.com.