March 10th marked our first Warrior Spirit Project Volunteer Workday day for 2018; and what an exciting day it turned out to be!
The Zula B. Wylie Library graciously provided the space for our event while Panera Bread, Chick Fil A, and Menchies of Cedar Hill generously provided the snacks and refreshments. We are so grateful to the City of Cedar Hill and all of the local businesses that donated to ensure our volunteers were well-taken care of!
Community is one of our greatest priorities at Warrior Spirit Project, so naturally, we began our workday with personal introductions. It was so refreshing to hear from all of our volunteers; your histories and your hearts bring so much diversity to our group! We appreciate you all very much!
We even got to meet some very special furry volunteers!
After introductions, our board members presented a bit of information about our programs. They gave a few, brief specifics and updates about our yoga, dogs, and dirt programs and then opened the floor for questions and discussion. So many of you were eager to share in the discussion. How rewarding it was to hear how our programs are impacting your daily lives!
After our meet and greet session, we broke out into five smaller groups and got to work! Inside there were 4 tables set up with different tasks that included deconstructing uniforms, filling yoga bean bags, making and tagging bracelets, and DIY dog toys. Outside, the garden plots were ready to be weeded and worked!
At table 1 several of our volunteers ripped seams in donated military uniforms. Removing pockets, nametapes, and velcro is frustrating and tedious work and probably the most time-consuming task! Deconstructed utilities are used to make weighted bean bags for our trauma-sensitive yoga. Our volunteers at this table kept smiles the entire time!
Volunteers at table 2 had fun filling prepared bean bags. Our weighted bean bags are used during yoga sessions to offer calming, grounding, and therapeutic benefits for our heroes. After much brainstorming and discussion, this group was able to come up with the perfect amount of beans to add to each bag. We are honored that so many heroes have donated their personal uniforms so that Warrior Spirit Project can continue to offer healing in unique ways.
Table 3 was charged with a lot of creative energy as our volunteers worked to complete handmade dog toys. By using recycled shirts and water bottles, this group ended up with a basketful of colorful toys for all of our emotional support dogs. So much love and laughter went into this project and our favorite furry partners are always so appreciative!
Do you have one of our Warrior Spirit Project bracelets? Table 4 worked diligently in knotting paracord and then tagging each bracelet with a special reminder for all our heroes to let them know how much we honor and appreciate them. Thanks to our volunteers at this table, we finished the day with several bags full of bracelets!
The two garden plots outside received much-needed attention. Our volunteers worked hard adding and preparing soil for spring planting. Our garden spaces behind the Zula B. Wylie Library serve as a stress-free way for heroes to work the earth and engage in community with each other, and of course, take home fresh herbs and vegetables!
The day was filled with lots of sweat, smiles, laughs, community, and conversation! Thank you to all of our volunteers! You mean so much to us! Because of what you do, we can continue to further the mission of Warrior Spirit Project. We are grateful for each and every one of you!
