Spring Break- Kissimmee, Fl

This week I've had the privilege of serving alongside 11 other awesome Auburn students at Give Kids the World and Mustard Seed donation center in Kissimmee, Florida.

Give Kids the World is a resort that partners with Make-A-Wish to provide a free vacation for families who have kids affected by life-threatening illnesses. The organization partners with Orlando's theme parks to provide a cost-free trip for these families, and it's really incredible. Our group has gotten to serve several families by serving breakfast and dinner at Nancy's Kitchen, handing out towels at the Park of Dreams pool, helping kids create a wish star that is hung in one of the galaxies in the Castle, operating the carousel, serving ice-cream for breakfast, and overall just putting a smile on the fa

ces of wish-children. They joy of the volunteers and staff at GKTW has been contagious, and everyone so selflessly serves the families who are there to have an unforgettable trip. And they do; several of the families we have interacted with have been blown away by the kindness and generosity that GKTW offers. Whether it's the presents left in the rooms by volunteers while the families are at the parks, the unlimited amount of free food and ice cream, or the willingness of volunteers to carry a family member's tray to their dinner table, GKTW wants their guests to feel loved and served well. Another big priority is fun. GKTW celebrates a different holiday every night complete with parades and Disney characters. The resort also has a life-size Candy-land game, complete with volunteers as game pieces. Every aspect of GKTW serves the purpose of making families feel loved and to give them a chance to relax and take a break from stresses of everyday life for wish-kids. It really has been an incredible week of service with GKTW, and we believe in the mission of this organization so much. It has been an honor be a part of their story this week.

Mustard Seed is a furniture donation center located in Orlando. They accept donations of clothes, furniture, and other household items to serve the Orlando community. They have a thrift store with affordable clothes, but their main service to the community is providing families that cannot afford to furnish their house with items to do so. For a fee of $150, a family can come to Mustard Seed and get anything they need for their house, and as many as they need- beds, living room furniture, sheets, cooking utensils, pillows, mattresses, etc. Additionally, Mustard Seed has a crew that works specifically with deconstructing mattresses that cannot be re-used in order to recycle its parts, because mattresses cannot decompose in landfills. Our team has helped sort household items for families, as well as learned how to deconstruct mattresses (and we've gotten pretty good at it). This part of our trip is more labor-intensive, but is still rewarding to see the families in the community that are helped by Mustard Seed's services.

Our group has learned a lot this week. Coming into a week of service with 11 strangers can be daunting, but our team has been incredible. We have become friends so quickly, which made serving together better and more fun. Working at GKTW and Mustard Seed each comes with its own set of challenges, and its own rewards. GKTW is a fun and whimsical place, but it is difficult to know the reason that families are there. Our group specifically saw this challenge when we toured on Saturday, and got to hear stories of children that had stayed there in the past. But with this challenge comes joy in seeing wish-kids smile and to know that we have the opportunity to make a difference in their week. Mustard Seed is physically challenging, and has left us feeling exhausted. However, it is also rewarding to know that we are helping members of the community who are in need, and we have gotten to experience a few families coming to pick up furniture for their house and seeing their appreciation makes the exhaustion worth it.

Overall, our week has been filled with blessings. We are all thankful for our time here, and can't believe we only have 1 day left!

-- Molly Bryant

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