The Deterred Yet Determined Volunteer

When I heard about Journal Communications allowing us to volunteer one Friday to help with flood recovery, I jumped at the opportunity. I had been able to assist a couple co-workers just after the flood waters had receded and I knew that there was much to be done.

I signed on to work a project in North Nashville. The description of the project showed that we'd be doing demolition work. Probably tearing out drywall, carpeting and the like. I dressed appropriately with old jeans and a t-shirt and had my work gloves, tools and mask ready. I drove from Smyrna to North Nashville with great anticipation of the day ahead.

My thought on the drive up was that I would blog about another volunteer who showed up to help. I would tell their story and give a little different spin on this blogging idea. I'd be like a roving correspondent telling the story from a different perspective. Little did I know what lie in store.

I arrived a little early for the job, parked my truck and saw several other folks dressed like me walk up the building and then get back in their cars and drive off. I thought they were dispatching folks to the job site awful quickly and even though I was early, I better get in there and find out what was going on. I walked up to the building and there was a sign on the door stating that the Hands On Nashville project had been canceled. Bummer. Major bummer.

I decided I would go over to the Bellevue area because I knew how badly that area was hit and I new there had to be debris to be hauled off. I had spent some time over there in the days just after the flood and it seemed like an impossible amount of debris to manage.

As I got to the River Plantation area of Bellevue, I quickly realized that everything there had pretty much been done. It surprised me, to say the least. There were no ServPro tents, church disaster relief trailers or debris of any kind in sight. I drove by the church and to a store where I had heard a radio station was scheduled to take volunteers to clean up a park. I could find no place there to volunteer.

Now, I realized my blog was going to be about my experience and not another volunteer. I had to find someone to help, even if it wasn't a Hands On Nashville project. I had an idea closer to home.

I called Mike Moss, Director of Smyrna Parks and Recreation. I knew they needed help getting a couple of parks back in line after the flood. He was very happy to have the help and had me meet him at the maintenance building where he supplied me with a couple of cleaning buckets, shop rags and several Sheen cleaning spray cans.

I went to Volunteer Park which was the worst hit of all Smyrna Parks. During the flood, the water was as high as the roof on the concession stand. All of the signs and dugouts in the park were muddy. I cleaned all of the signs and all of the dugout boxes (where players put their helmets, gloves and hats).

Later that weekend, I took my son Samuel and my daughter Sheridan to Sharp Springs Park and along the Greenway where we continued the clean up effort. We will continue to clean interpretive signs and benches until all of the parks and greenway have been cleaned.