Catherine's Cafe Vocation Blog

I spend part of my time here in Denver volunteering at EarthLinks.  The operation is centered around a large urban garden nearby the Mile-High Stadium and includes a solid community of participants that work and break bread together.   While the primary goal of EarthLinks is to foster community for these folks who can often feel isolated and marginalized, it also provides some resources, a clearinghouse for helpful information, a secure environment, and ample opportunity for participants to commune with nature and to develop creative skills.  Each day begins with a communal breakfast, prepared by the participants with donated food and produce from the garden.  I’ve spent most of my volunteer days so far working with participants at the various workshops—it’s been a great way to get to know the community.  It’s also super-fun to be involved in their daily activities: working in the garden, making soaps and lotions from the herbs they grow, building bee b...

Several years ago a movement called Random Acts of Kindness began, a movement encouraging us to do kind deeds for strangers, such as paying fees for others on toll roads or buying someone a cup of coffee. I had a t-shirt with this slogan written in big bold letters. This year is a variation on that theme in Juneau.  2017 has been designated as the Year of Kindness here. Every resident is asked to do one act of kindness each day for the entire year. Once a week we are asked to reach out to someone not usually in our familiar groups, such as someone from a different culture, religion, ethnic background, etc.  The goal of this endeavor is to improve the well-being of our community by: lowering the crime rate and improving the over-all health of its citizens. Another goal is to reach across various kinds of boundaries in order to become a more united community. As disciples of Christ we know we have already been called to care for our neighbor. Reaching out to strangers...