Amy Collier
For the past three summers, I have participated on unique, exciting, and meaningful trips with Landmark Volunteers. In 2005, I traveled to the Hancock Shaker Village in western Massachusetts. My team of twelve high school students scraped away old paint, repaired broken boards, and applied a fresh coat of bright white paint to more than a mile of crumbling fences, significantly improving the appearance of the entire village. The following year, I volunteered as a counselor at Camp Sunshine. For two weeks, I worked with 6-8 year-olds suffering from brain tumors and other forms of cancer, and I gained a greater appreciation for life.

This past summer, I decided to travel farther and combine my love for the outdoors with my desire to improve the condition of the environment. I joined twelve other dedicated teens in the rich forests and stunning coastlines of Olympic National Park in Washington. For the first week, we lived in a church in Port Angeles and worked tirelessly to construct a 1/4 mile long trail in Robin Hill. On the last day of this project, every member of the team worked nonstop to finish the trail, exceeding both our own and our agency’s expectations. When we were not working or hiking, we went down to the beach, saw the Harry Potter movie, and made friendship bracelets. The second week, we camped in Olympic National Park and removed invasive English ivy from the Pacific coast. As we cut, pulled, and carried heaps of stubborn ivy, we played games, sang songs, and marveled at the spectacular view of the ocean just below us. During our free time, we walked on the beach and swam in the chilly Pacific water. Some of my favorite memories of the entire experience came from making s’mores at our beach campfire as we watched the ocean absorb the vibrant red sun. I remember all thirteen of us sitting on the mound of pulled ivy on the last day, amazed by the impact of our short four days of hard work. Despite the cool and penetrating rain, our spirits remained high, and our enthusiasm for improving the world around us motivated us to encourage one another to do our best.

When I first walked nervously up to the waiting group of volunteers at the airport, I was unsure about this new experience. However, when we piled all of our belongings into that distinctive white van and squeezed into the remaining room, we discussed our favorite movies, books, and songs and quickly bonded with one another. By the time we were returning to the airport two weeks later, we had evolved into a group of close friends. Today, I continue to talk to my teammates, reminiscing about those extraordinary two weeks and arranging reunions to meet up again. All three of my Landmark Volunteers experiences have taught me that the action of a small group of motivated teenagers truly can have a powerful influence on others.

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