Last Day Reflection

On my last day at Kopper Top, it didn’t seem like anything too exciting was going to happen. We just spent the first two hours or so cleaning out a shed and reorganizing the summer camp arts and crafts drawers (which is still unfinished) and then we fed the animals and let the baby rabbits get some outside play time in a pen. Everything was really mellow and more or less productive. The day before, Deborah had picked up her new summer intern who I believe is from Venezuela then spent a significant time living in Israel and now attends Florida University and has somehow found her way to Kopper Top. She was a really sweet girl and definitely eager to help out around the farm which should be good for Deborah this summer. Overall the last day was pretty surreal in a sense considering it just sort of signaled to me that my freshmen year has really come to an end. Around the last hour we were there, a young girl named Abby showed up for her four o’clock lesson and she was absolutely adorable and just the sweetest child I’ve ever met. I had found out earlier that despite her physical disabilities and the struggles they’ve presented her throughout her life, her mother killed her father when she was younger. So, now her mother is prison and she lives with her grandparents who can hardly afford to support her and her needs. Abby is a prime example of Deborah’s generosity and willingness to do anything necessary to care for the kids who come to her doorstep because she pays out of her own pocket for Abby’s therapy at Kopper Top. We rode with her for about an hour or so and had a little scare when she thought she wanted to run and quickly realized that that was a bit scarier than expected and started sobbing and hugging me. It was so SAD! Finally when we finished up, I realized that Abby and I had a true connection when she asked if she could play with the ferrets. I instantly volunteered and pulled Boomer, the more social one, out of his cage and brought him outside for a little field trip with Abby. Overall, it was definitely a good last day at Kopper Top. Looking back, I can definitely say that Kopper Top was one of the best things that could have happened to me. It got me involved in a better thing and really put my life into perspective, and reminded me not to take anything for granted. I’ll definitely miss them all this summer but can not wait to get back next fall when I’ll be assisting with the redesign project and hopefully improving the facility significantly. On top of that, I’ve decided to apply for our LINCS program here at Elon University, which requires that I complete 300 hours between the start of school next fall and the end next spring. I’m really excited and proud of what this service learning class has helped me to accomplish. I’m just anxious to continue our work next fall and to come back and see what good changes have happened this summer!