What I did on my Summer Vacation

What I did on my Summer Vacation

Youth and employees alike rolled up their sleeves this summer and headed out with garbage bags in hand to make yet another HomeBridge neighbourhood cleaner and greener.

The efforts of HomeBridge’s annual Community Clean-Up Program were concentrated in the area that surrounds Sullivan House on Robie Street this year. This program, which is supported by the Youth Development Initiative, includes an educational session by Marcel Maessen from HRM Waste Management on waste reduction and environmental issues followed by the actually clean up which included 20 young people and 21 employees picking up litter around the community.

The timing of this year’s event resulted in our crews cleaning up the morning after the outdoor Metallica concert and finding some interesting litter in the Halifax Commons. One young person even proudly went home with a ticket stub from the show. In total 34 bags of garbage and recyclables were removed from the neighbourhood and several community members thanked us for our efforts.

This is the fifth such event HomeBridge has held in the communities that surrounding our facilities and continues to be an annual initiative lead by our Green Environment Committee. It not only gives us an opportunity to educate the young people on environmental issues, but is also a way to give back to the communities that support us.

After adding the clean up experience to their resumes, the youth then embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure when they decided to try their hand at hosting a farmers market. Thanks to the Discovering Food Program that is funded by The Printing House, this group of keen young people and employees boarded a bus (that had flames painted on it) to the Valley where they spent a day picking fresh berries and produce. After weighing and packaging their goods and inviting the neighbours, HomeBridge hosted its very first Youth Farmers Market.

The young people learned about customer service and sales as they sold everything from blueberries and plums to corn and potatoes and even homemade baked goods and jewelry they created. Another valuable lesson the young people learned in this venture is that there are always risks in business. Despite having a very successful event, they found themselves with a large quantity of left over plums. Refusing to see this as a loss though, they immediately came up with an alternative plan for the remaining goods. After researching recipes and canning techniques they are now set to make plum jelly to sell at their next event.