I’ve lived in Newton, Massachusetts since 1990, and worked here since 1991. But, until yesterday I’d never participated in NewtonSERVES, “A Day of Community Service”. Like most people I’d always had a number of excuses/reasons for not participating—family commitments; not in the city that day; too many other things going on; just didn’t want to do it; blah, blah, blah.

But, this year was different. I decided weeks in advance that I was going to participate, and, as the City’s website said “rain or shine”, I was determined to show up and do my part. Luckily, hundreds of brave volunteers and I weren’t deterred by the weather. We’ve been in the midst of a horribly wet spring and yesterday didn’t disappoint the ducks. I forgot to register in advance and upon arrival was told I could pick from tasks for any of 50 non-profit organizations or City of Newton departments that needed my help. Being an avid bike rider, I opted to do bike trail maintenance in Auburndale, one of Newton’s 13 villages.

So, what is “bike trail maintenance” you might ask? It’s more aptly described as “trash pickup” but if they called it that, who would do it, especially on a cold, wet day? Fortunately, five hearty souls, agreed to take on the task. Led by Nathan Phillips, an Associate Professor, Geography and Environment at BU and Vice President of Bike Newton, we each got our black garbage bags and simple instructions: “Pick up whatever litter you see and put in the bag. We’ll collect them at the end.”

We traipsed along the trail starting off Commonwealth Avenue and ending at Auburndale Cove for 4 hours. The rain came down steadily for the entire day and with temperatures in the 50s, we had to keep moving. If I had a dime for every cigarette but I picked up, I would have been rich. Who knew there were so many butts and so much litter until you’re scouring the earth looking for them?

We all got soaked in the spring rain, picked up a lot of litter, and mugged for a group photo. And, best of all, we got to return to City Hall for free bright yellow T-shirts and hot fudge sundaes from Cabot’s Ice Cream, a Newton institution. With the people I met, the T-shirt, and ice cream, I’ll be back next year. And, if I can get my act together ahead of time, I’ll bring people from TRA360 to join me too.

I’ve been a volunteering as a member of the Room to Read Boston Chapter Core Team for almost three years. During this time, I’ve heard John Wood, Room to Read Founder and Board Co-Chair, speak in person in Boston on three occasions and seen Erin Ganju, Co-Founder and CEO speak at TedX Berkeley (see my earlier blog post). Both John and Erin are inspiring speakers who are firmly committed to Room to Read’s mission.

But tonight I was completely blown away by one of Room to Read’s international directors: Cambodia country director Kall Kahn. In the basement of the Elephant Walk in Cambridge, Kall shared the story of his life before and after the Khmer Rouge. Many members of his immediate family were killed in the genocide and he fled to the mountains for his life. After several years in hiding he returned to Phnom Penh as an older teen and was determined to complete his primary and high school educations. He not only completed these goals but also went on to study and receive his master’s degree in business management from Norton University in Phnom Penh. For Kall to achieve these goals without the primary support of his immediate family against the backdrop of the Khmer Rouge made me, and many others in attendance cry.

Kall’s passion is contagious in a soft and measured way. He believes that a successful Cambodia begins with the education of its children. This core belief was confirmed when Kall was asked: “What is the greatest obstacle to Room to Read’s success?” he gave a thoughtful and inspiring answer: “It is the mindset of the Cambodian people. We need all of them—children, parents, grandparents, the government—to understand that education is the key to success for our children.”

What more can be said?

See a related post on the Needham Patch blog: http://needham.patch.com/articles/eliot-school-hosts-cambodian-speaker

On Sunday May 1st over 40,000 people poured onto Boston Common to start the 20-mile Walk for Hunger. For the first time, I was one of them.  It was a sparkling sunny day, cool and breezy. Musicians played along the way, and volunteers cheered us on at each intersection. Sponsors donated food for a snack stop at mile 11.5, and half a cheese sandwich has never tasted so good or been swallowed so fast. I walked with a team from my church, and part of the fun was getting to know them better during the hours we walked together.  Mostly though, I enjoyed the sense of being part of this huge crowd, in all our diversity, coming together with a single goal. All together, we raised over $3.5 million to fund 448 emergency food programs in Massachusetts. It was an amazing experience, and while it may have been my first Walk, it won’t be my last!