"the People's Paths!" Cherokee News Path - Spirit of Gadugi Has Spread

"Alexandra Unger and Caitlin McDermott from Northeast University in Boston participated in the Cherokee Nation’s Volunteer Services Program. The two were part of a group of students volunteering in Tailholt."

TAHLEQUAH, OK — The spirit of gadugi has spread across the country and inspired a group of students from Northeast University in Boston, Massachusetts, to volunteer in a local Cherokee community.

The students took part in the Cherokee Nation Volunteer Services Program, whose goal is to place guest volunteers in Cherokee communities to share in the revitalization of local communities, provide communities opportunities to share Cherokee culture and empower communities to participate in self-identified projects while building new and lasting relationships with individuals from other regions of the United States.

Participants of the program paint houses, take part in construction projects, assist elderly community members with yard work, tutor children, community clean-up projects and various other needs expressed by the community. Work is assigned based upon projects identified by the host community and the skill level of volunteers.

“It has been a pleasure to have the Northeast University group with us,” said Mary Mead, Volunteer Services Coordinator. “What a wonderful way to spend their Spring Break. They are to be commended for their service to the Cherokee Nation. They have been a blessing to the community of Tailholt and the Cherokee Nation Volunteer Program. We hope to have them come again to volunteer with us.”

The Boston participants volunteered their time to the Tailholt community, where they helped on the community’s waterline project and cataloged books in the Caney Community Center library.

Alexandra Unger, a freshman from Northeast University, said that the community was very welcoming and wished that their time in Tailholt could have been longer.

“It feels really good to give to a community,” said Unger. “Everyone is so incredible. I have learned a great deal from this experience and I don’t want to leave.”

Another student volunteer from Northeast University, Caitlin McDermott, said she went away from the volunteer experience with a better sense of what is important in life.

“We have received so much more than we have given,” said McDermott. “This community has become our family and our friends. I will never forget this experience as long as I live. I appreciate the Cherokee Nation providing us with this opportunity. I’ve had a wonderful time.”

For more information about the Volunteer Services Program contact Mary Mead, phone: 918-207-4929 or by e-mail: mmead@cherokee.org.