By Daniel Marion
On November 1st, 2014, Tschipey Achtu Lodge, located in northwestern New York, had its annual “Adopt-A-Park” lodge service project. At the event, the lodge picks a park in the community and temporarily adopts it for a day to do service. In recent years, the lodge has selected places like the Victor Hiking Trails. This year, however, they chose the Trail of Hope located out of Lyons, New York.
“This trail is special as it gives people with disabilities an opportunity to go out and enjoy nature,” says Tschipey Achtu Lodge Chief Forrest Gertin. Gertin pointed out that what makes the Trail of Hope so special is the fact that it is wheelchair accessible.
“All people, regardless of their ability or age, have the right to enjoy nature and its many benefits,” states the official website for the Trail of Hope. The Trail of Hope is definitely a community landmark, as it hosts a children’s camp for local preschools and is home to the community greenhouse. Many surrounding organizations like nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and hospitals truly benefit from the park’s accessibility and the natural healing powers of its admirable beauty.
Also at the service day, the lodge hosted a Brotherhood opportunity. They did all sorts of projects like removing unwanted weeds and planting new seeds. Even though the trail has been updated and upgraded, the park keeps one part of the trail in its original condition (still wheelchair accessible) devoted to the Native Americans who were once settled on the property. Home to one of the last native chief circles in the area, this served as an excellent place for the Brotherhood Ceremony that was performed that day.
This event not only helped Tschipey Achtu’s Brotherhood conversion rate and service hours towards Journey to Excellence but also most importantly assisted the community of Lyons, NY. The participating Arrowmen set a prime example of how one little day of service or one small service project helps communities and many people in the surrounding areas. Even though pulling weeds from a flower bed or trimming trees along a trail are not the most fun things to do or the most adventurous, it is the service opportunities like this that have the greatest impacts on others.