December Blog - lights & lighthouses!

December Community Service Hours: 3 hours

Total Fall Community Service Hours: 12.5 hours


This month's service activities included 2 hours at Celebration in the Oaks at City Park and 1 hour at the New Canal Lighthouse. 

Celebration in the Oaks is a holiday fundraiser held at City Park with a variety of lights, decor, and amusement rides.  I was placed at one of the entrance gates to take pictures of any visiting guests who requested photos with their loved ones. We - volunteers - were given Hot Hands to help combat the cold. It was not very busy late on a Thursday night at the beginning of December so I spent an ample amount of time messing around with the Hot Hands packets and the thought crossed my mind on what they were made of and what would happen if one ate the inside components. One of the major components is charcoal powder, and in class we learned that charcoal powder taken concomitantly with medication can reduce the absorption of drugs, as well as enhance clearance. 

The lighthouse is part of the Pontchartrain Conservancy, and serves as a science and history museum. I helped paint boards that are going to be used as geology learning tools to help students learn about the effects of hurricanes on land and sea when little attachments of houses, boats, and other items are added to the pegs of the board. These boards will be distributed to teachers at schools in the New Orleans area. We used acrylic paint and I got a significant amount on my skin and clothes, as well as under my nails which was stubborn and difficult to get rid of. Although - I'm not too concerned, because while acrylic is a potential carcinogen if ingested or absorbed through skin - Dr. Miller explained that environmental factors are unlikely to be a major contributor to carcinogenesis.  

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