Spring Cleaning + Outdoor Fun

In an battle of epic proportions, a dedicated team of SOWW volunteers clawed down every tethered cobweb, swept every saw-dusted corner, and trimmed every blade of the traitorously grassy hillsides that stood in their way.  In the process, they made the Bull Run Warrior Retreat look better than ever!   

SOWW volunteer Special Operation Rock Team (SORT) on the ready

It wasn’t all work though.  They laughed often and drank their fill of fresh lemonade, but their favorite part was the camaraderie and the feeling of fulfillment that comes from serving others. 

the yard team

we're all in this together!

JROTC cadets pose before hammering the stones to bits

The Retreat sits on a 37-acre property and we are very fortunate to have a volunteer who keeps the grounds mowed.  He arrives bright and early before the intense sun hazes down the hillside and cuts the lawn every week without fail. So when he mentioned that the rocks that hid in the grass were dulling his blades, we formed a special task group that simply relished the opportunity to get their hands rocking and a rolling ... (pun intended). 

John Dominick, the Vice President of Serve Our Willing Warriors, spoke this group of primarily local high school Junior ROTC cadets beforehand.  He jokingly told them that after they were done picking up all of the rocks and making a pile with them in the front yard, they were to take giant sludge hammers and pulverize the rocks until it could be made into gravel for the driveway. 

Jokingly intended or not, our Special Operations Rock Team (SORT) took their job seriously. It did not take long after the collection of all of the rocks for John to notice the volunteers actually forming up with sledgehammers in front of the rock pile! 

Luckily for us, John's first thought was to grab a camera and record this earth shattering event (pun intended) for all of us to view. Please enjoy!

This bull dozer knew no bounds on clean-up day

the scouts gathering the mulch for the garden

pulling weeds never looked so good

SOWW Volunteer Ryan practicing his lawn mowing skills

mulching the fences of the Bull Run Warrior Retreat

Some Battlefield JROTC cadets posing in the Spring heat

a team of strong women holding their own 

the volunteer ladies showing the riveter inside them