After a 6-year run, Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads is retiring its TUFF ENUF 5K Obstacle Challenge event and will be donating all of the lumber and materials to Bluebird Gap Farm. We are in need of adult volunteers who can help us empty our storage unit, load a trailer (BONUS if the volunteer team has one we can borrow!) and transport the materials to Bluebird Gap Farm. The lumber will be used for various projects at the farm--including a Goat City, which our Youth Volunteers will build inside the goat's habitat. Construction on the Goat City began on Saturday, March 7; this groundbreaking event signified the beginning of a unique partnership between Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads and Bluebird Gap Farm. Our youth-led Goat City Committee has been meeting since August of 2019 to plan, design and orchestrate the details for this project; unfortunately, progress came to an abrupt halt when the pandemic was declared. This group of Youth Volunteers is eager to resume their work, but we are now working with extremely limited resources due to budget cuts. By utilizing the lumber from the retired TUFF ENUF obstacles, we will reduce costs and ensure the structure is completed in a timely fashion so that the goats have a play structure that will improve their physical and mental health. The Goat City will also serve as an attraction for families that visit the farm.
In an effort to continue construction and re-purpose lumber for this animal enrichment structure, we need a team of volunteers who can safely and efficiently move heavy materials (mostly long boards that are 8-12' in length), load them onto a trailer and then unload them at Bluebird Gap Farm. We will meet at the storage unit at 9:30am (after the drive-thru parade). Once the materials are loaded, we will caravan to the farm to unload. Estimated time at the storage unit is one hour, with 20 minutes of travel time to Bluebird Gap Farm and another 45 minutes of unloading.
Youth Volunteer Corps of Hampton Roads will provide water and snacks. If the volunteer group can provide (and pull) their own trailer, that would be an enormous help! Otherwise, YVCHR will borrow one for this project. Please have one member of the volunteer team contact kmorgan@yvchr.org to discuss logistics.
Thank you in advance for helping this collaboration between YVCHR and Bluebird Gap Farm become a success! Photos below are of our Goat City groundbreaking event, as well as of the storage unit.
