Thursday 7/22- Ramp Building

Today my group started to build our third ramp which is 48 feet. I love work with Lowell I’m so glad he is the person we have him as our third adult because he is an amazing man. Also during this week I have connected with the people who we are building the ramps for and I also connected with the people in my group. Lastly’ I’m going to miss everybody I met and Lowell.

Vincent Mottola


Mission is always special times, but this seems even better somehow. The warmth, ok, ok it was hot at 95 and in the sun, but the evenings and mornings have been tonic for this westsider prone to rust! And the kids are so awesome. You would be very proud of each and every one of them! I sure am! Time with Lowell! Finishing ramps and today working on a home South of Wapato. It needed a lot, but our kids were more than up to the task! Primeing, painting, patching, spackling, and cleaning. But they transformed a home in a day…wow!

Rick R


I learned today that dust storms are really windy. Never wear white shirts when you are in a dust storm. The front of my shirt is completely beige while the back is white. Today, we picked up garbage in the yard of the family’s house. I think we picked up more than ten bags of garbage. I thought it was hot today but it didn’t even break ninety. Today we also started putting in tiling. The dining area looks fantastic. We also finished the bathroom with all the scrubbing and the second coat in the last bedroom. The place looks amazing. It is almost time for dinner. I keep walking around with the laptop trying to finish this blog. Yet I am not sure what I wanna say. Yesterday we went swimming and ice blocking. I totally ruined a pair of shorts. Actually I ruined two pairs. It was fun. Turns out it is better to slide down on your stomach better than sitting on your butt. There was a lot of swimming races yesterday. It was fun! Im so glad I got to swim again. Its been much too long. Well its only five days…..oh well. I think I have been saying random stuff too much. I finally opened my red bull I wonder how that will do to me and how well I will sleep tonight. I believe air mattresses hate me. I have had two but they all go flat on me by two in the morning! Ahh. I guess next year I will bring a cot or something. I think I now have the longest blog. Hahahahaa. I think I am just rambling on right now so I should go. Bye

Sammi Nguyen



Tonight is culture night here at Young Neighbors in Action. Thursday is always culture night here, and this year we get to understand more about the native Yakama culture. The fact that it’s Thursday startles me. I can’t believe that this week has flown by already! Each workday has had so much progress and I’ve made so many great friends that I’m going to really miss this amazing experience! My group is building ramps. We get the joy of working with the absolutely AMAZING Lowel, who is the ramp building guru! He is a truly amazing person! Every year he goes to New Orleans to help rebuild homes, and he continues to build ramps by himself during the duration of time he’s home. Being able to work with him is an honor! On my first workday, I was really surprised when they handed me a power drill. I have never used one previously in my life and I was honestly scared out of my wits! Now it’s Thursday, and I can both drill and drive a nail with the best of them! However, there wasn’t much building today. My ramp-building group was split in half; some of us being sent to work on a house on the reservation that needed painting and cleaning. It had been a site that was left unfinished from week one. I cleaned the cabinet doors in both the kitchen and the laundry room from a yellow-orange color back to a clean white. I never thought that a rag, some water, and Mr. Clean could do so much! I also painted, but had a little incident with primer. A fan scared me when it fell from the window behind me, I spun around, and backed up into the wall I had JUST covered with primer. In the words of my good friends: “fail”. Anyway, I’m off to enjoy culture night, enjoy my salmon and fry bread, and learn to dance. So, in conclusion, I love you all, and Mission is amazing!

-Kelcie Hollingsworth