After a transformative week of service, fostering community relationships and reconnecting with our neighbors, the group wanted to finish off our last full day together by learning more about the businesses that have sprouted in downtown Erie. And what better way to do this other than over some great coffee? The group headed to Ember and Forge located at 401 State Street at 8am to sip on a wide variety of coffee options, to engage in conversation with each other and members of the community and to meet with the brave and wondrous women who started this business, Hannah Kirby. Hannah received her Mechanical Engineering degree from Gannon University and later got her MBA. Upon graduating school, she took on a job at a manufacturing company in Erie, PA for 10 years. However, she knew that there was something missing in her life and she wanted to find something else to to do, to give back to her community in a different way, and have the opportunity to be part of transforming Erie and con
The group's day started well before your average robin as 7 zombies walked in single file to silently load themselves into our cargo van at 5:15 am. The destination was a graveyard containing a large body of water covered in ice, heavy grey mist, and a faint outline of trees. The perfect place for a zombie's sunrise reflection. Kicking it off, the group moved through an intense progression of mindfulness, breathing, and beautification. The process led to a powerful realization, that watching a sunrise while it snowing is like expecting a baboon to make a cocoon. Nevertheless, we deepened our meditation, the sun initiated its levitation, slowly revealing the mystic landscape of the bayfront. With the light of day to guide us, we made another great stop at Perry's monument where we enjoyed the mystic bayfront landscape from another angle. Surprisingly, at this location and this early in the morning, we ran into several students from New York City, Pittsburgh, and Cali