Good Works, Inc.

Hello, my name is Sophie Mather-Smith.

I grew up in Athens and have been, physically, very close to the Good Works community for most of my life. However, I was not really involved in the community until about seven years ago, when I decided to do an internship with Good Works as part of a gap year after graduating from high school. Learning about different kinds of communities was important to me at that time, and so I decided to immerse myself in a different kind of community during that season. Previously, I had mostly been immersed in the university community in town, due to my family’s connection to Ohio University. Then, I did the Appalachian Immersion internship for a few months of my gap year, and I discovered that I was both immersed in Appalachia and in a Christian community that was committed to my spiritual growth as I lived and served with them.

As I became part of the community, I learned many things about myself, one of them being that connecting with the Earth through gardening energizes me. I am now leading Good Works’ gardens, and I really love getting to partner with people around Athens County who have gardening knowledge to pass along to me as I, along with many volunteers, help them to care for their gardens. I love to see their gardens grow and the generosity that comes out of that, as our neighbors share from their produce with their communities.

I have also been enjoying connecting with youth of all ages who come to Friday Night Life and experiencing the joy of engaging with them in activities they enjoy: from shooting hoops to playing badminton to drawing impressive pictures with chalk on the basketball court.

Through all of this, I have the opportunity to connect with others who care about building into their community and forming positive, healthy relationships with their neighbors. May we all experience more of the kingdom of God through His work in this community.