For Luke Solis and Carter Poore, volunteering at Millican Reserve has given them a chance to work outdoors, learn new skills, and contribute to their broader College Station community.
Millican Reserve is a community spanning more than 2,500 acres in Texas’ Brazos Valley. Its nonprofit partner, the Millican Reserve Land Conservancy, connects people with the land through stewardship, programs, trails, and volunteer opportunities.
The Farm is one of the most tangible ways the Conservancy carries out its mission of building healthy community around nature. It gives people an opportunity to work directly with the soil, grow food, learn about land stewardship, and experience the connection between healthy land and a healthy community.
Luke Solis: Finding a Place to Work Outdoors
Luke Solis is pursuing a graduate degree in landscape architecture at Texas A&M and volunteers part-time at Millican Reserve. He is passionate about ecological restoration, an interest he sees reflected in the work of the Conservancy.
“When I first got there, I was really surprised,” Luke said, expecting to see a small ranch but instead finding a much larger property. “It was very beautiful out there.”
Luke volunteers at the Farm on Saturdays, helping with weeding and preparing the soil for planting. He appreciates the opportunity to work with his hands and the knowledge that the crops he helps grow support the Conservancy’s work.
“I like being outdoors and especially living in College Station and in an apartment, I don’t have access to outdoor space,” Luke said. “Millican Reserve gives me that freedom to be outside and get my hands dirty.”
Carter Poore: Learning Through Community Events and Farming
Originally from Austin, Carter Poore is a senior finance student at Texas A&M studying to be a financial planner. She previously worked as a fundraising intern at Millican Reserve and now volunteers. She said her favorite project as an intern was the community’s popular fall festival, Pumpkinpalooza. She enjoyed seeing families experience the outdoor event and watching Texas A&M students discover Millican Reserve for the first time.
“It was so fun seeing how much, especially the kids, really enjoyed being there,” Carter said. “Also seeing students at Texas A&M who had clearly never heard of Millican and didn’t know it was out there, watching them see it for the first time, see how beautiful it was when they were volunteering, that was really great, too.”
Carter’s capstone project for the Mays Business Honors Program examined how nonprofits can raise money through events. She said her experience with nonprofit marketing for Pumpkinpalooza and creating relationships with donors greatly informed her project. She also gained experience in event planning and sponsor outreach, which she said prepared her to become a successful leader of Rev Up Run Club, a club that she and her friend created.
“Pumpkinpalooza showed me what makes for a good community event,” Carter said. “Creating an event that people really want to go to … is always going to be way more impactful.”
Carter volunteers on Wednesdays at the Farm and helps with planting and weeding. After graduation, Carter plans to spend a few months volunteering at a farm in the northern United States through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, an organization she learned about from Farmer Kenny.
“I’ve found it very rewarding to grow something just from a seed,” Carter said. “It’s something that I’ve gotten really, really into.”
Interested in volunteering at Millican Reserve? Learn more about current volunteer opportunities with the Conservancy.
