Planting seeds through serving, learning, inspiring

If you have a love of something, how can you use that love to change your world?

That’s the question Joe Moore asks.

Moore has a love of all things related to biology, conservation and sustainability. He uses that passion as he takes students on expeditions to various parts of the globe and teaches them to use their gifts to serve others.

Moore is co-founder of the Joshua and Appleseed Expeditions, global service learning organizations. The expeditions are designed to teach using hands-on experiences to bridge the gap between what students learn in the classroom and what they do with their lives.

“Through serving you can change a mindset and get a vision for your own life in high school and college,” said Moore. “The more I serve, the more I recognize a vision for my own life.”

Moore believes that service also enables each person to recognize his or her weaknesses and strengthens.

“Service gives kids a vision for their lives through experiential learning,” he said. “They begin to realize they have affinities for things such as language, cooking, soccer, or painting and we seek to empower them to use their skills to help others. It builds leadership and gives them a vision of how they can aid others and what they want to do in life. The more you travel and experience the better idea you have of what you want to do and think beyond your box.”

When Moore co-founded the faith-based Joshua Expeditions in 1997 with his last $100, he envisioned a program where he took students into the world to help them think beyond their “box.”

“I believe if God had a special purpose in creating us, we have a special calling,” he said.

In 2008, Moore relocated from Dallas to Santa Rosa Beach and founded Appleseed Expeditions, based on the theory of seed planting. Through it, he works with schools to encourage alternative breaks instead of spring breaks for students to build citizenship and leaders.

Both organizations now employ 17 full time and 30 part-time employees.

This year, they have already taken six groups on service-oriented trips. In October, another group will come to South Walton to learn about coastal dune lakes, its ecology and the effects of the oil spill. While here, the group will volunteer at a women’s shelter.

“When you spend time working at day cares, orphanages, and impoverished people, you learn what true sacrifice is and it builds compassion,” said Moore. “Most experience an ‘aha’ moment where a light goes off and they understand ‘that could be me if I didn’t have opportunities.’ Through that ‘aha’ moment, I want to inspire kids to make changes in their lives and those around them with a personal vision to make a difference.”