January 2008
Inspirational Kids
Teens a Mainstay at Hopelink
Every Tuesday afternoon for a year, four Bothell and Woodinville area teens have turned up at Hopelink’s Northshore Center in Bothell to sort and help distribute food at the food bank. They are so reliable that Hopelink staff assigned them the task of organizing piles and piles of donated school supplies into orderly crates so that they can be placed in backpacks and distributed to children in need.
Mindy Liou came to the center first with her brother, and got hooked on this way to “give back to the community.” Now she and her friends Derek and Jessica Wang and Lee Chiang have made it a regular habit. It’s a family affair, in that one or more parents – usually a dad – come with the teens each week. In addition to attending local public schools, all four go to the Chinese School on the campus of Cedar Park Church in Bothell. “They keep their heritage and speak Mandarin,” says Ming Wang, Jessica’s and Derek’s father and the school’s former principal.
Ming Wang is the supervising parent on the day I visit the food bank. He gives a few directions, but the kids mainly run their own show. The boys bring over boxes of assorted supplies, and the girls count the markers or binders or crayons, fit them into crates, put a label on each crate and stack them according to a graph they drew up when they began the project this fall. “We decided on the set up and got it approved by the organization,” Mindy says.
Hopelink serves homeless and low income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities in north and east King County through emergency service centers in Bellevue, Kirkland, Northshore, Redmond, Shoreline and Sno-Valley. The organization is always looking for teens and families to volunteer. For more information, call Theresa Connolly, volunteer coordinator, at 425-869-6066 or e-mail volunteer@hope-link.org. For a list of areas needing help, visit www.hope-link.org/takeaction/volunteeropportunities.
– Wenda Reed
Students Fired up for Holiday Drive
Staff and students at Fairwood Elementary School in Renton (Kent School District) had been involved in toy and food drives with the Kent Fire District for many years when, in early 2001, the school began monthly family fun nights.
As the month of December loomed, the group decided that it would be a good idea to go caroling and enjoy a cup of cocoa to celebrate. Fire District 40 staff agreed to lend their truck to lead the way, and the family fun group offered to host a new toy drive. “The really fun part is that the school got behind it,” says Bridget Battistoni, co-president of the Fairwood Parent Teacher Student Association.
The seventh annual holiday event was held Dec. 11, 2007. The Fairwood PTSA, Fairwood ASB and Fire District 40 brought together kids, parents, teachers and school staff to sip cocoa, sing carols and walk a few blocks with the fire department truck in front. The toy drive began at Fairwood Elementary about three weeks before the caroling event.
In December 2006, more than 1,500 cans of food and 80 new toys were donated to the fire district for distribution. (Figures for the 2007 drive were not available at press time.)
There is a pay-it-forward aspect to the drive, as the collected toys go on to children in need. At the same time, family fun night breaks down the barriers for many parents who are not usually inclined to show up for other events, and neighbors come out to enjoy the caroling and fire engine-honking, Battistoni notes. “It’s a win, win, win, all the way around,” she says.
– Christina Harper
Youth Volunteer Does His Part to Take Care of the Environment
Christopher Waldref likes the idea of having a career in
environmental justice. The 17-year-old O’Dea High School student
has had enough time to think about the subject while volunteering for
more than 100 hours with the Camp Fire USA Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC).
“I like the environmental work because it is a physical activity,”
Christopher says. “It needs to be done.”
Among his many projects, Christopher has helped to rebuild
damaged trails at Camp Sealth on Vashon Island and at Taylor Mountain
Forest south of Issaquah. He secured the pathways, making trails safe
and ready for summer campers and hikers for years to come.
His work with Marra Farm in West Seattle included planting, weeding, harvesting
and other jobs that helped the organization grow and produce fresh, nutritious,
organic foods for low-income families in the area.
At the Danny Woo International District Community Garden, a gathering
place for nearby elderly residents, Christopher helped beautify the area
in preparation for a community pig roast.
Christopher was in the eighth grade and had been in summer camps and day
camps when he got a pamphlet on Campfire USA programs. He was drawn to
the week-long projects, thinking that he could do something for someone
else and for the greater good. He also enjoys meeting new teams of people
and working closely with them.
“It’s cool,” Christopher says. “Two
parties benefit: me and the environment.” He doesn’t mention
those he never sees or meets: the hikers appreciating the trails, the
senior citizens smelling the flowers and others enjoying fruits and vegetables.
The YVC program allows youth and teens to choose projects to work on outside
of their school schedule to provide service to communities and qualify
for school service learning hours. Projects include environmental jobs
and working with children, the elderly and disabled or homeless people.
As well as volunteering outside, Christopher is a part of
the Youth Advisory Board that approves YVC projects and gives insight
into the direction of the YVC. He helps guide programs and projects that
other youth are able to work on.
Christopher does not yet know what his next project will be, probably
an environmental task, perhaps through Seattle Parks. “Pulling out
ivy,” Christopher says.
His advice to other teens is that the more people give back and work on
a project, the more effectively it is completed. He tells them to start
small. “The environment is an important aspect of our lives,”
Christopher says. “Just take care of it. That’s what we have
to do.”
To find out about Youth Volunteer Corps opportunities for young people ages 11-18, call 206-461-8550 or visit www.campfire-usa.org/YVC.
– Christina Harper
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