Volunteering inspires students to do even more

Fenton, Michigan, Tri-County Times
http://www.tctimes.com/articles/2009/02/08/education/doc498cb63014b35489444903.txt

LAKE FENTON — Eighth-graders at Lake Fenton Middle School are making a habit out of volunteering. They’ve been taking time out of their school days to help at Carriage Town Ministries and the North End Soup Kitchen, both located in Flint. The result — students and teachers alike are finding they want to do more to help those less fortunate.

Teacher Nicole Guiles took her homeroom students to Carriage Town Ministries on Jan. 29, while Cathy Kerr took her students to the North End Soup Kitchen. Students cleaned, prepared and served lunch.  Guiles said, each month a different homeroom will volunteer until all of the eighth-graders have a chance to go. As for her trip to Carriage Town, Guiles said, “It was an amazing experience.

“I think it’s extremely important to help our students become more community-minded. Just for them to see how people in our own community are living was a humbling experience for all of us.”

Based on the students’ reactions afterward, Guiles said they came back inspired to do more for the homeless. In addition to the socks and clothing that the school is already collecting through its Builders Club, old computers and toiletries are also being considered as items to be collected in the future.

The Builders Club is the middle school’s version of the Kiwanis club. The Builders Club has also made no-sew fleece blankets to donate to the shelter. Guiles and fellow teacher Kristin DeLonge are in charge of the Builders Club.

These trips have been a learning experience for the students, said Guiles. She said many of them have a much better view of what it means to be homeless and to understand that it’s in their power to make a difference in someone else’s life.

“The main lesson I hope they have learned is that something as simple as volunteering your time or donating items to places like Carriage Town is a small step to making this world a better place,” said Guiles.

Eighth-grader Jordan Paull said her trip to Carriage Town was a life-changing experience. She said her group cleaned hallways and some of the rooms. She said they learned that the people staying at Carriage Town have chores, the same way they would if they were living at home. By the students helping out, though, the people staying there had their workload lessened.

“Even though we were being serious about our  work, we still had a lot of fun,” said Jordan. She said Rubin, a man staying at the shelter shared stories of how many of the people ended up there. “We were told that Carriage Town is a very Christian building.

“I learned that just because a person is homeless, doesn’t mean it’s their fault. 

“Just because they’re homeless doesn’t mean that they can’t get their life back together. It just takes a bit of time. 

“It might not be their fault they’re out there, but things happen for a reason.” 

Tyler Begley’s homeroom class went to North End Soup Kitchen to serve lunch. Rather than serving the homeless, Tyler was across the street loading and unloading clothes into a church.

“It was a great  time and I had a lot of fun.” He said it was a good experience. “It showed us how rough things can get, and that some of the people who were there are having a hard time trying to make ends meet.”

Tyler said, “I’d go back and help out in a heartbeat just go help the people, and it taught me that I shouldn’t take the things I have in life for granted because these people had that same thing happen to them.”