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Now that summer's here, few teen-agers are likely to say YES to waking up at 7 a.m. and cleaning bathrooms, cutting brush and hauling dirt.
But that's exactly what 21 teen-agers have done this week at a program called Youth Experiencing Service, sponsored by Lynchburg College. It is paid for by a grant from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and drew youth from Lynchburg and around Virginia, as well as Florida, North Carolina and Maryland to contribute a week to community service.
The group was slated to help at Camp Kum-Ba-Yah, Camp Timothy, the Adult Care Center and Gateway Shelter. They finished the work at those sites on Wednesday, though, so Thursday they washed ambulances, mopped and weeded around the Lynchburg Lifesaving Crew's headquarters on Memorial Drive.
"We're accomplishing alot," said Chris Barrett, Director of Community Outreach for Lynchburg College. "Our kids have worked so hard they got all of their work done fast."
Most of the teens cited the cleanup at Historic White Rock Cemetery as their favorite and most memorable work site. They filled the ground above sunken graves, moved and raked dirt and even dug up tombstones.
While helping out, they had a history lesson.
"I didn't know it was out there. It's really cool to see something that historic," said Kellie Trent, 16, of Lynchburg. "It's been hot, but we all managed."
Sam Smith, 13, also of Lynchburg, got a scare while in the graveyard.
"I thought I found a bone," he said. "But I found out later it was actually a dried-up tree root. That was startling.”
Laura Munson, Restoration Coordinator of the cemetery, was smiling when the teens left.
“It was great. I really appreciated their work”, she said. “Moving the dirt is the hardest thing for me to do.”
One teen even promised her he’ll be back again.
“I told her I’ll come back to help her every once in a while,” said Vince Waid, 15, of Salem. “I’d like to help out there more.”
The group cumulatively logged more than 700 hours of community service this week. Greg Gonzalez, 17, came from Mitchellville, MD, to be involved in YES.
“I learned that it’s fun to help people out,” he said. “I’m used to doing work at home, but this is different. I like it.”
To other teens, this much work was a shock.
“I’ve never done this much cleaning in my life,” Sam said. “It was something new. I’ve never done service like this before. It’s nice to know I can make things easier for people.”
Vince said that this trip has brought him closer to God.
“We were showing people what it means to be Disciples of Christ,” he said. “We demonstrated the Word (of God) through our actions.”
When they weren’t doing community service, the teens had small group discussions and nightly worship services. They’ve also gone bowling, watched movies, and staged a talent show.
LC Chaplain Grant Azdell helped work on the grant proposal. He hopes to share what he’s learning in planning with other colleges so they can organize similar events.
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