Comforting the community

As young adults, teachers and parents often preach upon those to give back to their communities for all the community has done to them. However, due to their busy schedules, these adults often miss out on their own opportunity to volunteer service.

That is not the case for the MN staff. On Wednesday, Oct. 14th, teachers, counselors, and other MN staff members spent the afternoon on a community wellness day, providing help to those in need.

While the students enjoyed the three-day Fall Break, their teachers were put to work outside of the classroom. The volunteers were split into four groups and performed various tasks, such as making blankets, feeding the hungry, or unloading meal kits.

“There were about fifteen of us. We broke into teams. Some of us worked outside and cleaned up garbage or worked in the garden. Others were inside organizing the attic,” Spanish teacher volunteer Kayla Erickson said.

Wellness coordinators Christina Preuss and Kym Skretta are annually put in charge of setting up a day for the staff to improve well-being. While the past has seen yoga or other exercise routines, this year they approached with a different mindset.

“Every year we have done a staff development. This year we wanted to focus on mental health. We contacted a variety of organizations. We focused on youth because we’re all teachers that work with kids,” Preuss said.

In total, the Youth Emergency Service Groups assembled 30 to-go food bags, as well as preparing three homes for the winter months. The Project Linus Group created 22 blankets for seriously ill children.

“Teachers got a [volunteer] work day in the afternoon. The groups were amazed at how fast we worked. We completed everything from 1:30 to 3:30,” Preuss said.

Another group spent time at the Open Door Mission. The staff unloaded two and a half pallets of donated items. Additionally, the Heartland Food Bank hosted volunteers, as they manufactured 1456 weekend meal kits throughout the course of the day.

While the teachers understand they are supporting a good cause, the day shed some light on a problem many volunteers were not originally aware of.

“It was pretty disheartening and sad to see so many kids living on the streets without basic things. One of the reasons you don’t hear about it often is because homeless youth tend to hide and find places that aren’t seen. They encounter a lot of threats,” Michael McCauley said.

It remains to be seen whether this will become an annual event for teachers, but there is optimism that this may continue. Many appear to be in favor of another trip.

“I’d love to go back. It’s just a great feeling, especially when you get so many people and see how much you can accomplish,” Erickson said.

Additionally, both Preuss and Skretta are hoping a trend may emerge, with encouraging signs for the future.

“I think it’d be really cool to pose a challenge to the other two Millard high schools. We can help some organization here and then challenge another school to help more, and just keep it going. We can make a difference in the district, in Omaha, and even in Nebraska,” Preuss said.