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 On Saturday morning, May 15, 2004,hundreds of people gathered at Ames Elementary, located less than two miles from Woodland Hills, to work on everything from landscaping to construction. They got dirty and tired and never received a paycheck for giving up their Saturday for a school many of them had never been to. Of the 200-300 volunteers, some were from Woodland Hills, but many were not. Some showed up because, as Kingdom of God people, we are called to show outrageous love towards others. Others participated because they became aware of the needs of the school through another source and wanted to help the students and staff of Ames Elementary.
Ninety-one percent of Ames students receive free or reduced lunches, compared to the state average of 29%. The students at Ames are 35% Asian, 28% Black, 22% White, 11% Hispanic, and 4% American Indian. Financially, the school did not have the resources to finish construction projects started years ago, much less replace dead bushes or plant flowers. But once the need was made known through Keith LeMay (Associate Pastor of Local Missions), other businesses and volunteers eagerly stepped up. Home Depot, Cemstome, Anchor Bank, Wells Fargo, and Wal-Mart are just a few examples of local businesses that donated money or supplies.
Though numbers of volunteers and financial donations can be impressive, what meant more was the service given and the relationships created. Charlene Knudsen, our Local Missions Coordinator and a major organizer of this event, was on the scene Saturday and reports that the “site leaders” took on their project sites with amazing thoroughness and efficiency. To her, adopting Ames Elementary “was obviously a God thing. What a privilege it was for us to be used!”
A St. Paul School Board member who introduced himself to Charlene on Saturday said that he was “just amazed at all the people working and the extent to which we were going.”
Another man from the community learned about the adoption on Woodland Hills’ web site. He wanted to be a part of it and simply asked Charlene, “Where can I work?” 
An Ames Elementary teacher, her voice cracking with emotion, told Charlene, “We could never thank you enough for what you are doing.” Aparently, staff members had been trying to do little things for years to spruce the school up. Says Charlene, “I believe when these teachers show up Monday morning for work it will be with a little different attitude — perhaps they will be a little more encouraged in their profession.”
When the volunteers arrived that morning, it was clear that the school needed some sprucing up. “The place looked awful,” recounts Gary, one of the many volunteers. “There were weeds, glass, overgrown brush, old pop cans and bottles... you name it. But when we finished that afternoon, we had planted a couple hundred shrubs and trees and a couple thousand flowers, plus poured cement and finished up a gazebo and walkway that was left half done for several years because of lack of funds.” What a difference a day, lots of donated material, and hundreds volunteers can make!
 Gary also reported sore muscles after using his wheelbarrow to move sod, wood chips and debris in a two-block area between flower gardens and dumpsters. “Though I was limping like an old man by day's end, some sauna, whirlpool and swimming pool time afterwards helped a lot.”
The progress was captured on film by a camerawoman from Channel 5 who also interviewed the school’s principal, Dr. Henderson. After boldly sharing the faith-based story of the school’s adoption by a local church, she was approached by Gary and others who asked if she'd ever thought of being a preacher “because she sure preached it!” At the end of the day, Dr. Henderson, a number of teachers and volunteers stood near the street to get a feel for all that had been done. Recalls Gary, “Some had tears in their eyes and said they never thought they’d see the day when it could look like this again.”
While interacting with volunteers on Saturday, Charlene heard many express a desire to return next year, wanting this to happen again (perhaps at another school), wanting to know when the next big project was coming. According to Steve Schmidt, Missions Pastor, Woodland Hills hopes to adopt other schools in the area in order to show the same outrageous love to them as well. Since there are several public elementary schools within just miles of our church, our opportunities to show love in this way will never run out!
See more pictures from our Ames Elementary Work Day here!
article by Gail Wolff
email her about this article at gmwolff3@yahoo.com |
