Springfield Scholars students help Eden Village residents

(From Springfield Public Schools)

On a cold Tuesday after school, 80 Springfield Scholars students joined their parents and the residents of Eden Village to do two things: eat snacks and give back to their community.

"There's only two of us who work here at Eden Village, so we depend on volunteers like you," said Traci Brown, Eden Village volunteer coordinator. "So if 40 of you spend an hour volunteering here, that's an entire week we don't have to pay somebody. So you're making a difference."

Brown led gifted middle schoolers who are a part of the Springfield Scholars program a tour of Eden Village, a campus of 31 tiny houses that support the chronically homeless and disabled of Springfield and place them into their own homes.

Brown showed students the campus' community space, library, garden and hub, before taking them outside to see the street of 31 tiny houses. 

Students asked questions about how individuals who are chronically homeless are selected to live at Eden Village, and a new resident thanked the students and their parents for volunteering.

Erica Harris, mom of Scholars seventh-grader Addie Harris, helped to coordinate the service learning event hosted by PAGE, Parents and Advocates for Gifted Education. Each month, Scholars students come together after school for one afternoon to participate in a social activity or service project. This month, the parent-led activity empowered students to learn while making an impact, she said.

"We wanted to do something that would be helpful, and that the kids could get hands on experience, while also get to learn about a community need," said Harris. "Eden Village came to mind because it's rather new, and Central is in the heart of downtown, so our kids a lot of our homeless friends in the community and don't know a lot about them or their services available."

For 90 minutes, students in small groups did a variety of projects on Eden Village's campus. Scholars programmed televisions for residents moving in this weekend, moved rocks to form a path to the entrance of a new tiny house, assembled furniture in the community room, stuffed envelopes with mailers and more.

"I just feel like I'm doing something that helps others instead of myself, because a lot of times I take things for granted, so seeing how other people are living is like an eye opener," said Maddox DeWoody, Scholars seventh-grader. 

Even in the cold, Maddox and his seventh-grade friends Matis Bedell and Garrison Taylor were having a lot of fun.

"The service projects are awesome, just being able to help out people in need and also these awesome organizations that are working and helping these people," said Garrison. "It's cool."

Maddox's mom, as well as other parents, were happy to roll up their sleeves and work alongside their children. Younger siblings even stopped by to participate in the service project, and all are encouraged to learn and work together, said Harris.

"I think our students being able to do service projects right alongside some of our homeless residents that are here will help them identify with those folks as normal people and members of our community and not be afraid to engage and to help them," said Harris. "There are things that they can do, even as 11, 12, 13-year-olds, that are helpful for other people."