by Laura Schwartzburg
A few years ago, Kohler High School began participating in a Challenge Day. These type of events are a day of inspiring and engaging activities designed to encourage participants to learn to be themselves, accept themselves and support one another with compassion. As part of the day students go into the community and provide support for the local community through volunteering at nonprofit organizations.
This year’s Kohler Challenge Day took place on Wednesday, May 11th. The weather was a little rainy, but the spirit of the students prevailed. More than 200 students along with their academic advisors went to 12 nonprofit agencies from one side of the county to the other and completed a variety of projects. The nonprofit organizations are always eager for the helping hands that allow much needed maintenance or landscaping or simply interacting with participants.
Ruth Weigel, day service coordinator at RCS Empowers hosted a group and said “Volunteerism is a wonderful part of operations at RCS Empowers. We are fortunate to have a lot of wonderful supporters who help us in our mission to empower those with Special Needs so they may live & work with dignity and respect. We are passionate about our Day Service classes and the numerous projects we create to enhance the possibilities for those with developmental disabilities and chronic mental health concerns. Since RCS has celebrated over 60 years in operation many people are familiar with some of our offerings, but usually not all.
This year sixteen Kohler student volunteers arrived and they were divided up into a variety of classes: Art Therapy, Building 3D, Introductory Computers, Gardening, and Seasonal Celebrations. These individuals were able to work along-side our staff and they did a great job! After brief introductions our RCS instructors integrated our Kohler juniors into the class activities. These students provided a wonderful example of kindness & acceptance while assisting others to understand, explore, and most importantly have fun while engaging in learning!
We sincerely appreciate the opportunity that the Volunteer Center of Sheboygan provides by coordinating with non-profits to offer days of service with students, like Kohler High School. “
The Volunteer Center, as a part of the United Way serves as the hub of this project, connecting the volunteers with agencies.