News: Clark Co.
-Young People Help through ‘Serve Local’ (2021)
Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail:
dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Harley, Stenulson, Smagacz, Kloth, Carrillo, Winkel, Hauge, Ratsch,
Simpson, Hand, Smith, Wolf, Teeters, Drinka, Perlick, Schultz, Rohde, Gingerich,
Vann
----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 8/04/2021
‘Young People Help Community Through ‘Serve Local’ (2021)
From front to back, Lizzy Kloth, Tricente Carrillo, Aidan Winkel, Trizaiah
Carrillo and Shane Harley
pick weeds as one of their service projects during Serve Local, a five-day event
for
young people to complete projects benefitting the community. Submitted Photo
By Valorie Brecht
Local teens and preteens recently got to make a difference in the Clark County
community by putting their hands to work doing various service projects.
Fifteen young people from around the area participated in Serve Local, July
25-29.
“Our main purpose was to get youth involved in the community,” said Jeanette
Harley, event leader.
The event was open to youth going into sixth grade through age 20, although most
of the participants were between 11 and 15 years old. They spent four days doing
projects, including weeding people’s yards, moving brush and fallen trees, and
cleaning out garages. Most of the yard work was done in and around Neillsville.
One group also re-did the roof of a garden shed for someone in Granton. Another
group went to The Highground to stain the treehouse and benches, and clean up
trees that had fallen down on the walking trails. The young people who spent
time at the Neillsville Retirement Community making music for the residents,
serving ice cream and chatting with them.
“They [the people we helped] told us, ‘We appreciate your hard work,’” said Izzy
Stenulson, 12, one of the volunteers. “I learned how to make friends,” she
added.
This was the first year for Serve Local, although several youth and volunteers
had already participated in a similar event in past summers called “Serve Clark
County” hosted by Living Hope Evangelical Free Church in Neillsville.
“A group that had participated in Serve Clark County wanted to expand the
program and grow it into more communities,” said Amanda Smagacz, event
co-leader.
Originally there was no service event planned for this year. However, in May,
Smagacz and Harley as well as some other volunteers decide they wanted to make
something happen. They started contacting local youth groups such as 4-H groups,
church groups and scouts to see if they had members interested in participating.
They also contacted local businesses and organizations, such as Interfaith
Volunteer Caregivers, to see if they had projects with which they needed help.
Kids from Chili, Curtiss, Greenwood and Neillsville participated in the week of
service. It wasn’t all work, though. The kids did service projects Sunday
through Wednesday, followed by a fun-day on Thursday where they went swimming
and kayaking at Mead lake. The kids that wanted to got to camp at Five Seasons,
a retreat center near Willard, throughout the week.
Each evening there was guest speaker. “Each guest speaker gave a life message,”
said Harley. She said the speakers tried to communicate how the students could
continue serving others even after the week was over.
“One of the speakers talked about being selfless. For example, we told the kids
that when they went home, they could take out the garbage without being told. So
we tried to bring it down to their level. Another night the speaker talked about
not gossiping… So we incorporated some motivational-type messages in there as
well.”
Besides the 15 kids, there were 20 adults involved. While a handful went with
the kids to the job sites, the rest were involved in behind-the-scenes work such
as planning the schedule, and prepping and cooking meals. Harley said she was
grateful to everyone that helped.
The service projects were not only a benefit to the people who were served, but
to the students as well.
“[I leaned] to help the community and do what I can,” said Aidan Winkel, 13. He
also said he liked meeting new people.
The hope is that the event can get bigger every year and more youth can learn
the value of helping others.
“[We wanted to] show them that you don’t have to go far away to serve people.
Whether it’s an elderly neighbor next door or a young single mom, you can help
out,” said Harley.
Five Seasons provided a place for he kids to go after their days of work to eat
supper and relax by a campfire. Some of the students stayed in a bunkhouse on
the property that sleeps up to 14 people. There is also a dining hall and
kitchen in one half of a large shed there.
Eric Hauge owns Five Season. His family farm is situated on a dead-end road
south of Willard and abuts fields and forestland. “I have about 260 acres – hat
better place to enjoy God’s creation?” he said. “I raised three kids on my own
here; now it’s time for someone else to enjoy it.”
Five Seasons is relatively new. Its first event was the Rushing Wind USA (RWUSA)
youth deer hunt back in October. RWUSA us a ministry that aims to share the
Gospel; and God’s Love through outdoor events. Volunteers have been putting on
the mentored youth hunt for the past 13 years.
“In November 2019, we had a meeting following the youth deer hunt [to discuss
the location of future hunts]. We had always borrowed someone property for the
deer hunt. And then Eric {Hauge] said, ‘I have the perfect place,’ to be a
permanent place for the Rushing Wind youth hunt,’” said Harley.
After some discussion, the other volunteers were in agreemn4t and they began
planning to make it happen. In June, they started construction on Hauge’s
property, which included remodeling half of one of his sheds into a
meeting/dining hall, building a bunkhouse and shooting stand, and having a
flagpole installed. Five Seasons became an LLC in the fall past prior to the
youth hunt.
Since then, Hauge has hosted a few other events at Five Seasons, including a
Christmas Eve church service, illuminated snowshoe hike, youth turkey hunt and a
cookie decorating social for a church group.
Hauge wants Five Seasons to be open for a variety of events, whether it’s a
weekend getaway, youth trip or a family gathering.
The name came about in a conversation with Clark County Economic Development
Corporation Director Sheila Nyberg, to get her input about the business. Hauge
had mentioned the name “Four Seasons” but didn’t know if it was too generic.
“Sheila jokingly said, ‘You know, there are actually five seasons in Wisconsin,
counting deer hunting,’” said Harley.
“I actually really liked ‘Five Seasons’ though because that fifth season could
be different things for different people. It could be a season of healing or a
season of peace,” said Hauge. “I want it to be a place for whatever people need
it for,”
For more information, contact fiveseasonswillard@gmail.com or call 715-743-2046.
The Serve Local crew included (front row l-r) Netty Harley, Belle Kloth, Shane
Harley, Lizzy Kloth, Izzy Stenulson, Trizaiah Carrillo, Lilly and Angela
Winkler; (2nd row) Scott Winkler, Eric Hauge, Kayla Ratsch, Selena Simpson,
Amanda Smagacz, Tricente Carrillo, Sydney Hand, Bella Smith, Aiden Winkel, Arnie
Wolf, Kevin Teeters, (not pictured) William and Laurna Drinka, Miley Perlick,
Zeb Schultz, Kevin Rhode, Ida, Katie and Chris Gingerich, Cory Hand and Lisa
Vann. Submitted photo
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