Workcamp for Lincoln VIP tour
Part one – Coffee break at Guest House

[August 02, 2021]   Workcamp for Lincoln has been busy in our county all of this week. The works being done are home repair projects for those who are financially or physically unable to perform those tasks on their own. The group of 188 teenagers from throughout the Midwest arrived in Lincoln on Sunday.

Workcamp members took up residency for the week at the Lincoln Christian University. Each morning, they rose early enjoyed a hardy breakfast and morning devotions then headed out to approximately 40 work locations in Atlanta, Chestnut, Emden, Lincoln, Middletown and Mount Pulaski.

Mid-day they took a break for lunch and a short prayer devotional then it was back to work until evening.

Their evenings with the exception of Wednesday were spent at LCU. Kids enjoyed a time to refresh and rest, eat dinner and then participate in a rally of sorts before turning in for the night.

On Thursday, group leaders hosted a coffee break at Guest House Coffee and Pastries in Lincoln. Then guests were invited on a bus trip to Emden to see two of the work projects in action. After Emden the tour went back to Lincoln to visit a third project site.

Left to right:  Herb Schoenberg, Senator Sally Turner, Bryan Clark, Glenn Shelton

During coffee Workcamp Director Herb Schoenberg visited with guests about the projects and the Logan County experience.

Schoenberg, who hails from Maryland, has been working with the camp projects for the past 20 plus years was joined by Austin Scott from the camps national headquarters in Fort Collins Colorado. Local leaders included Todd Henry and Tim Becke.

The coffee and tour was by invitation only and guests included local supporters and sponsors of the program along with Senator Sally Turner and staff, and Representative Tim Butler and staff.

Schoenberg was also joined by Pastor Glenn Shelton, and local State Farm Insurance Agent and supporter Bryan Clark.

Schoenberg talked about the kids and how they get to be part of the project, fielding questions from Senator Turner about funding for the projects along the way. Schoenberg noted that each teenager in the group has to pay a fee to participate. He said that it takes a lot of money to keep the kids in accommodations, provide food and also transportation. The concept behind mandating the buy-in is that the youth are invested in what they are doing. It gives them ownership of the project and helps them to take the trip seriously.

Other financial support comes from the communities the camps visit. In Logan County, financial support came from the city of Lincoln, the Logan County Board, local churches, business sponsorships and private donors.

Boots on the ground to manage the application and review process for worksites was provided through the Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois in Lincoln.

Schoenberg noted that this was an exceptional year for the Workcamp projects. He said the lack of workcamps last year due to the pandemic was sad for everyone. At the same time it gave the organization insight as to how to move forward with workcamps with the pandemic still active throughout the country. He said planning for the camps begins long before the kids arrive in a community.

In January the organization was looking at how to conduct camps and keep everyone safe. Schoenberg noted that in a typical year, the camp in Logan County would have consisted of more than 400 youth. Downsizing the groups to about 200 people was part of taking the right precautions to keep everyone safe.
 

Another change he explained was the grouping of teams. The goal in the past was to bring in groups of youth from a specific church and then split them up for the work projects. He said it enabled the teenagers to get to know kids from other geographic locations and to expand their knowledge of other parts of the country. With safety in mind, the decision was made that for this year, kids would stay within their respective youth groups.

Typically the youth stay in area high schools, bunking up communal-style in classrooms throughout the school building. That plan was in place for Lincoln Community High School before the first of the year. However, later on, the school reviewed the scenario and decided that it was not comfortable with providing those types of accommodations. Schoenberg said that was perfectly understandable under the weird circumstances the country is in. The push was then on to find alternative accommodations. Lincoln Christian University stepped up and said that the school dorms could be rented for the week.

Schoenberg said that it was a blessing in disguise, as the accommodations at the college were luxurious compared to what the kids normally get. He said the food had been exceptional and the use of showers was a treat. He explained that 200 to 400 kids in one school makes showering a challenge, and some schools they have stayed in didn’t even have showers. Just the access to the showers alone, in such a scorching hot week was priceless.

Throughout the week, the youth are in a daily routine with the exception of Wednesday afternoons. Schoenberg said that the workday ends at noon on Wednesday. Kids can come back to the dorms, rest, relax or they can explore the town they are staying in. He said many opt to get out enjoy what the town has to offer and just take a big mid-week break from the work.
 

Schoenberg said that the community on the whole had been so welcoming and the kids had thrived on that. He said he had been in camps where that townspeople would literally panic when they saw these huge groups of kids in their town. Communication about the camps in Logan County had been great, and the people had embraced the kids. He said that there were those touching little moments that made everyone feel good - on a hot day, a lady who visited the kids and brought popsicles. It was a testament of gratitude for the work being done. What he sees most often are those that have the least, give the most because they are grateful. While for many, a popsicle was a popsicle; to him it was a gift of love and sacrifice given in gratitude.

As the coffee portion of the morning began to wrap up Schoenberg said that the welcoming attitude of the county and the need that exists here motivates him to come back with future groups. He hopes that Logan County will continue to support these workcamps for future years.

[Nila Smith]