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.
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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] |