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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2019)
8A | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2019 | SIUSLAW NEWS TEENS from page 1A “I’ve helped with Soropti- mists and Backpack for Kids. I’ve helped with the leader- ship class, where we plan a lot of things,” Audrey said. “And I go pet cats sometimes at the Oregon Coast Humane Society. I’m not technically a volunteer, but I’ve done that three or four times and they kind of know me by now.” The group laughed, as Sam said that she was an actual volunteer for the humane so- ciety. “I had never been there be- fore, and I wanted to walk a dog, and they said, ‘Okay, but you have to sign this paper,’” Sam said. “They never have dogs when I go there,” Audrey said. “Really?” Sam asked, sur- prised. “Yeah, it’s so frustrating!” Audrey said to laughter from the group. Sam talked about her vol- unteer experience. “I have been in Interact all four years of high school. This year I’m president so I’ve been arranging volunteer activities and being a part of them. I’ve also helped with Soroptimist.” The main group Nic works with is the Key Club, which he is the president of. “It’s kind of like Interact, but Interact is sponsored by Rota- ry, and Key Club is sponsored by Kiwanis,” he said. “Audrey’s also a part of Key Club,” “And Interact, I just didn’t say it,” Audrey added. “She’s actually running what’s called the Thirst Proj- ect, which is funding mon- ey for Africa to build wells, which is pretty cool,” Nic said. “We also occasionally clean the highway, down close to Westlake. We try to do it fall, winter and spring before all the tourists are here. And I’m the president of that right now, did it four years. And I was also the president of Builders Club.” The Kiwanis Builders Club was in middle school. “That was cool because we got to skip school to help out with Food Share and Head Start,” he said. “Food Share was fun, we got free food out of that.” “Head Start was very chaot- ic,” Audrey added. “Yeah, it’s chaotic,” Nic said. “It’s just a bunch of little kids. You get to chill with them. Just sit with them in a circle and read ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’ and sing ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ with them. It’s great.” Allison, the youngest of the group, smiled when Nic brought up Key Club. “I remember going there,” she said. “I was part of the Builders Club for sixth and seventh grade. It was really cool. And I wish I did it eighth grade, but I just didn’t, and I don’t know why.” Allison started volunteer- ing because she was enrolled in the Boys and Girls Club of Western Lane County. “When I was in elementary school, I would go there every day after school,” she said. “It really helped me because I built friendships there. I real- ly like little kids, so I started volunteering, and it was really fun. We would help them with their homework, and you got to see the stuff click when they finally got it, which was really cool.” When she came to high school, she began focusing on peer-to-peer tutoring. “I really like helping peo- ple with homework,” she said. “When they get it, it’s really cool to see them go from ‘I can’t do this’ and have a neg- ative attitude, to ‘Wow, I can do this now.’ And it clicks, and they feel smart and it makes me happy.” For Audrey, she started vol- unteering in middle school with the Where Everyone Be- longs (WEB) group. “I was a part of WEB and I really liked making posters, planning events and being in the know,” she said. “So, I kept going with it. I really like be- ing busy and I really like help- ing people. I just kept going. Whenever I had free time, I making a lot more thought, ‘Oh, I’ll money, and you’re just pick up this seeing new faces and new activity.’” you’re hearing their Nic first start- stories, it’s great. But ed volunteering in then when you’re middle school. not working and “For me, I had a trying to go to the high schooler talk beach or something to me,” he said. like that, it’s just “They came to crazy crowded. And me and said, ‘Hey, you just get irritated. come join Builders They’re taking all of Club.’ And I’m like, summer.” ‘Okay, cool. Let’s The beaches see what it’s like.’ are full, the roads And then I ended are jammed. It’s up really enjoying too crowded to do it and it made me much of anything, want to volunteer JARED ANDERSON/SIUSLAW NEWS more. It’s like that (From left) Siuslaw High School sophomore Allison Huff and seniors except work. “During the sum- weird thing when Audrey Lowder, Samantha Scheer and Nic Wilkinson volunteer in the com- mer time we have you hear the word munity in a variety of ways. the money because ‘volunteer’ and it’s we’re actually getting the hours like, ‘He who should not be residentials, and just played but it costs money. “That I don’t have. Ever,” behind it,” Nic said. “But once named.’ Stay away from that! Christmas music. It’s really tourist season is over, everyone That sounds like too much cool to see people who have Nic said. “We’re trying to save for col- is cut.” effort. But when you actually lost so much of their memory, “And the town just dies,” Au- start doing it, you notice ev- and are so spaced out by ev- lege,” Sam said. “When you’re drey said. “And then you have eryone is really laid back and erything, just out of nowhere bored, you drive around.” “But then you run out of to buy gas.” they have fun with it. And you get really into it, singing The cycle repeats. just get drawn more and more along, tapping their leg. It’s a money for gas,” Audrey said. “So, then you get a job,” Nic cool experience.” “It’s like hibernation,” Nic into it as you do it more.” For Nic, volunteering is a concluded. said. “You plan to never make Volunteering doesn’t seem And finding work can be money again. … Anytime we natural extension of living in a like volunteering. have something remotely ca- “I guess for me, I see some- small retirement community. difficult. Allison is currently looking tered to something else, it shuts “There’s so few things to do thing that I want to change, and I just go after it and reach in this town for kids growing for work. Sam is a manager at down. We had a few used game that goal,” Sam said. “And up, this kind of gives us some- River Roasters, Nic works at shops and a few other things, Fred Meyer and Rise, an in- but they all end up getting shut then I enjoy every moment of thing to do,” he said. home care family program, down because they can’t make doing that and giving back to and Audrey works cleaning enough money. Nothing like “It fills everything in” the community. And I think “I was talking to my friend houses and at Mo’s Restaurant that can survive here.” it betters us as individuals. It However, there wasn’t a helps us grow — just like ev- the other day,” said Allison. “I during the summer, along basically drive from school, with Nic. big sentiment in the group to ery experience.” “That’s when they make the change that. She gave the example of to home, to Fred Meyer to get most money the whole year,” “This town, I don’t really Cyber Night, a program gas, and that’s it.” Options for things to do in Allison said. “During Rhody think I’d add or take anything run through Interact, where younger community mem- the community are limited, Days, everybody comes for away from it,” Nic said. “For the parade and the carnival, what it is, it’s really good. It’s bers teach residents of Shore- the teens felt. “The only thing we really and they don’t leave until fall.” just a place where a lot of peo- wood Senior Living how to “I like it,” said Sam. “It ple are ready to settle down have going on that could re- use technology. makes work fun.” ally cater to something to do and already live their life can “They don’t really care “It’s crazy, my back hurts so just chill, you know?” is we’ve got a couple of stores, about the technology part,” “There are a lot of retired Sam said. “They just care we’ve got River Roasters and much,” Audrey said, referring people,” Allison pointed out. about having company and we have the bowling alley,” to being a busser at Mo’s. “But it makes your shifts “A LOT of retired people,” telling their life story. They Nic said. “There’s Miller Park, go by so much quicker,” Sam Nic agreed. “But that’s not a but Miller Park’s full. ” really like the company there “Miller Park is where the said. problem.” and it’s just really nice to see “And that’s good and bad,” In fact, the group did not them smiling and having a sketchy people hang out,” Au- Audrey replied. “When you’re want any major changes for the drey added. good time.” “And there’s a bunch of “That’s a great thing to do,” Nic said. “Me, Audrey and a other tiny parks, but there’s couple other people, we made usually kids there,” Nic said. a little band. I can’t remember “I feel weird hanging out with what we called ourselves, like my teenage friends when LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED the ‘Seasonal Six.’ Later on, there’s a bunch of four-year- changed it to something like olds swinging.” Open 4 days a week! The group laughed as Au- ‘Trouble.’” “It was a pun with ‘trouble’ drey said, “It would be kind of creepy.” in it,” Audrey added. She pointed out that there “Yeah. We basically went to a bunch of senior houses and was a movie theater in town, Here to serve your denture needs: town. They only suggestion they could think of for more activities was perhaps some meet-up groups that could ex- plore the natural beauty of the area. “Scheduled days where ev- eryone who wanted to could get together and go on a hike or something like that,” Audrey said. “We have so much nature around here and it’s so easy to enjoy it. It would be way more fun if we had a club or some- thing where everyone could go and take a hike or something.” Allison smiled, saying, “I love to go to Sweet Creek Falls, just places like that.” “This town is really pretty,” said Nic. “We have the beach, we have a lot of things that make it just a nice, small, na- ture, pretty town. I don’t want to take away from that.” They just want to make what already exists better. To do that, they volunteer. “It’ just kind of fills every- thing in, you know?” said Nic. Audrey pointed out, “There’s so many volunteering organizations here.” “We’ve got Food Share, Habitat for Humanity and SOS that are all about volun- teering,” Nic said. “There’s so many places looking for volunteers,” Sam added. “They’re always ask- ing.” “And they’re always helping people in need,” Nic said. “Be- cause people have struggles living here, because the cost of living is so much versus what we make. Having those volun- teers helps significantly.” In the second installment of this two-part series, out Sat- urday in the Siuslaw News, the students discuss time management and volunteer- ing, why it could be a good thing more teens don’t volun- teer, prejudices against teen volunteers and if they will continue to volunteer once they move away. DENTURE SERVICES INC. 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