West Central MN and the Group Workcamp Foundation will be coming to serve the community of Morris and a 30 mile surrounding area this coming summer. The workcamp is scheduled to be in the area on July 19-23 2010.  

   About 300-400 Christian youth from all over the country gather together to change communities and grow in faith.  Group Workcamp is an intensive one-week project that assists homeowners with small home repair such as exterior painting, interior painting, new  steps, wheel chair ramps, porches, railings and much more. Each home site will consist of approximately 4-5 youth and one adult leader.  Participants that qualify for the Group Workcamp project would be elderly, low-income, and/or disabled.    

    All repairs, materials and labor are FREE. If you live in Morris or the 30 mile surrounding area of Morris, you can apply for the Group Workcamp.  To get an application or answer questions please contact West Central MN Communities Action, Inc. at 800.492.4805 or 218.685.4486 and ask for Randi Bryan-Pajari.  You can also check out the website at www.wcmca.org or email Randi at randip@wcmca.org. 

UMM students donate proceeds

  Students in Associate Professor of Studio Art Michael Eble’s painting courses completed a service-learning project that will benefit young people in the Morris area. They created Morris townscapes that were first displayed in Common Cup, Morris’s nonprofit coffeehouse, and then sold to the highest bidders from the community. The students donated the proceeds, totaling $1,131, to Stevens County Human Services youth activity fund. 

  The project started last fall with a conversation between students and Common Cup managers. “The students had a great discussion with Rose and Sue at the Common Cup about which charity they wanted to support, and we continued that dialogue in class,” shares Eble. “Ultimately, the students chose to support young people in the community who might not have the same opportunities as their peers.”

  The art students’ donation will allow Stevens County Human Services to help about 20 children from the area participate in activities. 

 “I was really glad we did this project,” says student Susan Robertson, Apple Valley. “We got to learn a lot about the history of Morris as preparation, and I thought it was great that we did paintings that reflected the community, not just the campus. It was also really important to all of us that the money go to the kids of Morris who may not have gotten the chance to be on that sports team, take that art class or go on that field trip because of the extra cost involved. We were happy to be giving kids more opportunities, even small ones like these.”

    Students who contributed their artwork to the service-learning project include: Michelle Leedahl, Glenwood; Samantha Vankrevelen, Coon Rapids; Rebekah Ackerman, Andover; Deborah Covart, Ramsey; Lacey Granroos, Fridley; Kayla Hagen, Minnetonka; Ashley Harris, Ely; Sara Lahr, Sauk Centre; Susan Robertson, Apple Valley; Janelle Simones, Cottage Grove; and Ashley Splonskowski, Madison.