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
