On July 24th and 25th, we were fortunate to host four groups of middle school volunteers from Iowa and Nebraska. They were brought to us by Cultivate Co-op, a coalition of youth ministries that undertakes a service trip every two years, and Wingspan was this year’s first stop during each full day of volunteering at nonprofits around the Twin Cities. Our Groveland, Aurora, Woodbridge 17th, and Skycroft group home yards were all transformed, as 64 students and leaders spent a combined 186 hours weeding, cleaning, pruning, raking, and laying over 200 bags of mulch.
It’s always fun to see the enthusiasm that the next generation has for doing good- and for the Girl Scout Cookies that Liz and I brought for their break time! During each teams’ lunch break, I spoke about Wingspan’s history and the work we do, and students and leaders alike showed a deep interest in Wingspan's mission, and deep caring about the people who lived and worked in the homes they were helping at. All of this while many of them currently face uncertain futures at their own homes as Omaha fights terrible Missouri flooding. I’m deeply grateful to Cultivate Co-op for the chance to share Wingspan’s impact with such an impressive group, to Liz for coordinating the teams at Woodbridge and Skycroft, and to the maintenance team for the hard work of hauling 200+ bags of mulch to the homes. We hope to do this again in 2026!
-Keller Karlstrom, Community Engagement Specialist
