Oasis seniors go to work for Habitat
When the senior class of Oasis Charter High School was called upon to lend a helping hand for an organization whose job it is to build homes for those who ordinarily wouldn’t be able to afford one, many were able to answer the call.
More than 50 students took a trip to Fort Myers for the day to help paint the inside and outside of two homes being built by Habitat for Humanity on Wednesday.
Rachel Adkins, community program director for Habitat, said the group came out to learn about the organization and housing crisis in the area.
“We have many schools that partner with us and other schools have Habitat clubs. FGCU and Florida Southwest also come out and volunteer,” Adkins said.
The best things about the project was that the students took care of everything. About the only non-student assist came from English teacher, Jeff Rehm, who instructs most of the students.
Student Kenna Mikusek spearheaded the effort as a way to put their skills to the test. The result was more than one-third of the entire senior class coming out.
“We wanted to open the horizons of learning. Not everyone has to sit behind a desk with a pen and paper. We figured to learn more communications skills and to work as a team,” Mikusek said. “It took a lot of communication to put it all together and make a difference.”
In looking for an organization with which to work, Mikusek thought Habitat would be a great choice.
“Habitat does a lot for the community and it makes a difference in many people’s lives. Helping them is what’s most important here,” Mikusek said, who volunteers for Boys & Girls Club during the summer.
They arrived on a foggy morning at just before 8 a.m. and spent much of the day with paintbrushes and rollers in hand, getting the inside and outside of the home looking like its ready to move into. They also put insulation on a third home between the two they were painting.
It’s amazing what 50 people can accomplish. In about 30 minutes they had much of the outside painted.
“This group put together the entire event. They got the bus and the food and students got their paperwork filled out. The teachers were hands off and they did everything,” Adkins said.
The students, whose school saw a lot of negatives in the media for more than a week, came out to show what the students and faculty of Oasis is really about and how they can make a positive difference.
“I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I would love to make an impact.” Cabal said. “Our principal, Ms. Treece, was able to push us out there and show what Oasis is about.”
Madelyn Cole was outside.
“It was a class field trip and it interested me because it’s to help the community. We’re always ready to help the community in any situation,” Cole said.