| Youth Provide Seniors Free Lawn Service |
 |
 |
| Regional Archives | |||
| By Michael P. Moss - WI Contributing Writer | |||
| Thursday, August 20, 2009 | |||
 Eddye L. Williams, 109 and the District’s oldest resident, praises God for the lawn service provided by young men from the New Beginnings Youth Detention Center. The men mowed and manicured her lawn in Northeast on Fri., Aug. 7. Photo by Lafayette Barnes, IVThose “kids” are residents of the New Beginnings Youth Detention Center in Laurel, Md., and participants in a Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services’ (DYRS) summer jobs program that offers free lawn service once a month to Ward 5 residents 65 years of age and older. And on Fri., Aug. 7, they landscaped the lawn of 109-year-old Eddye L. Williams—the District’s oldest living resident. Soon, they will leave New Beginnings and start new lives. James, 18, said that he will be released in less than a month. “I caused a lot of trouble in the community.” He added, “Now I want to give something back.” Nate, also 18, is going home sooner. He said that he plans to go to school to become an electrician. “I’m just glad to be able to do some good in the community,” he said. “I especially like helping people like Miss Williams.” By the time the two young men left the property, Williams’ yard was perfectly manicured. They mowed the overgrown lawn and removed the troublesome weeds. From her wheelchair, Williams said that she was thrilled by all the attention. “I’m so happy I almost don’t know what to do,” she said. “I want to thank these young people. They’re angels. God bless them,” she said. That’s exactly what Carl Matthews, the DYRS Equipment Operator and 21-year District employee who conceived the program, hoped to hear. “The purpose is to bring the kids and seniors together,” he said. “Many of these seniors out here are afraid of them. This way, they get to see the kids giving instead of taking. It’s all about healing.” The idea for the program originated as a result of Matthews’ checkered past. “My path was similar to the one these kids have traveled,” he said. “I was locked up for a lot of years, so I understand where they are and where they’ve been,” he added. “I’m grateful the agency supported me. This is much bigger than just some government invention.” Williams’ home occupies the corner lot in a row of neat, semi-detached, single-family residences on Montana Avenue in Northeast. Directly across the street sit the “garden apartments” of Montana Terrace, an aging and notorious housing complex. Matthews, a resident of Ward 5, said that he knows Williams personally. It was at his suggestion that New Beginnings landscaped her lawn. “I saw the shape her yard was in and thought ‘what a shame,’” Matthews said. “She’s such a sweet lady—an icon in the community.” As a young man, Matthews, 58, said he mowed lawns to earn extra money. “This is a big step for these kids,” he said. “It’s not just about them getting off [the grounds of New Beginnings] it’s teaching them about the responsibility that comes with doing a job. What’s important is they understand there’s nothing like an honest day’s work to build character,” he said. “That’s what I had to learn. It could be anything—not just lawn service—as long as you’ve worked for it.” DYRS Director Vincent Shiraldi watched as James and Nate performed their tasks. “Many of our youth lack the opportunity to participate in the kinds of positive activities most kids consider routine,” Shiraldi said. “We are trying to do things so they feel connected to the community,” he said. “The more connected they feel, the more likely they are to become productive citizens who contribute to society. What’s actually missing is a sense of trust between the kids and the community. Our hope is to establish that relationship of trust.” DYRS opened New Beginnings in May to replace the outdated Oak Hill Youth Center facility.
|
