HELENA – Woodworking students at Helena High School have built and donated a series of picnic tables for YMCA’s Camp Child.
On Wednesday, the students surveyed their work and showed the tables and benches to YMCA CEO David Oclander.
The five tables and ten benches will be used by campers at the Y’s Camp Child south of Elliston.
Last fall, the students drafted, built and donated a dozen benches to the camp. This time, their teacher says the goal was making sturdy – yet movable – tables.
“This time, we had a set of plans already, and we were just executing those plans,” says wood shop teacher Greg Cejka. “So there was a lot more technical stuff on these. We did a half lap for the legs and just tried to make them really stout so they would stand up to camp life.”
Tombstone Kiwanis has helped organize the project and the donation. Member Chuck Amdahl says teacher Greg Cejka is giving these kids more than an education in woodworking.
“The kids are just really behind this in such a neat way. What’s really neat about this is their teacher in particular, and I have to sing his praises, because he’s not only teaching them skills in wood shop, he’s teaching them community involvement,” says Amdahl.
Helena YMCA CEO David Oclander agrees with the importance of the students getting an opportunity to be involved with the community.
“What these students are doing is investing in that next generation that’s coming up and going through Camp Child,” says Oclander. “So the investment and reinvestment through youth and young mentors, supporting younger kids as they come up. That is just really exciting.”
Camp Child held its family camp last weekend and will soon begin its summer sessions for kids.
Reporting by Melissa Jensen for MTN News
